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Theatre and Performance

MA

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Key information

Key information for 2026-27

Start date:
September 2026
Study route:

  • One year full-time, on campus

  • Two years part-time, on campus

Status:
Fully approved
Location:
Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Awarding body:
University of London
Study options:
Full-time | Part-time | On campus

Course overview

Birkbeck’s MA Theatre and Performance allows you to specialise and gain an award in Dramaturgy, Writing for Performance, or Theatre Making.  These routes make it a highly distinctive degree designed for emerging and continuing theatre professionals looking to develop their creative practice, build analytical capacity and gain hands-on industry experience.

  • Why choose this course?
    • The course is taught by world-leading artists and academic researchers while working closely with Birkbeck’s pioneering industry partners such as Camden People’s Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre and the Dramaturgs’ Network. 
    • It is ideal if you are interested in learning about or working in theatre and the performing arts, including writing for performance, digital and screen-based arts, dramaturgy and literary management.
    • Through gaining important experience in theory and practice, it allows you to build your career prospects, develop your creative and critical skills, deepen your contextual and cultural understanding, sharpen your professional goals and make valuable connections within the industry.

  • What will I learn?

    You will explore the dynamic relationships between text, performance, writing and dramaturgy through a combination of:

    • dramaturgical practice
    • playwriting and writing for performance
    • theatre and performance making
    • critical writing about drama, theatre and performance.

    You will also examine historical, philosophical and theoretical materials and ideas to understand contemporary theatre and performance and the ways in which they are shaped by current concerns, traditions and legacies.

    Depending on your interests and career aspirations, you will specialise to gain one of the following awards:

    • MA Theatre and Performance: Dramaturgy - in which you will develop the skills of a professional dramaturg, working in a variety of creative contexts, and learn from academic experts and guest artists such as Tim Crouch and Zoe Svendsen
    • MA Theatre and Performance: Writing for Performance - in which you will develop your playwriting and writing for performance skills, learning from leading writers for stage and screen, including David Eldridge and Daragh Carville
    • MA Theatre and Performance: Theatre Making - in which you will develop your theatre-making skills, learning from academic experts, guest artists and our partner Camden People’s Theatre

  • How will I learn?

    This course is available to study full- or part-time, with classes in the evening. You will learn through lectures, seminars and practice-based studio sessions. You will also benefit from guest lectures and workshops with leading industry professionals, and attendance at theatre and performance events, and you will have access to performances, readings, exhibitions and symposia across Birkbeck, including via Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre and other research centres.

  • How often will I attend classes?

    Full-time: Up to two evenings and one afternoon a week, September to July.

    Part-time: Up to one evening and one afternoon a week, September to July.

  • Course disclaimer

    Birkbeck makes all reasonable efforts to deliver educational services, modules and programmes of study as described on our website. In the event that there are material changes to our offering (for example, due to matters beyond our control), we will update applicant and student facing information as quickly as possible and offer alternatives to applicants, offer-holders and current students.

    Most of our courses are taught in the evenings, however some of our courses offer a daytime timetable. Where there is an option to attend daytime teaching sessions, this is stated in the How will I learn? section.

More highlights

Modules and Teaching

School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication

The school's teaching and research is highly interdisciplinary, spanning cultures and periods. Academic and practice-based study will equip you for a career in the creative and cultural industries.

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Entry requirements

A second-class honours degree (2:2) or above, and/or relevant practical experience in the creative industries.

All suitable applicants will be interviewed either personally or by telephone.

Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.

On your application form, please list all your relevant qualifications and experience, including those you expect to achieve.

We welcome applicants without traditional entry qualifications as we base decisions on our own assessment of qualifications, knowledge and previous work experience. We may waive formal entry requirements based on judgement of academic potential.

On your application form, please list all your relevant qualifications and experience, including those you expect to achieve.

Apply now to secure your place. The earlier you apply, the sooner your application can be considered, and you can enrol. You do not need to have completed your current qualification to start your application.

  • What are the English language requirements?

    If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

    If you don't meet the minimum English language requirements, please contact us or see our international study skills page for more details about how we can help.

    Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

  • What are the visa and funding requirements?

    If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

    The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

    • Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
    • Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

    International students who require a Student visa should apply to study on our courses full-time as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol to study part-time courses at Birkbeck (with the exception of some modules).

    As a Student visa student, you should also apply to study on campus only, as online and flexible options of study (if they are available for your course) may affect the conditions of your visa.

