COURSE CURRICULUM

The MA Theatre Practice at Essex Business School is an interdisciplinary program designed to equip students with advanced skills and knowledge in theatre-making, performance traditions, and creative research. The course combines practical and theoretical learning, allowing students to engage with practice-as-research, explore professional approaches to writing, directing, and devising, and investigate international and contemporary performance practices. Core modules include intensive dissertation work, supported by postgraduate research and writing skills, which enable students to undertake substantial independent projects, reflecting on their creative practice and producing original theatre work. Additional compulsory modules develop applied expertise in areas such as acting, applied theatre, devising, directing, or playwriting and dramaturgy, providing practical, hands-on experience alongside critical reflection on performance theory. The optional modules allow students to tailor their studies to individual interests, whether deepening specific technical skills or expanding creative and academic exploration. Through workshops, seminars, and performance projects, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the interrelationship between creative practice and research, learning how analytical approaches can inform artistic decision-making and vice versa. By the end of the program, graduates have developed the practical, theoretical, and research skills necessary to excel in professional theatre settings, pursue further academic research, or innovate across the performing arts, combining creativity with scholarly insight.