BA Creative Writing and Theatre

Develop and hone your writing skills, and explore the complex interplay between live performance and audience, with our BA Creative Writing and Theatre course.

Taught jointly by the Department of English Literature and the Department of Film, Theatre and Television, on this course you will:

• explore your creative writing in small peer groups
• examine theatre in its various contexts: as popular entertainment, theoretical discipline and art form
• have the opportunity to develop your practical theatre skills.

Creative writing and theatre complement each other perfectly. Exploring a breadth of dramatic work and analysing creative choices will support the development of your own creative writing. Optional practical work will enhance your ability to create compelling characters and narratives.

Creative writing

Creative writing allows you to explore your creativity from all angles: creating characters, shaping poems, drawing on your imagination. 

We offer a specially curated group of English literature modules that are designed to complement your creative writing. You’ll gain knowledge of a variety of literary, dramatic and film texts, from a range of different periods. This course aims to foster your independent thinking, using the close reading and analytical skills that are fundamental to both English literature and theatre.

We place a strong emphasis on small-group learning within a friendly and supportive environment. Workshops are central to our creative writing community, helping you to form relationships with your peers and feel more confident about your work.

Your learning environment

Modules are taught by practising, published authors who have strong links with professional writing communities. We regularly invite authors to read from their work and participate in teaching.

We’ll help you develop your creative writing skills in a variety of settings:

• lectures concentrate on specific, practical issues such as how to construct a character or tackle a specific literary form
• seminars involve small group discussions, led by one of the teaching team, with short practical writing exercises
• workshops allow you to explore and develop your writing in small peer groups.

94% of students in the Department of English Literature said our teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things (National Student Survey, 2023).

Creative community

The Department of English Literature fosters a creative writing community that is friendly, cohesive and committed. As well as learning from lecturers, you’ll learn from each other by sharing your work in progress. Outside the classroom, you can share your ideas with the University’s creative writing group, Scribblers, which is run by and for students from across the University.

You will also have the opportunity to publish your own work – and gain experience in editing and publishing – by participating in our annual Creative Writing Anthology.

Theatre

On your theatre modules, you will analyse and discuss the plays that you love with the opportunity to learn practical skills for your future career.

During your studies at Reading you will:

• discover how directors, designers, writers and other theatre artists respond to and shape our rapidly changing world
• explore the histories and techniques of devising, producing, designing and directing
• learn how theatre works as an expression of real-world issues.

Through our partnerships and connections with the contemporary creative world, you will gain a rich and critically informed knowledge of the techniques that are shaping creative practice today.

You’ll have the opportunity to participate in group-based practical work, which will help you develop your creativity, storytelling and practical skills.

A key benefit of studying at Reading is our close proximity to London – undoubtedly the UK’s premier hub for all things film and theatre. You will have numerous opportunities to visit theatres and see performances as part of your degree.

Theatre facilities

Combine the study of ground-breaking theory with practical application, using our purpose-built £11m Minghella Studios facilities that feature:

• three theatre spaces
• a multi-camera film and TV studio
• a digital cinema
• dedicated recording studio and mixing suite.

Placements with BA Creative Writing and Theatre

Our innovative placement scheme gives you the chance to undertake an academic placement in commerce, industry or the arts. You can also take a placement module on languages and literature in heritage, in education, in theatre, and in the media.

Students on our Literature, Languages and Education module also undertake a short placement to explore the ways in which the skills and knowledge gained in their studies have direct application to the workplace.

Study abroad

In your second year, you can spend a semester studying abroad at one of our partner institutions in the USA, Canada, Australia, or countries across Europe. To find out more, visit our Study Abroad site.