King's College London - Faculty of Arts & Humanities

MA in Theatre, Performance and Critical Culture

This MA provides you with the opportunity to study theatre and performance in a dynamic research environment in the heart of London. From contemporary theatres to live art performances, cultural tourism and the spectacles of the West End, avant-garde dramas and political interventions, site-specific events, choreographies and compositions, you'll be introduced to a range of theatre and performance practices.

You will explore the impact of society, both specific to theatre histories and ongoing wider political agency including Black Lives Matter, the MeToo movement and challenges of sustainability and the climate emergency.

You'll also have the option to take a practice-based module, Performance Lab.

Key benefits

• Required modules provide a strong foundation in theatre and performance studies, plus the opportunity to create an individualised course of study through selected options from across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
• The dynamic intellectual community offered by King’s College London and surrounding institutions is supplemented by regularly invited artists and academic speakers or artist residents. The cross-faculty network Performance at King's provides students with the opportunity to engage with campus-wide iterations of performance in a wide field of cognate disciplines.
• The unrivalled location at the heart of London allows regular access to a wide range of theatre and performance events, including performances, seminars, and research centres.
• Option to take a practice-based module, Performance Lab.
• Leads to careers in the cultural, performance and arts sectors, including museum, curatorial, archival and production work, journalism, dramaturgy, and arts management, as well as to work in the broader editorial and communications industries, and to academic and non-academic research, teaching, and more.

Course essentials

Critical culture looks at the contexts and material conditions within which performances take place, the writing of such social processes in the urban realm and the means through which students can address their own subject position within such public manifestations. Societal formations both specific to theatre histories and ongoing wider political agency here include Black Lives Matter, the MeToo movement and challenges of sustainability and the climate emergency. This keen focus on contemporary, political issues and the global landscape foregrounds a commitment to ethical and political enquiry and engagement which have shaped this programme since its inception.

The cross-faculty network Performance at King's provides students with the opportunity to engage with campus-wide iterations of performance in a wide field of cognate disciplines. You'll also have the option to take a practice-based module, Performance Lab. A 15,000-word dissertation supervised by an academic member of staff will provide you with the opportunity to undertake advanced research in the field. This dissertation research is further supported by the department-wide Research Skills: Methods and Practices module, which introduces students to advanced academic practices aligned with the programmes on offer within English.

Ideal for students who have recently completed a BA in Theatre, Performance Studies, Comparative Literature, English or related fields, and/or spent time engaging in critical performance practice or work in related industries (museums, festival planning, etc.). Leads to careers in the cultural, performance and arts sectors, including museum, curatorial, archival and production work, journalism, dramaturgy, and arts management, as well as to work in the broader editorial and communications industries, and to academic and non-academic research, teaching, and more.

Duration: One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time