Course contact details
Main Contact
Email:admissions@rcs.ac.uk
Phone:0141 332 4101
Fax: 0141 332 8901
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
100 Renfrew Street
Glasgow
G2 3DB
Directing Classical and Contemporary Text (Taught)
- Master of Arts
- 1 Years
- Full-Time
- 20 September 2027
- Postgraduate
- Main Site
- Course scheme
- UCAS Conservatoires
Course summary
The application deadline for this programme is 31 March 2027
MA Directing Classical and Contemporary Text (CCT) is a course for directors who find themselves looking beyond traditional and contemporary artistic approaches as they seek to broaden and deepen their individual practice. Individuality is at the core of this postgraduate programme. We work with artists who use their social, moral, and ethical values to animate their practice. This is a course where you will have agency over your own work and be responsible for driving your learning and creativity forward.
It is this agency which makes the programme different from undergraduate study. With support from the staff team, you will write your own learning outcomes, determine your trajectory and ultimately, we hope, you will flourish as both a learner and a creative practitioner.
It’s an intense programme where actors and directors work together, creating a dynamic community rooted in creative collaboration. Highlights include developing original digital work for the On the Verge festival, performing or directing contemporary performance working in proto-professional ensembles and completing a month’s residency at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London.
At the end of this residency, after undertaking classes with the educational team at the Globe, you will perform or direct sharings on the mainstage of Shakespeare’s Globe, a unique and iconic playing space.
If this narrative excites or inspires you, please get in touch to discuss how you can begin your artistic journey with us.
Important Audition Information
If you choose recording as your audition location - a video submission needs to be uploaded via our Acceptd account, you will be called for an online interview at a later date. Please see the website for details on how to record your submission.
If you choose RCS or London as your audition location - all elements of the audition (including the interview) will be completed in person, you will not need to upload any recorded material on Acceptd, but you must still upload your headshot and complete the applicant questionnaire to be considered for the programme.
Our international auditions are still being confirmed. Information will be updated when available, please also check the website for details.
Course details
Principal study options
During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:
Instrument/specialisms
For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.
Primary instrument/specialism
- Drama Performance
Modules
Course Modules
Classical and Contemporary Text Masters has two strands – acting and directing – with students working together as an ensemble throughout the year. If you opt for the MFA, you will study for an additional four months (16 months in total) where you will create a substantial piece of original work that will serve as a “creative calling card” for you to take to industry.
Each term, you will primarily engage in a single module that will run for the term’s duration. In addition, there is a year-long module concerned with your professional practice and development that runs across your studies. Through this module, you will have the opportunity to engage with the performing arts industry in a variety of ways beyond the programme’s performance opportunities. This engagement might include:
-
Mock castings with directors or casting directors
-
Self-tape workshops
-
Mock agent meetings
-
Mock interviews with industry professionals
-
Masterclasses on a variety of areas of professional practice
Through these and other activities (along with all other content on the programme), you will be expected to consider and develop your relationships to and with the profession.
Assessment method
Please see our website for more information about course content.
How to apply
If you are an international applicant, or you are applying for a postgraduate course, or are choosing certain assessment locations, the 'on time' deadline may be later in the year - please contact the conservatoire directly.
Apply by
13 January 2027
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- 701F
- Institution code:
- R58
- Campus name:
- Main Site
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
Entry requirements
Typical qualification requirements
We seek applicants who bring a clear, values-led creative identity and the desire to interrogate their acting or directing praxis, refine their craft and challenge their methods. This course demands resilience, readiness for creative challenges, and a grounded approach to your practice. While qualifications, training, or prior experience may inform an applicant’s journey, they are not prerequisites. We value individuality and the diverse pathways that lead one to develop a creative perspective—whether through life experience, autonomous exploration or auto-didacticism.
For directing applicants only: Successful applicants should be confident leading a room and collaborating with an MA-level cohort of actors.
Additional entry requirements
- Other
- The audition for directing applicants is a three-part process consisting of an observed workshop, a presentation, and an interview with the panel. For further information on the audition process, please refer to our webpage under the 'how to apply' section: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/ma-mfa-acting-directing-classical-and-contemporary-text/
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 7.5 | 7.5 with a minimum score of 7.5 in speaking and no component below 5.5 |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 102 | Overall score of 102, with minimum scores of: Reading -18, Listening -17, Speaking -27, Writing -17 |
| PTE Academic | 76 | Overall score of 76 with a minimum of 76 in speaking and 59 in all other components (reading, listening, writing) |
| Cambridge English Advanced | Overall score of 191 with a minimum of 191 in speaking and no component below 162 | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | Overall score of 191 with a minimum of 191 in speaking and no component below 162 |
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/international-students/english-requirements/
Assessment locations
In the event of a successful assessment, applicants may be invited for a further interview prior to being made an offer.
Remote assessment recordings may be accepted in the event that you cannot attend an assessment in person.
Single specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee |
|---|---|
| RCS (Glasgow) | Not available at this location |
| Recording | Not available at this location |
| City of London | Not available at this location |
| Online | Not available at this location |
Joint principal specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee |
|---|---|
| RCS (Glasgow) | Not Applicable |
| Recording | Not Applicable |
| City of London | Not Applicable |
| Online | Not Applicable |
Additional Information
All applicants are required to create an Acceptd profile and application (https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs) at the point of submitting their UCAS application, regardless of which audition location you have selected. The audition for directing applicants is a three-part process consisting of an observed workshop, a presentation, and an interview with the panel. For further information on the audition process, please refer to our webpage under the 'how to apply' section: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/ma-mfa-acting-directing-classical-and-contemporary-text/
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Per year tuition fees
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|
* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Additional fee information
Please note, all new students are required to pay associated programme cost related fees at the start of their studies.
For more information on fees, funding and scholarship, please see our website.
Sponsorship information
Stage & Screen Scholarships
The School of Stage and Screen scholarships are awarded for a mixture of financial need and merit. Scholarships are applied for and awarded on an annual basis. If you are offered a place at the Conservatoire, you will be sent the relevant link to apply for a Scholarship.
Related courses
At Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
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