BA in Drama University of Manchester

Join our internationally recognised centre for the study of applied and social theatre.

Course overview

• Study theatre, performance, and screen media.
• Explore ideas raised in your research through rehearsed presentations and performance.
• Select from a wide range of course units to expand both your theoretical and practical understanding of drama.
• Create and deliver practical theatre work in prisons and community settings.

Open days

We are carefully reviewing all our recruitment events in light of the developing coronavirus outbreak.

As we're unable to host on-campus visits, or attend events like UCAS and overseas recruitment fairs at the moment, look at our virtual open day content to help you learn more about the University.

You will be able to watch videos about the university, including accommodation, student finance and course-specific sessions.

Our BA Drama course embraces all forms of drama across the stage, screen and beyond.

You will explore everything from literary adaptation to street theatre, from activist performance to audio design, from playwriting to directing and experimental film cultures.

You will benefit from teaching informed by recent innovations in theatre, performance and film studies, as well as by historical practices.

Our comprehensive facilities include the purpose-built Martin Harris Centre, home to the John Thaw Studio, a fully staffed, adaptable performance, rehearsal and workshop space.

You will also be able to draw inspiration from the creative beating heart of the city itself, home to countless ground-breaking arts organisations and events - from Manchester International Festival, the world's first festival of original work, to HOME, the largest multidisciplinary arts centre outside of the capital.

You can also take advantage of strong links to partner organisations throughout the city, including TiPP (Theatre in Prisons and Probation Research and Development Centre), based here at the University, and Community Arts North West.

You'll also have the opportunity to engage with professional practitioners working in the cultural industries through your coursework and through extracurricular events.

Special features

Placement year option

Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through a placement year in your third year of study, enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals and build your external networks.

Study abroad

You may apply to spend one semester studying abroad during Year 2. Exchange partners are offered through the Erasmus Exchange scheme (in Sweden) and the Worldwide Exchange scheme (eg USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore).

Study an additional subject

Flexible Honours may allow you to study additional art, languages or cultural subjects.

Teaching and learning

Manchester is distinct from an acting conservatoire; rather than offering purely vocational training, we bring together theory and practice in the study of Drama as a cultural process and artistic discourse.

Your studies will encompass stage and screen, the ancient and the contemporary, the mainstream and the avant-garde.

You'll develop skills in critical thinking, creative problem solving, and the clear articulation of ideas, learning through lectures, seminars, practical workshops, masterclasses and group work.

You will engage with the theories and techniques of practitioners past and present in our dedicated studio spaces.

Practical work is generally workshop-based and not all projects culminate in public performance.

Coursework and assessment

Assessment includes:

• coursework essays;
• written examinations;
• research reports;
• practical tests;
• learning logs;
• web contributions;
• oral presentations;
• small-scale practical assignments;
• a final-year dissertation or research essay.

The final degree result is based on 25% from Year 2 and 75% from Year 3.

Course content for year 1

Study core units in the theory and practice of drama, focusing on historical, contextual and theoretical analysis. Learn from visiting artists and collaborate with fellow students in intensive practical workshops.

Course content for year 2

Explore drama practitioners in their historical, cultural, and political context from the birth of modernism to the present day. Select from a broad range of options, including Street Theatres and Varieties of Shakespeare. Develop practical skills in creating theatre and film. Choose an area of research for your final year dissertation project.

Course content for year 3

Specialise in an area of practice, such as playwriting, directing, documentary filmmaking, applied theatre, or contemporary theatre-making.

Continue to hone your critical and analytical skills in upper-level study options.

Research and write your dissertation or research essay.

Study Drama with us and you'll learn to interpret and critically analyse theatre, performance and film, create original work for live performance and demonstrate a high level of transferable skills - especially in interpersonal communication, group work, leadership and creative problem-solving.

You'll find our graduates in a broad range of occupations - a fact that underlines their considerable adaptability and aptitude for collaborative work, effective communication and negotiation.

These include roles in the theatre, film, television and radio, journalism, teaching and applied theatre.

Some of our most recent graduates are currently pursuing further study in Film Studies, Playwriting and Screenwriting.

The creative economy accounts for 1 in 11 jobs across the UK and employs 700,000 more people than the financial services industry (Creative Industries Federation).

The University of Manchester is the most targeted university in the UK for top graduate employers (High Fliers Research, 2019).

Our award-winning careers service provides a wealth of tools, advice, development opportunities and industry links.

You'll have access to dedicated, subject-specific support throughout your studies and for up to two years after graduation.

Our undergraduate courses are also designed to provide an easy transition into the postgraduate study if desired.

We offer a wide range of specialist master's courses within the University and even offer fast-tracked enrolment to high-achieving undergraduate students.

Our students can take part in our Stellify programme alongside their degrees, developing professional and leadership skills while contributing to their local and global communities through volunteering.

Our graduates have gone on to work in a variety of industries, including positions in:

• Applied Theatre
• Directing
• Television and Radio
• Theatre
• Film and Broadcast
• Journalism
• Teaching at schools, colleges and universities
• Community Arts and Arts Administration
• Law and Business Management

Aims

We aim to:

• produce students capable of engaging creatively and critically with performance;
• develop your skills in critical analysis, independent research and argumentation, and creative practice;
• provide you with knowledge and understanding of drama as a cultural process and artistic discourse, through the study of theatre and film histories, dramatic texts, and performance theory and practice;
• facilitate and support the development of your learning skills, critical perception and dramatic imagination;
• provide a curriculum that reflects the diversity of expertise within the Drama Department and the issues currently defining the field;
• foster knowledge, understanding, and experience of the contribution drama can make to local communities and to society at large;
• equip you with the necessary critical tools and relevant practice to begin to make worthwhile contributions to contemporary theatre, film, television or related fields.