BA (Hons) Drama & Theatre Arts
This degree reflects the diversity and excitement of the subject in the new millennium, and gives you the opportunity to look at the theory and practice of performance in a range of media.
Abi Weaver, BA in Drama & Theatre Arts
3 years full-time.
W440
BBB or equivalent; see entrance requirements for alternative qualifications.
You must be able to express a well-informed interest in Drama as a performed art in theory and practice. Please note that we do not normally accept applications for deferred entry.
Located within easy travelling distance to Central London, Goldsmiths offers obvious advantages to students of this degree - you will be close to one of the largest concentrations of performance practice in Europe. In addition, a number of our staff are professional theatremakers, so we enjoy good working relationships with theatres, media companies and professional specialists and practitioners, who make important contributions to our courses. On campus, the George Wood Theatre provides space for teaching and performance (and seating for 160), and the Department also has three performance studios; scenic, sound and costume workshops; and design studio facilities.
Theatre skills (including performance, directing, and devising design); interpersonal skills; critical analysis.
Many of our students go on to work in jobs related to performance and theatre (directors, writers, actors, designers, stage managers and producers). Just as many go into such areas as media; marketing; fashion; the music industry; the voluntary sector; arts administration; and teaching, research and postgraduate study in drama, theatre and cultural studies. Others pursue careers in film and TV related work - editors, production assistants, casting directors, floor managers, and researchers.
Please see Undergraduate tuition fees.
Drama
Our staff are active and committed researchers and creators of theatre work; in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise the Department of Drama scored highly, with 65% of our published output rated in the highest two categories. Applicants with GCE A-levels in arts subjects such as Drama, English, History, Languages and Theatre Studies are welcomed, but we are also interested in those with other subjects or complementary experience.
What you Study
Our distinctive emphasis on performance and production work, the stimulating atmosphere created by staff with diverse research interests, and our location in the heart of London's performance culture mean that we can offer an innovative syllabus which explores new approaches to drama and performance.
The degree leads you through a range of material, including the acquisition of basic technical skills; physical investigation of, and reflection on, modes of performance; close analysis of performance and written text; learning how to study the history of theatre across a range of cultures; an understanding of how performance affects audiences, and an ability to define ‘performance’. In addition to a broad knowledge of these general areas, you have the chance to develop a specialist focus, involving both a distinct area of knowledge and a specific practice: you might study and produce a piece of ‘physical theatre’; learn the basic issues and techniques of theatre administration; develop a theoretical definition of ‘community theatre’; devise a feminist version of Hamlet; act as a dramaturge during the devising of a new play; or create an artwork in the context of physical space and/or cyberspace. In your third year you will research and write an extended (8,000 words) dissertation on a topic of your choice.
In this way the degree aims not only to develop the knowledge and skills which make up a university drama degree, but also to offer a more specialised training within the broader programme. As a result, although some use the degree as training for a specific profession, our emphasis on fostering a trained mind qualifies all our students for a wide range of careers. Teaching methods are accordingly varied and continually developing.
Assessment
Performances, production processes, model boxes, dissertations, essays, exhibitions, videos, and timed examinations.
Application enquiries
Please see how to apply for information on applying to this programme.
Equivalent GCE A-level qualifications
| BTEC National Diploma |
Access courses |
Scottish qualifications |
European Baccalaureate |
International Baccalaureate |
Other requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DDM/DMM
A-level Grade B in Drama and Theatre Studies or English also required |
60 Credits including 45
at level 3 |
BBBBB (Higher)
BBB (Advanced Higher) |
70% | 6, 6, 5 at HL
including English or Theatre Arts or Drama |
A-level Grade B in Drama and Theatre Studies or English also required |