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Postgraduate Courses, Ma in Drama and Theatre Studies

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The introductory meeting for class of 2012-13 will take place from 3pm to 5pm, Thursday, August 30th, in IT207, IT Building, NUI, Galway. Classes will begin on Monday, September 3rd.

MA in Drama and Theatre Studies

Introduction

This is a one-year (48 weeks) full-time Master of Arts course. It combines theatre scholarship with practice to provide a unique course suitable for anyone with a passion for drama. It features supervised research, frequent theatre visits (including to the Dublin Theatre Festival), internships with Irish and international theatre companies, acting and directing workshops, and courses on reading and writing plays. The programme’s teaching staff includes theatre practitioners, and a major feature of the course is our partnership with Druid Theatre Company, described in 2012 as ’one of the world’s great theater companies’ by The New York Times. NUI Galway has one of the most important collections of theatre archives in Ireland, world-leading academic expertise in Irish theatre, and strong relationships with Ireland’s best theatre companies. .

In October students attend the Dublin Theatre Festival. Between May and mid-July, students do an internship of approximately three weeks with a professional theatre company or arts institution in Ireland or abroad. NUI Galway’s partnerships with theatre companies are an important part of the course.

COURSE CONTENT

Students take six courses in total. Two of these are compulsory: A year-long weekly Theatre Seminar (EN520 Fieldwork & Theatre Business), and a one-semester course (EN515.i) in Reviewing theatre (which features weekly theatre visits). In addition, students elect three other semester-long courses.

Playwriting Workshop, Reviewing Irish Theatre, Discovering the Archives, Irish Playwrights Since the 60s, Theatre and Globalization, Ensemble Acting, Screenwriting Workshop, Theatre and the Irish Literary Revival, Druid Theatre workshops.
Both semesters: Fieldwork and Theatre Business.
Final Project: Portfolio.

Note: Course offerings may vary from year to year due to faculty leave and departmental work obligations.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Students of the programme have gone on to work with major Irish theatre companies such as the Abbey, the Gate, Rough Magic, and others, both in Ireland and abroad. Many have established their own theatre companies. Others have gone on to develop careers in the academic field, taking PhD degrees in drama and theatre. Other graduates of the programme have found employment in a variety of related fields, such as education, administrative and technical positions in theatre, drama therapy, children’s education, publicity, and more.

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Semester One Courses

DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL                                                                

In early October, classes are suspended from Wednesday through Saturday so all students can make their way to the Dublin Theatre Festival, along with tickets to four performances (both fringe and main-stage plays).

REVIEWING THEATRE IN IRELAND NOW (EN515.I)
Convenor: Dr Patrick Lonergan
After introductory classroom sessions on the qualities of the review as a genre, the class regularly attend plays in Galway, and sometimes elsewhere, in order to write about them. Class-meetings are workshops centered on these writings and their revision for publication. In addition to reviews, students write feature-articles on playwrights, directors, etc., studies of reception, and more speculative pieces on ’the state of the stage’. (Class size limited to 12)

DISCOVERING THE ARCHIVES (EN511)
Convenor: Prof Adrian Frazier
This course involves learning what archives of primary documents are available in the James Hardiman Special Collections at NUI Galway and how to interpret them by means of secondary sources and reference materials.  Each student will compose an original essay based on personal research. (Class size limited to 12)

IRISH PLAYWRIGHTS SINCE THE SIXTIES (EN512)
Convenor: Dr John Countryman
This course explores the development of contemporary Irish theatre. It involves the careful study of seminal plays and productions, and considers the impact of their performances over time. The course is designed to equip you to be capable dramaturgs (on the continent, spelled dramaturge). We will gather and report on all applicable information that would bear on concrete decisions made by directors, actors, designers, and other theatre practitioners, decisions that would contribute to the scripts' embodiment on stage. Among other duties, dramaturgs research the playwright's oeuvre, influences, background; the period in which the script was set, written and performed; production histories and critical reception; character profiles; glossaries of unfamiliar references, allusions, and "slanguage;" as well as how best to create program notes, marketing materials, lobby displays and to offer helpful insights into the plays in question. The course includes discussion of theatre in the North of Ireland, women playwrights, and politics on the Irish stage. Writers to be discussed include Friel, Murphy, McGuinness, Kilroy, Carr, McDonagh, and others.

