Develop your skills and aesthetic as an individual or collaborative writer for diverse forms of contemporary live performance.

The Master of Theatre (Writing) is unique in Australian theatre culture, focusing on the diversity of voices and cultures present in contemporary writing in Australia and overseas. It is closely interwoven with both the existing Master of Theatre (Directing) and Master of Theatre (Dramaturgy).

Through a combination of writing workshops, critical seminars and discussions you will develop skills in writing for the diverse contexts of live and digital performance alongside gaining a deeper understanding of the relationship between the writer and the cultural contexts in which they write. You will be equipped with the skills to develop your own writing voice in multiple forms, as well as the academic writing skills to articulate your own practice in the context of contemporary cultural and performance theory.

The program focuses on the development of a full length play - at the end of the year, each writer presents a rehearsed presentation of a full-length play to industry and public. You will also produce four other smaller performance writing projects including: writing from improvisation with acting and directing students; writing for digital mediums; adaptation of existing texts; and writing for live art projects.

A core principle of the program is collaboration, in developing this skill you will collaborate with other VCA postgraduate disciplines and engage with writers, directors, designers, choreographers, performance-makers and actors on a range of projects in an intensive training environment. As such this course also provides a unique opportunity to develop creative partnerships that can lead to future collaborations in the profession.

Who is this course for?

The Master of Theatre (Writing) is designed for writers, actors, directors, animateurs, theatre makers, designers and dramaturges, looking to broaden their knowledge and skills for diverse forms of live performance writing.

12 months full-time.

This is a 100 credit point program.

Gain the skills to conceptualise, realise and present original writing for performance and/or performance oriented projects in diverse form. And learn to evaluate, discriminate and make informed choices as part of writing practice within aesthetic domains.

Networking opportunities

Artistic collaborations with directors, choreographers, designers and other performance makers at the VCA, provide a unique opportunity to develop creative partnerships that can lead to future collaborations in your profession.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course, graduates will have developed:

• Advanced skills and expertise to conceptualise, realise and present original writing for performance and/or performance oriented projects in diverse forms
• Their capacity to evaluate, discriminate and make informed choices as part of writing practice within aesthetic domains
• Expert skills in collaborating with other theatre artists and diverse communities
• Demonstrated knowledge of problem solving abilities and flexibility of approach
• Advanced skills in articulating ideas and processes inherent in their creative work within the context of relevant artistic discourse and research.

With the skills gained from your Masters, you can take on a variety of writing styles. Professional work could include writing for theatre, dance, music theatre, opera and other cross discipline productions.

Graduate pathways

Upon completion of the program, graduates can select to undertake further study in one of our research master degrees.

In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed: either bachelor honours degree or equivalent in a cognate area; a three-year undergraduate qualification and at least 50 c

IELTS (academic English Only): 6.5 (no band less than 6.0)
TOEFL Internet-based test: 79 + ; Writing 21; Speaking 18; Reading 13; Listening 13;
Pearson Test of English Academic: 58 + no communicative skill below 50
Cambridge English: Advanced/ Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): 176 + no skill below 169.