Drama with Film

Drama and film are both arts that work through performance and representation, but they do so through different means and ask different questions. Drama is rooted in the live encounter between performer and audience: the text, the body, the space and the moment. Film works through the camera, the edit, sound design and the technologies of recording and distribution.

Combining them asks you to think across those differences, to understand what each medium can do that the other cannot, and to develop analytical and creative abilities that draw on both.

This three-year full-time degree at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College devotes the majority of its curriculum to drama and theatre, with film as a significant complementary strand. You will study dramatic texts from multiple periods and traditions, engage with performance theory and theatre history, and develop practical skills in performance, direction and production. The film component introduces the critical frameworks used to analyse cinema, covering film form, genre, national cinemas and the industries that shape what gets made and seen.

The programme includes a sandwich year with a work placement and a year abroad, giving you professional experience and international perspective as part of the degree.

Graduates pursue careers in theatre, performance, film and television production, arts education, cultural administration and the broader creative industries. The combination of analytical rigour, creative practical experience and professional placement makes graduates competitive for a wide range of roles. Many also go on to postgraduate study in theatre studies, film studies, performance practice or related disciplines, particularly those who wish to develop academic or research careers.