COURSE CURRICULUM

The Drama program provides a comprehensive blend of academic and practical learning, beginning with a strong foundation in the first and second years. During this time, students are introduced to the core skills and vocabularies of theatre history, performance analysis, and contemporary performance research. Courses place drama, theatre, and performance in a modern context, taught through a mix of lectures, seminars, and practical workshops. Core subjects include Theatre History (from ancient Greece to the present), Performance Analysis, and studies in semiotics, feminism, gender, dramaturgy, and postmodernism. Single Honours students also engage with practical modules such as Embodied Practices, Performance and Technology, and Crew Rotation. Support is provided for the development of essential academic skills in research, study, and writing.In the third and fourth years, students tailor their studies by choosing from a broad range of optional modules that allow them to focus either on historical and theoretical topics or on the practical elements of theatre, depending on their chosen exit pathway. Options may include subjects like Theatre and Ireland, Embodied Shakespeare, playwriting, directing, stage design, costume and lighting design, theatre management, acting, women and theatre, and applied drama. Students from all pathways—Major, Joint Honours, or Single Honours—complete a Capstone project in their final year. This project is staff-supervised and encourages students to integrate their academic and creative interests into a research-led submission. It may take the form of a traditional dissertation or a blended practice-as-research project, combining performance, presentation, and reflective analysis. Assessment throughout the course includes essays, reflections, oral exams, practical assignments, and presentations, ensuring students develop both critical and creative abilities. This balanced structure equips graduates with a deep understanding of performance and strong practical skills, preparing them for a wide range of careers in theatre and related fields.