MA in Drama Directing

Course overview

This postgraduate course covers the artistic, creative and collaborative skills needed to become a confident and effective drama director, capable of leading your own projects and developing work with producing organisations. By working on realised productions staged in professional theatre venues, you will develop a sophisticated understanding of the protocols and processes involved in drama production.

Course highlights:

• Learn your craft through specialist masterclasses led by core staff and visiting industry professionals.
• Acquire industry know-how through assisting on a professional-standard production.
• Put your skills into practice by directing a contemporary studio-scale production staged in a Bristol venue.
• Build your professional network through close collaboration with postgraduate playwrights and designers.
• Immerse yourself in the creative ecosystem of Bristol, renowned for its vibrant arts, theatre, and film  and music scene.

Course highlights

• Learn your craft through specialist masterclasses led by core staff and visiting industry professionals. 
• An intensive focus on learning through doing: developing your practice working on extended projects with actors and creatives in studios. 
• Acquire industry know-how through assisting on a professional-standard production.
• Put your skills into practice by directing a contemporary studio-scale production.
• Build your professional network through close collaboration with other students across the school/
• Immerse yourself in the creative ecosystem of Bristol, renowned for its vibrant arts, theatre, film  and music scene.

Course structure

Workshops, seminars and classes in the first term will introduce you to the essential skills needed to be an effective, creative and inspirational drama director. You’ll learn about dramaturgy, how to approach texts, and how to develop a concept for a production. 

A key feature of the course at BOVTS is that it integrates with other drama disciplines. You’ll gain a critical understanding of the acting process in ways that support actors in the creation of compelling performances and develop your approach to working with designers, playwrights and other creatives on a range of projects.

• In your second term, you’ll work on a live production staged by the School or partner. Working alongside an experienced director, who will provide you with mentoring, insight and grounding in industry practices. In this role, you’ll hone your understanding of production, pre-production and rehearsal processes and will be expected to help research, contribute ideas, support rehearsals and give notes.

 

• In your final term, you’ll direct a studio-scale production, approximately one-hour in length. Starting from an allocated text, you will lead the creative process from pre-production through to realisation, bringing alive the concept for production through close collaboration with other students across the School.

 

Whilst the focus of the course is predominantly on the process of theatre directing, you will also have the opportunity to practically explore the unique demands of other forms of media, including directing for audio and screen where possible.

Launching your career
Throughout the course, we will support you in developing your voice as a creative artist and help you plan practically for the future. You will graduate with the confidence to network and communicate within the industry, capable of developing relationships, thinking imaginatively, boldly and flexibly, articulating ideas inspirationally and with a deep understanding of how to collaborate with other creatives. You will leave feeling more empowered, informed and resilient, better prepared for your next steps as a director. 

Previous graduates from the course have gone on to be highly successful freelancers, directing at the likes of Bristol Old Vic, Royal Court,  the National Theatre, the RSC, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Project Arts Dublin, Gate Theatre, Philippines Repertory, New Diorama, the Watermill Theatre and in the West End, as well as winning prestigious awards including the RTST Peter Hall Award,  the Genesis Award for Drama Directing, Equity John Fernald Award and several Michael Grandage Futures Awards. Alumni have also assistant and associate directed work at major national and international venues.  Read more about the early career successes of our recent Drama Directing graduates on our alumni pages. 

Alumni of BOVTS directing courses have also had great success in securing prominent organisational roles, including the Artistic Director at Bristol Old Vic (Nancy Medina), Artistic Director at the Donmar Warehouse (Timothy Sheader), Creative Director at Exeter Northcott (Martin Berry), Commissioning Editor at the BBC (James Runcie) and former Deputy Artistic Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company (Erica Whyman), award-winning director and playwright Neil Bartlett OBE. 

 

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