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MA - Master of Arts
City Campus
Part Time
Sep 2027
2 Year
Develop your individual theatre and performance practice. You’ll be guided by experienced and research-active performance makers as you explore your creativity. Our diverse community This is a course for theatre and performance makers, designed by artists. Your background could be in theatre, performance, arts education, and/or socially engaged practice. Whatever your path, you’ll be guided by of a team of research active, internationally acclaimed staff who are committed to making theatre and performance matter. As part of this course, you’ll: Take an informed, critical, and creative approach to making new theatre and performance work Explore the practical and conceptual bases for making theatre and performance Learn as part of a diverse range of performance communities Immerse yourself in a supportive, artist-centred learning environment that values culture-based and practice-led research Connect with other like-minded people interested in creating captivating performance work Be supported to access platforms such as national and international festivals to support the development of your work Develop the capacity for critical self and peer appraisal to facilitate complex strategies and procedures to improve performance Join a community focused on collaborative enquiry into theatre and performance practice.
Explore a range of research methods relevant to the performing arts, including both traditional and creative practice approaches. This module will help you identify and apply appropriate research strategies for your own independent project. You'll engage with methods such as creative archival research, practice-based research, theatre, dance and performance history, performer training as research, body-centred performance research, applied performance research, audience studies, and ethnographic and critical approaches to performance analysis (e.g. semiotic, phenomenological, post-structural, feminist, postcolonial, and queer perspectives). These diverse methodologies will support you in formulating a clear research framework and strategy. Your independent research will be assessed through a written research proposal (30%) and a practical video research portfolio (70%), demonstrating both your research process and your understanding of academic frameworks for dissemination. Optional modules may also be available for this course.
This module presents a set of artistic commission briefs, delivered sequentially. Each brief outlines specific requirements and desired outcomes, challenging you to respond resourcefully and creatively within tight timeframes. You'll explore a breadth of choreographic, theatre, and performance-making approaches, each shaped by distinct audience, contextual, and commissioning demands. The emphasis is on your ability to work responsively, adapting your practice to meet a range of expectations. Each commission offers an opportunity to demonstrate the versatility of your creative practice. Assessment focuses on your imaginative skills, your responsiveness to different stakeholders, and your ability to communicate effectively – both through the creative work itself and through your professional conduct throughout the process. Optional modules may also be available for this course.
Optional modules may also be available for this course.
This module brings together your learning from across the master’s degree. You'll design and deliver a major research project that includes a completed performance work, publicly presented during the end-of-course festival. Your project will also include a coherent and reflective piece of critical writing or a viva voce, articulating the findings of your creative and academic research enquiry. In addition, you'll produce an artist statement aligned with professional expectations, complementing your final performance. The project should demonstrate a professional approach to both the creative process and the presentation of cultural work. Ultimately, you'll be encouraged to actively engage with contemporary communication channels to showcase your potential to shape current art practices and contribute new perspectives and understandings. Optional modules may also be available for this course.
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