To what degree are Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth and Othello tragedies? How useful is this term in understanding them? Undertake a close reading of Shakespeare’s four great tragedies. Critically discuss recent issues about each, in groups and in your own work. Gain an understanding of their enduring and/or present significance.

This module's primary focus is ecological drama written from the 1950s (the dawn of the nuclear age) to the present day. It will examine a range of dramaturgies employed by key playwrights and theatre makers (including Caryl Churchill's formal experimentation; Katie Mitchell's collaborative work in creating lecture-performances; post-dramatic theatre by writers such as Claire MacDonald; aspects of surrealism in plays by Mike Bartlett, Thomas Eccleshare and Ella Hickson; and naturalism in Steve Waters' The Contingency Plan). It will also examine protest theatre / agitprop and the role it has played in Eco Theatre from 1960s America to Extinction Rebellion's contemporary street performances. While the main focus will be on theatre, we will also look at how ecologically aware drama has manifested itself over the years in film, from the 1980s TV series On the Edge to the more recent Years and Years and Chernobyl. We will also take a revisionist look at some older plays (e.g. Ibsen's An Enemy of the People) as examples of environmentally aware texts that deal with issues of ecological breakdown.

Nominated for module of the year, we examine here how theatre practitioners have approached the urgent political crises of the last century. We ask how theatre and human rights interact, and can they intervene in changing hearts and minds. You study a range of plays alongside the ideas of influential practitioners, plus political films and works of art. This module gives you the chance to make your original theatre pieces in response to social issues and world events.

Taught by award-winning professional playwrights, this module takes you through the A-Z of writing full-length plays. In this laboratory environment we study the tools and techniques you need to write successfully for the theatre. The module examines the different approaches available to the playwright, and challenges ideas about form, structure and use of language. Studying a range of playscripts in depth, you will develop your skills through practical exercises and assignments. This module gives you the opportunity to enhance your own creative process and progress your professional career.