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
- Benefits of a foundation year. If you don’t quite hit the tariff for UCAS points for our 3-year course, our foundation year will provide you with a solid base of skills and experience to progress from.
- Integrated part of a performing arts degree at Plymouth. Completion of the foundation year will not lead to a separate award or qualification its own right but will provide access to Year 1 of your degree.
- 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 a wide range of internships and volunteering opportunities with arts organisations across Plymouth and the South West. Recent placements for directors, producers, practitioners and performers have included paid placements with Jermyn Street Theatre (West End), Kneehigh and 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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Foundation year
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Explore a wide range of performance practices which will offer you a solid base for your BA degree in Drama. You’ll acquire a toolkit of skills in a supportive and professional environment, and the confidence to know how to use it.
Core modules
THPF3001
Introduction to Performance TrainingThis module fosters the development of vocal and movement skills and the application of performance techniques necessary for the successful creation of contemporary performance. Through regular workshop study, students will embark on a creative and practical exploration of the physical and mental processes embedded in core traditions of actor, dance, drama and musical theatre training.
THPF3002
Introduction to Individual Performance ProjectStudents will undertake, with supervision, an individual project related to their study of performance and research into the social, cultural, historical and political context of a chosen play text and its original performance. As part of the module, students will gain research and time management skills that will support their successful progression through their degree programme.
THPF3003
Introduction to Performance StudiesThe module will provide an overview of key historical shifts in theatre, dance and performance practices and will examine the way in which they have influenced contemporary performance making. In this module, students learn written, theoretical, analytical and conceptual skills that will support them in their Performing Arts degree.
THPF3004
Introduction to Performance MakingThis module introduces a range of theatre, dance and performance making methods to develop students’ understanding of the relationship between process and performance. Students will be required to research relevant processes and practices through ensemble performance work. Through regular workshops, students will embark on a creative exploration of the physical, vocal and mental processes embedded in actor, dance and drama training.
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Year 1
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Learn foundational skills and concepts about theatre and performance, and apply 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.
The following programme specification represents the latest course structure and may be subject to change:
Personalise your degree
Drama with Acting
Modules
ACT5002MX
Acting for Audio: Radio, Podcast, Voiceover
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.
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
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.
Drama with Music
Modules
MUS5003MX
Psychology of Music
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.
MUS5006MX
Recording Sound and Music
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.
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
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.
AMT5005MX
Programming in Python
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.
AMT6004MX
Data Science Ethics
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.
MUS5003MX
Psychology of Music
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.
MUS5006MX
Recording Sound and Music
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.
PER5008MX
Play and Games for Performance
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.
Drama with Musical Theatre
Modules
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
32 - 48
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.
PPP
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.
Pass 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
Student | 2024-2025 | 2025-2026 |
---|---|---|
Home | £9,250 | £9,250 |
International | £17,100 | £17,600 |
Part time (Home) | £770 | £770 |
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
Student voice, Alix Harris
"Challenging intellectually and physically, the course opens your eyes to new ways of thinking and viewing theatre. It not only shapes you as a theatre maker but as a person. Thanks to this course I am now working in a profession that I love."
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