Theatre Directing

Overview

The Theatre Directing programme at Birkbeck, University of London includes a nine-month secondment with a theatre company, providing the opportunity to direct and work with professional actors, and a three-month secondment to a leading drama school. Extended mentoring relationships between students and professional directors, regular observation of the course by a highly experienced group of professional directors.

Highlights 

• Arts and humanities at Birkbeck are ranked fifth best in London, 18th in the UK and 87th globally in the 2019 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject.

• In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), English Language and Literature at Birkbeck achieved 100% for a research environment conducive to producing research of the highest quality, while 91% of eligible staff submitted research, of which 75% was recognised as world-leading or internationally excellent.

• Direct input of professional theatre practitioners; Mike Leigh, Vicki Mortimer, Lyndsey Turner and Mike Alfreds have been recent contributors.

• Includes a nine-month secondment with a theatre company, providing the opportunity to direct and work with professional actors; a three-month secondment to a leading drama school; extended mentoring relationships between students and professional directors; and regular observation of the course by a highly experienced group of professional directors.

• Our Centre for Contemporary Theatre runs a postgraduate reading group and offers opportunities to show work in progress as part of the School of Arts summer festival Arts Week.

Careers and Employability

Recent graduates have directed productions at prestigious theatres including: the National Theatre, the RSC, the Royal Court, English National Opera, the Almeida, the Young Vic, the Lyric Hammersmith, the Gate and in the West End. Others have established their own companies, such as Coney, Curious Directive, Rough Fiction, commonpractice and Red Herring.

Many graduates have directed at regional theatres, including Sheffield Theatres, the Royal Exchange, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Nottingham Playhouse, and many have assisted on productions at the RSC, the National Theatre, the Globe, the Old Vic, the Young Vic and in the West End.

Others have won awards, such as the 2014 Olivier Award for Best Director, the James Menzies-Kitchin Award (the JMK) in 2012 and 2015, the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme (RTYDS) Award, and the Stage Award for Best Fringe Theatre.

Possible professions include theatre director, artistic director, associate director, opera director, theatre producer, literary manager and dramaturg.