Postgraduate Studentships - Search for funding opportunities.
Postgraduate Studentships - Search for funding opportunities.
Study Details: MA 1 year, full-time/two years, part-time. MFA: Two years,
The MA/MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media offers a vocational training in writing drama across a range of different media contexts.
Both the MA and MFA courses provide the opportunity for you to develop the core competencies and skills of the dramatist, to explore your ‘voice’, to develop your confidence in your own writing and to understand the different media contexts within which you might work as a professional scriptwriter.
Train to write drama for different media including theatre, film, television and radio
Study the history of dramatic writing and explore its future
Work with actors and be taught by industry professionals
In the past, students have also had the opportunity to study optional units on writing within other contexts, for example, writing with, and for, communities (in collaboration with the MA Applied Theatre).
Key features of the course
Practice-based enquiry into techniques and processes for writing for stage and screen;
A series of writing projects engaging with different styles and media formats;
Research into dramatic writing techniques and issues of performance in relation to theatre, cinema, television, radio and other relevant contexts.
You should normally have an undergraduate degree in the broad field of literary and/or performance and drama studies; or a first degree and sufficient experience of either writing or drama practice; or have appropriate professional experience; or can otherwise demonstrate your potential to undertake this form of postgraduate study successfully. An offer will normally only be made after interview.
An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in writing for dramatic media is available. During this year writers will produce two ‘calling card’ scripts and a professional development portfolio. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently under-represented in higher education, such as students with disabilities and members of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups.
English Language Requirements
Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to prove their English language proficiency by gaining an overall score of 7.0 in an IELTS test. We do accept equivalent English language qualifications. Applicants are advised to gain this certification as early as possible and more information can be found through the English Language Requirements page.
Written Work
Once we have received your application you will be asked to submit the following piece of written work.
Applicants applying to the first year of the MA/MFA:
Applicants applying for the ‘top up’ MFA year (second year):
The Admissions Tutor will review the written piece along with your application and will make a decision on whether to invite you to undertake an interview with us.
Interviews
If you are selected for an interview for the MA/MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media course, you will discuss your experience in relation to writing and dramatic performance (including your perceived strengths and needs), your understanding of issues relating to writing and to drama and your preparedness for the course.
The interview process will also give you an opportunity to find out more about the course and the School. Please note that for 2021 entry all interviews will be undertake online via Zoom.
International Interviews
Each year Central hosts a number of interviews outside of the UK, with a team of tutors from Central travelling to meet applicants. The international interviews are designed to replicate the London-based interview experience in every aspect (other than a tour of our site).
For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more
Graduate employment and career pathways include:
Our Approach
You will be taught in group sessions and through individual tutorials. During these sessions, you will consider the fundamentals of dramatic writing. In the past, these have included structure, narrative, dramatic action, genre, character, dialogue and rhetorical effect.
You will attend masterclasses, seminars and workshops focusing on the particular modes of writing required for different production contexts.
You will also have the opportunity to be part of a writers’ group, providing peer support in developing each other’s writing. Your vocational work in these areas is complemented by individual research and appropriate theoretical discussion and enquiry. You will explore the historical, theoretical and critical contexts within which traditions of dramatic writing have evolved.
You will engage in projects that test and develop your skills as a writer of drama. These have included forming a team of writers to evolve a television series, writing a short play, having your script workshopped with actors, writing a short film script, developing a radio play and developing and writing a complete dramatic script for production in a particular medium (theatre, film, television or radio).
In undertaking these projects you will acquire an understanding of working in different formats, as well as the role of the writer in different production processes.
Through a rolling programme of guest speakers from the industry, you will gain some insight into commissioning and production protocols in different media and the role of the literary agent. You will also have the opportunity to hear from professional writers working across various dramatic mediums.
The MA ends with a Sustained Independent Project where you are able to focus on developing a full-length ‘calling card’ script for a specific dramatic medium (theatre, film, television or radio) under the guidance of a professional writer or other industry professional.
MFA study
If you choose to study for an MFA, you will join the MA students for two-thirds of their course. The MFA then extends into a second year that engages you with further specialist subject skills. You will be expected to produce two ‘calling card’ scripts and to develop a plan for your professional development.
MFA students are offered extended and sustained script development support from professional writers and other industry professionals. You will be expected to develop professional ties and to begin to establish yourself as a professional practitioner
The MFA second year widens your opportunities to practise knowledge within a context and framework where pertinent questions can be asked, protocols tested and new structures suggested. During the MFA, you will be supported with one-to-one tutorials and occasional seminars.
The MFA offers a further embedding of skills and concepts learnt during the first year. In some countries, the MFA is more recognised, particularly if you are interested in teaching or research in a higher education environment.
An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.
The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama is a small specialist institution of the theatrical and performing arts within the University of London....
