London Theatre
MA, PGDip, PGCert

Modules

• Making Theatre Core

Making Theatre (Core )

Shows students how a production is put together and takes them through the process of putting together a show, from the moment that a show is programmed for performance to the final production. Ensuring playwrights fully understand the practical processes of how their work will be realised on stage.

This module is offered to London Theatre and Playwriting students.

Credits: 20

• London Fringe Theatre Core

London Fringe Theatre (Core )

Introduces students to the area of London theatre where they are most likely to find work in their initial career as a theatre writer, critic or researcher.

The module introduces students to those venues and production spaces most likely to produce innovative work including venues such as the Arcola in Hackney, the Theatre Royal Stratford East, the Soho Theatre, the Bush, the Dorfman at the National Theatre, The Orange Tree in Richmond. These theatres also encourage new playwrights to submit work for production at these theatres and so will be very useful to students of MA Playwriting.

This module is offered to London Theatre and Playwriting students.

Credits: 20

• London Physical Theatre and Live Art Core

London Physical Theatre and Live Art (Core)

Why is the most experimental kind of theatre presented in Fringe venues, and has physical theatre gone mainstream via the success of companies such as Knee High and Punchdrunk? Students will be encouraged to think about the future of experimental theatre and to consider Live Art as the future mainstream performance style. The nature of London Physical Theatre will be explored, and there will be an examination of what constitutes contemporary physical theatre and live art. The relationship between modern playwriting and creating narrative play work for new kinds of theatre will be discussed.

This module is offered to London Theatre and Playwriting students.

Credits: 20

• Researching and Working in Theatre Core

Researching and Working in Theatre (Core)

Gives students a solid foundation in research skills for postgraduate study – not only for academic study, but also the necessary skills to research theatre topics for playwriting or theatre commentary and critical writing. This is a forum for the development of critical understanding the contemporary theatre environment, as a critic, audience member, researcher and playwright.

This module is offered to London Theatre and Playwriting students.

Credits: 20

• Reporting Theatre Core

Reporting Theatre (Core)

Considers how London theatre is and has been written about and reported, in reviews, articles, critical accounts, literature and theatre writings and explores the critical limitations and opportunities for writing about theatre as a commentator and critic in London. Reporting London encourages students to see how London theatre is presented nationally and internationally in comparison to Broadway or Berlin for example.

Students would be encouraged to develop their writing skills both as a professional theatre critic writing reviews for newspapers and online media, but also how to engage with social media and to write critical theatre analysis for traditional theatre journals and books.

Credits: 20

• West End Theatre Core

West End Theatre (Core)

Charts the importance of the West End theatre as a profitable area for theatrical practice and asks students to compare work produced in this area with work produced on the London Fringe. The West End module allows a focus on the relationship between theatre and commerce and explores the relationship between tourism, theatre and the ‘soft-power’ of London in a global environment as a result of the huge financial success of the West End.

Credits: 20

• Dissertation Project Core

Dissertation Project (Core)

Provides an opportunity either to investigate an aspect of London theatre as a traditional academic dissertation, or, to submit some reviews of contemporary theatre productions seen during the course and write a piece of London theatre journalism with critical commentary.

Credits: 60