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Postgraduate Courses, Ma in Drama and Theatre Studies
| Introduction | MA in Drama and Theatre Studies | MA in Literature and Publishing | MA in Writing | MA in Culture and Colonialism (multi-disciplinary programme) | MA in Irish Studies (multi-disciplinary programme) | PhD Programme | Postgraduate Funding and Facilities | The Moore Institute | Postgraduate Style Sheet | Postgraduate Photos | Graduate News
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The Postgraduate Applications Centre
The introductory meeting for class of 2011-12 will take place from 10am to 12noon, Friday, September 2nd, in the Bank of Ireland Theatre, Áras na Mac Léinn, NUI, Galway.
MA in Drama and Theatre Studies
Introduction
In September 2000 NUI Galway launched its innovative programme in drama and theatre studies. The on-campus 'Bank of Ireland Theatre', the 'Siobhan McKenna Theatre' in the Arts Millenium Building, the acquisition by the James Hardiman Library of the archives of the Druid Theatre Company, of the O'Malley Archive of the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, and of Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, provide an infrastructure for a postgraduate degree based upon writing, theatre history and performance. The course comprises supervised archival research, internships, writing workshops and collaborative methods for devising theatre pieces, as well as traditional graduate seminars.
The aim of the one-year programme is to combine professional-quality courses in the history of drama with performance-oriented courses in theatre arts. In all cases the target for student work is either public performance or publication. In the first two years, more than a dozen students on the programme have had something published, and nine original plays have been produced by four different authors.
The programme offers creative opportunities for professional training in experimental drama production, studies of contemporary performance, archival work in the history of Irish theatre companies, experiential writing about the day-to-day business of a living theatre, workshops in play-writing and in the adaptation of novels and poems to stage plays and of plays for the screen. Ireland, and indeed Galway itself, has a range of successful theatre companies. Through a planned rota of four-week internships within the wide range of companies committed to the programme, we offer students the chance to learn directly from professionals. The MA in Drama and Theatre Studies is a one-year, full-time programme commencing early September and concluding the following August.
Students select six courses (three in each semester). All students must take the Fieldwork & Theatre Business course (all year) and Reviewing Theatre (course EN515.i or course EN515.ii) and four other courses.
Note: Course offerings may vary from year to year due to faculty leave and departmental work obligations.
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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: Prof Adrian Frazier
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 Riana O'Dwyer
An exploration of the rich development of contemporary Irish theatre, which includes study of the texts of seminal plays and a consideration of the impact of their premier performances through artefacts such as theatre programmes and through contemporary reviews and interviews with playwrights and directors. The course includes discussion of theatre in the North of Ireland, women playwrights and politics on the Irish stage. (Class size limited to 15)
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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REVIEWING THEATRE IN IRELAND NOW (EN515.II)
Convenor: Prof Adrian Frazier
As Course EN515 above
TWENTIETH CENTURY DIRECTORS AND THEORISTS (EN538)
Convenor: Dr Irina Ruppo
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: Dr Lionel Pilkington
An examination of the relationship between theatre, politics, and religion in early twentieth-century Ireland through detailed study of plays by Synge, Lady Gregory, Yeats, and others. Special attention is also given to prose writings, letters and manuscript drafts, as well as to the political and social history of the period.
THE ABBEY AND THE GATE (EN518)
Convenor: Professor Adrian Frazier (not on offer 2011-12)
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: Thomas Conway
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)
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 2011-12)
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)
Patrick Lonergan
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 2011-12
NB: Times & Venues subject to change
Sem I
| Day | Time | Course | Venue |
| Monday | 10am to 12noon | Discovering the Archives | TB307 |
| Monday | 2pm to 4pm | Theatre & Globalization | ENG2034, Engineering Building |
| Tuesday | 9:30am to 1pm | Ensemble Acting & Devising | BOI Theatre |
| Wednesday | 4pm to 6pm | 20th C Directors & Theorists | AM109 |
| Thursday | 9am to 11am | Studies in Oral History | Rm311, Floor 1, Tower 1 |
| Thursday | 10am to 12noon | Irish Playwrights since the 60s | Rm505, English Dept |
| Thursday | 1pm to 3pm | Reviewing Theatre I | TB302 |
| Friday | 11am to 1pm | Playwrights Workshop I | AM109 |
| Friday | 3:30pm to 5pm | Guest Speakers | BOI Theatre |
Sem II
| Day | Time | Course |
Venue |
|
Monday |
10am to 12noon | Theatre & Modernity | AM122 |
| Monday | 3pm to 5pm | Playwrights Workshop II | AM112 |
| Tuesday | 9:30am to 1pm | Imaginitive Responses 2 | Bubble 1 |
| Tuesday | 2pm to 5pm | Vocabularies of Theatre Composition Practical Class | BOI Theatre |
| Wednesday | 10am to 12noon | Vocabularies of Theatre Composition Theory Class | CA109, Seminar Room B, Cairnes Business School |
| Thursday | 11am to 1pm | Reviewing Theatre II | TB306 |
| Friday | 3:30pm to 5pm | Guest Speakers | BOI Theatre |
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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WORKSHOPS WITH DRUID THEATRE 2011-12
The times on Mondays are 12 to 3, and on Wednesdays from 2 to 5. Venue to be confirmed. Monday 23rd Jan:
Monday 30th Jan – time to be confirmed
Monday 5th Feb
Monday 27th Feb
Monday 12th March
Wednesday 14th March (TBC)
Wednesday 21st March
Monday 26th March
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Academic Board
The academic board of the programme comprises:
Lionel Pilkington (Chairperson), Adrian Frazier (Director), Riana O’Dwyer, Kevin Barry (English Department), Fionnuala Gallagher (University Arts Officer, ex-officio).
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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.
Assessment
Each course option requires written presentations: 66% of the grade will be based on the average of the grades for the six optional courses and grade for the writing project from the internship. 33% of the grade will be the mark for the final portfolio.
A final factor is a student self-assessment (1500 words).
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.Lonergan
nuigalway.ie
or
Dearbhla Mooney
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/
National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
Phone: +353 (0)91 493339; Fax: +353 (0)91 524102
E-mail: English Department
This page was last updated Monday, January 16, 2012