Theatre and Performance (Taught)

Birkbeck’s MA Theatre and Performance allows you to specialise and gain an award in Dramaturgy, Theatre Making, or Writing for Performance. These routes make it a highly distinctive degree designed for emerging and continuing theatre professionals looking to develop their creative practice, build analytical capacity and gain hands-on industry experience.

Why choose this course?

• The course is taught by world-leading artists and academic researchers while working closely with Birkbeck’s pioneering industry partners such as Camden People’s Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, and the Dramaturgs’ Network.

• It is ideal if you are interested in learning about or working in theatre and the performing arts, including writing for performance, digital and screen-based arts, dramaturgy and literary management.

• It allows you to build your career prospects, develop your creative and critical skills, deepen your contextual and cultural understanding and make valuable connections within the industry.

What you will learn

You will explore the dynamic relationships between text, performance, writing and dramaturgy through a combination of:

• writing for and about theatre and performance

• performance-making

• dramaturgical practice

• academic study

• playwriting.

You will also examine historical, philosophical and theoretical materials and ideas to understand contemporary theatre and performance.

Depending on your interests and career aspirations, you will specialise to gain one of the following awards:

• MA Theatre and Performance: Theatre Making

• MA Theatre and Performance: Dramaturgy

• MA Theatre and Performance: Writing for Performance

How you will learn

This course is available to study full- or part-time, with classes in the evening. You will learn through lectures, seminars and practice-based studio sessions. You will also benefit from the experience of guest lectures and workshops with leading industry professionals, and attendance at theatre and performance events, and you will have access to performances, readings, exhibitions and symposia across Birkbeck.

Highlights

• You will have the chance to engage with the Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre, including through a programme of events, opportunities to meet our Artist Fellows and invitations to our Graduate Research in Theatre seminars.

• We collaborate with the Dramaturgs’ Network which provides our students with networking and professional development opportunities and exchange events, plus a year’s free D’N membership.

• You can benefit from our ongoing relationships with Camden People’s Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre, including workshops on career development, producing and programming.

• Birkbeck was ranked 2nd in the UK for its English Language and Literature research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

Careers and employability

This degree combines practical and academic exploration to equip you with a wide range of highly employable skills, ideal for working in or undertaking further academic study.

On successfully graduating from this course you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

• familiarity with professional practices and modes of employment within the sector

• a critical grounding in key contemporary social, cultural and political questions

• skills in the design, production and presentation of high-quality research

• effective communication across different formats.

You will find MA Theatre and Performance graduates in the following kinds of role:

• theatre and performance practice

• script development

• dramaturg

• film, media and the creative arts

• writing for TV, film and gaming

• arts leadership

• administration and outreach

• journalism

• advertising and marketing

• public relations

• policy and strategy for political organisations, charities and NGOs

• academia and education