Theatre, Acting & Performance and Screenwriting BA (Hons)

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative. 

All Theatre, Acting & Performance modules are 'practice-based' (ie you learn primarily through participation in performance). All students have opportunities to direct, write, devise and design performance work. Alongside, you examine the cultural contexts of drama and the theories that have spurred its development and informed how we understand it.

There are opportunities to explore the diverse 'applications' of drama (in TV, live theatre, film and online), its social and historical significance, and roles in community and education. Leading theatre companies and practitioners regularly visit to work with students, to provide workshops and to grow your understanding of the profession in support of your employability. Recent visitors have included Punchdrunk, Stan's Café, Idle Motion, Shared Experience and award-winning children's dramatist, David Wood.

The course explicitly addresses the needs of students who, on graduating, are interested in theatre (performance, technical theatre, writing, directing, theatre/arts administration) or in teaching, theatre-in-education, youth theatre or community theatre. Students are regularly involved in public performance and the course's networks of professional and community contacts generate numerous opportunities for 'earn while you learn' paid work.

Screenwriting nurtures your love of story and aims to develop your skills as a writer and media practitioner for the 21st century. It provides creative, challenging approaches to writing for the screen and performance from initial conception to production. You are taught by lecturers with both academic and professional, industry backgrounds who are well placed to offer you expert advice and to support your development of original writing. The course provides you with many opportunities to network with industry contacts, supporting your developing understanding of how your writing skills are transferable to employment within the media industries.

For more information about teaching, learning and assessment on this course, please see the single honours course pages for Theatre, Acting & Performance BA (Hons) and Screenwriting (joint honours).

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest Theatre, Acting & Performance programme specification and Screenwriting programme specification documents.

Meet the team

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course

Employability

The opportunity to be introduced to current industry contacts in Screenwriting is an essential element of the progression of your work across the three years, giving you a unique insight into how your skills can transfer into employment within the media industry. There are many career path options including working in the digital arts industries, in film and television and arts organisations, and taking up university and school teaching or postgraduate academic and creative writing courses.

There are excellent career opportunities for Drama & Performance graduates. These are both in drama-related areas, such as theatre, education, and the media, and in a wide range of other fields of employment made accessible through skills learned on the course in presentation, performance, critical thinking and writing, creativity, confidence and communication. Former students often set up their own businesses, for example as small scale touring theatre companies or drama education providers.

Past students are now working as actors, producers, stage managers and directors for employers across the areas of theatre, TV, radio and film. Teaching and lecturing are very popular career choices for our graduates, as are arts administration and marketing. A proportion of our students always progress to postgraduate study to gain higher academic or professional qualifications.

Part-time applications

If you would like to apply to study this course part time, please complete our online application form.