Kingston University

BA in Drama and Creative Writing

What you will study

You'll explore the history, theory, criticism and practice of theatre-making and writing for performance.

All theatre productions are 'authored' in one way or another, and the course allows you to consider this authorship in its widest sense: you can study playwriting alongside directing, for instance, or alongside acting and devising.

As well as acquiring practical knowledge through masterclasses from literary managers and playwrights, you'll also join our literary community, Writers' Centre Kingston, which hosts an annual programme of events from talks to workshops and festivals.

Each level is made up of four modules each worth 30 credit points. Typically, a student must complete 120 credits at each level.

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.

Year 1

The main themes of the course: the history, theory, criticism and practice of theatre-making and writing for performance, are introduced in the first year, enabling you to identify and understand the focus that will characterise your learning throughout. You'll be encouraged to make links between these strands from an early stage in one of the core modules, Culture and Performance.

Core modules

• Introduction to Creative Writing I: The Writer's Toolkit
• Writing that Works
• The Actor and the Text
• Culture and Performance

Year 2

In Year 2, you'll develop an understanding of the relationships between various practices of writing and authorship, and the theatre in its myriad contexts.

You'll be encouraged to read widely, through exposure to a wide range of writers and their works.

Core modules

• The Play Today
• Write Action: Introduction to Dramatic Writing

Optional modules

• The Craft of Poetry and Prose
• Independent Creative Writing
• Shakespeare: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
• An Actor Prepares
• The Theatre Director: crafting productions for the stage
• Popular Performance I: Mask and Clown

Year 3

In Year 3, core modules bring the course themes together by requiring you to demonstrate how historical, contextual and theoretical research underpins and feeds into dramatic writing for the stage.

You'll also work on a substantial project and demonstrate how you can work independently. The range of optional modules also allows you to focus on and develop other areas of interest.

Core modules

• Creative Writing Dissertation Project
• Beyond Text: Advanced Dramatic Writing

Optional modules

• Drama Production Projects
• Experiments with Form
• Special Study: Narrative Techniques in Popular Fiction
• Special study: Staging the Nation Identity Politics in Contemporary Drama
• Popular Performance II: Cabaret and Variety
• Special Study: Scriptwriting
• Special Study: Tragedy, Catastrophe, Trauma

Please note

Optional modules only run if there is enough demand. If we have an insufficient number of students interested in an optional module, that module will not be offered for this course.

After you graduate

Kingston's drama and creative writing graduates work in the creative industries as actors, writers, directors, stand-up comedians, outreach workers, technicians, producers and events managers. In addition to pursuing careers as writers, they work in publishing, journalism, advertising and marketing, arts management, new media, education, community arts, the public relations industry, business, and therapeutic fields.

A number of graduates go on to postgraduate study in theatre, creative writing, media or teacher training.

Our alumni have published novels in a variety of countries as well as gained employment in a range of industries where accurate and imaginative writing is valued.

We have industry links with publishers, theatre professionals and literary agents, as well as working writers in a variety of fields.