Acting, Performance and English Literature

Acting, performance, and English literature is a degree that brings together the embodied practice of performance with the critical and literary understanding that comes from deep engagement with dramatic and non-dramatic texts. Acting develops your ability to inhabit character, to use voice and body expressively, and to work collaboratively in rehearsal and performance. Performance studies takes a broader view, examining theatre and performance as cultural and social practices with their own histories, theories, and forms.

English literature trains you to read with precision and depth, to understand how texts construct meaning, and to situate literary works in their historical and cultural contexts. Together the three strands create an unusually broad and complementary preparation for careers in the arts and beyond.

At the University of Huddersfield you will study this three-year full-time programme, which includes a sandwich year and a work placement. The sandwich year and placement give you extended professional experience in theatre, arts education, broadcasting, or a related field, building the practical skills and professional contacts that creative careers require. Across the programme you will develop your acting and performance skills through practical workshops and productions, while also engaging with the study of dramatic texts, theatre history, and the broader field of English literature.

The critical and creative dimensions of the degree inform and enrich each other throughout. The typical entry tariff is 104 points.

Graduates from this kind of programme work as actors, theatre makers, drama teachers, arts educators, theatre and arts administrators, community theatre practitioners, and in broadcasting, publishing, communications, and many other fields where creative and analytical skills are valued. The sandwich year placement is particularly useful for establishing professional connections in the arts. Further study in drama, performance studies, creative writing, or English literature is an option for those who wish to specialise or pursue research and academic careers.