BA in Drama and Theatre Arts BA (Hons)

BA in Drama and Theatre Arts BA (Hons)

This degree reflects the diversity and excitement of the subject in the new millennium, and gives you the opportunity to look at the theory and practice of performance in a range of media.

Our academic staff are active and committed researchers and creators of theatre work. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise the Department of Theatre and Performance scored highly, with 65% of our published output rated in the highest two categories. Applicants with GCE A-levels in arts subjects such as English, History, Languages, Drama and Theatre Studies are welcomed, but we are also interested in those with other subjects or complementary experience.

What you study

Our distinctive emphasis on performance and production work, the stimulating atmosphere created by staff with diverse research interests, and our location in the heart of London's performance culture, mean that we can offer an innovative syllabus which explores new approaches to drama and performance.

The degree leads you through a range of study including: theatre making; physical investigation of, and reflection on, modes of performance; close analysis of performance and written text; learning how to study the history of theatre across a range of cultures; the acquisition of basic technical skills; an understanding of how performance affects audiences; theatre, studio and site-specific practice; and an ability to define and critique what falls under the broad term ‘performance’.

In addition to acquiring knowledge of these general areas, you have the opportunity to develop a specialist focus, involving e.g. theatre production, physical practices, devising, dramaturgy, scenography, management, directing, writing, digital and technical skills. Following a core syllabus in the first year, the programme takes you through a spiral curriculum in which there are increased options to choose from. In your third year you research and write an extended (8,000 words) dissertation on a topic of your choice that is supervised by a specialist member of staff, alongside your final year theatre making exercise in which you can choose across both theatre and Live Art practices.

From your second year you are additionally supported by an extra-curricular Personal and Professional Development programme. At all levels, the degree encourages student-centred learning, independent thinking and initiative, collaborative skills and the ability to conceive and deliver ideas in an articulate and organised manner.

In this way you develop the knowledge and skills which make up a university degree, but also engage with a more specialised training within the broader programme. As a result, although some use the degree as training for working in the performing arts sector, our emphasis on fostering a trained mind qualifies all our students for a wide range of careers.

Assessment

Performances, production processes, essays, group projects, dissertation and timed examinations.