Theatre and English

Theatre and English is a combination that brings two of the most significant modes of human expression into productive dialogue. Theatre examines performance as a live, ephemeral, and collaborative art form, asking how plays are made, how they work on audiences, and how theatrical practice has changed across different cultures and historical periods. English explores literature as a written form, analysing how texts produce meaning, how they engage with the world they come from, and how the tradition of literary writing has developed from the medieval period to the present.

Together, they develop both the analytical and interpretive tools to understand texts and performances and the practical skills to make them.

At the University of Bristol, one of the UK's leading universities for both English and drama, you will study theatre and English over three years full-time. A foundation year is available for students who would benefit from additional support before engaging with the full degree. The programme provides you with the skills to understand and make performances through critical and historical frameworks alongside practical workshops, combining intellectual analysis with embodied creative practice.

You will read widely in dramatic literature and English literature, engage with performance theory and theatre history, and develop your capacity for practical work in theatrical contexts. The typical entry tariff is 184 UCAS points.

Graduates of theatre and English programmes go on to work as actors, directors, dramaturgs, theatre teachers, arts administrators, writers, journalists, publishers, critics, and researchers. The combination of analytical rigour and creative capability is valued in education, arts funding bodies, community arts organisations, and the broader creative and cultural sector. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in drama, English, creative writing, or education.