Personalise your degree
At Plymouth, your degree really is what you make it. Choose to study optional modules from music and theatre subjects.
Careers with this subject
Key features
- Facilities. Rehearse and train in a world-class and fully accessible award-winning theatre and studio space – The House. Access all areas of theatre with our dedicated Tech team.
- Placements. Access to our dedicated Placements Officer and a wide range of internships and volunteering opportunities with arts organisations across Plymouth and the South West. 154 placements this year for directors, producers, practitioners and performers including with paid placements with Jermyn Street Theatre (West End), Kneehigh and at Theatre Royal Plymouth.
- Talks, master classes and workshops. Advance your creative practice with visiting companies and internationally recognised performance artists; in the past these have included Action Hero, Low Profile, John Nettles, Wildworks, Lone Twin, Earthfall and Robert Lyons.
- Free theatre visits scheme. Enrich your experience with the opportunity to attend shows and performances by well-known practitioners and companies.
- Free key texts. Benefit from free texts provided in your first year.
- Your degree will be taught by passionate people with experience from a wide range of academic and industry backgrounds who are driving real change in their fields.
Course details
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Year 1
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Learn foundational skills and concepts about theatre and performance, applying these in studio spaces and practical tasks. Learn how to examine and evaluate performance, and how to raise the standard of your own performance work.
Core modules
ACT4004
Self and Character 20 creditsThis module is all about preparing actors to work in a profession with certain innate dangers to personal mental and physical health. The process of adopting a character and enacting a role can mean that actors have to negotiate some very personal feelings and experiences. Giving students tools to do this is in a healthy and sustainable way is what this module is all about. This module will include 2, 2 hour talks that introduce our School and programme level employability related opportunities and support, including details of the optional placement year.
100% Coursework
DRA4001
Devising Toolkit 1: Improvisation and Creativity 20 creditsThe module identifies and explores the dynamics between the key elements of performance through the medium of improvisation, fundamental to all forms of ‘live’ theatre and performance. The module places the study of theatre and performance within a contemporary context by exploring the discourse of, and tension between, naturalism and non-naturalism in 20th century performance theory and practice.
100% Practicals
PER4001
The Body in Performance 20 creditsThis module positions all performance practice as the product of its own specific cultural setting. Aiming to resist a Western-centric approach, the module explores performances from different cultures whilst providing a context and awareness of the key issues and debates surrounding intercultural/cross-cultural theory and practice. It problematises the issues of theatre, culture and ideology: the politics and problems of cultural contact and exchange.
100% Coursework
PER4002
Devising Toolkit 2: Ensemble Practice 20 creditsThis module will focus on developing the skills necessary to work in a successful ensemble context, exploring the practice and examining the creative processes involved in the crafting and devising of performance work. Through workshop study, a creative understanding of the physical and mental processes necessary in performance presentation will be established.
100% Coursework
PER4003
Theatre Criticism 20 creditsThe module is all about going to the theatre to see exciting new work, analysing the performances and their critical reception, and then writing your own theatre reviews for a range of platforms and publications. You will read and evaluate professional critics' writing on significant productions from theatre history and assess and decode the cultural politics at play in theatre's public and critical reception.
100% Coursework
DRA4003
Theatre Making and Collaborative Practice 20 creditsThis module will explore how group collaboration can enable theatre makers to co-create contexts for their performances. Through the development of critical and creative methods of close reading, students will analyse dramatic texts and collaborate to construct the physical environments of their performance and the characterisations that drive dramatic action.
100% Practicals
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Year 2
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Work intensively with theatre companies in residence and experiment with your chosen styles and genres of performance-making. Make and perform work in theatre spaces and in alternative performance sites.For students entering Level 4 of their programme in academic year 2024/25 optional non-credit rated modules SSC500 and SSC600 will not be available in 25/26 and 26/27 respectively.
Core modules
PER5001
Performance Skills 20 creditsThis module will enhance the development of a number of performance skills (such as the use of the voice and the exploration of specific movement techniques) necessary for the successful creation of contemporary performance. Through workshop study, students will embark on a creative exploration of physical and mental processes engaging thus with the notion of Performer Training as a systematic and rigorous process.
100% Practicals
PER5002
Performance Practices 20 creditsThis module encourages students to find their creative voice through the exploration and application of a specific performance practice. Students will develop and practically interrogate the skills and understandings that establish specific forms of contemporary performance practice as both skilled activities and culturally significant artistic statements.
