Drama and Theatre Studies

Course summary

The first area of study has a devising focus – working from a play-text stimulus and in the light of a recognised theatre practitioner, you will be asked to create a piece of original drama that you will perform for an invited audience. You’ll be required to detail how this has been developed from a central, overarching idea and reflect on your process and performance of the piece in a written portfolio. The second area of study occurs in the second year of the course and is almost entirely focused on performance. You will be required to play a role in a performance of a key extract of a published play, whilst at the same time preparing a scripted monologue or duologue for practical assessment. The third area prepares you for the written examination at the end of the course, though most of the classwork is undertaken practically. You’ll study two separate published play-texts in light of recognised theatre practitioners, explore design elements in the modern theatre and also hone the art of responding in writing to live theatre performances that you will have experience throughout the course. Outside of the classroom, you will be able to immerse yourself in professional theatre thanks to our visits to plays in London, Stratford and more locally, Newcastle.