Program Overview

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MA in Theatre & Performative Practices

The MA in Theatre & Performative Practices at University College Cork is designed to produce flexible, empowered theatre artists who understand performance as a form of embodied intelligence and a way of engaging with our troubled and beautiful world. This MA provides a challenging and supported space for graduates and professional practitioners who are interested in making and thinking about innovative, cutting-edge work.

Course Outline

Our MA in Theatre & Performative Practices at UCC offers you a unique opportunity to develop your individual and collaborative creative and critical theatre practices, through and in combination with a lively programme of events, performances and residencies. These include our Perforum seminar series, engagement with the UCC - Cork Opera House Theatre Artist in Residence, and performances in the Granary Theatre and multiple other venues in Cork City.

Programme Details

All students take modules worth 35 core credits, 10 elective credits, and a final project worth 45 credits. The core modules form the central shared programme of critically rigorous and creatively adventurous theatre and performative practice.

• Part I - Semesters 1 & 2 (45 credits)
  • DR6001: Advancing Theatre & Performative Practices (Semester 2) (15 Credits)
  • DR6002: Composition Theatre & Performative Practices (Semester 1) (15 Credits)
  • DR6003: The Business of Theatre & Performative Events (Semester 1) (5 Credits)
• Plus choose 10 credits:
  • DR6026: Advanced Theatre Practice (Semester 1) (10 credits)
  • DR6025: Special Studies in Applied Theatre (Semester 1) (10 credits)
  • Modules from other departments in the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences (CACSSS) where enrolment is available and approval of the Programme Director is obtained.

Part II - Semester 3 (45 credits)

• DR6004: Practice Research Project 1: Theatre & Performative Production (45 credits)
• DR6005: Practice Research Project 2: Theatre & Performative Process (45 credits)
• DR6006: Research Dissertation in Theatre & Performative Practices (45 credits)

Part-time option

The part-time option can be taken over two years with coursework completed in Year 1 (45 Credits) and a thesis completed in Year 2 (45 Credits).

Course Practicalities

Our MA is taught through a lively combination of studio-based training, critical seminars, workshops with visiting theatre artists, critics and theorists, as well as engagement with the department's research and practice seminar - Perforum. This plural and multi-level engagement with festivals, events, installations and performances throughout the year supports a distinctively embodied and intellectually rigorous Masters programme.

Assessment

Our Theatre & Performative Practices MA students are assessed through a combination of continuous assessment, final performance, critical reflections on process/performance, as well as critical writing about theory, history, and context of theatre and performative practices. Students choose from three options for their final project. This choice dictates the modes of assessment which are weighted variously between creative practice and critical writing.

Who teaches the course

Our teaching staff includes faculty from the School of Film, Music & Theatre, and the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences. Current faculty include:

• Yvon Bonenfant
• Dr Bernadette Cronin
• Professor Jools Gilson (Course Director)
• Dr Marie Kelly
• Dr Roisin O'Gorman

Why Choose This Course

Previous graduates have praised the course for its unique approach to theatre, especially in regard to pushing social boundaries, creating new work, and challenging the status quo in the interests of justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion. The course provides a fulfilling experience, with many opportunities for learning, practical experience, and collaboration.

Skills and Careers Information

After you graduate, you will be qualified and work-ready for multiple aspects of the creative industries, both those specifically related to theatre and performance, as well as broader aspects of cultural production, administration, and the creative industries. This MA trains students in skills of making and producing theatre and performative events, in lively collaboration and always in context. These are skills that are critically and dynamically transferable to the professional worlds of theatre, dance, and cultural industries.

Occupations associated with the MA in Theatre & Performative Practices

Our previous students work in multiple aspects of contemporary theatre, dance, and the cultural industries. These include:

• Creative Cultural Producers (theatre production, dance production, festival production)
• Arts Managers
• Arts Administrators
• Theatre Directors
• Choreographers
• Performers
• Playwrights
• Writers for TV & Film
• Community Artists working in theatre, dance, and visual art as well as related industries of journalism, library management, teaching, and academia.

Requirements

Applications will be considered from graduates of Theatre, Drama, and/or theatre-related disciplines. Applicants will normally have a Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or above, and should be able to demonstrate an established commitment to theatre and/or performative practices. Applicants with significant professional-level drama and theatre experience will also be considered.

For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements.

International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure, visit our how to apply pages for international students.

Fees and Costs

See our Postgraduate EU and Non-EU (International) Fee Schedule for the latest information.

How To Apply

1. Check dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process.
2. Gather documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal.
3. Apply online: Apply online by clicking the application portal link. Note that most of our courses have a non-refundable application fee.

Additional Questions (All Applicants)

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include:

• You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held.
• In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning, and professional training relevant to this programme.
• Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.
• Please detail your computing/technical/IT skills.
• Please upload your portfolio of relevant work or achievements.
• Please upload your CV.
• Please upload a copy of a short analytical/critical/report writing sample or essay (1,000 words approx.).
• After the online application is submitted, applicants will be required to add the name and email address of 2 referees and send reference requests via the Application Portal.