Program Overview

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Develop as a scriptwriter by learning with professional and award-winning dramatists. On our MA Scriptwriting (Theatre and Digital Media) you produce a varied portfolio of dramatic works, culminating in a full-length original script, whether for the stage, screen, radio or television, which will enable you to hone and develop your own unique voice. At Essex, we believe that the joint engagement of practice and theory produces a deep understanding of how drama works. We combine critical study of dramatic texts with practical workshops, so that you nurture your understanding of the scriptwriter’s craft in order to produce your own new work. Our course focuses on the range of possibilities that exist for contemporary drama, with an emphasis on British and Irish drama, and you also explore topics including:

The principles of dramatic structure and scene construction (dialogue, the construction of plot, the development of character, development of themes, and the structure of scenes)

The origins and possibilities of poetic theatre and verse drama

Writing and developing screenplays

Options for poetic practice or novel-writing

Your dissertation gives you the chance to write a full-length script with one-to-one supervision from an award-winning scriptwriting tutor. We are ranked third in the UK for drama in the Guardian University Guide 2021 and top 20 for dance, drama and cinematics in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021. Why we're great.

• Receive one-to-one supervision from an award-winning writing tutor
• Attend master classes led by professional writers and practitioners
• Join our Student Company and get involved in both front-of-house and behind-the-scenes work

Our expert staff

Our academic tutors include:

• Professor Jonathan Lichtenstein is a playwright who has written for Radio 4 and the National Theatre. His awards include a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival and his plays have been performed internationally.
• Elizabeth Kuti is also a playwright. She has won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the Stewart Parker Radio Award; and has been commissioned by the National Theatre; the Abbey Theatre, Dublin; and BBC radio. She also writes and researches in the field of eighteenth-century theatre.
• Liam Jarvis is Artistic Director of Analogue Theatre and a playwright and theatre practitioner. He also writes and publishes widely on contemporary theatre theory and practice.

We also invite professional playwrights and other relevant practitioners to provide you with specialist master classes. Recent class leaders have included David Eldridge, Paul Sirett, Lisa Goldman, David Thacker, Mike Attenborough, Annie Castledine, Bobby Baker, Robert Holman, Tony Casement, Steve Waters and Gari Jones.

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Specialist facilities

• Our on-campus Lakeside Theatre is a major venue for drama, staging productions by professional touring companies and new work written, produced and directed by our own staff and students
• Our Student Company runs weekly practical workshops, enabling drama enthusiasts to get involved in both front-of-house and behind the scenes
• Our Research Laboratory allows you to collaborate with professionals, improvising and experimenting with new work as it develops
• Access the University’s Media Centre, equipped with state-of-the-art studios, cameras, audio and lighting equipment, and an industry-standard editing suite
• Write for our student magazine REBEL or host a REBEL Radio show
• View classic films at weekly film screenings in our dedicated 120-seat film theatre
• Hear writers talk about their craft and learn from leading specialists at weekly research seminars

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Your future

This course will be of interest to those who wish to pursue a career in many areas of the arts, creative writing and media. A number of our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies graduates have gone on to undertake successful careers as scholars, university lecturers, teachers, publishers, publishers’ editors, journalists, arts administrators, theatre artistic directors, drama advisers, and translators. We also offer supervision for PhD, MPhil and MA by dissertation in different literatures and various approaches to literature, covering most aspects of early modern and modern writing in English, plus a number of other languages. Our University is one of only 11 AHRC-accredited Doctoral Training Centres in the UK. This means that we offer funded PhD studentships which also provide a range of research and training opportunities. We work with our Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.