PLAYWRIGHT'S WORKSHOP (EN513)
Convenor: Mary-Elizabeth Burke Kennedy
A weekly writer’s workshop under the guidance of a playwright-in-residence. At the end of the semester, the students may select one or more scripts to stage for public performance at the university Theatre. (Class size limited to 15)

ENSEMBLE ACTING AND DEVISING (EN539)
Convenor: Max Hafler
A practical and theoretical introduction to twentieth-century acting and performance techniques with special emphasis on Artaud, Grotowski, and Peter Brook.

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TWENTIETH CENTURY DIRECTORS AND THEORISTS (EN538)
Convenor: Dr Irina Ruppo 
(not offered 2012-13)
Based on seminars and workshops, this course explores the work of major directors and theorists in the early 20th century. It aims to combine academic study and theatre practice. Students investigate theatre history, examine theoretical articles and study play texts as a basis for their own research and in order to produce individual projects incorporating performance and presentations

PLAYWRIGHTS' WORKSHOP II: ADAPTATION (EN537)
Convenor: Tom Hall
A writing workshop based both on the students' own practical work in adapting dialogue and plot (whether original or from published works) for the screen.

THEATRE AND MODERNITY IN THE IRISH LITERARY REVIVAL (EN540)
Convenor to be confirmed 
This practical course examines the relationship between ancient and modern forms of practice and composition in contemporary theatre.  Assessment will be a comnbination of final essay and seminar participation.

THE ABBEY AND THE GATE (EN518)
Convenor: Professor Adrian Frazier  (not on offer 2012-13)
A seminar-based course which investigates two of the major theatrical institutions in Dublin. Students engage in critical and historical research and present a series of discussion-papers throughout the semester.

VOCABULARIES OF THEATRE COMPOSITION (EN519)
Convenor:  To be confirmed
An introduction to methods of acting and design by a teacher trained in the school of Jacques LeCoq, Paris.

CHANGING STAGES: PERFORMANCE PRE-1900 (EN567)
(not offered 2012-13)
In the sessions, the student will explore Chekhov’s technique of atmospheres, centres, archetypes, qualities and psychological gesture in a structured way, looking at a chapter and aspect of the technique for each session. Some aspects of the technique will span a number of sessions. We will apply this work on a text, and on short scenes, resulting in a short presentation.

THEATRE AS A CREATIVE INDUSTRY (EN591) (not offered 2012-13)
Convenor: Dr Patrick Lonergan
A study of how literature and other creative arts may be understood in the context of economic and commercial factors, such as risk analysis, marketing, celebrity, branding, staff wages, pricing, awards, and return on investments. The primary focus is on theatre, drawing upon case studies both from Ireland and elsewhere

THEATRE AND GLOBALIZATION (EN582)
Convenor to be confirmed
Since the early 1990s, theatre has been transformed by economic and cultural globalization. Globalization has allowed theatre practitioners and writers to have their works seen by audiences throughout the world, and has transformed the ways in which audiences engage with and respond to new plays. It has allowed for the development of global theatre festivals (in Edinburgh, Avignon, and elsewhere), and has led to new kinds of theatre being produced in such places as Broadway, Las Vegas, and the West End in London. A small number of directors have become famous as a result of their ability to respond to globalization – figures such as Robert Lepage, Ariane Mnouchkine, Romeo Castellucci, and Peter Brook. Finally, globalization has become an important theme in new drama, with many writers seeking to investigate its consequences for individuals and communities.
This course aims to allow students to understand and respond to these developments. Course readings will include key texts on theatre and globalization, historical material, relevant case studies, and several plays by major authors, including Harold Pinter, Sarah Kane, David Greig, Martin McDonagh, and others. Students will need to be prepared to read plays closely and to have some interest in theatre practice, but no prior knowledge of the existing scholarship on globalization is required.

FIELDWORK AND THEATRE BUSINESS (EN520)
Convenor: Mary McPartlan
A schedule of backstage, participative internships with theatre companies, in order to work with members of the company in dramaturgy, set design, lighting design, costume design, mask and puppet design, directing, improvisation, collaboration, mime, funding, publicity, and other practical elements of theatre business. The written work for this course be a journal submitted weekly (by paper or E-mail), and the whole revised for final presentation at the end of the semester.   Attendance at the Friday guest speaker seminars is also an essential part of this course.

FINAL PROJECT: PORTFOLIO (EN590)
The portfolio will contain at least one piece of writing for each course, and a key piece of work that the student has identified for primary attention. Genres in the portfolio may include, for instance, a brief dissertation on the history, theory, or criticism of Irish drama; a widely-based set of reviews and reception studies; a completed play or adapted screenplay; an integrated account of a theatrical production within an Irish theatre company.

What our students and graduates say:

"The MA in Drama and Theatre studies has something for everyone interested in drama, and equips one with the practical skills, experience, and connections needed to pursue a career in any aspect of the discipline, in a friendly and pleasant environment". Conor Graham, MA in Drama & Theatre Studies, 2009-10

"The MA in Drama & Theatre Studies at NUI Galway is the perfect fusion of academic and practical study in acting, directing and writing.  This one year intensive course is fun yet challenging and pushes the student to a professional level.  I strongly recommend this MA".  John Rogers, MA in Drama & Theatre Studies, 2009-10

"NUI Galway's MA in Drama and Theatre is a thrilling mix of theory and practice. Under the guidance of generous and eminent lecturers, my classmates and I brought our range of experience and interests into the classroom, forming relationships and making discoveries that fuelled our work beyond the course".  Aoife-Spillane Hinks, MA in Drama & Theatre Studies, 2007-08

PROVISIONAL TIMETABLE 2012-13

NB:  Times & Venues subject to change

Sem I

Day	Time	Course	Venue
Monday	10am to 12noon	Discovering the Archives	TB307
Tuesday	9:30am to 1pm	Ensemble Acting & Devising	BOI Theatre
Tuesday	2pm to 4pm	Irish Playwrights since the 60s	Am107
Thursday	9am to 11am	Studies in Oral History	Rm306, Floor 1, Tower 1
Thursday	1pm to 3pm	Reviewing Theatre I	TB302
Friday	11am to 1pm	Playwrights Workshop II	AM109
Friday	3pm to 5pm	Guest Speakers	BOI Theatre

Sem II

Day	Time	Course	Venue
Monday	10am to 12noon	Theatre & Modernity	AM122
Tuesday	9am to 12noon	Performance Lab	BOI Theatre
Tuesday	2pm to 4pm	Vocabularies of Theatre Composition Practical Class	BOI Theatre WK 1 ONLY
Wednesday	9am to 12noon	Vocabularies of Theatre Composition Theory Class	BOI Theatre
Thursday	10am to 1pm	Imaginitive Responses 2	Bubble 1
Thursday	1pm to 3pm	Theatre & Globalisation	Room 505, English Dept

Friday	1pm to 3pm	Playwrights Workshop	IT204
Mondays (some weeks only)	5pm to 7pm	Speaker Series

Staff

Burke Kennedy, Mary-Elizabeth  - Playwright and founder-director of StoryTellers Theatre Company. Author of "Cross My Heart", "Curigh the Shape Shifter", "The Golden Goose", "The Parrot", "Wind of the World" and many translations and adaptations.  Teaches playwrights' workshop.

Carney, Kieran - Playwright and screenwriter.  Author of the play "Afters" (London, 1995), co-author of RTE series "Bachelor's Walk" (2003), and author of "Hidalgo", currently in development with RTE.  Teaches workshop in adaptation for the screen.

Frazier, Adrian - English Department, NUI Galway.  Programme Director.  Author of Behind the Scenes: Yeats, Horniman, and the Struggle for the Abbey Theatre (1990) and George Moore 1852-1933 (2000) and editor of "Irish Theatre", the Irish review 9Autumn 2002), and Playboys of the Western Wold: Production Histories (2005). Teaches Reviewing, Discovering the Archives, The Abbey and the Gate, and convenes the weekly Theatre seminar.

Hafler, Max - Director, Actor, Playwright, Novelist ( Waking the Woodboy, 2002).  His plays include "Melting Doves" (Yew Tree, 1997) and "Grand" (Yew Tree, 2002).  Works regularly with Galway Youth Theatre as teacher and director.  Artistic Director, Theatrecorps.  Teaches Ensemble Acting and Devising.

Kenny, John - English Department, NUI Galway. Currently preparing two books on John Banville for Irish Academic Press, due out 2007-8, and writing a long essay on Banville titled ’History Lessens: John Banville’s Ireland’, for the Field Day Review. Researching in the field of literary journalism and reviewing.

Lonergan, Patrick – English Department, NUI Galway. Reviews Editor of irish theatre magazine, webmaster for the International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures (IASIL), programmes editor for the Dublin Theatre Festival 2005 and 2006, and theatre critic for publications including The Irish Times. Author of many articles on Irish dramatists, including Martin McDonagh, Sean O’Casey, and Brian Friel. Currently working on a book on Irish Theatre and Globalization.

O'Dwyer, Riana - English Department, NUI Galway.  One of the section editors of the Field Day Anthology, vol.5, and author of many articles on women's writing: Introduction to Woman and Her Master (1840) by Lady Sydney Morgan, Volume I in series Irish Women's Writing, 1839-1888 (1998), "The Imagination of Women's Reality: The Theatre of Christina Reid and Marina Carr" in Theatre Stuff: Critical Essays on Contemporary Irish Theatre (2000), and '"There was a kind lady called Gregory"' in Reflections at Coole: The Lady Gregory Autumn Gathering (2000).  Teaches Irish Playwrights Since the 1960s.

Pilkington, Lionel - English Department, NUI Galway.  Author of Theatre and the State in 20thC Ireland: Cultivating the People (2001) and many articles, including "Theatre History and the Beginnings of the Irish National Theatre Project", in Theatre Stuff: Critical Essays on Contemporary Irish Theatre (2000) and "Irish Theater Historiography and Political Resistance", Staging Resistance:  Essays on Political Theater (1998).  Teaches Discovering the Archives and Theatre and Modernity in the Irish Revival.

Guest Speakers

During 2001-11, visitors giving seminars included Ben Barnes (Artistic Director, The National Theatre), Ali Curran (Artistic Director, Dublin Fringe Festival), Tom Kilroy (playwright), Dolores Lyne (stage designer, "Pigtown"), Charlie McBride (script-reader, Druid Theatre), Leonore MacDonagh (costume designer), Paul Mercier (director and playwright, Passion Machine), Mikel Murfi (actor and director), Mike Finn (playwright), and others. There is usually a half-hour talk, followed by open discussion.

 

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Academic Board

The academic board of the programme comprises:

Lionel Pilkington, Patrick Lonergan (Director), Charlotte McIvor. 

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Admission

The programme will accept approximately 20 students each year. Admission requirements are those for MA (Mode B) programmes: applicants must hold a BA degree or equivalent, with a minimum standard of Honours 2nd Class, Grade 2 or equivalent (USA: BA at cumulative GPA 3.00 or equivalent). Applicants must submit a brief writing sample and a well-written account of their theatre or drama experience.

Applications should be made online via The Postgraduate Applications Centre (PAC)

See  PAC Website or

NUI Galway Postgraduate Admissions Office for further details.

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Assessment

There is continuous assessment through regular writing assignments, performance work and end-of-semester projects, comprising 66% of marks. The year-end portfolio of selected writings done in each course, revised and developed to the fullest extent possible in the time allowed, comprises 33% of marks.

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Further information

Dr Patrick Lonergan
Department of English
National University of Ireland, Galway
Tel.  353 (0)91 524411, ext. 2631  or 353 (0)91 492631 (direct line)
Email: Patrick.Lonergannuigalway.ie

or

Ms Dearbhla Mooney
Academic Administrator
Department of English
National University of Ireland, Galway
Tel.  353 (0)91 493339
Fax  353 (0)91 524102
Email: Dearbhla Mooney

You may also like to visit the NUI, Galway Drama Society Website at:

http://student.nuigalway.ie/~dramsoc/

                                                                

Congratulations to Patrick O'Byrne (MA in Drama & Theatre 2011-12) on winning the Jerome Hynes One Act Series 2012 'Best Play' Award for his play 'Ahhhh Lad!'

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