Drama & Theatre Studies

The Department is proud of its well-established and active relationships with key industry partners, such as the BBC, S4C, Avid, The Arts Council of Wales, the British Council and Wales Arts International.

Drama and Theatre Studies

The Drama & Theatre Studies course has been carefully designed to ensure a balance of academic and practical experience and a steady development of intellectual, performative and technical skills for our students. In the first year you study a number of introductory modules, combining textual analysis and theatre history, as well as the skills of practical work - design, technical aspects and performance, taught in collaboration with the Scenography and Theatre Design degree scheme.

Your second year takes a closer look at the theatrical event, starting with a core of analytical modules combining textual and performance analysis, such as Theatre in Society and European Drama. You then select from a series of modules which explore theatre design and production, including acting, directing, lighting, sound, set and costume design.

The third year begins with an intensive semester of practical work, where analytical and practical skills are brought together and tested creatively through full-scale production work. This experience informs and greatly enhances your approach to specialist optional modules, such as Theatre in Education, Shakespeare for Schools, Creative Writing for the Stage, Contemporary British and Irish Drama, Theatre and Gender, Asian Theatre, etc.

Facilities

We offer excellent facilities for practical work, including four well-equipped theatre spaces, seating approximately 100 people each. We also present major performances at Aberystwyth Arts Centre. There are several rehearsal rooms in constant use, and the University's lecture theatres provide sophisticated audio-visual and aural resources for performance-related modules, including video and computer graphics projection.

Teaching Methods in Drama and Theatre Studies

From the first year you are introduced to a complementary set of teaching and learning methods and approaches. These range from formal lectures to technical demonstrations, from writing workshops to group-devised project work. This diversity of activity is an essential part of the Department's philosophy, and creates a uniquely exciting and productive learning environment.

The overall aim of our course is to integrate practical and academic work, allowing one form of study to stimulate and enrich the other. This combination provides ample opportunities for you to develop a dynamic approach to theatre and performance, and articulate your understanding of the medium physically, intellectually and experientially. A number of modules are taught in conjunction with guest professional theatre practitioners. The Department also benefits from co-operating with professional directors and designers working at the main University theatre and from our links with the Aberystwyth-based Centre for Performance Research, which hosts practitioners and academics of international repute. As a student you also have the opportunity to take part in the University's scheme for study abroad or to take a year in employment.

Assessment

Life as a Drama student is busy. All students participate in major public performances, as well as in smaller projects, and the requirements of these activities, combined with the demands of academic work, are considerable. However, studying in the Department will give you plenty of experience in combining creative and critical academic work. As a student of Theatre Studies, you are assessed through group projects, seminar presentations and creative notebooks as well as through formal essays, examinations and productions.