Course information

Entry requirements

UCAS code

W440

Entry requirements

A-level: BBB
BTEC: DDM
IB: 33 points overall with Three HL subjects at 655

Length

3 years full-time, 6 years part-time

Course overview

The BA in Drama and Theatre Arts is designed to foster creative, radical theatre-makers and thinkers. It is adventurous in form, international in scope and hands-on in practice.

The Complete Theatre Maker

  • This degree supports you to become the complete theatre maker. At the heart of the programme is a balanced integration of theory and practice. Knowledge gained through making and doing adds to your conceptual understanding, while the insights gained in writing about theatre and society inform the choices you make in your practice-based work.
  • Tutored by our diverse and talented team, you will develop technical skills in acting, directing, writing, sound, lighting, scenography, and costume. Bringing these skills together, you will learn how to collaborate and operate in companies, ready to take your own show on the road.
  • You will be introduced to a wide range of theatre thinkers, and explore the history and cultural diversity of performance. You will develop a complex understanding of what it means to make theatre in an increasingly global 21st-century society. And with London’s rich theatre culture on your doorstep, you can draw on an exciting range of contemporary practice to inform your thinking and making.

Groundbreaking and Diverse

  • The BA Drama and Theatre Arts is a radical and innovative degree. The curriculum is responsive to the global reach of our teaching staff, including expertise in African, American, Francophone, Japanese, and South Asian performance, as well as British, European, and Russian theatre traditions. We prepare theatre-makers who are socially, culturally, and politically engaged.
  • The degree explores what it means to perform in contemporary culture, mobilising a range of theatre and performance practices from the interpretation of play texts to devised ensemble work and the possibilities opened up by political protest, live art, and the avant-garde.
  • Students on this programme typically develop into bold and versatile creatives. They are practically adept and imaginative, critically agile, able to form companies and to manage the business of production. Our bespoke Personal and Professional Development package combines career support with taught elements and introduces you to our dynamic alumni network, ready to take on the world.
  • This degree will help you develop the skills you need to become a successful theatre maker. Please read our Careers section below to find out more about our graduate successes.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Alexa Reid.

Watch videos about your course

What you'll study

Overview

You will begin your degree by developing a range of practical, dramaturgical, and critical abilities. In your first year you learn technical and design skills, begin ensemble work together and start to think about what it means to perform and make theatre in today’s world. These skills are brought together in a festival of work in the summer term.

As the degree progresses, students can choose from a wide range of options and are given more independence in building their own creative work. Supported throughout by regular meetings with a personal tutor, you develop specialist knowledge of practical methods and approaches to theatre-making, manage production schedules, company budgets, and theatre design processes, and can make professional connections through work placement.

By your third year, you are able to examine complex ideas in depth, whether as an independent scholar writing a dissertation or as an experimental theatre-maker, working on your final degree productions for a public festival. These final productions often act as a springboard into the professional sector.

Year 1

In the first year you study the following compulsory modules:

Module title Credits
Critical Dialogues A 15 credits
Critical Dialogues B 15 credits
Introduction to Dramaturgy 15 credits
Scenography 15 credits
Theatre Making 1 30 credits
Processes of Performance: Encounters with Space 15 credits
The Ensemble 15 credits

Year 2

In the second year, you take three compulsory modules:

Module title Credits
Theatre Making 2 30 credits
Modernisms and Postmodernity A 15 credits
The Goldsmiths Elective 15 credits

Global Theatre Histories

You'll also choose 30-credits from the theme of Global Theatre Histories. These modules change from year to year, and recent examples include:

Module title Credits
French Theatre 15 credits
African Theatre 15 credits
Classical Greek Theatre 15 credits
Polish Theatre 15 Credits
Shakespeare and the Early Modern 15 credits
American Theatre in the Mid 20th Century 15 credits
Russian Theatre 15 Credits
Post-War British Theatre 15 credits

Questions of Performance

You will also choose 30 credits of optional modules from the theme of Questions of Performance. Module options change from year to year, and recent examples have included:

Module title Credits
QoP: Character I 15 Credits
QoP: Self 15 Credits
QoP: Gendered Performance 15 Credits
QoP: Emotion 15 Credits
QoP: Voice/ Text 15 Credits

Year 3

In your final year, you'll take the following compulsory modules:

Module title Credits
Culture and Performance: Critical Cultural Theory 15 Credits
Independent Research Project 30 credits
Research Methodologies 15 credits

You also choose optional modules across the following themes.

