Advanced Theatre Practice, MA/MFA

at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

In the first year of the MFA, you will join the MA students for Terms One to Three.
 

The MFA then extends into a second year beginning in October, enabling the development of further projects and professional connections outside the School. Working together during this initial period of creative growth, you will develop experience from the intensive workshop atmosphere of Term One, through learning to research and extending practice in Term Two, to launching a company or the approach to making new work in Term Three.
 

You will be supported in this process of growth and development, gradually enabling you to become a stronger, more articulate practitioner, better able to work flexibly and constructively with others, extending the boundaries of theatre and how it might be seen.
 

Term Four of the MA focuses on taking work to an audience of choice beyond Central.
 

The MFA second year deepens and extends this opportunity for independent professional development beyond Central, while still retaining a degree of contact and guidance from tutors. An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.

You will normally have good knowledge and experience of at least one of theatre-making discipline (i.e. performance, directing, writing, design, dramaturgy, puppetry, music, visual art), together with a strong desire to bring this expertise to an experimental theatre-making environment. Alternatively, you may be an outstanding individual from another discipline, with an evident desire to explore interdisciplinary practice. You should normally have an undergraduate degree in a relevant field, (drama, theatre or performance studies) though applications from students of other disciplines will be considered. Applications for the accreditation of prior experience in lieu of academic qualification will also be considered where appropriate. An offer will normally only be made after interview.
 

Onsite Auditions
 

MA/MFA Advanced Theatre Practice applicants can audition onsite. You will be invited to take part in a workshop conducted by a member of the staff team and to share an individual presentation or performance, demonstrating your current skills and experience, and suitability for the course.  For this part of the interview you should prepare one of the following:

• a portfolio presentation of about three minutes concentrating on one example of your previous work;

• an original performance of any kind, on any subject, which is a maximum of three minutes in length.
   

You may also bring with you an edited portfolio of your previous work, for discussion, where you feel this is appropriate.
 

You will also be asked to complete an Interview Day Journal as a part of your audition.
 

Applicants are usually be seen as part of a group.  You will remain together for much of the workshop and will have a chance to learn more about the course and the School, and to ask questions.  You will find the audition quite relaxed, informal, and hopefully enjoyable. You will be required to spend approximately 3 - 4 hours with us at the school.
 

Distance Auditions and Interviews
 

International applicants, and applicants who cannot travel to Central to audition are welcome to submit a distance audition materials. You will be asked to make a short video which involves you in activities and presentations similar to those of the interview day. While you are making your video, you are asked to keep a journal, using the template you have been given. You will be sent a template for the Interview Day Journal, which we require you to complete as part of this process. 
 

Your video should contain the following elements:

• A short introduction to camera, telling the viewer a little about yourself and why you have applied to the MA/MFA Advanced Theatre Practice programme, this should be no longer than 3 minutes. 

• Collaborative process. In response to one of the interview texts, film 25 minutes of yourself developing a short performance or presentation of no longer than two minutes in duration, which should be a part of your overall 25-minute task. You do not need to reproduce the whole text, you can use one line, or a number of lines, as you wish. You may interpret this brief in any way you wish: for example, you may be able to work with one or two performers, culminating in a short performance; you may wish to work in a studio; you may wish to work entirely with models and sketches on a table. In making this performance or presentation, we ask that you work with one or two colleagues (you may involve a director, a musician/ sound operator, for instance, or one or more performers) please ensure your collaboration adheres to your local COVID-safe regulations, you can collaborate with other digitally, working via Zoom/ Skype/ phone or other audio or video conferencing apps. We are especially interested in seeing you working alongside other theatre-makers, and in seeing your involvement in a process of theatre-making, albeit brief. Your video should show, in a single unedited take, the entire process of you making the work as well as the two-minute resulting performance or presentation (25 minutes of footage maximum). We are interested in seeing a few ideas in progress, and your ability to work with other people.  
   

In addition to the above, you are asked to choose one of the following ways of presenting yourself and your work:

• Give a portfolio presentation to camera of three minutes concentrating mainly on one example of your previous work 

• Perform a piece of original, non-verbal performance of any nature, on any subject, which is a maximum of three minutes in length. 
   

If you are selected for an interview for a place on the Advanced Theatre Practice MA or MFA, you may then be invited to a virtual interview day with other candidates to learn more about the course and the School.  

English Language Requirements

Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to prove their English language proficiency by gaining an overall score of 7.0 in an IELTS test. We do accept equivalent English language qualifications. Applicants are advised to gain this certification as early as possible and more information can be found

The fees for Advanced Theatre Practice, MA/MFA  may vary from £20,000 to £35,000 annually for tuition fees. The fee's prices may get higher for International Students.

Graduate employment and career pathways include:

• Performers
• Theatre Makers
• Directors
• Writers
• Producers
• Dramaturgs
• Lighting Designers
• Puppeteers
• Critics
• Scenographers
• Sound Designers
• Casting Directors
• Outreach Officers
• Technical Directors
• Assistant Directors
   

In companies including: the Royal Court Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Camden People’s Theatre, Theatre503, Hampstead Theatre, English National Opera, High Tide Festival, Complicite, Frantic Assembly, Shakespeare’s Globe, MKA Theatre of New Writing Australia, Melbourne Theatre Company and National Theatres of Finland, Iceland and the UK.