Program Overview

• Collaborate and work with like-minded people to explore the full breadth of drama in both theory and practice
• Enjoy opportunities to act, direct and devise performance work, while studying a range of theatrical traditions and critical theory
• Gain core skills in communication and team building valued in a variety of employment contexts including the theatre, the creative industries, education and beyond
• Benefit from excellent working partnerships with local venues, festivals and theatre companies

Drama at Winchester offers a rich combination of practical workshops and critical theory delivered by an experienced team of academics well versed in the arts of devising, directing, acting and studying theatre. We have excellent working partnerships with local venues, festivals and theatre companies. You also have the chance to acquire an impressive range of creative, critical and practical skills that will open the door to a future in the performing arts world and other graduate careers.

A Foundation Year is the perfect way to boost your academic skills, build your confidence and develop your wider subject knowledge so you can succeed at Winchester. This course offers an extra year of study at the start (Year 0) which leads onto a full degree programme (Years 1, 2 and 3).

A Foundation Year is ideal if you are returning to education after a break; haven’t quite achieved the entry qualifications required; are wanting more support during the transition to studying at university; or are unsure about which subject you wish to pursue.

In Year 0, you will study a set of modules from across the Faculty of Arts which are designed to develop your academic and practical skills. This broader focus in your first year introduces you to studying at university level and provides you with a better understanding of Drama and related subjects.

In Year 1, you gain insights into the history of drama, the context in which dramatic production has taken place, take a practice-based module in the nuts and bolts of theatre-making, consider the political underpinning of texts and practices, and analyse the ways in which performances, on stage and on screen, are viewed and interpreted.

In Year 2, you extend your practical and critical skills and construct an experience of your own from a range of programme specific modules, including Ways of Seeing, Ways of Working and Applied Processes.

Year 3 focuses on both an extended independent project and a group project. The latter involves creating a small company with fellow students to produce a major performance or develop an applied/educational project. You also elect a specialist option focused on staff research interests. These range from creative entrepreneurship to autobiographical performance and representations of violence on stage and screen.