MA

Theatre Practice: Performance and Scenography

You are viewing this course for September start 2023

Key Facts

Course Code W461

  • Qualification

    MA

  • Course duration

    1 year

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The MA Theatre Practice: Performance and Scenography at Aberystwyth University is aimed at students who intend to pursue creative practice in performance and scenography in order to become professional artists and/or practice-based researchers. Housed in its own dedicated building and led by internationally recognised practitioners, this MA enables personal and professional development through the sustained exercise of creative practice in performance and scenography. 

Within Aberystwyth’s historic Assembly Rooms, you will have the opportunity to work daily in studios and workshops as a community (or ‘Assembly’) of experimental, developing artists, specialising in diverse aspects of contemporary performance practice, from scenography, design and installation, to acting, writing and directing. Whilst supporting personal pathways, the teaching will foster such specialisms by encouraging them to intersect and intertwine, forming a cultural environment of collaboration and exchange, in order to strengthen the creativity of the individual, and the individuality of their creativity.

Typical Entry Requirements

Entry Requirements 2:1 Bachelors (Honours) degree in a relevant subject area, or equivalent.  Non-graduates will be considered individually based on relevant work experience/professional practice.

English Language Requirements IELTS 7.0 with minimum 6.0 in each component, or equivalent

Other Requirements Applicants are encouraged to submit an up-to-date CV as part of their application.

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Course Overview

Why study MA Theatre Practice: Performance and Scenography at Aberystwyth University? 

  • You will have access to dedicated studios and workspace in Aberystwyth’s historic Assembly Rooms. 
  • You will be led by internationally recognised practitioners who will support you in your creative development. 
  • You will become a member of a vibrant department where drama, theatre, film, media, scenography and theatre design collide. 
  • You will have access to an annual programme of departmental research seminars, with high-profile visiting speakers and performers. 
  • You will have access to the National Library of Wales and its archives. 
  • You will have the opportunity to develop and thrive in an extraordinary and inspiring location and environment. 
  • You will be able to enjoy performances of all kinds at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre - a popular venue situated on the main university campus.

About this course

Duration: 

12 months full-time; 24 months part-time. The academic year (September to September) is divided into three semesters: September to January; January to June; June to September. 

Contact Time: 

Approximately 6 hours a week in the first semester. In the second semester you will undertake a production project involving 20 hours a week for 5 weeks and a further 30 hours during production week. Added to this will be a further 2 hours a week on another module. During semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor. In addition to scheduled teaching times you will also have access to dedicated studios and workspace to pursue independent study and creative practice throughout the course. 

Assessment: 

Assessment takes the form of: a performed lecture and a presentation; the creation of a performance or scenographic event, contribution to the realisation of a collaboratively devised performance project or scenographic event, a written reflective portfolio, a critical evaluation and two written essays. In the third semester, each student will complete either a practice-based research project or a written dissertation. The practice-based research project can be submitted as either an individually conceived and developed or a collaboratively conceived and developed performance work or scenographic event. For the written dissertation students are invited to identify and pursue research questions that are addressed through independently undertaken scholarly or practice-based research.  

English Language Requirements: 

If you have a Bachelor’s degree from a UK University, you do not need to take an English proficiency test. Non-native English speakers who do not meet this requirement must take a University-recognised test of academic English language proficiency. For further information please see our English Language requirements page. 

Course Fees: 

Please see the tuition fee pages for current tuition fees. Please note that all fees are subject to an annual increase. 

Funding: 

Funding opportunities may be available, please check our funding calculator for details.

Modules September start - 2023

Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.

Core

Module Name Module Code Credit Value
Compositional Practices TPM1340 40
Creative Production Project TPM1540 40
Engaging Publics TPM1820 20
Research Project TPM0860 60
Space, Time, Material and Form TPM1020 20

* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh

Careers

Our graduates will be well-prepared to work within a breadth of creative and related industries, as individual practitioners or as collaborators within creative companies and organisations. They will also acquire essential skills to pursue practice-based research and further academic study at PhD level.

Teaching & Learning

How will I learn? 

The taught part of the course is delivered through lectures, seminars, workshops and practical sessions. During semester three (June-September), you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor. In addition to scheduled teaching times you will also have access to dedicated studios and workspace to pursue independent study and creative practice. 

What will I learn? 

In the first two semesters (September to May), you will study a number of modules, together worth a total of 120 credits. These will help you contextualise your personal interest in advanced creative practice, explore and enact strategies, methodologies and techniques for making contemporary performance and scenography, develop your research skills, develop your collaborative abilities, and provide you with an understanding of theories and practices in public engagement. Throughout the year we will offer you a profoundly collaborative learning experience where your individual specialisms in performance or scenography will be developed, but also challenged and extended through the requirement to work closely with others in facilitated and independent creative research projects. In the final semester (June to September), you will undertake a 60 credit practice-based Research Project.

How will I be assessed? 

Assessment takes the form of a performed lecture and a presentation, the creation of a performance or scenographic event, contribution to the realisation of a collaboratively devised performance project or scenographic event, a written reflective portfolio, a critical evaluation and two written essays. In the third semester, each student will complete either a practice-based research project or a written dissertation. The practice-based research project can be submitted as either an individually conceived and developed or a collaboratively conceived and developed performance work or scenographic event. For the written dissertation students are invited to identify and pursue research questions that are addressed through independently undertaken scholarly or practice-based research.