Undertaking PhD study gives you the opportunity to engage with an area of drama, theatre, or performance in depth and at an advanced level. East 15 Acting School, with its growing research profile and internationally recognised research quality is an obvious home for such research.
At East 15, research degree students will undertake one of two paths of enquiry. The PhD in Drama and Performance is a conventional PhD whereby candidates are assessed via thesis and viva voce examination. For the PhD Drama and Performance (Practice-as-Research) course, candidates are assessed via practice-as-research, a thesis that contextualises and analyses the performance practice in relation to the research topic, and a viva voce examination. For guidance, areas of expected practice include: theatre directing, dramaturgy, actor training, design (scenery, sound, lighting, costume), and performance art.
Why we’re great.
- As a highly competitive acting conservatoire we are well equipped to cater for a range of activities and practices.
- We have extensive links with all sectors of the theatre industry and as one of the most international drama schools in the UK, we also have a range of established international connections.
- Our staff undertake many forms of research including practice-as-research and text-based enquiry and are experts in drawing connections between exploratory practice and advanced conceptualising, process and product, making and articulating.
Our expert staff
Our staff undertake many forms of research including practice-as-research and text-based enquiry, and are experts in drawing connections between exploratory practice and advanced conceptualising, process and product, making and articulating. We have extensive links with all sectors of the theatre industry and as one of the most international drama schools in the UK, we also have a range of established international connections.
Staff research specialisms include world performance, actor-training and audience reception. Our staff are undertaking research in areas such as movement and somatics in actor training, voice, immersive and participatory performance, intermedial performance, performance art, twentieth century avant-garde practice, intercultural training and practice, Balinese theatre, Brazilian theatre, Shakespeare and theatre directing.
Specialist facilities
As a highly competitive acting conservatoire we are well equipped to cater for a range of activities and practices. Our cutting-edge facilities, resources and support for research, offered across three campuses (Southend, Loughton, Colchester) are world class. We are well placed to facilitate practice-as-research by virtue of our high-specification performance and rehearsal spaces, design studios, and infrastructure.
PhD students will be based at Southend or Loughton depending on the location of their supervisor. However, all PhD students will be able to access the available facilities at both Loughton and Southend.
In Southend, East 15 PhD candidates have access to a designated University of Essex PhD room in the Gateway Building. In both Southend and Loughton, PhD students will have access to hot desks, computers, on-campus libraries and printing facilities.
In addition to this, PhD students will have access to:
- Performance studios to support practice-as-research.
- Access to book rehearsal spaces in the evening and weekends, when the spaces are not in use for undergraduate classes.
- PhD students will also be able to book spaces outside the usual undergraduate term dates, approximately 20 weeks a year.
In Loughton, facilities include over 20 rehearsal studios of various sizes and a radio and recording studio. In Southend, East 15 facilities include 16 large rehearsal studios, seminar rooms and an Apple Mac editing suite. Both campuses also have a working theatre and dance studio.
As well as the physical resources, PhD students will have the opportunity to create connections with the acting, technical, and producing students on each campus – inviting them to take part in research activities outside of their timetabled classes and rehearsals.
Entry requirements
UK entry requirements
You are required to have a 2:1 honours degree in any discipline, or international equivalent, and a Masters degree in Drama, Performance or a related field, or to have equivalent professional experience. A well developed research proposal is also essential.
Applicants who do not hold the above qualifications will be considered on a case by case basis .
International & EU entry requirements
We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.
