"Before I took the MA in Applied Theatre, I was a theatre director with many years of experience. I had directed plays of a classical nature – ancient Greek plays, Jacobean plays and Shakespeare and more 'modern' pieces like Oscar Wilde and Noel Coward. I applied for the MA because I felt was time to focus on theatre which engaged communities and allowed them to be part of the process, rather than just being show a piece of work. The MA did exactly what I hoped for, it introduced me to many ways of lookingat community engagement and applied theatre in general. It expanded myknowledge and give me courage to try new things. As part of my final practical project, I worked with a verbatim theatre model, interviewing people about their tattoos, transcribing their words and editing the results. This became a script for a short showing of the work. As a result of this research, I have been commissioned by the Queens Theatre, Hornchurch and Havering Changing to create a similar project with Essex residents. Without the MA I would never have been commissioned."

"My school life in Warwick was full of joy and opportunities. I made meaningful connections with my classmates and received essential academic support from my teachers. Importantly, I had the opportunity to learn from professionals in the applied theatre field through guest lectures/workshops.After graduating with my Master’s degree, I returned to Hong Kong and started my career at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. I am responsible for community engagement in cultural and youth programmes of the Trust. In the meantime, I am working to build my network in the participatory art scene in Hong Kong. The knowledge and experiences I gained from Warwick go along with me on the trajectory to become the person I want to be."

"The MA in Applied Theatre at University of Warwick with its dual focus on theory and performance has been pivotal in giving direction to my work as an academic-cum-theatre practitioner. Coming from India, where institutions of higher education do not have separate theatre and performance studies departments, this course gave me the opportunity to critically engage with the performance aspect of my work, and bridge the gap between my work as a theatre practitioner and a scholar. It helped me bring together my academic and creative interests; the specific modules on research methodology enabled me to understand research methods central to performance making, and the practical projects that I had the chance to co-facilitate gave me the opportunity to grow as a theatre professional.

The opportunity to work with associate theatre companies like Rideout and Tender, engage in workshops with organistions like Cleanbreak, and my practical projects facilitating workshops for Migrant Voice helped me gain first-hand experience of how to create and deliver my own projects. It was the experience I gained through these workshops that helped me create and deliver five different drama literacy projects in primary and secondary schools in remote corners of India after my return.

The highlight of the programme for me was the ‘dissertation’ module that trained me in the rigorous processes involved in writing a dissertation. Researching for resources, doing a literature review, developing research questions, selecting appropriate research methodologies and most importantly, drafting, revising, editing and proofreading the thesis familiarised me with the hard work, skill and discipline it takes to engage in more sustained research. The course, the teachers, and the overall atmosphere of the classroom during the MA encouraged me to pursue Applied Theatre further. It was the perfect platform that helped me channel my interests and achieve a place on a prestigious PhD programme at the University of Manchester."