Theatre and Performance with a Year Abroad

Theatre and performance studies one of the most socially embedded of the arts. It asks how live performance works, what it means to audiences and communities, how it has changed across history and cultures, and what it can do that other art forms cannot. Studying the subject seriously means engaging with both the practice of making work and the theoretical frameworks that help us understand what performance is and why it matters.

The two modes of enquiry reinforce each other constantly.

At Queen Mary University of London, this four-year full-time programme develops you as a writer, researcher, and collaborator as well as a practitioner. You will study a variety of cultural traditions and historical periods, engaging with plays, site-specific performance, live art, and socially engaged performance. Practice and theory are combined throughout, challenging you to make discoveries through your own creative work as well as through critical analysis.

The year abroad provides an invaluable opportunity to encounter performance traditions in an international context, deepening your cultural knowledge and expanding your creative frame of reference. The typical entry tariff is 152 UCAS points.

Graduates of theatre and performance programmes move into an exceptionally wide range of careers. Many work in theatre, film, television, and the broader creative industries, in roles ranging from directing, writing, and producing to arts administration and cultural programming. Others use the communication, collaboration, and analytical skills developed by the degree in education, community arts, arts journalism and criticism, public relations, and policy work.

Postgraduate study in theatre, performance studies, applied drama, or related fields is a natural route for those who want to develop their academic or specialist practice further. The research reputation of Queen Mary's drama department makes it a strong base for that transition.