Drama and Contemporary Performance
Drama and contemporary performance is a discipline that places artistic practice and theoretical reflection alongside each other, developing you as both a practitioner and a thinker about the art form. Contemporary performance encompasses a wide range of approaches, from text-based theatre and physical performance to site-specific work, devising, installation and interdisciplinary practice. At degree level, studying drama and performance means engaging with the history and theory of theatre and performance, the development of your own practice across different forms, and the critical understanding to contextualise your work and that of others within the broader landscape of contemporary performance culture.
At Manchester Metropolitan University you will study drama and contemporary performance over three years of full-time study, in a city with one of the most vibrant theatre and performance scenes in the UK. The programme is oriented around your development as a theatre artist, performer, thinker and professional, combining practical studio work with theoretical and historical engagement. You will develop skills across performance, devising, directing, dramaturgy and production, alongside the critical frameworks that allow you to situate contemporary performance within its cultural and artistic contexts.
The typical tariff of 120 reflects a programme that values creative commitment and the willingness to take artistic risks alongside academic engagement.
Graduates pursue careers as performers, devisers, directors, community arts practitioners, arts educators, arts administrators, dramaturgs and theatre makers. Many develop portfolio careers combining their own practice with teaching, facilitation, outreach work or arts management. Manchester's rich performance ecology provides strong connections to professional companies, venues and the arts development sector across the North West and beyond.
Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in performance, directing, applied theatre or arts management, and the programme's emphasis on contemporary practice prepares graduates well for a professional culture where versatility, innovation and a clear artistic voice are valued.