Explore drama, literature, performance and theatre history
Our English and Drama MA offers an exciting opportunity to specialise in the study of drama, theatre and literary studies.
In this course, you will primarily study dramatic texts and the history of theatre, working with leading experts in Shakespeare and early modern drama, theatre history, and modern performance theory and practice. You can also choose from a wide range of optional modules across the field of literary studies, combining your interest in drama with topics including postcolonial and world literature, and critical and cultural theory.
You have the choice of completing a research dissertation on a topic of your choice, or alternatively, taking up a professional placement or an extended practical project. These can help you develop your professional network and practical skills for the future career you have in mind.
You will enjoy easy access to the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford, and major theatres in Coventry, Leicester and Birmingham. On campus, Warwick Arts CentreLink opens in a new window, the largest of its kind outside London, is visited by companies of international standing specialising in both the established repertoire and new work.
Our warm and vibrant research community is one of the largest in the UK, with around 110 postgraduates every year. We also offer funding for postgraduate study, and career development support during your time here.
By the end of the course, you'll be well-positioned for further study or employment with the transferable skills you will develop.
Developing your practical skills and theoretical knowledge as drama and theatre educators, specialising in school and community settings.
Do you want to deepen your theoretical understanding and practical skills in drama, theatre and performance for a range of different educational and community settings? Do you want to consider what it means to be a practitioner of drama, theatre education or applied performance whilst connecting with a vibrant international community of teachers, practitioners and actor-teachers?
This MA programme offers students an in-depth insight into the ways drama and theatre education can enhance teaching and learning in primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as in applied and community settings. We introduce you to a range of hybrid pedagogic strategies that are underpinned by rigor and that aspire to make learning accessible, playful, creative and engaging. We celebrate drama and theatre as subjects in their own right whilst also recognising the substantive body of evidence-based research into the ways drama and theatre can be used as pedagogical tools across the curriculum and for community purposes. This MA is aimed at practitioners, or aspiring practitioners, working in schools and colleges, and community and educational theatre settings.
The course of study provides a planned and structured programme, which is sufficiently flexible to respond to the needs of a wide range of pedagogic and cultural contexts. Practical activities are at the heart of our course structure, so there will be a number of opportunities to work with your peers, collaborating, debating, and researching practical solutions. Your interdisciplinary skill set will be developed throughout the MA, enabling you to pursue a diverse array of career pathways. Many of our alumni have gone go on to:
- Study teacher training courses to become teachers of drama/theatre and/or English language;
- Enhance their profile as classroom drama/theatre and English teachers, many securing promotion;
- Successfully complete Doctoral study, becoming academics in the field of drama and theatre education;
- Work as theatre education and outreach officers for leading arts organisations;
- Develop their portfolio as freelance practitioners/facilitators in the field of drama and theatre in education
Musical theatre dazzles, inspires and entertains us. But it’s not all about singalongs and dancing in the aisles, there is business behind the show.
Musicals exist as cultural artifacts that have been used to divert us from the pressures of the world and to confront social issues head-on using humour, passion, and pathos.