Theatre and Performance Studies BA (UCAS W440)
General entry requirements
A levels
A level typical offer
ABB
A level additional information
Please also see our additional requirements below.
A level contextual offer
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is BBB. See if you’re eligible.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
IB
IB typical offer
34
IB additional information
Please also see our additional requirements below.
IB contextual offer
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the contextual eligibility criteria and whose predicted grades are close to, or slightly below, the contextual offer level. The typical contextual offer is 32. See if you’re eligible.
General GCSE requirements
Unless specified differently above, you will also need a minimum of GCSE grade 4 or C (or an equivalent qualification) in English Language and either Mathematics or a Science subject. Find out more about our entry requirements and the qualifications we accept. We advise that you also check the English Language requirements for your course which may specify a higher GCSE English requirement. Please find the information about this below.
BTEC
We welcome applications from students taking BTEC qualifications, either alone or in combination with A levels.
Our typical BTEC offers are as follows:
- BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate plus 2 A levels: D plus AB, or D* plus BB
- BTEC Level 3 National Diploma plus 1 A level: DD plus A, or D*D plus B
- BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma: D*DD
Please also see our additional requirements below.
International qualifications
Language requirements
All applicants have to meet our English Language requirements. If you cannot demonstrate that you meet these, you may be invited to take part in our Pre-sessional English course at Warwick.
Additional requirements
Please note, applicants are typically invited to attend Applicant Days. Applicants not living in the UK may be offered one-to-one online discussions in place of this.
Frequently asked questions
Warwick may make differential offers to students in a number of circumstances. These include students participating in a Widening Participation programme or who meet the contextual data criteria.
Differential offers will usually be one or two grades below Warwick’s standard offer.
All students who successfully complete the Warwick IFP and apply to Warwick through UCAS will receive a guaranteed conditional offer for a related undergraduate programme (selected courses only).
Find out more about standard offers and conditions for the IFP.
We welcome applications for deferred entry.
Additional requirements
Please note, applicants are typically invited to attend Applicant Days. Applicants not living in the UK may be offered one-to-one online discussions in place of this.
Course overview
Theatre and Performance Studies at Warwick takes pride in its national and international reputation for research and teaching excellence. As a student, you will be taught by world-leading scholars, industry professionals and artists who are as passionate about the power of theatre and performance as you are.
You will explore how drama, theatre and performance are used to share stories, to laugh, to feel, to understand more deeply, and to change things.
You will have the ability to curate your own distinctive degree, on a course that’s designed to empower you. The foundational first-year consists of four core modules which balance theory and practice. The second and third years are defined by optionality with the opportunity to select from a wide range of modules designed by our diverse team of specialist staff.
You will join a Department that fosters a strong sense of community and will work with your peers to continually design, make, discuss and debate theatre and performance. Staff will see, understand and develop you as an individual, helping you to create a pathway through the course to achieve your ambitions.
Warwick Arts Centre
Beyond the course, you will be encouraged to see work and get involved at Warwick Arts Centre, one of the largest multi-artform venues in the UK, and join one of the many award-winning performance-based student societies.
We believe that it is the unique combination of our course, with the practical experience in the creation and production of work within student societies, and the professional environment that Warwick Arts Centre has to offer, which makes our graduates so successful.
Study abroad
As part of your degree you have the option to apply to do an intercalated year studying with one of our partner institutions overseas.
In 2020/21 these partners included University of Toronto in Canada; Monash University in Australia; and a number of Universities in Europe, including in Helsinki, Lisbon, Ljubljana, and Dublin. The locations that you can travel to are confirmed in November of the preceding academic year to when you would be travelling and these locations can change each year.
There will also be opportunities for you to apply to have short periods of study, work, research and/or volunteering overseas during vacation periods in order to gain international experience without adding a year to your studies.
The Student Mobility Team offers support for these activities, and the Department’s dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.
Core modules
The first year of your Theatre and Performance Studies degree consists of four core modules: two that are practice-based and two that are theory-centred. These modules will develop your understanding of the important relationship between theory and practice and will introduce key concepts for a diverse range of performance-making possibilities.
In your second year there’s one core module, and in your final-year you must choose from one of two optional core modules. You can select to do a traditional research project, which ends with the submission of a ten-thousand word written dissertation. Or, you can do a practice-based research project, which will culminate in the public presentation of a piece of practical work.