100% Practicals
PER5005
Theatre Residency 20 creditsThis module addresses collaborative and interdisciplinary practice in partnership with a professional visiting theatre company. It is a practical and studio-based module that emphasises the development and presentation of student-led work and collaboration across year groups.
100% Practicals
PER5007
Performance Making 20 creditsThis module explores practically the work of major practitioners and introduces key theories that have impacted upon contemporary performance making. Through practice and contextual study, students will explore the implications of ideological, cultural and social codes for contemporary performance makers.
100% Practicals
Optional modules
PER5003MX
Site Specific PerformanceOutdoor, off-campus, real-world performance-making informed by research-led seminar-based explorations of an exciting and diverse range of performative case studies and influential theories. This module gives students the opportunity to study independently and work together to open up for themselves a whole new way of seeing the world as a site for theatre.
SSC500
Stage 2 Professional Development, Placement Preparation and Identifying Opportunities 0 creditsThis module is for students in the School of Society and Culture who are interested in undertaking an optional placement in the third year of their programme. It supports students in their search, application, and preparation for the placement, including developing interview techniques and effective application materials (e.g. CVs , portfolios, and cover letters).
PER5008MX
Play and Games for Performance 20 creditsThis module will introduce students to practical methods for designing games and play structures for participatory performances that invite audiences to become actively involved in the work. In addition to learning new tools for designing and facilitating play, students will be prompted to consider playfulness from a theoretical perspective, recognising the connection between the play of mimesis and theatrical performance.
100% Coursework
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Optional placement year
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Undertake an optional placement year where you can build a number of key employability skills. Put theory onto practice, get a taste for your chosen career and expand upon your professional network.For students entering Level 4 of their programme in academic year 2024/25 optional non-credit rated modules SSC500 and SSC600 will not be available in 25/26 and 26/27 respectively.
Core modules
SSC600
School of Society and Culture Placement YearStudents have the opportunity to gain work experience that will set them apart in the job market when they graduate by undertaking an optional flexible placement year. The placement must be a minimum of 24-weeks (which can be split between a maximum of two different placement providers) and up to a maximum of 48-weeks over the course of the academic year. The placement is flexible and can be undertaken virtually, part or full time and either paid or voluntary. This year allows them to apply and hone the knowledge and skills acquired from the previous years of their programme in the real world.
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Final year
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Cultivate your specialist skills and get ready to enter the industry. Make work for festivals, learn applied performance-making techniques and develop research skills by exploring your chosen areas of interest and practice.
Core modules
DRA6001
Advanced Skills in Dramaturgy, Composition and Performance 20 creditsWorking in self-selected groups students will choose an out of copyright play as their source material to generate a performance outcome. The module will advance students' performance and dramaturgical skills and support the development of original performance material suitable to the constraints and parameters of the group's chosen venue.
100% Practicals
PER6001
Performance Research 40 creditsStudents will plan and conduct a research enquiry relevant to the application, practice and study of performance (including acting, dance, theatre, live art, and cross-form practices). Through lectures, workshops and tutorial guidance, students develop appropriate ways of collecting, analysing, documenting and organising material to present and evidence their research process and findings.
100% Coursework
PER6003
Professional Placement and Practice 20 creditsIn this module students will be asked to identify a specific professional working relationship, for example mentor/project/ liaison or context, to work in. This initiative should reflect the students' personal development planning aims and needs and support their career ambitions and life-long learning.
100% Coursework
PER6004
Festival Practices 20 creditsThis module will support students’ entry into the wide field of the creative industries through the planning and development of a professional quality performance product, commensurate to professional practice. Working solo or in small companies, students will engage with mentoring and feedback processes and locate their practice within the context of the contemporary performance practice and Festival platforms.
100% Practicals
Optional modules
PER6002MX
Applied DramaThis module offers students access to community-based professionals and work-based experiences with a meaningful employability focus. Through seminars and independent practice students learn the skills to work with and for community groups, using performance-making as a means to address real-world problems and social issues.
Personalise your degree
Drama with Acting
Modules
ACT5002MX
Acting for Audio: Radio, Podcast, Voiceover
20 credits
This module trains students to work professionally in mediatised/recorded settings. Students learn techniques appropriate to the preparation and performance of non-theatrical formats (such as audio drama) through text-based analysis, narrative and dramatic theory and genre-specific acting techniques.
100% Coursework
PER5003MX
Site Specific Performance
Outdoor, off-campus, real-world performance-making informed by research-led seminar-based explorations of an exciting and diverse range of performative case studies and influential theories. This module gives students the opportunity to study independently and work together to open up for themselves a whole new way of seeing the world as a site for theatre.
ACT6002MX
Auditions and Showreels
20 credits
Focused on employment in the theatre industry after graduation, this module is all about auditioning practices and techniques, self-taping, casting calls, character break-downs, working with your ‘pages’ and pulling together your showreel.
100% Coursework
Drama with Music
Modules
MUS5003MX
Psychology of Music
20 credits
This module introduces students to concepts in psychoacoustics, psychology and music therapy within a musical context. Students will critically engage with related topics through a series of lectures and workshops, which place theory within musical and creative practice.
100% Coursework
MUS5006MX
Recording Sound and Music
20 credits
Students will learn how to combine their technical recording abilities with their creative skills in music production. They will be introduced to a variety of recording contexts from a practical and theoretical perspective.
100% Coursework
MUS6003MX
Music in the Community
This module will introduce students to practical applications of music to encourage and expand their understanding of the ‘real-life’ uses of musical skills. A series of lectures will cover the concepts and skills required to carry out music work, before students apply these in practical situations.
Drama with Computing
Modules
AMT5006MX
Physical Computing: Creative and Interactive Systems
20 credits
Physical computing is all about designing and creating objects that use a range of sensors, actuators, and software to interact with the world around them. Students will learn to develop their own systems using programming environments, electronic components, and microcontroller boards. Most of the module will be organised around practical, hands-on design-and-build exercises.
100% Coursework
AMT5005MX
Programming in Python
20 credits
This module introduces computer programming in the python language. Learners will gain experience in the core theory and practice of computer programming and will learn core programming concepts from the ground up. Sessions will equip students with program implementation methodologies along with design and problem-solving techniques.
100% Coursework
AMT6004MX
Data Science Ethics
20 credits
This module introduces allows student a hands-on experience in data science and the ethical considerations associated with our digital footprint. Learners will gain experience in writing code to clean, analyse and interrogate large dataset, understanding what meanings can be revealed from these datasets. Students will also investigate the ethical implications, assumptions and biases that are present in these techniques.
100% Coursework
PER5008MX
Play and Games for Performance
20 credits
This module will introduce students to practical methods for designing games and play structures for participatory performances that invite audiences to become actively involved in the work. In addition to learning new tools for designing and facilitating play, students will be prompted to consider playfulness from a theoretical perspective, recognising the connection between the play of mimesis and theatrical performance.
100% Coursework
MUS5003MX
Psychology of Music
20 credits
This module introduces students to concepts in psychoacoustics, psychology and music therapy within a musical context. Students will critically engage with related topics through a series of lectures and workshops, which place theory within musical and creative practice.
100% Coursework
MUS5006MX
Recording Sound and Music
20 credits
Students will learn how to combine their technical recording abilities with their creative skills in music production. They will be introduced to a variety of recording contexts from a practical and theoretical perspective.
100% Coursework
Drama with Musical Theatre
Modules
DAN5001MX
Dance Technique
Students will develop their technical dance skills and ability to apply a range of dynamic qualities and spatial properties in performance. The module will develop students’ understanding of dance as a cultural discourse and foster awareness and appreciation of other cultural dance forms. Students will engage with workshop participation and leading skills, as well as learning how to give, receive and use critical feedback.
DAN5002MX
Dancing for Camera
Taught by experienced practitioners, students learn to compose and perform dance for camera and to develop and edit material to produce high quality ‘screendance’. Screendance as a hybrid and interdisciplinary form will enable students to develop new ways to innovate and create choreography in the site-specificity of media space.
DAN6001MX
Applied Dance
This module offers students access to community-based professionals and work-based experiences with a meaningful employability focus. Through co-taught seminars and independent practice students learn the skills to work with and for community groups, applying community dance practice and performance-making as a means to address real-world problems and social issues.
MTH5001MX
Acting through Song
Acting through song involves ‘telling the story’ and ‘selling the story’, as well as performance skills in characterisation and specific vocal expertise. Working from a range of scores and lyrics, students experiment with different approach to acting through song in a supportive salon environment, with tutor and peer feedback throughout.
