Contemporary Performance

Entry requirements

You will normally have a minimum of a 2:2 UK honours degree (or international equivalent) in a related subject. Alternatively, you may be admitted if you have a professional qualification or can demonstrate relevant professional practice. All candidates will be required to attend an interview, where they will be asked to present their current practice and discuss their interest in the course. Overseas applicants will be seen via Skype/telephone.

Months of entry

September

Course content

MA/MFA Contemporary Performance is a taught, Masters programme that focuses on innovative contemporary performance practice. It is a practical course aimed at artists/graduates working within and across radical theatre and/or dance practices (experimental theatre, contemporary dance, performance art, dance theatre, physical theatre etc.). The course is designed and led by established practitioners, curators and academics, who are connected to, expert in, and passionate about the leading edge of theatre and dance practices in Europe and beyond.

The programme will enrich participants’ practice as contemporary performance makers whilst developing the professional sustainability of their work within the professional networks available to them, both in the region and across European and international contexts. The programme includes regular practical workshops, alongside intensive blocks of study, that offer practice-based ways into exploring both the making of performance, and the role of the performer as maker. It offers students the opportunity to work directly with current professionals working in the field, whilst developing their own practice, supported by expert mentors, within a major individual project.

Special Features

• The teaching team, drawn from the prestigious Manchester School of Theatre and Manchester School of Art, are nationally recognised for their focus on practice-based research, and as such are perfectly placed to enhance the thinking and practices of new performance practitioners critically, professionally and artistically.
• Alongside its European and international connections, the course is embedded in the working networks of Manchester’s arts infrastructure and maintains links to all of the key institutions within the field, from grass roots to premiere organisations.