Undergraduate study

We are one of the leading departments of Drama in the UK, and we are proud of our undergraduate programmes and modules.

Drama at Exeter offers you the time and space to explore and experiment with performance and performance making. Taught largely through studio sessions, the relationship between theory and practice is central to the discipline. Our academic staff teach a range of performance and specialist skills and all of our teaching grows out of our research interests, so you will be taught by people at the forefront of their field who are passionate about the subject.

There is the opportunity to research a wide range of theatre histories and critical theories as well as specialist practical modules which will prepare you for work in many areas of the cultural industries. The key transferable skills you will obtain may be taken into many varying professions.

You’ll have plenty of contact time with staff, who will challenge you and support the development of your intellectual and creative skills. You will be taught by active researchers whose interests include areas such as theories of actor-training, non-western performance, twentieth-century theatre practitioners, dramaturgy and playwriting, new media, live art, site-specific performance, gender and performance in the seventeenth century, music theatre, voice training, arts management, theatre and religion, and the politics of culture.

We offer you a supportive environment, where collaborative work with fellow students allows you to take innovative new approaches. You will need a great deal of commitment (and demand it from us) – we are committed and if you are too you will find Drama at Exeter is a very exciting experience.

The study of Drama at Exeter dates back to 1927 with evening classes and we have now offered a full-time Drama programme for over 40 years. The department is one of the largest and best equipped in the UK. Over the last few years we have expanded and have excellent facilities which place Exeter at the top for teaching spaces and resources. We have invested £3.7 million in our industry standard drama facilities providing a superb environment for learning and research. We were ranked 1st in the UK for overall student satisfaction in the 2010 National Student Survey.

The department currently has two AHRC funded creative fellows: the internationally renowned photographer, Hugo Glendinning, and ‘Britain’s most important living playwright’ (The Times), Howard Barker. Both contribute to the department’s research and teaching culture.