BA Drama

BA Drama embraces all forms of performance across the stage, public realm and beyond.

You may explore everything from literary adaptation to contemporary theatre-making practices, performance curation to audio design, playwriting to directing, and experimental film cultures.

Benefit from teaching informed by recent innovations in theatre and performance, alongside historical methods, and practices.

Our comprehensive facilities include the purpose-built Martin Harris Centre, home to the John Thaw Studio- a fully staffed, versatile area for performances, rehearsals, and workshops.

You will also find inspiration from the creative beating heart of the city itself, home to countless ground-breaking arts organisations and events - from Manchester International Festival, the world's first festival of original work, to HOME, the largest multidisciplinary arts centre outside of the capital.

Take advantage of strong links to partner organisations throughout the city, including TiPP (Theatre in Prisons and Probation Research and Development Centre), Manchester Museum and Contact Theatre, all based right here at the University.

Immerse yourself in the cultural pulse of the industry by engaging with professional practitioners during your coursework and extracurricular events.

Placement year option

Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through a placement year in your third year of study, enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals, and build your external networks.

Study abroad

You can apply to spend one semester studying abroad during Year 2, with exchange partners including those in Europe as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Societies

Join The University of Manchester Drama Society, which is for anyone with an interest in drama, be that acting, directing, writing, filmmaking, costume, set building, stage managing or just watching. One of the largest in the Student Union, the society has links with many of Manchester's award-winning theatrical venues, including the Contact Theatre and the Royal Exchange Theatre. Each summer the society showcases at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Join The University of Manchester Filmmaking Society, which exists to provide a platform for aspiring filmmakers attending the university to meet, exchange ideas and create their own cinematic productions.

Manchester is distinct from an acting conservatoire; rather than offering purely vocational training, we bring together theory and practice in the study of Drama as cultural process and artistic discourse.

Your studies will encompass drama on stage and page, the ancient and the contemporary, the mainstream and the avant-garde.

You'll develop skills in critical thinking, creative problem solving, and the clear articulation of ideas, learning through lectures, seminars, practical workshops, masterclasses and group work.

You will engage with the theories and techniques of practitioners past and present in our dedicated studio spaces.

Practical work is generally workshop-based and not all projects culminate in public performance.

Assessment includes:

• coursework essays;
• written examinations;
• research reports;
• practical tests;
• learning logs;
• web contributions;
• oral presentations;
• small-scale practical assignments;
• a final-year dissertation or research essay.

Home to Music and Drama at Manchester, the purpose-built Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama includes:

• the John Thaw Studio Theatre, a flexible, fully equipped performance space with seating for 150 people;
• workshops, rehearsal rooms, and screening rooms, including sound and video-editing suites;
• the Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, an acoustically designed auditorium seating up to 350 people.

The University is also home to internationally renowned cultural assets such as:

• the multi award-winning Whitworth Art Gallery;
• the John Rylands Library, home to one of the world's finest collections of medieval illuminated manuscripts and rare books;
• Manchester Museum, home to important prehistoric, classical, and ethnographic collections.

Manchester, globally acclaimed for its vibrant arts and cultural scene, hosts the second-highest concentration of theatres in the UK.

It is also the proud home of the Manchester International Festival and The Factory, a groundbreaking £110 million development.

Learn more about facilities