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Text and Performance at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2024 - 2025
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

MA Text and Performance is a highly distinctive degree delivered by one of the most exciting and impactful departments in the UK. Taught by world-leading academic researchers, artists and industry professionals, you will explore the dynamic relationship between text and performance through a combination of:

  • writing for and about theatre and performance
  • theatre practice
  • performance-making
  • academic study.
This postgraduate degree is ideally suited to those interested in learning about or working in theatre and the performing arts, including live, digital and screen-based arts, and an array of other career paths. Our MA Text and Performance is offered in association with guest artists (recently including Dickie Beau, Karen Christopher, Brian Logan, Diane Page and Karen Tomlin) and Camden People’s Theatre, which is a leader nationally in producing cutting-edge performance and supporting the next generation of theatre-makers. An exciting feature of the course is the opportunity to create a new piece of theatre under the direction of Camden People's Theatre, and to present practice-based dissertation projects (including performances and readings) in the theatre as part of a graduation festival. In the studio and workshop, we use voice, movement, playwriting, directing and dramaturgy techniques to create new theatre and performance. In lectures and seminars, we examine historical, philosophical and theoretical materials and ideas to understand contemporary theatre and performance and the ways in which they are shaped by current concerns, traditions and legacies. You will also have opportunities to engage with digital, visual and screen art practices, and some students choose to make digital artworks, including films, for their dissertations. This unique course is supported by the creative and critical interests of Birkbeck staff and the theatre-making expertise of associate artists that include Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre Fellows. Learning from theatre professionals, you will develop skills that enable you to generate innovative theatre and performance and to work in the creative industries. You will also develop research skills, supported by the Graduate Research in Theatre (GRiT) seminar series, which will support you in pursuing further study, including PhD research. This course's industry focus offers you access to invaluable resources, including professional development workshops and career opportunities. Highlights
  • Visiting artists also provide masterclasses, workshops and public talks programmed at Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre. Many of the events they run can be attended by the public and those interested in studying with us.
  • Recent visiting artists include: Dickie Beau, Bourgeois and Maurice, Stockard Channing, Karen Christopher, Tim Crouch, Anna Himali Howard, Myah Jeffers, Ed Kemp, Mel Kenyon, Namsi Khan, Rachel Mars, Simon Nelson, Gbolahan Obisesan, Anthony Simpson-Pike, Andrew Upton, David Eldridge and Brian Logan.
  • We offer informal, unassessed creative enhancement opportunities alongside your studies. Graduate Research in Theatre is a postgraduate reading group run by Birkbeck's Centre for Contemporary Theatre. You can also show work in progress as part of Scratch Night, programmed as part of our summer festival, Arts Week.
  • We offer a number of bursaries for postgraduate students.
  • Birkbeck was ranked 2nd in the UK for its English Language and Literature research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
Careers and employability Our graduates can be found following a wide range of exciting career paths, including in:
  • academia and education
  • theatre and performance practice
  • film, media and the creative arts
  • arts leadership, administration and outreach
  • journalism
  • advertising and marketing
  • public relations
  • policy and strategy for political organisations, charities or NGOs
  • publishing.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment method

Short assessment exercises, research essays, creative writing projects, portfolios, group performance projects, in-class presentations, individual creative project and critical portfolio or academic dissertation.

How to apply

International applicants

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

Entry requirements

You will need to have, or be expecting, a second-class honours degree (2:2) or above, usually in an arts subject. In exceptional circumstances, appropriate career experience - for example in professional theatre - may be considered as an alternative qualification. The course should appeal equally to candidates with an academic knowledge of drama, who wish to increase their practical and creative awareness, and to candidates already involved in their own practice who wish to explore it through academic study. Students must be prepared to engage in practical theatre-making, as well as class discussions. Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £10800 Year 1
Northern Ireland £10800 Year 1
Scotland £10800 Year 1
Wales £10800 Year 1
International £19830 Year 1

Additional fee information

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases.
Text and Performance at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS