About Us

Our Ethos

In our teaching, research and our other activities, we hold the following values.

• Theory and practice should always inform each other. We believe that a student can most effectively understand theatre practice through an immersion in the history and theory of that practice – and we also believe that the reader of the theatrical text must have a hands-on awareness of how such work is performed, staged and received by audiences. We produce research that aims to situate theatre in its theoretical, historical, social and practical contexts, and our staff are encouraged both to publish research and to engage in theatre practice
• Our teaching is inspired by the model of the ensemble: a group to which each individual contributes, thereby creating something that is stronger than the sum of its parts. The values of mutual respect, collegiality, and teamwork inform our teaching and our class activities.  Individual rigour, excellence and creativity are encouraged and valued, but always in the context of the wider community.
• We believe that theatre is important. We engage in theatre practice, research and teaching that aims to have a measurable impact on the lives of people in our communities. Often, this work will explicitly relate to matters of social justice. We also believe that theatre, like all of the creative arts, has an inherent value that enriches and ennobles our families, communities, societies, and environment.
• Partnership is key to our activities. We actively seek out opportunities to work with theatre practitioners, international theatre scholars, academics in other disciplines, public and private agencies, and members of our community. We do so because we see different approaches to theatre as enriching: as something that challenges us to be reflective, analytical, generous and socially responsible.

Graduate Attributes

The study of Drama and Theatre Studies allows students to develop skills that have applications in many fields. A drama graduate will be valued for his or her creativity, initiative, ability to improvise solutions to problems, skills in public speaking, and experience of team-work.

After graduation, many of our students will work in the creative arts, and we have several courses and resources that will help students to build careers in that area. But many students will work in other areas too: education, business, information and communication technology, and more. Our aim is to support all students in achieving their professional goals, whatever they are, and however they evolve over the course of their time with us.

There are many different models of drama teaching at third level. Some students attend conservatoires, where they receive professional training in acting or other areas. Others take degrees in Drama in which the subject is studied largely in classroom-based settings, with a strong focus on theory, history and the reading of play-scripts. Our courses aim to be distinctive in having a strong focus on both theory and practice.

We also aim to provide our students with opportunities to develop new skills and interests. All of our students take classes in acting, but we also want to expose you to such areas as directing, playwriting, design, stage management, and administration.

This approach is enhanced by our commitment to providing the best kind of university education: one that develops the skills of critical thinking, analysis, argumentation, research, formal writing, and reflection.

For all of the above reasons, our aim for the NUI Galway drama graduate is that he or she will be seen as versatile, reflective, skilled, creative and committed.