Course Overview

Theatre making at Hull has a strong reputation and a unique history.

The Drama Department at Hull has been a centre of theatre-making since the 1960s. It is the third oldest university drama department in the country, with a global reputation and a unique history. Our graduates play critical roles in the industry nationally and internationally. Our unique asset is the network of theatre companies and professional arts groups that emerged from the department and continue to work closely with us.

This newly redesigned MA in Theatre Making builds on and operates within this unique network. It strongly emphasises internationalisation and Knowledge Exchange and explores the modes of public engagement through art. Thanks to the broad range of our staff expertise, this practical, community-focused programme is challenging, varied and at the forefront of research into theatre, place and space. The programme allows students to build on their artistic and academic portfolios and develop as practitioners working independently, in companies and with external partners in various performance styles and disciplines.

You’ll gain hands-on theatre-making experience in various settings, including schools, youth groups and care homes, and for multiple audiences. You’ll also have opportunities to learn how to set up and run your own theatre company.

Our students love working in a close-knit, friendly drama community with excellent dedicated facilities and unrivalled access to theatre and rehearsal space. This includes the Gulbenkian Centre with its two performance spaces: the uniquely versatile Don Roy Theatre – hailed as one of the most flexible theatre spaces in any European university – and the multimedia black box Minghella Studio. We have dedicated facilities and workspaces for our wide-ranging scenographic practice – from costume and props, set design and construction, lighting, sound and digital performance. These facilities welcome your talents and research interests and help you realise your theatre-making inspirations. Take the virtual tour now and see for yourself.

Our specialist academic support staff are industry professionals with rich expertise in the practical aspects of making, from scenographic disciplines (light, sound, project, digital performance, costume, prop making) to stage management, dramaturgy and scriptwriting.

You’ll also benefit from industry and academic networks: the Prague Quadrennial, Hull Truck Theatre, East Riding Theatre, Absolutely Cultured, and Back to Ours; nationally renowned companies such as the New Diorama Theatre in London; and graduate companies such as Middle Child, Silent Uproar, The Roaring Girls, Concrete Youth, Same Circle Productions; and with numerous academic partners and institutions.

Graduates from this MA course have a strong track record of success. Several theatre companies established themselves on the course, such as the award-winning The Roaring Girls or Concrete Youth Theatre Company. Other graduates have worked as independent theatre makers, performers, arts facilitators, producers, workshops convenors, and Drama teachers or progressed to continuing study at a PhD level.

General Eligibility

You should have a minimum of a 2:2 Honours degree or international equivalent in Drama, Theatre, Performance or a related subject.

To ensure our students have a rich learning and student experience, most of our programmes have a mix of domestic and international students. We reserve the right to close applications early to either group if application volumes suggest this blend cannot be achieved. In addition, existing undergraduate students at the University of Hull have a guaranteed ‘Fast Track’ route to any postgraduate programme, subject to meeting the entry criteria (excluding Social Work).

Part Time Work Details

20 hours of work permit weekly for international students.

Language Requirement

• IELTS 6.5 overall, with 6.0 in each skill.