MTH6004MX
Choreography Repertory
Students learn, rehearse and perform dance repertory to a high standard. To support students’ ability to execute the choreography effectively a continued engagement with dance technique and its relationship to creative and performance skills is incorporated. Students will gain an understanding of their role as a contributing interpreter of this repertory and how to make this work their own.
Drama with Dance
Modules
DAN6001MX
Applied Dance
This module offers students access to community-based professionals and work-based experiences with a meaningful employability focus. Through co-taught seminars and independent practice students learn the skills to work with and for community groups, applying community dance practice and performance-making as a means to address real-world problems and social issues.
DAN5001MX
Dance Technique
Students will develop their technical dance skills and ability to apply a range of dynamic qualities and spatial properties in performance. The module will develop students’ understanding of dance as a cultural discourse and foster awareness and appreciation of other cultural dance forms. Students will engage with workshop participation and leading skills, as well as learning how to give, receive and use critical feedback.
DAN5002MX
Dancing for Camera
Taught by experienced practitioners, students learn to compose and perform dance for camera and to develop and edit material to produce high quality ‘screendance’. Screendance as a hybrid and interdisciplinary form will enable students to develop new ways to innovate and create choreography in the site-specificity of media space.
Entry requirements
UCAS tariff
104 - 112
Contextual offers: Typically, the contextual offer for this course is 8 points below the advertised tariff. A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes into account individual circumstances that are beyond your control, and that can potentially impact your learning and your exam results, or your confidence in applying to university.
A minimum of 2 A levels, General Studies accepted
26 points. If overseas and not studying English within IB, must have IELTS 6.0 overall with 5.5 in all other elements. As a standard, all applicants are required to interview before an offer is made.
DMM.
If you hold a BTEC qualification it is vital that you provide our Admissions team with details of the exact modules you have studied as part of the BTEC. Without this information we may be unable to process your application quickly and you could experience significant delays in the progress of your application to study with us. Please explicitly state the full list of modules within your qualification at the time of application.
Pass a named Access to Higher Education Diploma (preferably performing arts, humanities or combined), with at least 33 credits at merit and/or distinction.
Merit in any subject.
Mathematics and English Language grade C.
- Your interests.
- What excites you most about theatre.
- What you hope to learn and experience while at Plymouth.
- Where you envision yourself after graduation.
Fees, costs and funding
New student | 2024-2025 | 2025-2026 * |
---|---|---|
Home | £9,250 | £9,535 |
International | £17,100 | £17,600 |
Part time (Home) | £770 | £795 |
* UK Government announcement on tuition fees
On Monday 4 November 2024, the UK Government announced a proposal to increase tuition fees for home undergraduate students from £9,250 to £9,535 per annum from September 2025 onwards. The University of Plymouth intends to apply this new fee from September 2025. However, implementation of this increase will be subject to parliamentary procedure. This change applies to new students starting their studies in September 2025. For current and returning students, the University is reviewing fees and will update you as soon as possible.
Undergraduate scholarships for international students
To reward outstanding achievement the University of Plymouth offers scholarship schemes to help towards funding your studies.
Additional costs
Tuition fees for optional placement years
How to apply
Help & enquiries
- Admission enquiries
- admissions@plymouth.ac.uk
- +44 1752 585858
- PlymUniApply
Providing rewarding experiences
From the moment you apply, to when you graduate, we'll help you put your best foot forward to hone your craft.
Insight: Site-Specific Performance module
This module gives students the opportunity to open up a whole new way of seeing the world as a site for theatre. Outdoor, off-campus, real-world performance-making, informed by research-led seminar-based explorations of an exciting and diverse range of performative case studies and influential theories.
Real-world, relevant and expert-led
The House
Take centre stage at The House, our cutting-edge theatre right on campus that allows you to hone your craft in world-class facilities. As a performance venue, The House attracts some of the best national and international theatre companies to the city, providing you with opportunities to build professional networks as you study.
Meet our experts
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Dr John Matthews
Interim Head of School
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Mrs Heather Richmond
Head of Movement
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Mr Garth Bardsley
Lecturer in Musical Theatre
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Dr Alex Cahill
Lecturer in Theatre and Performance
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Mrs Ruth Way
Associate Head of School - Performing Arts
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Dr Phil Smith
Associate Professor (Reader)
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Dr Jamie Harper
Lecturer in Drama
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Dr Sarah Blissett
Lecturer in Drama