Irish Theatre History & Archives
Your Course
This course offers a hands-on approach to the study of Irish theatre history as a living process. We move from the nineteenth-century plays of Oscar Wilde to the early Abbey plays of W.B. Yeats and Sean O'Casey, to the towering genius of Samuel Beckett in mid-century, to major contemporary dramatists such as Brian Friel, Marina Carr and Enda Walsh and, finally, to the growing role of interdisciplinary arts practice, dance and collaborative theatre-making approaches in the contemporary Irish theatre today. Students on this course have unprecedented access to one of the world's greatest Irish theatre archives—working with the treasures of the Abbey Theatre Digital Archive, as well as the papers of Thomas Kilroy, Druid Theatre, the Lyric Players' Theatre and many more. These archives include hundreds of videos of performances and original promptbooks, as well as correspondence between major authors, drafts of plays, and set and costume designs. With classes taught by world-leading scholars, this course offers students the opportunity to work in the major international centre for research on Irish theatre and performance and to gain access to hands-on work experience in either archive maintenance and acquisition and/or literary management for the theatre.
Entry requirements
Minimum Entry Requirements
The programme is intended for graduates with at least a university arts degree (minimum standard H2.2 or GPA 3.0). Applicants who do not meet the minimum entry requirements may be admitted via a qualifying exam if they have relevant professional experience, or be admitted to the PDip. Students who do not meet the honours degree requirement but have a Level 7 degree (Merit 2) may be admitted to the PDip course with the possibility of progressing to the MA if they receive a minimum of 60% in their course work. Students will be accepted on the basis of the degree result, a writing sample (5–6 pages)-which can be an academic essay, creative writing piece, or theatre reviews—a personal statement outlining suitability for and interest in the programme, and names and contact details of two references.
Those who do not meet the minimum entry requirements may be admitted with relevant professional experience via a qualifying exam, or be admitted to the PDip.
Application dates
WHEN TO APPLY:
NUI Galway does not set a deadline for receipt of applications (with some exceptions). Offers will be issued on a continuous basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
Duration
1 year full-time.
Post Course Info
Career Opportunities
Students on this course will be well prepared to pursue further research on Irish theatre history, or to seek a career in archiving (or other related library services) and/or literary management and dramaturgy for the theatre. The course also offers all the benefits of an MA degree, providing students with transferable skills in such areas as research, writing, group work, and archiving. Please also visit www.nuigalway.ie/drama/studentsalumni.