Culture and Performance B

You choose 15 credits of optional modules from the theme of Culture and Performance B. Options change from year to year, and recent examples have included:

Module title Credits
Culture and Performance B: Art and Japan 15 Credits
Culture and Performance B: Theatre as a Learning Medium 15 Credits
Culture and Performance B: Modern Black, British and American Drama 15 Credits
Culture and Performance B: Ecological Theatre 15 Credits

Theatre Making 3

You'll also choose 30 credits of optional modules from the theme of Theatre Making 3. Available modules change from year to year, and recent examples have included:

Module title Credits
TM3: Devised Performance 15 Credits
TM3: Live Art/ Performance Art 15 Credits
TM3: Acting and Solo Performance 15 credits

 

Work placement

Level 6 students may also take an optional work placement module

Module title Credits
Work placement 15 credits

Teaching style

This programme is taught through scheduled learning - a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops. You'll also carry out performance and production work, and will attend lab sessions.

You’ll be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study. This includes carrying out required and additional reading, preparing topics for discussion, and producing essays or project work.

The programme is a blend of learning between 50% practical and 50% theoretical.

How you’ll be assessed

You will be assessed by a range of methods depending on your module choices. These include coursework assignments such as essays, portfolios, research statements and exams, as well as practical assignments such as practice-based presentations and oral presentations, and in your third year, a 10,000-word dissertation, and participation in a public performance festival.

The following information gives an indication of how you can typically expect to be assessed on each year of this programme*:

Year 1 - 31% coursework, 13% written exam, 56% practical
Year 2 - 55% coursework, 45% practical
Year 3 - 70% coursework, 30% practical

*Please note that these are averages are based on enrolments for 2022/23. Each student’s time in teaching, learning and assessment activities will differ based on individual module choices. Find out more about how this information is calculated.

Credits and levels of learning

An undergraduate honours degree is made up of 360 credits – 120 at Level 4, 120 at Level 5 and 120 at Level 6. If you are a full-time student, you will usually take Level 4 modules in the first year, Level 5 in the second, and Level 6 modules in your final year. A standard module is worth 30 credits. Some programmes also contain 15-credit half modules or can be made up of higher-value parts, such as a dissertation or a Major Project.

Download the programme specification.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

What our students say

Latifaha Ireland

Everyone from all areas has passion, commitment and dedication to make sure that all of us students got through our degrees was superb.

Latifaha's time at Goldsmiths

I loved my degree! My favourite part was my third-year performance, and making history with Goldsmiths' first all-black theatre company. I was co-writer for our show ‘Before I Fall’, which was about mental health in the black community. This was the part of my degree that changed everything for me. I believed for the first time that I could be victorious, bold and creative in my dreams to make a difference and an impact on those around me.

Throughout my degree the support that I received was nothing less than amazing. Everyone from all areas has passion, commitment and dedication to make sure that all of us students got through our degrees. I will forever be grateful for the amazing team I had behind me.

Studying in New Cross

My favourite thing about studying in New Cross was being so central to most places and very close to home. It was great to study in South East London because as I grew up in South London. I loved being a part of a bold vibrant community and I felt that I was surrounded by this in New Cross. My favourite part of campus was the College Green outside the theatre, especially in the summer – it’s a great place to meet others and relax.

Life since graduating

I have just finished a two-year internship with the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). While at DCMS I championed the care leavers working group and became a specialist publisher on gov.uk.

Since leaving the civil service I have moved on to work with Lambeth children’s service, where my role is to better improve the quality of life of those that are in care. Alongside my day job I have formed my own theatre company called ‘Beloved Theatre Company’. My company ethos is all about spreading love and understanding by telling stories of culture and tradition, with an overriding message of love and unity. We hope it will help change negative ideologies and misconceptions about what it means to be black today. I am currently looking to expand my production team as we prepare to tour our first piece, which I have written and directed. I am really excited about the piece and can’t wait to get it into production.

Advice for future students

The first dream or goal I remember having was getting a degree, and the staff at Goldsmiths came on that adventure with me along with good friends and family. The support and encouragement I received at Goldsmiths helped me to achieve my dream and so much more. I never intended on the impact that I made but I believe that Goldsmiths made more of an impact on me which gave me the ability to be who I wanted to be, and it’s paying off each day.

My advice to anyone thinking about coming to Goldsmiths would be: it’s worth it!! If you are ever struggling ask for help and you will get help, support and all you need to get your degree.

