Theatre & Performance, BA (Hons)

This multidisciplinary Theatre & Performance degree equips students to create innovative, engaging work for theatre and live performance, fostering culturally aware practitioners skilled in devising, directing, writing, scenography, and digital technologies. Through hands-on training from industry experts, students collaborate across disciplines, exploring global issues, historical contexts, and immersive techniques to push artistic boundaries and build professional portfolios.In years one to three, modules progress from foundational skills in voice, movement, and digital tools to advanced directing, writing, and ensemble productions, culminating in solo and public performances. Assessment focuses on practical coursework, including group projects, reflective essays, and feedback sessions, preparing graduates for sustainable careers with industry links and accreditation from Spotlight and Equity.

With consistent and in-depth professional skills training, you’ll learn to create and respond to performances. You’ll explore techniques and methods in different environments; from solo performances to full public productions, from work for traditional spaces to site-specific, immersive and unusual contexts. You’ll also develop your vocal and physical abilities, as well as the imaginative, digital, collaborative and reflective skills needed to thrive in the industry. As well as leaving with a Theatre & Performance degree, you’ll gain a unique mix of conservatoire practice, backed up by the experience and knowledge of the AMATA community – a working venue offering year-round theatre, dance and other live events. . Year one: You’ll develop essential foundational skills and approaches for voice, body, movement and imaginative practices. You will also develop your knowledge and skills in relation to digital and immersive technologies and explore their potential in making live performances more engaging for modern audiences. We’ll also investigate global issues, historical contexts and modern practice and ideas. Modules Performance Skills Culture & Contexts: Stage and Screen Play Texts Making Skills 1 Stagecraft: Physical and Digital Scenography Ensemble Performance Year two: In your second year you’ll take on advanced body-based training and learn about technical theatre, directing, writing and creating drama on stage. You will also develop scenography skills and engage with design thinking, adapting the stage to the story. Alongside this, you’ll create and present a solo performance of your own making, influenced by a range of styles like scripted monologue and stand-up comedy.   Working as part of a theatre company, you’ll create and put on a public production focusing on the relationship between a show and its audience. You’ll also create original material and develop your professional portfolio of skills by studying advanced performance techniques. Modules Extended Making Skills: Physical, Vocal, Digital Immersive and Participatory Theatre Theatre Futures Page to Stage: Writing, Directing and Dramaturgy Show in a Bag Modes of Making: Socially Engaged Practice Year three: In your final year, you will extend and deepen your techniques and making skills, as well as your personal, social and philosophical approach to theatre. You will work towards becoming a proactive, independent and entrepreneurial practitioner, who is resilient, able to transfer your skills to other disciplines and able to manage a sustainable career. Using your critical and reflective skills, you’ll research and write a paper on an area of theatre making that inspires and interests you. You’ll also develop performance material – individually and in companies – honing creative process skills through delivering scratch work (‘test’ performances) in several different contexts. You will finish the year developing and performing your own professional work for public production to industry specialists and audiences. You’ll also take on a professional development project, where you’ll prepare for the industry by learning about how its infrastructure functions, and how to develop a career as a performer, theatre maker or company. You will create a professional identity for yourself ready to share on a range of platforms and networks. Modules Creating Companies Professional Development The Thinking Practitioner: Student-led Research Master Classes: Physical, Vocal & Digital Professional Production As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.