In this course, you will develop your skills in writing for radio, theatre and screen with an emphasis on your individual voice and style. 

You will graduate with a portfolio of pieces and an understanding of how to approach theatres and film and TV production companies and work towards securing commissions as a professional playwright or screenwriter.

The MLitt will provide you with technically-oriented tuition by leading contemporary and award-winning playwrights, with an emphasis on best practice in recent and contemporary writing.

At RADA, you learn by doing. You will engage in creatively rigorous and fulfilling vocational training that immerses you in the world of the professional playwright, ensuring you're artistically and practically equipped for the industry. Through continuous reflective practice you will workshop your writing, gain feedback and develop your creative work.

Teaching will be delivered by seminar (lecture and discussion), masterclasses, one-to-one tutorials, group tutorials and writing workshops.

Throughout your training, you will receive personalised feedback and career guidance to develop your expertise, resilience and leadership. The course will also include theatre trips, and prioritise an understanding of access, diversity, and inclusion.

This MA programme will enhance your creative and collaborative abilities while developing your playwriting craft. You will establish your identity as a creative practitioner with the skills and confidence to take an original idea from conception to production.

You will consider the role of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, and the impact they may have on the writing process and creative practice and industries.

Through this course you will write two plays; a one act play for a showcase reading, and the first draft of a full-length play for submission to professional production companies.

This new Master’s degree is designed to provide practical experience in directing and creating work for the theatre. Collaboration is at the heart of the programme to effectively replicate industry.

You will have the opportunity to work with students from other courses including acting, film, television and theatre production, set design, visual effects and costume – to deliver projects from start to finish.

Under guidance from experienced writers, directors and actors, you will explore and manage the entire directing process. From planning and prep work, through the rehearsal process to the final performance.

Working within the School’s Acting department you will have access to dedicated rehearsal rooms, our theatre and, where required, film & television studios.

The focus of this Master’s degree is the development of your directorial skill-set and style – whether that be in creating new work or in exciting and innovative interpretations of existing plays.

You will work on a wide range of approaches to directing, ranging from how to work with text to creating work through multi-media in performance. There are opportunities to look at ways of creating your own work with an ensemble and gain knowledge of funding applications so you are ready to set up your own company after graduation.

By the end of this intensive year-long programme, you have completed at least three contrasting and challenging projects. There will be opportunities to shadow directors and work as an assistant director on a range of projects to help inform your own practice.

This course, which is the first of its kind in the UK, provides individually tailored tuition that elevates your skills in readiness for a professional role as an opera director. 

Mentored by tutors who are professionals drawn from across industry, you’ll examine the key elements that will contribute to your artistic and creative development – including acting methodologies, rehearsal techniques, principal singing languages and movement. 

You’ll also explore different operatic forms, styles and conventions. Investigating artistic relationships – such as the design process and the conductor’s role – forms part of your tuition too. 

Practical directing experience in a collaborative setting is fundamental to your training. You’ll work across various creative disciplines involved in producing opera, immersing yourself in the many performances and projects that take place here at the College – with opportunities to direct in-house opera scenes as well. 

You’ll observe professional opera directors at work – both at the College and at the Welsh National Opera – to gain a better understanding of the industry in practice and build your network of contacts. 

Your course culminates with a fully negotiated industry placement in a professional UK opera company, focusing on the role of staff director and associated areas of expertise.

East 15 Acting School's MA Theatre Directing is designed for practicing or aspiring directors seeking to establish themselves as professional theatre directors.

The course brings together a diverse mix of emerging theatre directors from the UK and around the world, under the guidance of experienced directors and professional practitioners from the UK and overseas. With strong ties to the London theatre world, you'll have access to top-tier training as well as invaluable professional networks needed to build a successful career in directing theatre.

The MA is a one-year, full-time programme. You'll undertake four modules over three terms, followed by a three-month period of independent study, at the end of which you'll present a Director's Production Workbook (or your MA Dissertation). You'll have the option to choose four modules from a range of seven to eight which we offer in a year. While the menu of modules varies from year to year, they cover a diverse range of directorial practices such as Shakespeare, Contemporary British Drama, Comedy, Musical Theatre and Opera, Physical Theatre, and much more.