Beyond these core modules, you’re empowered to tailor your degree to suit you, by selecting whichever optional modules you’d like to take. This means that everyone’s experience of the course is unique. If you thrive in the studio, then you can select more practice-based modules, or if you have a future career path in mind, you can specialise by selecting the modules which best-fit your plans.
You’re also able to select optional modules outside of our department, meaning that you don’t have to give up on other areas of interest. In addition, we offer several joint-honours courses with Theatre Studies taught alongside English Literature or a modern language, and you can study Theatre and Performance alongside Global Sustainable Development.
Year One
Theatre and Performance in Context
This module considers what theatre and performance can tell us about our histories, cultures, societies and identities. You’ll watch, read and study a range of theatre and performance from across historical, cultural and geographical borders, in order to see how it not only reflects society, but also seeks to change and shape it. The module is split into four blocks, considering theatre and gender, race, sexuality and class. This module will help you to hone your academic writing, research and presentation skills, which will serve you throughout your degree.
From Text to Performance
Through practical exploration of a number of selected plays and texts, in this module you will investigate the process of taking material from page to stage or performance, and the relationship between theory and practice. You will have the opportunity to experiment practically with realising multiple texts in performance, considering aspects such as staging, genre, narrative structure, performance strategies, dramaturgical thinking and directorial conceptualization, as well as the changing role and function of the audience.
Performance Analysis
As part of this module you’ll be exposed to theatre and performance in a wide variety of forms. You’ll learn about theories and approaches to performance analysis and will develop your own methods to produce critical responses to artistic work. You’ll complete the module with an understanding of all of the tools that you might need to ‘read’, respond and write about theatre and performance.
Contemporary Performance Practices
In a series of tutor-led workshops, you will be introduced to an array of contemporary performance practices, such as site-specific performance, devising, clowning, performance art, physical theatre, improvisation, and various forms of multimedia performance. You will explore these through the study of a range of leading practitioners and theatre companies, which may include Spymonkey, Jacques Lecoq, Pina Bausch, Frantic Assembly, Mark Ravenhill, Akram Khan and Gob Squad. The module will conclude with presentations of your own devised work influenced by the various approaches investigated during the module.
Year Two
Inter-Performance
Part practical and part theoretical, this module works to explore the intersections between Theatre and Performance Studies and other disciplines. You’ll ask how we do interdisciplinary research and how findings can be shared with audiences through practice. Lecturers draw on their own current research projects as material to teach the module, so its content changes each year. We begin by considering these intersections through lecture-seminars, via discussion and some practice. We then shift into innovative practice-based work that culminates in a practical realisation of a specific issue or enquiry in which performance intersects with another discipline.
Year Three
In your final-year you must choose from one of two optional core modules:
Research Project
On this module you’ll carry out independent research into an area of theatre and performance studies that you love and will write an extended dissertation on your findings. Throughout the research and writing process you’ll be supported by structured class activities and regular one-to-one supervision meetings with a member of the academic team. To aid the development of your work, you’ll present your research at a departmental undergraduate conference during the course of the year.
or
Practice-based Research Project
On this module you’ll develop a practical project that is shaped by your questions about the world. This project may take a range of forms, including (but not limited to) live theatre, participatory workshops, an installation, a video, a written play, a space or a costume design, and you can choose to work solo or in small groups. You’ll be supported through in-class workshops, supervision meetings, and work-in- progress showings. Your final work will be showcased as part of the Department’s Verge Festival at Warwick Arts Centre.
Optional modules
- Acting in Character
- Contemporary European Theatre
- Mad, Bad Sad: Madness and Cultural Representation
- Performing Gender and Sexuality
- Theatre and National Identities
- Theatre and the Creative Industries
- Theatre in the African Context
- Theatre in the Community
- You, the Performer
- Video-Making
- Writing for Theatre and Performance
Assessment
During your degree you will be assessed through a variety of methods, including:
- Practical projects
- Creative logbooks
- Portfolios
- Essays
- Individual or group presentations
All of our assessments place an emphasis on real-life outputs. For example, you’ll produce a marketing campaign for a piece of theatre for the Audience Development and Marketing module, or you’ll create a piece of theatre and an accompanying workshop for offenders to take into a prison environment for the Community Theatre module.
Throughout your degree you’ll receive regular feedback on your work which will be integral to your development.
