PhD Theatre Studies

Theatre and Drama in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies is led by a vibrant group of playwrights and theatre practitioners who all work professionally in the theatre industry alongside their University teaching. There are five full time staff who specialise in areas such as verbatim theatre, performance, world theatre, digital theatre, theatre of testimony as well as playwrighting.

Elizabeth Kuti is a winner of the highly prestigious Susan Blackburn prize for her play 'The Sugar Wife' as well as having plays produced in London and on BBC Radio 4. Annecy Lax is an Associate artist with the company 'Ice and Fire' where she writes and directs. 'Ice and Fire' specialise in making verbatim theatre that centres on Human Rights stories. Liam Jarvis is Artistic Director of his own company 'Analogue' whose work experiments with the way developments in digital technology can enhance and develop theatre practice. His work tours internationally and has won a 'Fringe First' at the Edinburgh fringe. Mary Mazilli's work covers work on contemporary Chinese theatre and she has published two monographs in this area. She is also the founder and Creative Director of Lumenis Theatre Company. Jonathan Lichtenstein is a playwright whose plays have been performed internationally and he is also the recipient of a 'Fringe First'.

Research students also benefit from the facilities at the Lakeside Theatre at our Colchester Campus. This theatre has been established for many years as a major venue for good drama and is known for its commitment to new writing for the stage. It has a studio with an audience capacity of 30 and a main house capacity of 200. Many professional touring companies bring their productions of new plays to our Lakeside Theatre and there has been a wealth of new work produced by staff and students.

As this PhD involves playwriting, you work on an original full-length play or equivalent short plays (70-100 pages or 70-150 minutes playing time, 20,000-30,000 words) plus a critical commentary (40,000 words).

A number of our graduates have gone on to undertake successful careers as writers. Other past students are now established as scholars, university lecturers, teachers, publishers, publishers' editors, journalists, arts administrators, theatre artistic directors, drama advisers, and translators.

We also offer an MPhil and a Masters by dissertation in this subject.

Our expert staff

Within our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff.

The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Initially, your supervisor will help you develop your research topic and plan.

Twice a year, you will have a supervisory board meeting, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.

Specialist facilities

If you are studying within our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, then you will have access to a range of exceptional facilities to enhance your learning and research, including our Lakeside Theatre.

An essential element of our Lakeside Theatre's programme has been the opportunity it has given students to write or direct new plays, as well as re-define classics and re-discover neglected masterpieces.

Your future

A number of our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies graduates have gone on to undertake successful careers as writers. Other past research students are now established as scholars, university lecturers, teachers, publishers, publishers' editors, journalists, arts administrators, theatre artistic directors, drama advisers, and translators.

UK entry requirements

You will need a good Masters degree or equivalent, in a related subject. Some applicants may be accepted on the basis of an outstanding Bachelors degree. A well-developed research proposal is also essential.

You may be required to attend an interview/Skype interview for acceptance, and acceptance is subject to research expertise in the department.

English language requirements

Course structure

A research degree doesn't have a taught structure, giving you the chance to investigate your chosen topic in real depth and reach a profound understanding. In communicating that understanding, through a thesis or other means, you have a rare opportunity to generate knowledge. A research degree allows you to develop new high-level skills, enhance your professional development and build new networks. It can open doors to many careers.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Assessment

From the first day of your research within our Department, we encourage you to plan your work so that you can expect to submit your thesis for examination by the end of three years. Aside from strong financial reasons to do this, it is wise to limit the scale and scope of what you can achieve in a set period of time. Indeed, to work within limits allowed by the time available is part of the exercise of research itself.

A typical first year of undertaking research within our Department would involve developing a statement in which you will define the aims, theories and methods proposed for the thesis, an indicative bibliography and a timetable for the thesis completion. During this year, you will start collecting your primary and secondary research material according to your chosen topic and timeline.

Your typical second year should involve continuing to investigate and write. In this second year (or the end of your third year, if studying part-time), your first supervisory board of the year will be your Confirmation Board. This will review the evidence to confirm whether or not you should progress and whether your work is at PhD level. After confirmation of your status, you should undertake further substantial research and writing over the next 12 months.

In a typical third year, you should complete the writing of your draft chapters and move to revise your work into a final version ready for submission.

Dissertation

Within our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, your PhD thesis is generally completed within three to four years and has a length of around 80,000 words.

Your PhD is awarded after your successful defence of your thesis in an oral examination, in which you are interviewed about your research by two examiners, at least one of whom is from outside Essex.