Applied Theatre: Arts, Action, Change (MA)

Course overview

The MA in Applied Theatre: Arts, Action, Change is a taught postgraduate degree that addresses contemporary practice in applied theatre and socially engaged performance. It invites you to explore, make and interrogate performance practices that are broadly concerned with contributing to social change in a variety of settings (e.g. criminal justice, theatre for development, homelessness, learning disability, schools, the elderly and healthcare). With a strong focus on professional practice and development, the degree addresses the ways in which performance modes can contribute to different applied, community and institutional settings nationally and internationally.

It investigates the claims made about performance and its potential to be transformative and rehabilitative and tests these claims through close consideration of contemporary practices in the field. It also addresses the political and ethical implications that come into play and the importance of constantly questioning what is at stake when working in specific contexts. It explores what it means to be an artist working for change and aims to develop skills of project design, facilitation and evaluation.

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This degree will help you to:

• Understand a range of socially-engaged forms of theatre and performance and how these vary in response to different contexts
• Develop practical skills specific to applied theatre environments that are responsive to the needs of different types of organisations
• Understand your own practice, while learning to design, manage and evaluate projects better, demonstrating an awareness of the possibilities and limitations of live performance and digital media in interventionist practices
• Develop advanced research and practice skills through a supported extended written or practice-based research project in the area of applied or socially-engaged theatre
• Confidently communicate your creative and critical thinking in well structured, logically developed and carefully prepared ways
• Further develop group cooperation skills, including the ability to give and receive constructive critical feedback, and improve your communication skills and advanced analytic abilities in discussions

Associate Companies

The MA in Applied Theatre: Arts, Action, Change will provide opportunities to work with and learn from a number of professional companies and practitioners working in the fields of applied theatre, socially engaged performance and arts-based action projects through workshops, guest lectures, weekend intensives, project work and industry placements.

Our Associate Companies include:

• Arts and Homelessness International: work globally at the intersection of homelessness and creativity bringing positive impacts to people, projects and policy via homeless arts festivals from the Rio Olympics to Coventry UK City of Culture; the first cultural leadership programme for creatives who are or have been homeless and policy co-creation with local councils using Legislative Theatre.
• B Arts: a combined and participatory arts organisation that designs multidisciplinary arts projects that creatively intervene in people’s lives.
• Cardboard Citizens: an organisation that has been making theatre with and for homeless people for 25 years.
• C & T: a company combining applied theatre methodologies with digital technologies to explore and grow creativity with children and adults.
• Creative English: a company that develops language skills by using drama, puppets and games.
• Common Wealth: a socially-engaged company producing site-specific theatre events for and with communities.
• Open Theatre: a company working with young people with learning disabilities through non-verbal physical theatre.
• Rideout (Creative Arts for Rehabilitation): a company employing arts-based approaches when working with prisoners and staff in UK prisons.
• Phosphoros: a company undertaking theatre projects with refugees and asylum-seekers.
• Tender: a company using theatre-based methods to encourage healthy relationships amongst young people to help tackle domestic abuse and sexual violence.
• Warwick Arts Centre Creative Learning: generating hands-on learning opportunities for schools, audiences and members of the community as part of a large-scale arts organisation.

Warwick welcomes applications with good degrees from respected universities in Jordan.

From Jordan, for Postgraduate Taught courses, we would typically require a 4-year bachelors degree from a recognised institution for entry, with the following equivalencies:

If you need any advice or guidance on the qualifications above, our Middle East and North Africa Team are here to help. Contact them at mena@warwick.ac.uk.

See our Jordan Country Information page for guidance, contacts and upcoming events in your country.

Your career

A person who undertakes this MA programme might pursue the following career trajectories:

• Applied theatre practitioner/facilitator
• Community arts organiser
• Cultural coordinator and partnership manager
• Theatre in therapeutic contexts (health and care sectors)
• Theatre in Education or Education Officer in a professional theatre/museums
• Arts Officer in Local Government
• Theatre for Development
• Work in the charitable/NGO sectors
• Research and Teaching in the FE/HE sectors

Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant offering impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:

• Careers workshop for Theatre and Performance Studies Students
• Discovering Careers in the Creative Industries
• Careers in Radio Film and Television
• Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
• A history and DIY Guide to setting up and running a Theatre Company