Theatre Studies Degree 2013
Our Theatre Studies degree explores the ideas and practices that inform current theatre-making, both nationally and internationally. You will consider a breadth of performance practices, from the mainstream to the contemporary. Through performance, analysis and debate, you will engage directly with the specialisms that shape this changing field. Your study of theatre will be grounded in artistic enquiry, theatre history, culture and performance analysis, and will be informed by research, practice and reflection. Through a series of academic, practical and professional approaches, the Theatre Studies programme provides an enviable experience of both making and reflecting on the significance of theatre today.
Degree programme
Entry requirements
Minimum entry requirements
- A-level grades ABB
We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.
Conditional offers from Surrey will be made in grades or marks, and not listed in points from the UCAS tariff.
Required subjects
GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade C or above (or equivalent).
Grade A at A-level in an arts, humanities or social science subject.
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each
component (or equivalent).
Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.
Other suitable qualifications
Cambridge Pre-U
M1, M1, M2
European Baccalaureate
74%
International Baccalaureate
34 points
BTEC (QCF Level 3) Extended Diploma
DDM
In addition, we accept a wide range of qualifications, including other Level 3 QCF Level 3 qualifications, Scottish qualifications, the Irish Leaving Certificate, Access Diplomas and foundation courses. Other qualifications will be considered on an individual basis.
It is important to check whether the qualifications you are taking are suitable for your chosen degree. If you are uncertain whether your qualification meets our entry requirements, please contact us.
If you are an international student and you don’t meet the entry requirements to this degree, we offer the International Foundation Year.
Selection process
Offers are usually made in terms of grades. There are no interviews for the programme, but successful applicants are invited to the University for a Theatre Studies UCAS Day, which will include an introduction to the programme and examples of workshop and seminar-based teaching. We consider this to be the most effective way for you to find out about the programme, without pressure of an interview. During the visit, candidates can learn more about the programme and meet staff and students.
Tuition fees
UK/EU students
Tuition fees are currently set at £9,000 per year for UK/EU undergraduates starting in 2012.
The tuition charge will be accompanied by a generous financial support package, underlining our continued commitment to widening access for those students who come from low income households.
Overseas students
The fee for students classed as overseas for fees purposes is £13,335.
The University will assess your fee status. If you are unsure whether you are likely to be considered a home, EU or overseas student for fees purposes, the UKCISA website offers more information.
Professional Training Year Fees
Programmes marked with an asterisk (*) in the table above include a professional training year.
Currently fees of £1,050 (based on an inflation assumption of 2.5%) are charged for the Professional Training Year. Fees will not have to be paid up front for those students who decide to take up the Government’s loan for higher education fees. The Professional Training year is a key factor in the high employability rates achieved by students with Surrey degrees.
Our Degree
Theatre Studies offers experience and knowledge of one of the oldest and most significant forms of human expression. You will investigate dramatic literature and practices of theatre from historical, critical, aesthetic and experiential perspectives and consider the connections between theatre texts and cultures. You will work with specialists in theory and practice, both those at Surrey and also invited guest directors and teachers.
You will be encouraged to engage actively in both written and practical work, and to explore the rich cultural histories of the locations in which we work. Our Theatre Studies programme provides you with a firm foundation in the study and practice of theatre and will help you to meet the demands of the creative and cultural industries.
Programme content
Programme overview
You will begin by establishing an understanding of key texts, practices and methods that inform Theatre Studies today. As you progress through the programme, you will follow practical, academic and professional pathways.
Year 1 will introduce key concepts and a foundation of core knowledge, practices and methods. As part of the practical pathway, you will look at strategies to develop character, while in theoretical modules you will explore the different ways in which character and the stage have been understood at key points in the history of theatre.
Year 2 will begin to ask questions of theatre in culture, about popular and radical theatre forms, the relationship between theatre and culture, and the opportunities for theatre to develop as a form. You will explore devising for performance, taking the metaphor of the laboratory to focus your practice. To prepare for professional work in the placement year or after your degree, you will learn about areas including policy, professional practices, education and community practice.
Year 3 involves wider perspectives:on management of the arts at international levels, on understanding research as a contribution to a field, on the scale and spectacle that is possible in performance and on your own individual research through the dissertation project, which can involve a practical element. A module on research and reflection prepares you for this solo work, which will be supported through staff supervision. This year is a chance to reflect on your development through the programme and to focus on specific areas for future work or study after the degree.
Programme structure
Year 1 (FHEQ Level 4)
- Acting: Text and Character
- Character Study
- The Stage
- Movement for Actors
- Production: An Introduction
- Production: Professional Competencies
- Theatre Project
Year 2 (FHEQ Level 5)
- Acting: Acting for Recorded Media
- Radical Action
- Production: Management and Design
- Popular Theatres
- Theatre Laboratory
- Working in the Arts (1 & 2)
Professional Training year
- Optional Professional Training year (subject to availability)
Year 3 (FHEQ Level 6)
- Research and Reflection
- Dissertation
- Theatre Spectacle
- Postcolonial Drama
- International Arts Programming
- Production: Theory – Design – Practice
In years 2 and 3, you will also be able to take selected modules from other subjects to make up your programme, which may include modules from Dance and Culture, Film Studies, Creative Writing or English Literature.
Professional training
During this year, you will be supported in gaining valuable experience in degree-related professions such as marketing, education and outreach, audience development, administration, community work or media. You will have both a University supervisor and a workplace mentor to guide you through an original project in an industry context.
A pioneer in integrated professional training, the University has operated the placement scheme for the last 40 years. The University has a strong record of supporting the placement year in allied disciplines and employers have been impressed by the maturity and professionalism of those who have undertaken it.
Career opportunities
Graduate prospects
Our Theatre Studies degree equips you with skills, knowledge and experience that will be valuable for a range of careers in such areas as arts administration, community work, cultural policy, media, creative arts, arts education, performance, technical production and personnel or tourism management. Throughout your degree, you will secure goals and competencies that will help you to prepare for a specific career path.
Career opportunities
During your time on the Theatre Studies programme, you will have a personal tutor who will monitor progress and offer advice and guidance. You will identify an individual career path and establish a plan that will support your career aspirations. Teaching on the programme is informed by professional practices, to support your work on the degree and to prepare you for life in the placement year and in a career after university.
Additional information
Teaching
Theatre Studies is taught through a combination of practical classes, lectures, seminars and tutorials. Through practical modules, you will establish a professional approach to performance creation. Academic sessions develop informed thinking about theatre in a shared space that values both individual contribution and peer reflection.
You will be encouraged to own your individual learning experience while at Surrey and to become familiar with building and sustaining peer networks. All learning is fully supported by the University’s e-learning environment, and you will be able to develop skills and experience in academic software and the ways in which new technologies can support work and learning.
Facilities
Our programmes are well resourced in terms of practical spaces and library holdings. The University campus includes the new Ivy Arts Centre with its main theatre and studios, and a separate performance studio for audiences of 120. Studio classes, rehearsals and workshops are run in spaces across the campus including the GSA Building, shared with the Guildford School of Acting, at the entrance to the University.
You will be encouraged to locate taught modules in the context of wider performance and arts practice. This will include regularly seeing and participating in live theatre and arts events on and off campus. The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford stages new and canonical works, and there is a thriving local theatre scene, an established Book Festival and a host of local galleries, libraries and archives.
With London only 40 minutes away, there is a wealth of arts and culture to explore and London is a case study city for the programme, with theatre trips and regular reference to recent productions forming an important part of the life of the programme.
Assessment
You will be encouraged to articulate your ideas through a range of forms and to understand key aspects of these forms, whether in practical performance, essays or presentations. Assessment methods include performance, character study, essay, lesson plan, project proposal, viva voce, report, bibliography and dissertation. As a modular programme, Theatre Studies enables you to monitor your progress throughout the degree.
Why Surrey?
Theatre Studies degree 2013 at Surrey
- Ranked in the top twenty departments in the country by The Times Good University Guide 2013, The Guardian University Guide 2013 and The Complete University Guide 2013
- Wide range of high-quality performing opportunities
- Strong research culture that informs your learning
- Excellent employment prospects in theatre, industry, education and community practice
- A programme that is focused to enable you to map and work towards a career goal
- Easy access to London and its impressive arts and cultural events
The course is showing me that there are so many layers to the world of theatre that I have never thought about before.
Daniel Friar
BA Theatre Studies Level 1
From the moment I first drove onto the campus I felt at home here. As well as having a good academic reputation, Surrey is a beautiful campus set in the perfect location of Guildford.
The course is showing me that there are so many layers to the world of theatre that I have never thought about before. It draws on many areas of the theatre world, both practically and theoretically, and keeps them in perfect balance. The acting classes have taken me by surprise and are of a standard I was not expecting. The links with the GSA are also a great thing to have.
For my Professional Training year I’m hoping to work with a theatre company or an entertainment company such as Disney to see the ‘behind the scenes’ world of the theatre. My ambition is to become a director or producer, somebody involved in the making of theatre productions.
I am on the Surrey Cheerleading Team, an active member of The Soc (Theatre Society) and also have my own show on GU2, the University radio station. Cheerleading was something I did not expect to do, but I have found it to be a new challenge which I enjoy fervently.
I genuinely love being in the town of Guildford; it is a very stylish town that has a wide variety of shopping and nightlife, as well as a whole lot of history and culture!
The campus itself has some beautiful fields, parks and lakes which are the perfect place to sit and have an afternoon chill-out with friends.
I have done so much in the first few weeks of being here; I’m excited to anticipate what can possibly happen in the next few years.
Annika Pittaros
BA Theatre Studies Level 1
I felt the atmosphere at Surrey was very engaging and the sense of a close student community was evident. Plus, being so close to central London is great for my degree as it’s so easy to go and watch a variety of shows.
The course offers a combination of practical and academic work which allows me to exercise skills essential for performing, analysing and writing. I have enjoyed taking part in acting lessons and dance lessons in addition to learning the history of theatre, studying characters in plays and being part of a technical team for shows at Surrey. In addition to all the new skills I am learning, I am developing my writing style and independent study through research in the subject.
I would recommend this course as it opens your eyes to aspects of the subject you may have never experienced before. All the lectures and sessions are fascinating, and learning from people who have valid and current experience in the industry provides a thorough and new learning journey.
Everyone on the course has been very friendly and we have spent time together setting up a new theatre society, The Soc, with plans to take part in and put on performances in the future. We have already gone to see a couple of plays and are planning some events and nights out together.
I have done so much in the first few weeks of being here; I’m excited to anticipate what can possibly happen in the next few years.
Theatre Studies at Surrey
An introduction to our Theatre Studies programme.