We also run some modules overseas, most recently in Poland with the legendary Song of the Goat Theatre Company, and in Bali, involving specialist practical study in an alternative cultural environment.

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Gain practical skills and critical insight in directing, design, performing, playwriting and more. You'll explore plays and productions covering theatre’s many pasts and presents. Discover the connections between theatre practice and its histories, theories, politics and ethics. Analyse scripts and develop performance, workshop, and rehearsal approaches. Hone your craft through ambitious production and research projects.

Thrive in exceptional facilities. We have two fully-equipped theatres, rehearsal rooms, and set design spaces. You’ll join an inspiring collaborative community of students and staff in music, film and television and creative technologies.

Our academics are leading researchers in theatre practice, history and theory. Many have worked as professional writers, actors, directors and designers.

Gain industry connections and prepare for your career. Engage with contemporary performance practice through theatre trips across Yorkshire. Build connections and get career insights through masterclasses with visiting professionals. You’ll have access to careers support from our in-house employability team.


Direct and perform your own work

Our BA (Hons) Drama, Theatre and Directing course offers you numerous opportunities to both perform in and direct your own performance work, as well as working with pre-existing texts.

This will develop your creative and theoretical skills ready for real-world application after you graduate, as you learn to cultivate your own ideas in response to seeing other contemporary performance practices and the world around you.

Study the key aspects of dramatic practice

You will explore the cultural and critical significance of dramatic practice, process and product throughout history, as you consider a wide range of historical and social theatre practices and contexts.

When you graduate you will have a confident understanding of the complimentary disciplines of drama, theatre and directing, alongside a range of practical experiences suited to diverse careers in a range of professional contexts.

Immerse yourself in the theatrical world

We have a strong link to the world-renowned Chichester Festival Theatre, where you will discover and experience established theatre practice and perform throughout your studies.

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Why study Drama and Theatre at Aberystwyth?

You'll be taught and mentored by staff who possess a wealth of expertise in research and/or professional theatre-making.
You'll take part in two original performance projects each year, with an increased focus on independent work as you progress through your degree.
You'll be part of a vibrant and exciting department where drama, theatre, film, media, scenography and theatre design collide.
You'll benefit from our connections with key industry partners, such as National Theatre Wales, Music Theatre Wales, Quarantine Theatre Company, and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru
You'll have access to superb facilities and resources for practical work, including three large professionally equipped studio theatres, three rehearsal studios, costume and wardrobe facilities, and a dedicated theatre technical team.
We have close links with Aberystwyth Arts Centre, one of the largest arts centres in Wales, which regularly presents national and international theatre and dance work.

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In this course, we look to the future. Theatre can take place in front of large audiences in dedicated performance venues, but it can also happen all around us – on the street, in community centres, in prisons and schools. When done well, theatre can have a transformative impact on individuals, communities and society. And you can be part of that.

Focussing on the emerging trends and innovations of 21st-century theatre and performance, we will teach you the building blocks of performance making, whilst supporting your ability to develop highly creative, challenging and impactful work.

You will engage in collaborative group performances throughout the course, allowing you to specialise in what you enjoy the most. You might choose to focus on acting, building your confidence on stage, perfecting your characterisation and portraying that character through performance. You could opt to work in pre-production, playwriting or script writing, or even scenography, designing sets and scenes that bring your production to life.

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Drama and Theatre (BA)

BA Drama and Theatre at Royal Holloway is about more than the stage. You’ll study how performance engages with big ideas like identity, politics, power, and protest.

Learn to analyse, question, and make theatre that responds to the world around you. Balancing creative practice with critical thinking, this degree equips you to grow as a confident, versatile artist – on stage and beyond.

Take to the stage

Make an impact

In your first year at Royal Holloway, you’ll take part in our Skills Lab module, designed to give you career-focused learning from the start. You’ll take part in skills workshops by staff from across the university, on topics ranging from careers and academic skills to technical theatre and digital performance.

In your final year, you’ll apply your skills in industry-focused modules like Radio Drama and Theatre for Young People. These help you reflect critically and prepare for your next steps.

Launch your career in areas such as theatre, TV, education, arts management, cultural policy, and teaching.

We sometimes make changes to our courses to improve your experience. If this happens, we’ll let you know as soon as possible. 

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Read me aloud