Teaching
Our teaching is delivered via studio-based explorations, small-group seminars and interactive lectures, supplemented by theatre visits, field trips, guest lectures and workshops with visiting academics, artists and companies.
You will be taught by a range of practitioners including:
- Anna Harpin: Co-Artistic Director of Idiot Child theatre company
- Saul Hewish: one of the UK’s leading artists working to create theatre for and with those in the judicial system
- Caroline Griffin: a freelance specialist in audience development and arts marketing
- Natalie Diddams: Experienced theatre director, workshop facilitator and dramaturg
Research expertise
Our teaching is research-inspired, striking a balance between providing a broad understanding of the discipline and giving you access to the distinct specialisms of our academic staff. We offer areas of expertise including:
- Applied and community theatres
- Theatre for social change
- Theatre history
- Popular, political and avant-garde theatres
- Writing, acting and directing
- Theatre and national identities
- Contemporary British, European, and North American theatres
- Theatre in the African context
- Post-colonial and intercultural theatre and performance
- Theatre and representations of mental health
- Performing gender and sexuality
- Theatre production in digital environments and film
Class sizes
What makes Theatre and Performance Studies at Warwick particularly special is the ethos and culture of the Department.
Each year we aim for a cohort size of around 40 students. This allows each year-group to work as a cohesive ensemble throughout their three years, enabling them to confidently share ideas, debate and experiment. Our boutique nature also means that we have an excellent staff to student ratio, allowing staff to have a close investment in you, your work and your aspirations.
Throughout the degree class sizes will vary depending on the nature of the module and whether students are split into groups. Typically, you’ll be in groups of 10-24 in a class.
Typical contact hours
As you are encouraged to curate your own path through the degree, contact hours will vary depending on the modules you have selected.
As a guide, our seminar-based modules normally involve two contact hours per week while modules with a strong practical component are normally four contact hours per week.
You will also need to allocate time for independent study: rehearsing, doing group work, seeing performances, and preparing assessed work.
A typical week
In your first year, a typical week may look like this:
Monday
- Your Toolkit module (2 hours)
- Theatre and Performance in Context Lecture (1.5 hours)
- Theatre and Performance in Context Seminar (1.5 hours)
Tuesday
- Contemporary Performance Practices Studio-Based Workshop (6 hours)
Wednesday
- Performance Analysis Lecture (1.5 Hours)
- Performance Analysis Seminar (1.5 Hours)
Thursday
- From Text to Performance Studio-Based Workshop (6 hours)
Friday
- Independent Study
Tuition fees
Tuition fees cover the majority of the costs of your study, including teaching and assessment. Fees are charged at the start of each academic year. If you pay your fees directly to the University, you can choose to pay in instalments.
Undergraduate fees
On 4 November the UK government announced an increase in the tuition fee cap for Home students for academic year 2025/26. The University of Warwick’s Executive Board has consequently confirmed a change in fees from the previously advertised rate to £9,535.
The University expects to increase fees for future years in line with any inflationary uplift as determined by the UK government.
How are fees set?
The UK Government sets tuition fee rates.
To learn more about how the UK student fees and maintenance loans are set, please visit the UK Government websiteLink opens in a new window and UCASLink opens in a new window.
Undergraduate fees
If you are an overseas student enrolling in 2025-26, your annual tuition fees will be as follows:
- Band 1 – £26,290 per year (classroom-based courses, including Humanities and most Social Science courses)
- Band 2 – £33,520 per year (laboratory-based courses, plus Maths, Statistics, Theatre and Performance Studies, Economics, and courses provided by Warwick Business School, with exceptions)
Tuition fees for 2026 entry have not been set. We will publish updated information here as soon as it becomes available, so please check back for updates about 2026 fee rates before you apply.
Fee status guidance
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.
Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?
If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.
Find out more about how universities assess fee status.Link opens in a new window
Additional course costs
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.
For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on this web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module CatalogueLink opens in a new window (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).
Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2024/25 year of study). Information about module specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:
- Core text books
- Printer credits
- Dissertation binding
- Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Further information
Find out more about tuition fees from our Student Finance team.
Scholarships and bursaries
Learn about scholarships and bursaries available to undergraduate students.
We offer a number of undergraduate scholarships and bursaries to full-time undergraduate students. These include sporting and musical bursaries, and scholarships offered by commercial organisations.
Find out more about funding opportunities for full-time students.Link opens in a new window
If you are an international student, a limited number of scholarships may be available.
Find out more information on our international scholarship pages.Link opens in a new window
You may be eligible for financial help from your own government, from the British Council or from other funding agencies. You can usually request information on scholarships from the Ministry of Education in your home country, or from the local British Council office.
Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship
We believe there should be no barrier to talent. That's why we are committed to offering a scholarship that makes it easier for gifted, ambitious international learners to pursue their academic interests at one of the UK's most prestigious universities.
We provide extra financial support for qualifying students from lower income families. The Warwick Undergraduate Bursary is an annual award of up to £2,500 per annum. It is intended to help with course-related costs and you do not have to pay it back.
As part of the 'City of Sanctuary' movement, we are committed to building a culture of hospitality and welcome, especially for those seeking sanctuary from war and persecution. We provide a range of scholarships to enable people seeking sanctuary or asylum to progress to access university education.
Further information
Find out more about Warwick undergraduate bursaries and scholarships.
Eligibility for student loans
Your eligibility for student finance will depend on certain criteria, such as your nationality and residency status, your course, and previous study at higher education level.
Check if you're eligible for student finance.
Tuition Fee Loan
You can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your tuition fees. It is non-means tested, which means the amount you can receive is not based on your household income. The Loan is paid directly to the University so, if you choose to take the full Tuition Fee Loan, you won’t have to set up any payments.
Maintenance Loan for living costs
You can apply for a Maintenance Loan towards your living costs such as accommodation, food and bills. This loan is means-tested, so the amount you receive is partially based on your household income and whether you choose to live at home or in student accommodation.
If you’re starting a course on or after 1 August 2021, you usually must have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement SchemeLink opens in a new window to get student finance.
Tuition Fee Loan
If you are an EU student and eligible for student finance you may be able to get a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your fees. It is non-means tested, which means the amount you may receive is not based on your household income. The Loan is paid directly to the University so, if you choose to take the full Tuition Fee Loan, you won't have to set up any payments.
Help with living costs
If you struggle to meet your essential living costs, our Student Funding team Link opens in a new windowwill be on hand to offer advice and support.
There are a number of options that may be available to you including government, bursary and/or hardship support. Warwick also has a number of bursaries and scholarships Link opens in a new windowthat you may be eligible to apply for.
Repaying your loans
You will repay your loan or loans gradually once you are working and earning above a certain amount. For students starting their course after 1 August 2023, the repayment threshold is £25,000. Repayments will be taken directly from your salary if you are an employee. If your income falls below the earnings threshold, your repayments will stop until your income goes back up above this figure.
Find out more about repaying your student loanLink opens in a new window.
Placements and work experience
Employability is embedded in Warwick’s Theatre and Performance Studies degree allowing you to think about your future from an early stage.
You will encounter performers, directors, playwrights and arts administrators from the industry throughout your degree in seminars and practical workshops.
The optional Theatre and the Creative Industries module brings professionals and experts into the classroom on a weekly basis to discuss the principles and practices for areas such as:
- Running an arts venue
- Programming and commissioning work
- Setting up and running your own theatre company
- Making touring arrangements
- Identifying funding opportunities
A placement or internship is also offered as part of the course. In recent years these have been hosted by Dash Arts, Rosie Kay Dance Company, Birmingham REP, Fierce Festival (for live art), Trestle (Mask Theatre, St Albans), Cannes Film Festival, and elsewhere.
Alongside their degree, many of our students gain valuable industry experience at Warwick Arts Centre, working in a wide range of roles including Youth Theatre Leaders, Performance Stewards, or as interns for the Marketing and Programming Teams.
Students also regularly produce shows at Warwick Arts Centre as part of their activity in student societies, meaning that they are working in a professional arts venue from the get-go.
Your career
With a diverse range of careers in the creative and cultural sectors and beyond, our extended family of alumni are testimony to the fact that the sky is your limit with a Theatre and Performance Studies degree from Warwick.
We are exceptionally proud of our extended family of alumni and the diverse career paths that they've taken after their degree.
Recent graduates work within the arts and creative industries as actors, directors, producers, screenwriters, set designers, and as arts administrators.
They work for organisations such as:
- Merlin Entertainments,
- Sadler’s Wells
- The Birmingham Hippodrome
- The National Theatre
- The Royal Court Theatre.
- The RSC
- The Southbank Centre
- Ticketmaster
Recent graduates work beyond the sector in:
- Marketing
- PR
- Journalism
- Recruitment and HR
- Education
- The law
- The Civil Service
Helping you find the right career
Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant to support you. They offer impartial advice and guidance, together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:
- Careers workshop for Theatre and Performance Studies Students
- Discovering Careers in the Creative Industries
- Careers in Radio Film and Television
- Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
- A history and DIY Guide to setting up and running a Theatre Company
Theatre and Performance Studies
Explore the world through the lens of Theatre and Performance Studies with one of the top departments in the UK.
Offering academic rigour, practical skills and connections with the industry, this degree has career prospects both within the arts sector and far beyond. You’ll be taught by world-leading academics and cutting-edge theatre practitioners.
Get to know us better by exploring our departmental website
Explore our new Faculty of Arts building
The department recently moved into the brand new £57.5 million Faculty of Arts building.
This means, as an Arts student at Warwick, you’ll find your home amongst brand new teaching, learning and social spaces, including specialist facilities, all designed to support collaborative working and to enable your creativity and innovation to flourish.
The sustainably built, eight-storey building is located next to the newly refurbished Warwick Arts Centre in the heart of the University’s creative and cultural arts quarter.
Image credit: Hufton + Crow
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Life at Warwick
Within a close-knit community of staff and students from all over the world, discover a campus alive with possibilities. A place where all the elements of your student experience come together in one place. Our supportive, energising, welcoming space creates the ideal environment for forging new connections, having fun and finding inspiration.
Find out how to apply to us, ask your questions, and find out more.
Warwick Accommodation
Finding the right accommodation is key to helping you settle in quickly.
We have 12 self-catering undergraduate halls of residence on campus.
Our student property management and lettings agency manages more than 8,000 rooms both on and off campus, and provides advice to all full-time undergraduates.
Our campus
You won't be short of ways to spend your time on campus - whether it's visiting Warwick Arts Centre, using our incredible new sports facilities, socialising in our bars, nightclub and cafés, or enjoying an open-air event. Or if you need some peace and quiet, you can explore lakes, woodland and green spaces just a few minutes’ walk from central campus.
Food and drink
We have lots of cafés, restaurants and shops on campus. You can enjoy great quality food and drink, with plenty of choice for all tastes and budgets. There is a convenience store on central campus, as well as two supermarkets and a small shopping centre in the nearby Cannon Park Retail Park. Several of them offer delivery services to help you stay stocked up.
And don't miss our regular food market day on the Piazza with tempting, fresh and delicious street food. Soak up the atmosphere and try something new, with mouth-watering food for all tastes.
Clubs and societies
We currently have more than 300 student-run societies.
So whether you’re into films, martial arts, astronomy, gaming or musical theatre, you can instantly connect with people with similar interests.
Or you could try something new, or even form your own society.
Sports and fitness
Staying active at Warwick is no sweat, thanks to our amazing new Sports and Wellness Hub, indoor and outdoor tennis centre, 60 acres of sports pitches, and more than 60 sports clubs.
Whether you want to compete, relax or just have fun, you can achieve your fitness goals.
Studying on campus
Our campus is designed to cater for all of your learning needs.
You will benefit from a variety of flexible, well-equipped study spaces and teaching facilities across the University.
- The Oculus, our outstanding learning hub, houses state-of-the-art lecture theatres and innovative social learning and network areas.
- The University Library provides access to over one million printed works and tens of thousands of electronic journals
- Three Learning Grids offering you flexible individual and group study spaces.
Travel and local area
Our campus is in Coventry, a modern city with high street shops, restaurants, nightclubs and bars sitting alongside medieval monuments. The Warwickshire towns of Leamington Spa and Kenilworth are also nearby.
The University is close to major road, rail and air links. London is just an hour by direct train from Coventry, with Birmingham a 20-minute trip. Birmingham International Airport is nearby (a 20-minute drive).
Wellbeing support and faith provision
Our continuous support network is here to help you adjust to student life and to ensure you can easily access advice on many different issues. These may include managing your finances and workload, and settling into shared accommodation. We also have specialist disability and mental health support teams.
Our Chaplaincy is home to Chaplains from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. We provide regular services for all Christian denominations and a Shabbat meal every Friday for our Jewish students. There is also an Islamic prayer hall, halal kitchen and ablution facilities.
How to apply
Learn more about our application process.
Key dates
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After you've applied
Find out how we process your application.
Our Admission Statement
Read Warwick's Admission Statement
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