ALBANIA
ALGERIA
ANDORRA
ANGOLA
ANTIGUA AND BARBUADA
ARGENTINA
ARMENIA
ARUBA
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
AZERBAIJAN
BAHAMAS
BAHRAIN
BANGLADESH
BARBADOS
BELARUS (BYELORUSSIA)
BELGIUM
BELIZE
BENIN
BERMUDA
BHUTAN
BOLIVIA
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
BOTSWANA
BRAZIL
BRUNEI
BULGARIA
BURKINA FASO
BURUNDI
CAMBODIA (KAMPUCHEA, KHMER R)
CAMEROON
CANADA
CAPE VERDE ISLANDS
CENTRAL AFRICAN REP
CHAD
CHILE
CHINA
COLOMBIA
COMOROS
CONGO
CONGO (DEM REB, ZAIRE)
COSTA RICA
CROATIA
CUBA
CYPRUS
CZECH REPUBLIC
DENMARK
DJIBOUTI
DOMINICA
DOMINICAN REP
EAST TIMOR
ECUADOR
EGYPT
EL SALVADOR
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
ERITREA
ESTONIA
ETHIOPIA (ABYSSINIA)
FIJI
FINLAND
FRANCE
GABON
GAMBIA
GEORGIA
GERMANY
GHANA
GIBRALTAR
GILBERT ISLANDS (KIRIBATI)
GREECE
GRENADA
GUATEMALA
GUIANA, FRENCH
GUINEA
GUINEA BISSAU
GUYANA
HAITI
HONDURAS
HONG KONG
HUNGARY
ICELAND
INDIA
INDONESIA
IRAN (ISLAMIC REP)
IRAQ
IRELAND, REP
ISRAEL
ITALY
IVORY COAST
JAMAICA
JAPAN
JORDAN
KAZAKHSTAN
KENYA
KOREA SOUTH
KOSOVO
KUWAIT
KYRGYZSTAN (KIRGIZIA)
LAOS
LATVIA
LEBANON
LESOTHO
LIBERIA
LIBYA
LIECHTENSTEIN
LITHUANIA
LUXEMBOURG
MACEDONIA. ALSO SKOPJE
MADAGASCAR (MALAGASY REP)
MALAWI
MALAYSIA
MALDIVE ISLANDS
MALI
MALTA
MARSHALL ISLANDS
MAURITANIA
MAURITIUS
MEXICO
MOLDOVA
MONACO
MONGOLIA, OUTER
MONTENEGRO
MONTSERRAT
MOROCCO
MOZAMBIQUE
MYANMAR (formerly Burma)
NAMIBIA
NAURU
NEPAL
NETHERLANDS (HOLLAND)
NEW ZEALAND
NICARAGUA
NIGER
NIGERIA
NORWAY
OMAN (MUSCAT AND OMAN)
PAKISTAN
PALESTINE
PANAMA
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
PARAGUAY
PERU
PHILIPPINES
POLAND
PORTUGAL (MADEIRA, AZORES)
QATAR
ROMANIA
RUSSIA
RWANDA
SAMOA (WESTERN)
SAN MARINO
SAUDI ARABIA
SENEGAL
SERBIA
SEYCHELLES
SIERRA LEONE
SINGAPORE
SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA
SOLOMON ISLANDS
SOMALI REPUBLIC
SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH GEORGE & STH SANDWICH IS
SOUTH SUDAN
SPAIN
SRI LANKA (CEYLON)
ST. KITTS AND NEVIS
ST. LUCIA
ST. VINCENT
SUDAN
SURINAM
SWAZILAND
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
SYRIA
TAIWAN
TAJIKISTAN
TANZANIA
THAILAND
TOGO
TONGA
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
TUNISIA
TURKEY
TURKMENISTAN
TUVALU, ALSO ELLICE ISLANDS
UGANDA
UKRAINE
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
UNITED STATES
URUGUAY
UZBEKISTAN
VANUATU
VENEZUELA
VIETNAM, SOC REP
YEMEN (PDR,ADEN,SOCOTRA)
ZAMBIA
ZIMBABWE
Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Graduate Admissions team at pgquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you will need IELTS 7.0 overall with 6.5 in writing and 5.5 in all other components.
Structure
Course structure
PhD programmes do not have structured teaching. Students are supervised by a supervisory team and monitored according to key milestones.
We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.
Teaching
During the first year of their PhD programme, candidates will be expected to undertake required skills training and to develop an in-depth plan and timetable for undertaking their research within a three-year period. Students will start to collect research material, define their methodology, and be able to contextualise their research in relation to existing literature and practice.
Before entry into the second year, candidates will have a Confirmation Board, which reviews the candidate’s progress and determines whether the quality of research is at PhD level. After the student’s candidature is confirmed, they will continue to undertake the body of their research investigation.
In the third-year, students should be working to complete all elements of their submission.
Assessment
Practice-as-research (50%), 30,000-40,000 word thesis (50%) and viva voce examination.
Fees and funding
Home/UK fee
£4,786 per year
International fee
£18,750 per year
Fees will increase for each academic year of study.
At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.
The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.
