Shakespeare and Contemporary Performance (MA) - 2013/2014 entry
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Overview
This programme considers how Shakespeare’s 400-year-old scripts are brought to life in today’s London theatre, and what intellectual and historical approaches are best suited to analysing and understanding the results. Along with historical, dramaturgical and contextual analysis, the programme incorporates a term’s study at Shakespeare’s Globe on Bankside.
You will study with Birkbeck’s experts in Shakespeare, theatre studies and cultural theory, and with faculty and theatre artists from Globe Education’s Courses and Research Department. The programme also features sessions with visiting scholars and theatre practitioners. You will be encouraged to play an active role in the Globe Education Research Department during the spring and summer terms, undertaking research projects to support the preparations for the Globe theatre season. You will also participate in relevant public discussions between theatre-makers, critics and scholars staged by Birkbeck’s cutting-edge Centre for Contemporary Theatre.
The programme is entirely distinctive in its simultaneous focus on Shakespeare’s texts and on the theory and practicalities of present-day performance; it uses the Globe not just as a ‘replica’ of an Elizabethan auditorium but as a case-study in the current production and marketing of live Shakespeare.
Find out more about studying at Birkbeck and what our students say about our programmes.
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Why study this course at Birkbeck?
- Combines the detailed study of the Shakespearean text and its original theatrical contexts with the practicalities of the present-day stage and the intellectual challenge of contemporary performance studies.
- Run in conjunction with Shakespeare's Globe
- Gives you the fullest possible understanding of how live Shakespeare works in London now.
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Course structure
- Core modules: Post-War Shakespeare; Theorising the Contemporary; Theatre in London Today
- Compulsory option module: Shakespeare’s Globe: Culture and Contemporary Performance.
- Plus one option module from a range on offer in the Department of English and Humanities
- Dissertation.
Find out more about this programme in our departmental handbook.
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Study resources
We have a range of world-class research resources.
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Further study opportunities
If you are interested in further research, we offer PhD/MPhil research in English and Theatre Studies.
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Careers information
Graduates go on to careers in writing and journalism, in theatre production and community arts organisations, in research and marketing, in publishing and in public relations, in arts administration, and in event planning.
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Apply now
- How to apply
Please include a 500-word piece of writing about a live performance of Shakespeare that you have seen in support of your application (this can be pasted into the Personal Statement section). - Application deadlines and interviews
We recommend you apply as early as possible. Later applications may also be considered, subject to availability of places. - Online application
You can apply online from the link below.
- How to apply