Theatre and Performance
Entry requirements
A second-class honours degree (2:2) or above, and/or relevant practical experience in the creative industries.
All suitable applicants will be interviewed either personally or by telephone.
Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.
Months of entry
October
Course content
This Master's in theatre and performance is a highly distinctive degree that prepares you to enter or progress in the world of creative industries with specialist theoretical and practical knowledge, and an informed overview of the creative process and its components.
Why choose this course?
- This course is taught by world-leading researchers, writers, dramaturgs and theatre makers, and is delivered by one of the most impactful and innovative academic teams in the UK.
- 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.
- Through gaining important experience in theory and practice, it allows you to build your career prospects, develop your creative and critical skills, deepen your contextual and cultural understanding, sharpen your professional goals 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 and the ways in which they are shaped by current concerns, traditions and legacies.
Depending on your interests and career aspirations, you will specialise to gain one of the following awards:
- MA Theatre and Performance: in which you will study with industry professionals at Camden People’s Theatre
- MA Dramaturgy: in which you will study with guest artists such as Tim Crouch and Zoe Svendsen
- MA Writing for Performance: in which you will study with leading playwrights and screenwriters such as David Eldridge and Daragh Carville
How you will learn
This course is available to study full- or part-time. It has an evening timetable 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, including via Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre and other research centres.
Highlights
- You will have the chance to engage with the Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre, including through a year-round programme of events, opportunities to meet our Artist Fellows and invitations to our Graduate Research in Theatre seminar series.
- We collaborate with Dramaturgs’ Network (D'N) which provides each of our students with networking and professional development opportunities and exchange events, plus a year’s free D’N membership, as well as other exclusive opportunities.
- You can benefit from our ongoing relationships with Camden People’s Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre, including opportunities for special workshops on career development, producing and programming.
- You will be able to experience the wider research culture of the School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication, including the opportunity to take part in our annual Arts Week events programme.
- Birkbeck was ranked 2nd in the UK for its English Language and Literature research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
- We offer a number of bursaries for postgraduate students.
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. Graduates can also find ongoing support via the Birkbeck Theatre Alumni network, which is dedicated to creating networking opportunities for graduates of Birkbeck’s theatre programmes and celebrating their achievements.
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, from long-form text to short presentations.
You will find MA Theatre and Performance graduates in the following kinds of roles:
- 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
Recent Birkbeck graduates in this field include:
- Charlie Barker (actor and teacher)
- Dzifa Benson (writer and critic)
- Dr Jaswinder Blackwell-Pal (playwright and academic)
- Emily Brown (theatre-maker)
- Neka De Costa (academic)
- Isobel Dougill (dramaturg)
- Rachel Gemaehling (dramaturg, theatre-maker)
- Artemis Grympla (dramaturg, director, writer)
- Emma-Louise Howell (writer and director)
- Manyang Hu (theatre-maker, theatre administrator)
- Matthew Jameson (director, theatre-maker, theatre management)
- Katherina Kastening (director)
- Namsi Khan (screenwriter)
- Sarah Knop (theatre-maker, teacher, choreographer)
- Chris Lawson (artistic director)
- Clement Lee (dramaturg, teacher)
- Olga Macrinici (writer, director, academic)
- Emma Muir-Smith (writer, director, performer)
- Nicky Napier (dramaturg, producer)
- Dominic O’Hanlon (publisher)
- Liesa Refflinghaus (theatre administrator, theatre maker)
- Erica Nicole Rothman (dramaturg, literary adviser)
- Stephen Ryan (BASSC-certified stage combat teacher, writer, researcher)
- Christina Schelhas (director and performance artist)
- Miriam Sherwood (producer and theatre-maker)
- Harriet Taylor (producer and theatre-maker)
- Robert Mark Temple (playwright)
- Gabriele Uboldi (playwright and director)
- Renata Wilson (theatre maker)
- Ali Yalgin (academic)
We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.
Information for international students
If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this course is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.
Qualification, course duration and attendance options
- MA
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Student Advice Service
- studentadvice@bbk.ac.uk
- Phone
- +44 (0)20 3907 0700