Entry requirements

We accept the following qualifications:

A-level: BBB
BTEC: DDM
International Baccalaureate: 33 points overall with Three HL subjects at 655
Access: Pass with 45 Level 3 credits including 30 Distinctions and a number of merits/passes in subject-specific modules
Scottish qualifications: ABBBC (Higher) or ABC (Advanced Higher)
European Baccalaureate: 75%
Irish Leaving Certificate: H2 H2 H2 H2

Additional requirements

You must be able to express a well-informed interest in theatre and performance theory and practice.

While drama and theatre studies would be an advantage, this is not necessarily essential as we are also interested in those with other subjects or complementary experience. Applicants with A-levels in an arts and humanities subject such as English, history, languages, philosophy and sociology are welcomed.

International qualifications

We also accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.0 with a 6.0 in writing and no element lower than 5.5 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for degree-level study.

Selection process

The Department of Theatre and Performance at Goldsmiths does not offer applicants auditions, although some – but not all – candidates will be invited for interview.

The degree doesn't aim to provide a vocational training in acting, but rather the opportunity to engage in a broad creative and critical study, exploring the possibilities of theatre making in a wide historical and cultural context to provide transferable skills for a richly diverse array of career choices. This is why we're not looking for performing skills alone but for a range of intellectual, creative, critical and inquisitive qualities when we select candidates for a place.

Alternative qualifications

See our full list of undergraduate entry qualifications.

Fees & funding

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

From August 2021 EU/EEA/Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for 'Home' fee status. EU/EEA/Swiss nationals will be classified as 'International' for fee purposes, more information can be found on our fees page.

  • Home - full-time: £9250
  • International - full-time: £20160

If your fees are not listed here, please check our undergraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

We offer a wide range of scholarships and bursaries, and our careers service can also offer advice on finding work during your studies. Find out more about funding your studies with us.

Student work

TaP Out 2021

TaP Out 2021 is a festival of diverse, innovative, and timely performance created by BA finalists from Goldsmiths' Department of Theatre and Performance. We bring you a website full of digital performances ranging from film and audio to interactive journeys and performative games. This year also sees a return to live performance, meaning our studios (and the local hARTslane Gallery) will once again come to life with creativity and imagination. 

 

To watch, view, play, and experience more, please visit the TaP Out 2021 website.

Student performance
Student performance
Student performance
Student performance
Student performance
Student performance
Student performance
Page

 

Careers

Onwards and Upwards

Our graduates emerge with a complete range of skills, equipped to challenge contemporary theatre and to put new ideas into effect. Some of our graduate scucessses include:

  • Rebecca Frecknall -  Olivier Award winner for Cabaret. Worked as Resident Director at the National Theatre Studio and then Sir Richard Eyre's AD.
  • Dennis Kelly - Tony Award-winning writer & producer. Dennis wrote the book for Mathilda the Musical. Other writing credits include the BBC (Pulling), Channel 4 (Utopia) and HBO (The Third Day, with Punchdrunk). Plays performed at the National Theatre, Royal Court, Hampstead Theatre, BAC, Young Vic, etc.
  • Mojisola Adebayo -  performer, writer, director, producer & academic sharing work in Antarctica, Botswana, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greenland, India, Ireland, Israel, Lebanon, Malawi, Mauritius, Myanmar, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syria, the USA and Zimbabwe. She has acted in over 50 theatre, television and radio productions, & devised and directed over 30 scripts for stage and video.
  • Liv Ello and Frankie Thompson - have put their skills into practice with their highly acclaimed show in the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe. Read more about this performance in their 5-star review in the Guardian.
  • Tatenda Shamiso - Writer and performer. Their show Now I.D. was performed at the Royal Court in May 2023. They have also worked as the AD on the smash-hit Streetcar Named Desire at the Almeida in Jan/Feb 2023. Performer in Sundown Kiki at the Young Vic.
  • Latifaha Ireland - Championed the Care Leavers Working Group with DCMS & specialist publisher on gov.uk. They now work with Lambeth Children’s Service, and co-founded Beloved Theatre Company.

Our students have gone on to work as in many areas, including:

  • Performers, directors, choreographers, movement directors, casting directors
  • Writers, editors, and dramaturgs
  • Producers in theatre, film, radio, digital arts, visual arts, and community practice
  • Play, screen and radio writers, and journalists
  • Community arts practitioners
  • Lighting, sound, set, and costume designers
  • Stage and production managers
  • Venue and event managers
  • Marketing and promotion specialists
  • Teachers, workshop leaders and facilitators, lecturers, and academics

You will become part of this community if you join the degree – our graduates often return to pass on their professional wisdom to the next generation of theatrical innovators. 

You can find out more about the career options open to you following graduation on our Theatre and Performance careers page.

Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths