Our research in theatre and performance is classed as internationally significant and we are consistently ranked in national newspapers as one of the very top departments in the UK. Our options and core modules are taught by acknowledged experts in their fields, with particular areas of interest in theatre and performance history and historiography; national and intercultural theatres and performance evolving from the city, public events and experiments with new technologies. We benefit from a wealth of theatrical activity within easy reach of the campus. In particular, the University is home to Warwick Arts Centre, which includes two theatres and offers an exciting programme of theatre, dance, music, comedy, literature, films and visual art.

Theatre and Performance Studies has fully-equipped practical spaces on the Warwick central campus. There are two black-box studios, two adaptable rehearsal spaces with sprung floors and an edit suite, including digital video-making facilities. In addition, the School incorporates the Centre for Cultural Policy Studies, which has seven full-time permanent members of staff.

Research Areas

Modern and Contemporary Theatre

Research includes: national, trans-national and intercultural performance; globalisation; performance and the city; site-specific performance; theatre and exile; theatre and memory; political theatre and performance; theatre and new technologies; culinary performance.

Performance and Theatre History and Historiography

This research area focuses on: Renaissance theatre; theatre historiography; British theatre 1780 to the present; Modern European theatre; theatre in the ‘new’ Europe; African theatre. For information on individual staff interests, please see: www.warwick.ac.uk/go/arts/theatre_s/research

• More information on individual staff interests
  

Research Degrees

MA by Research (MAR)

Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

The degree of MA by research is likewise a supervised individual research project completed over one year full-time or two years part-time, offering an introduction to academic research for students looking to pursue study in a specific area not covered by a taught Master’s programme.

• More information on the MA by Research
  

MPhil/PhD

Duration:
MPhil: 2 years full-time, 3 years part-time
PhD: 3 years full-time, 5 years part-time

The degree of PhD is a supervised individual research project over three years full-time or five years parttime, culminating in the production of a thesis. Students initially register for the MPhil degree and upgrade to the PhD on satisfactory progress after one year. Alternatively students can simply study for two years full-time or three years part-time, and complete a shorter thesis to gain the degree of MPhil.

• More information on the MPhil/PhD

Practice-as-Research

Suitably qualified candidates may pursue practicebased research at MA, MPhil and PhD levels, submitting both a written thesis and a body of creative practice as outcomes of their studies. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate a proven track record of professional standard practice or other relevant practical experience and competencies to be considered for practice-based research.

Taught Master’s Degree

MA Theatre Consultancy

Duration: 24 months
Places available: 12

Our new Theatre Consultancy MA is the result of a collaboration between the School of Theatre, Performance and Cultural Policy Studies and the Society for Theatre Consultants to provide a professional qualification for practising theatre consultants.

Drawing on the strengths and expertise of a range of academic departments with contributions from Warwick Arts Centre and performance venues across the Midlands, the cross-faculty, cross-disciplinary course develops your knowledge of the historical, social, cultural and legislative context of the development of theatre space, including:

• the opportunities and limitations of different theatre spaces in relation to the repertoires presented and the communities being served;
• the construction of multi-purpose venues and other new builds and the conservation and conversion of listed buildings and ‘found spaces’;
• the process of liaison between the client, funding bodies, architects, local authorities and construction teams;
• the psychological and social aspects of theatre design;
• regulation and legislation including public entertainment licensing and health and safety issues.

The course is taught in intensive week-long modules, one in each of the first four terms. Candidates wishing to pursue the MA will also complete a dissertation over the remaining two terms.

Erasmus Mundus MA in International Performance Research (MAIPR)

Duration: 16 months
Places available: 40-45

The MAIPR programme is delivered by four internationally-renowned academic institutions: the University of Warwick, University of Amsterdam, University of Helsinki and the University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia. The MAIPR is designed to attract the best theatre and performance-related students and practitioners from around the world, and involves study at three of the four partner institutions.

Students successfully completing the programme will receive a double degree from the two institutions they have attended. This makes our graduates extremely competitive in competitions for PhD scholarships: our 2009 and 2010 graduates secured PhD Fellowships at Queen Mary, Royal Holloway (University of London) and the Open University, as well as at the University of Munich.

Many have also entered excellent posts in creative industries around the world or have continued their work as practising artists.

An important aim of the MAIPR is to introduce, develop and challenge the three concepts that make up the course’s title: ‘International, ‘Performance’, and ‘Research’, and to demonstrate how these concepts are informed, questioned and perhaps disputed by local, national and/or global (pre)-conceptions and perceptions.

The course explores the following areas, each involving different research methods:

Scholarship: Traditional archival-based research or performance analyses; resulting in essays, dissertations and case-studies.

Curation: This refers to a range of activities including management, design, and documentation of exhibits, performances, or other formal events. It may involve e.g. website design, production documentation, gallery exhibit curation, or performance prospectus.

Creative Practice: Studio-based explorations in creative practice. This may involve actual performances in university or public spaces, virtual performances on the web, workshops and rehearsal room explorations of topics or themes, or ethnographies of artistic practice.

• More information on the Erasmus Mundus MA in International Performance Research (MAIPR)

Download prospectus entry

Prospectus Entry

Related Links:

School of Theatre, Performance, and Cultural Policy Studies

Fees and Funding:

Postgraduate Fees

Funding your study

“Coming from an interdisciplinary practice and research background and knowing the challenges and benefits of multicultural environments, I searched across the globe for the most suitable performance-study programme. Warwick and its MA in International Performance Research (MAIPR) was my first choice because of its innovative approach and faculty composed of established and respected scholars in the field.

My fellow MAIPR students come from all over the world. They speak different languages and have different life experiences which means we have to make adjustments at every step, thereby creating a wonderful reflexive experience.

The MAIPR involves studying at two universities. For me, these are Warwick and Tampere in Finland. This gives me invaluable exposure to the working practices of two distinct European institutions. The creative placement in Birmingham also exposed me to ‘how things are done’ by a regional theatre. The invited visiting scholars and guest speakers were a particularly valued bonus of the programme.

All of the above, plus much more, are proving vital to my ultimate goal of going on to do doctoral research.”

Nese Ceren Tosun / MA in International Performance Research / Theatre, Performance and Cultural Policy Studies