MSt in Writing for Performance

Who is the course designed for?

Students on the MSt in Writing for Performance could include those currently working, or wishing to work, in the creative industries. This might include teachers, publishers, dramaturgs, literary managers, journalists and broadcasters.

Aims of the programme

The overall aims of the MSt in Writing for Performance are to:

• enable students to develop high levels of expertise as writers of performance through engagement with forms of ‘embodied knowledge’, and ‘learning through doing’, within both group and individual contexts;
• facilitate students’ creative practice, and to encourage originality and experimentation with narrative structures and story-telling;
• use theory and philosophy to develop and enhance students’ creative practice through engagement with performance theory and the critical history of performance;
• identify, encourage, and consolidate the distinct and individual strengths within students’ work;
• explore, both critically and creatively, the world of dramatic writing across a range of performance genres and mediums;
• develop skills relevant to professional development for those working in creative, pedagogic, or industry contexts;
• create a safe and empathetic teaching environment that students can trust, in order that they may produce their most innovative creative work.

Teaching and learning

The MSt in Writing for Performance is structured around four modules taught during year 1 of the course and a presentation module during year 2, each of which students must attend. Each of the four modules is preceded by guided preparatory reading and other activities, and followed by two writing assignments: one formative and one summative.

A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) offers learning support to students while they are on the programme, including learning resources, peer-to-peer and student-to-tutor discussion between modules to build a virtual community of practice.

Year 1

In the first year students will be encouraged to build on their existing strengths but also to explore unfamiliar territories.

Module 1: Beginnings: The Fundamentals of Dramatic Writing (27 - 30 October 2025)

This module introduces students to the fundamental conceptual, creative, and practical elements of writing for performance. They will be encouraged to begin developing a sense of which medium they may wish to work in later, while workshops and encounters with visiting speakers will allow them to experience a wide range of writing tasks. They will begin to engage with processes of critical reflection about their own work, and about the creative practices of their peer-group, as well as being encouraged to respond analytically to a wide variety of philosophical positions within performance theory and history.

Module 2: Dramaturgy: Writing for Audio and Other Digital Media (12 - 15 January 2026)

This module will look in-depth at the function of narrative structures and story-telling forms. Writing character will be explored, as well as different techniques of writing dialogue - applicable to a range of writing for performance platforms. In Module Two scripts are read and analysed in workshop by peers, this time under the supervision of professional directors drawn from theatre, TV or film.

Module 3: Collaboration: Writing for Theatre, Comedy or Performance (16 - 19 March 2026)

In this module, the writing workshops have a theatre focus. They are led by resident directors and have access to professional actors, offering an experience of collaboration vital to the understanding of a script, and the development of character, dialogue and other core components of dramatic writing. Allowing collaborative relationships to develop early, across modules, will hopefully encourage the post-MSt production of the students’ work in visible professional platforms. Students will continue to refine their critical, analytical, and experiential practice during this module.

Module 4: Professional Engagement: Writing for Film and TV (1 - 4 June 2026)

This module will focus on the processes and skills involved in bringing a script successfully to market. This module completes the cycle of learning from the ‘first idea’ to a finished, commissioned, and performed script. Invited speaker panels will focus on industry engagement, with agents, literary managers, show-runners, and producers. Students will develop advanced self-presentation skills, as well as an understanding of new-writing networks and opportunities. Script workshops in Module 4 have a screenwriting emphasis and are led by professional TV or film directors/writers. Students will learn how to turn a concept into a film pitch – and will then have an opportunity to make that pitch to a panel of film producers. Students will prepare and submit their dissertation proposals.

Year 2

The second year is characterised by focus on a specialist genre. Students will work independently to explore further and develop their own literary and critical skills, resulting in a full-length (90 minute) script in a chosen performance medium and a reflective and critical commentary on their work. They will work under the supervision of an expert in their chosen field with whom they will have regular contact.

Students will have five supervisions in the second year. Supervision dates will be arranged between students and supervisors (these can be face-to-face or via remote software). The fifth and final supervision will usually take place at the time of the only module in the second year, when students will present an extract from their creative work to the cohort, to be held over two days in April 2027 (dates to be confirmed).

It is essential that students attend all modules as their ability to complete the course will be severely compromised by missing any of these.

Find out more

If you have any questions about this course, would like an informal discussion on academic matters before making your application, or would like to know more about the admissions process, please complete this enquiry form with your questions.