Skip navigation Skip to main navigation for this site Skip to navigation for this section

  • Theatre and Drama Studies (BA) (Part-time)
  • 2013/2014 entry
  • Contact us
  • Assessment
    • A combination of research essays, research exercises, group presentations, performance presentations, group vivas, individual vivas, two takeaway exams and written portfolios.
  • Attendance
      • Two–three evenings a week part-time.
      • October–June.
      • You are expected to attend at least seven set theatre productions a year.
  • Duration
      • Four years part-time.
  • Entry requirements
      • Over 21: no formal qualifications required.
      • Under 21: normally BBB at A-level or equivalent, although we may waive these formal entry requirements and make our own assessment of your skills and knowledge.
      • English language level equivalent to IELTS 6.5 for non-native speakers.
  • Fees and funding
  • Location
      • Central London (Bloomsbury), with dedicated theatre studies teaching rooms based at the School of Arts building in Gordon Square.
  • Teaching

    • Lectures, seminars, group workshops, independent research projects, theatre visits, staff-directed performance projects and classes with guest speakers from the theatre industry.



Need more help?

Leave your email address and get up-to-date information on finance and our free advice sessions.




By registering your email you are agreeing to receive emails from Birkbeck, University of London. We will not share your details with anyone else. Click here for Birkbeck data policy .

Theatre and Drama Studies (BA) (Part-time) - 2013/2014 entry

Are you passionate about live performance and theatre practice? Would you like to study in London, surrounded by the city's vibrant theatres? Investigate the theatre in all its aspects: as live performance, as dramatic text, in its historical contexts, and through a range of concepts and ideas that have informed the making and understanding of theatre. Located in Bloomsbury in London’s West End, Birkbeck is ideally placed for you to access some of the world's most exciting theatre institutions. This course does not offer vocational training, but rather the chance to explore and experiment with practices and ideas, taught by world-leading academics and artists working in the theatre industry today.

This course is also available for full-time evening study.

  • Course structure

    • Theatre and drama practices, theories, institutions, companies and artists from across the world, from ancient Greece to the present day. Options allow you to study specific subjects in depth – for example, tragedy; costume; seventeenth-century drama; the body; censorship; contemporary theatre and performance in London.

      Year 1

      • Critical Practice I – Histories: exploring historical theatre practice, assessed through group research projects, practical workshops, performance presentations and written reflection.
      • Theatre Languages: examining the various languages, histories and contexts that make up theatre performance, assessed by essay and exam.
      • Portfolio – Theatre in London: assessed by portfolio and group viva.

      Year 2
      • Critical Practice II – Space: exploring the role of space in theatre and performance, assessed through group research projects, practical workshops, performance presentations and written reflection.
      • Theories of Theatricality and Performance: examining how theorists and theatre-makers working in different historical and intellectual contexts have debated the uses, effects and nature of theatricality and performance. Assessed by essay and exam.
      • Portfolio – Theatre in London.
      • One option module.

      Navigational option module: examples of past option modules include:

      • Creative Processes
      • Shakespeare and Comedy
      • Shakespeare and Tragedy
      • The Actor and Costume
      • The Director
      • The West End
      • Tragedy in Performance.

      You will also be able to choose modules from the BA English, BA Creative Writing and BA Arts and Humanities, subject to approval by the programme convenor.

      Year 3

      • Critical Practice III – Policy and Community: exploring theatre in terms of politics and community, assessed through group research projects, practical workshops, performance presentations and written reflection.
      • Research Case Study: a specific research case study, drawn from the current research of teaching staff at Birkbeck, developing skills in research, analysis, archives, libraries and interviews. Assessed by research essay.
      • Portfolio – Theatre in London.
      • One option module.

      Year 4

      • Critical Practice IV – Independent Project: workshop class combined with individual tutorials and independent study, in which you explore and develop your own practice-based or written research project on the aspect of theatre that interests you most.
      • Portfolio – Theatre in London.
      • One option module.
  • Study resources

    • Along with the world-leading resources available to all Birkbeck students, such as access to the British Library and proximity to major archives (including the V&A theatre archive), you will benefit from the resources available through the dedicated studio spaces at our School of Arts base in Gordon Square. Along with work in class, you may be able to access these spaces to develop your own practice and research. 

      Birkbeck’s location in London’s West End enables ready access to the wealth of the city’s cultural resources: theatres, galleries, museums and public spaces; many of which will be utilised as part of your studies at Birkbeck. Our links to important theatre companies and artists directly informs work in class. Past speakers have included: Tim Crouch; Grayson Perry; Diane Torr; Lucy Bailey; Gemma Brockis; Roy Williams; David Edgar; Samuel West; Josie Rourke; and Tom Stoppard.

  • Further study opportunities
  • Careers information

    • Many of our students take degrees with us for personal development and interest. Some study with us for career development however, and the kinds of industries you might expect to work in after graduating include: teaching and education; advertising, marketing and public relations; theatre, media, film and the creative arts; journalism; arts administration and outreach; policy and strategy for political organisations, charities or NGOs; and publishing.

      Theatre studies is included in the top 10 subjects for employability nationally, as outlined by Palatine (the higher education body for drama). As well as specialist and professional skills, generic skills such as time and project management and communication skills are core throughout the subject and perhaps account for the great success of drama graduates in terms of employability across a wide range of careers. One study, for example, recorded 70.7% of drama graduates from 2002 surveyed as entering employment, well above the average for all first degree subjects of 66.9%.

    • To speak to an independent careers advisor, booking onto one of our Future Focus — Careers Workshops
  • Apply now
  • Key information set

    • Welcome to Birkbeck, London's evening university: Number 1 in London for teaching and student satisfaction (National Student Survey 2012).

      Birkbeck specialises in part-time, evening study. The Key Information Set has been developed for full-time, daytime courses. We are providing some additional information about our evening courses to help you make an informed choice.

      Fees:
      The Key Information Set (KIS) for this degree course shows the annual fee for a 3-year, full-time degree. This is a 4-year, part-time evening degree and the annual fee is lower than the fee shown in the KIS. See 'Fees and funding' in the left hand menu for the correct fee for this course.

      Years of study:
      The KIS presents all degrees as 3-year courses. Birkbeck's standard part-time, evening degree is a 4-year course.