Theatre Practice

Entry requirements

We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above in their first degree in drama. While we normally only consider applicants who meet this criterion, if you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application. Practical and/or professional experience may be taken as constituting the equivalent of a degree qualification.

Applicants are invited to submit a portfolio, including videos excerpts from previous performances or links to others types of material.

Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.

Months of entry

September

Course content

For theatre-makers, educators, and performance scholars, this MA offers rigorous training in physical and vocal performance, ensemble collaboration, directing and dramaturgy - equipping students to innovate and lead within contemporary theatre and performance contexts.

• Specialised training for performers, theatre-makers, facilitators, educators and scholars on an acclaimed, long-standing programme that has generated famous practitioners and theatre companies
• Learn about world-renowned theatre practices from specialists
• Develop advanced skills for creating independent work and building creative communities
• Extend your artistic practice, sharpen your critical skills and learn to contextualise your work culturally and historically
• Join a diverse, international community of artists, researchers and students who are passionate about theatre’s role in society and are leaders in their field
• We also offer a two-year MFA Theatre Practice course

Our MA Theatre Practice nurtures the theatre scholar-practitioners of the future. You will be taught advanced skills in movement, voice, text, adaptation and devising and will be invited to work collaboratively and imaginatively across various types of performance.

This programme is ideal for anyone wishing to further their practical training, integrate this with the study of cutting-edge performance practices, and the cultivation of advanced research skills.

We regularly train students in Grotowski-based movement and voice work, Phillip Zarrilli’s psychophysical training, Asian body-mind practices (including yoga, t’ai chi and butoh), Meyerhold’s biomechanics, polyphonic singing, integration of movement and text, and Viewpoints. You will be introduced to contemporary performances practices, including site-specific theatre, intermedial performance, autobiographical work, physical theatre, and devised performance. Each year, students on this pathway can undertake a training residency outside the department, arranged by the university. In previous years, students have trained at Shakespeare’s Globe in London.

Programme staff are experts in actor training, directing and devising. They lead professional companies (e.g. RedCape Theatre) and regularly collaborate with world-leading theatre organisations (e.g. the Grotowski Institute in Poland, the National Theatre of Greece, ArtsCross International, LADA-Live Art Development Agency, the National Theatre Wales).

We offer a rich programme of esteemed visiting speakers and practitioners throughout the year. This frequently features workshops in clowning, puppetry, sound and dance. You will have access to the Exeter Digital Archives, one of the largest collections of recorded training and performance sessions in the world.

Information for international students

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

Fees and funding

We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students. This is in addition to the UK Government’s Postgraduate Loan Scheme. For information on how you can fund your postgraduate degree at the University of Exeter, please visit the postgraduate study pages on our website.