Drama and Theatre - BA (Hons)

Course structure

Duration: 3 years full-time (4 with a year abroad/in industry)

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.  

On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.

• Year in industry

Teaching and assessment

Teaching is through workshops, seminars, lectures and practical projects. Most Drama and Theatre modules are continuously assessed on the basis of coursework, projects  and presentations, performances, essays and dissertations. 

Contact hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

• provide a stimulating environment which encourages and assists you to achieve your creative and intellectual potential
• produce independent, motivated graduates who are equipped to meet the needs of, and to contribute creatively to, the theatre and associated media and professions
• develop critical judgement and personal organisation skills to enable you to respond positively to the challenges of further study, training or employment in relevant career destinations
• enhance the learning experience through a range of teaching and assessment methods that reflect and respond to the values and diversity inherent in drama and theatre studies
• provide teaching that is informed by research and current developments in the pedagogy of drama and theatre as well as theatre practice and the arts
• provide a broad grounding in the subject in the early stages of study, becoming increasingly specialist in the later stages
• provide you with creative competence and understanding that is grounded in (and prepares for) professional practice
• offer you the opportunity to apply to undertake a term or year abroad or a year’s placement in industry.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You develop knowledge and understanding of:

• key practitioners, practices and theorists of performance, including writers, critics, directors, actors, artists, designers and producers
• historical and contemporary contexts of the production and reception of performance
• the relationship of performance to its material, cultural and historical context.
• histories, forms and traditions of performance and theoretical explanations of their impact
• traditional and contemporary critical perspectives that inform the academic study of performance
• the interplay between theory and practice
• the processes by which performance is created, realised and managed including: the reading of written text and other source material; processes of rehearsal; writing and dramaturgy; devising, directing, design, stage and technical management and producing
• the impact of theatre and performance within a range of social, educational and community contexts
• the reading, analysis, documenting and interpreting of performance
• the role of the audience; the performance and production skills necessary to communicate with audiences.

Intellectual skills

You develop intellectual skills in how to:

• read, understand and engage analytically with a range of texts, performances and other source material
• research, evaluate and productively apply information from a number of sources (written, visual, aural) in order to develop and present a coherent understanding of the theory and practice of performance
• critique performance events and processes
• undertake and manage extended independent and creative research
• understand processes of creativity and deploy and critique these in your own work
• record, document and analyse processes of making performance
• understand and apply appropriate interdisciplinary practices, concepts and skills
• present coherent arguments verbally and in writing
• understand the relationship of performance to a range of critical, historical and cultural frameworks for its production and reception.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in:

• reading and evaluating scripts, performance texts and other theatre documents from a range of critical and practical perspectives
• envisioning the performance possibilities of a play text, script and other textual or documentary sources
• realising performances derived from a range of starting points (for example, a script; a theoretical position; documentary material; a specific location) and using a range of techniques, structures and working methods to develop those performances
• engaging and collaborating in production and performance
• engaging with current debates on theatre arts, productions, cultural policy and funding
• practising creative, physical and vocal skills for practice-based work, including appropriate warm-up exercises and techniques
• using technical apparatus and associated resources necessary to realise the demands of production in live and recorded performance safely, efficiently and effectively
• documenting performance processes and events
• engaging in research, whether independent, group or practice-based
• considering theories of spectatorship, developing an awareness of the audience or client group for performance, and an ability to respond and adapt to it through flexible means.

Transferable skills

You gain the following transferable skills:

• working collaboratively with others utilising a variety of team structures and working methods, understanding group dynamics and handling interpersonal issues
• developing and pursuing creative projects within specified resource constraints (for example, time, space and/or budget), therefore, developing problem-solving skills
• managing workloads to meet deadlines and sustaining focus for extended periods working on independent creative projects, developing autonomy and self-management
• using information retrieval skills to gather and critically evaluate material
• applying critical and creative skills in diverse forms of discourse and media
• identifying health and safety issues and undertake risk assessments.  
• negotiating effectively with a variety of agencies (inside and outside the programme), developing interpersonal skills
• effectively and professionally communicating coherent arguments and propositions in a variety of media, verbally and in writing
• undertaking basic design, engineering, construction, and technical work
• demonstrating numeracy using scale, simple equations, simple geometry, basic arithmetic, data collection, presentation and analysis
• reflecting on your own learning and progress, identifying strategies for development, exploring strengths and weaknesses and developing autonomy in learning and continuous professional development.

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have developed careers as:

• journalists
• authors
• literary managers
• directors
• performers
• scriptwriters for television
• stand-up comedians
• casting agents
• event managers
• arts administrators
• community theatre officers for local councils
• drama teachers.

Some have gone on to work for major players in the West End and for theatre companies. These include:

• Mark Rubinstein
• Sonia Friedman
• Bill Kenwright
• DV8
• Complicite.

We also support past students to set up companies and remain in Kent with the Graduate Theatre Scheme. Successful professional companies who started with us include:

• Little Bulb Theatre
• The Pantaloons
• The Noise Next Door
• Three Half Pints (stars of Spot Bots).

Our graduates include:

• Lyn Gardner, theatre critic (The Guardian)
• Alan Davies
• Claire Marshall of Forced Entertainment
• Charlotte Knight, literary agent
• Russell Bolam, director (Bristol Old Vic, Royal Shakespeare Company)
• Matthew Gordon, theatre producer (Associate Producer, Cameron Mackintosh Ltd)
• Kevin Walsh (Operations Director at Graeae theatre company)
• Louise Arnold, novelist
• Jimmy McGhie and Tiernan Douieb, comedians
• Matt Evans, scriptwriter (EastEnders, Law & Order, New Tricks)
• Adam Brace, playwright
• Julian Woolford, director (Head of Postgraduate Musical Theatre at Guildford School of Acting).

Help finding a job

The School of Arts works hard to maintain strong links with professionals throughout the industry, as well as with major players such as:

• Gulbenkian Theatre
• Marlowe Theatre
• Shakespeare’s Globe.

The University’s Careers and Employability Service offers advice on how to:

• apply for jobs
• write a good CV
• perform well in interviews.

Career-enhancing skills

Alongside specialist skills, you also develop the transferable skills graduate employers look for, including the ability to:

• think critically 
• communicate your ideas and opinions 
• work independently and as part of a team.

You can gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.