MA Scriptwriting (Theatre and Digital Media)

Develop as a scriptwriter by learning with professional and award-winning dramatists. On our MA Scriptwriting (Theatre and Digital Media) you produce a varied portfolio of dramatic works, culminating in a full-length original play, which will enable you to hone and develop your own unique voice.

At Essex, we believe that the joint engagement of practice and theory produces a deep understanding of how drama works. We combine critical study of dramatic texts with practical workshops, so that you nurture your understanding of the playwright’s craft in order to produce your own new work.

Our course focuses on the range of possibilities that exist for contemporary drama, with an emphasis on British and Irish drama, and you also explore topics including:

• The principles of dramatic structure and scene construction (dialogue, the construction of plot, the development of character, development of themes, and the structure of scenes)
• Techniques for working as a playwright with youth and community groups
• The origins and possibilities of poetic theatre and verse drama
• Options for poetic practice or novel-writing
• Radio drama

At the end of the course your work will be rehearsed and given a public performance in the Lakeside Theatre at our Colchester Campus. Your dissertation gives you the chance to write a full-length play with one-to-one supervision from an award-winning playwright tutor.