    For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

    Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country.

    Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

  • Credits and accredited prior learning (APL)

    If you have studied at university (or have an HND or Foundation Degree), you may have accumulated credits. It may be possible to transfer these from your previous study to Birkbeck or another institution.

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Fees

MA: One year full-time or two years part-time, on campus, starting in September 2026

Academic year 2026-27

Part-time home students: £5,670 per year
Full-time home students: £11,340 per year
Part-time international students: £10,425 per year
Full-time international students: £20,850 per year

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing their course may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the Fees Policy.

Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.

Birkbeck's campus is located in the historic and vibrant Bloomsbury area of central London - named one of the best places to live in London 2025 by The Times.

Careers and employability

This degree combines practical and academic exploration to equip you with a wide range of highly employable skills, ideal for working in or undertaking further academic study. Graduates can also find ongoing support via the Birkbeck Theatre Alumni network, which is dedicated to creating networking opportunities for graduates of Birkbeck’s theatre programmes and celebrating their achievements.

On successfully graduating from this course you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

  • familiarity with professional practices and modes of employment within the sector
  • a critical grounding in key contemporary social, cultural and political questions
  • skills in the design, production and presentation of high-quality research
  • effective communication across different formats, from long-form text to short presentations.

You will find MA Theatre and Performance graduates in the following kinds of role:

  • theatre and performance practice
  • script development
  • dramaturg
  • film, media and the creative arts
  • writing for TV, film and gaming
  • arts leadership
  • administration and outreach
  • journalism
  • advertising and marketing
  • public relations
  • policy and strategy for political organisations, charities and NGOs
  • academia and education

  • Recent Birkbeck graduates in this field
    • Charlie Barker (actor and teacher)
    • Dzifa Benson (writer and critic)
    • Dr Jaswinder Blackwell-Pal (playwright and academic)
    • Emily Brown (theatre-maker)
    • Neka De Costa (academic)
    • Isobel Dougill (dramaturg)
    • Rachel Gemaehling (dramaturg, theatre-maker)
    • Artemis Grympla (dramaturg, director, writer)
    • Emma-Louise Howell (writer and director)
    • Manyang Hu (theatre-maker, theatre administrator)
    • Matthew Jameson (director, theatre-maker, theatre manager)
    • Katherina Kastening (director)
    • Namsi Khan (screenwriter)
    • Sarah Knop (theatre-maker, teacher, choreographer)
    • Chris Lawson (artistic director)
    • Clement Lee (dramaturg, teacher)
    • Olga Macrinici (writer, director, academic)
    • Emma Muir-Smith (writer, director, performer)
    • Nicky Napier (dramaturg, producer)
    • Dominic O’Hanlon (publisher) 
    • Liesa Refflinghaus (theatre administrator, theatre-maker)
    • Erica Nicole Rothman (dramaturg, literary adviser)
    • Stephen Ryan (BASSC-certified stage combat teacher, writer, researcher)
    • Christina Schelhas (director and performance artist)
    • Miriam Sherwood (producer and theatre-maker) 
    • Harriet Taylor (producer and theatre-maker)
    • Robert Mark Temple (playwright)
    • Gabriele Uboldi (playwright and director)
    • Renata Wilson (theatre-maker)
    • Ali Yalgin (academic) 

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

Student support

Birkbeck offers study, learning and wellbeing support to undergraduate and postgraduate students to help them succeed.

Our Learning Development Service provides a lively programme of free weekly workshops building essential academic skills - from writing and critical thinking to maths and referencing - offering flexible sessions, practical tips, and online resources to boost your skills and confidence.

Our Disability and Mental Health Service can support you if you have disabilities, specific learning differences, mental health conditions or neurodivergence, by providing practical support to help you achieve your academic potential.

Our Counselling Service aims to support you with any emotional and psychological difficulties that are affecting your experience and engagement with your studies at university. It is a free, non-judgemental and confidential service which consists of a consultation process followed by time limited counselling contact.

Find out more about the full range of student services we offer at Birkbeck.

How to apply

You apply directly to Birkbeck for this course, using the online application link.

You will need to prove your identity when you apply. Find out more about how to apply.

Related courses

Study routes for Theatre and Performance (MA)

Please select a study route below to continue your application.

Please note that international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK can only apply for full-time, on campus routes.

Starting in September 2026

Full-time

Part-time