MA Performance: Writing

MA Performance: Writing offers training and support for creative adventure and personal development. 

Open Days 
Tuesday, April 20, 12pm (midday) GMT 
Tuesday, April 20, 5pm GMT

Booking is essential. 

A note to applicants from the US: University of the Arts London participates in US federal student aid programs, so US applicants may be eligible for federal loans to help cover the cost of study.

Start date
September 2021

Course length
2 years extended full-time (60 weeks)

MA Performance: Writing is offered in extended full-time mode, which runs for 60 weeks over two academic years. You will be expected to commit 30 hours per week to study, which includes teaching time and independent study. The course has been designed in this way to enable you to pursue studies while also undertaking part-time employment, internships or care responsibilities. 

About the course
MA Performance: Writing focuses on the craft and technical aspects of dramatic writing. It offers training and support, allowing you to develop your own unique writing voice. The course is concerned with the production of text for performance and how writers can find an audience for their work in an ever-changing landscape. It explores the art of script writing through the prism of an intensely competitive UK and global industry.   

The course engages with tradition and innovation in dramatic writing across contemporary theatre, radio, television, film and digital media. The course contributes to debates relating to scriptwriting, script development and script production. You will explore what constitutes dramatic writing and critically analyse convention and form. Teaching on the course acknowledges the key similarities and divergences across different forms of storytelling—for stage, screen, audio and digital platforms. It focuses on character-driven writing which engages an audience in narrative storytelling.

The course structure is student-centred, tailoring learning to your own interests wherever possible. It will also encourage you to embrace your own cultural identity and perspective in scripted form and value your independence as a critically alert creative author. Throughout MA Performance: Writing, you will produce a portfolio of diverse writing to showcase your talents to the profession. The course will teach you to work with creativity and focus in a wide range of contexts after graduation.

Unit 1: The Writer’s Skills and Practices 
Unit 1 examines the techniques, issues and debates surrounding the theory and practice of dramatic writing. It covers different forms including theatre, TV, film, radio and digital media. 

Unit 2: The Writer’s Voice and Vision  
In Unit 2, you will progress your personal projects and portfolio, through consultation with tutors, visiting professionals and your peers. It engages with questions surrounding voice and identity, vision and ambition. Unit 2 spans both years of the course.

Unit 3: Final Portfolio 
Unit 3 is an intensive period of study, in which you will finish developing, exploring and realising your voice as a writer. It solidifies your studies in what it means to forge your career as a dramatic writer.