Hello, I’m Cerelia (she/her) and I am a Third Year BA Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance student at York. I came to York in 2022, and I’m entering 2025 feeling very old because it’s my graduation year! Let’s talk about why studying a Theatre is one of the best decisions I ever made. I’ll tell you how a theatre degree prepares you for your career or further study.
Opportunities while studying Theatre at York
The structure of the course nurtures your skills in first year and allows you to explore a multitude of areas within the theatre industry. Everything expands in Second and Third Year, and you get the opportunity to choose from a wide range of modules. You’ll get to understand how to develop practices to industry level standards. This structure focuses on how you can enhance your skills for a career. You get close guidance from lecturers and visiting practitioners. You develop exciting new skills and even discover topics you didn’t realise you were interested in!
In Second Year, studied a performance design module even though I had no experience in that area. The opportunity allowed me to widen my theatrical vocabulary. Last semester, I co-directed one of our public performances on the Main Stage module. Having the understanding of design was really helpful as a director, allowing me to collaborate with set designers more easily. Design certainly wasn’t something I saw myself doing, but what an amazing transferable skill! A course like theatre gives you the chance to try new things. You’re not restricted to one area of the industry.
A degree that fits you
Although, the course is called Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance, it’s so much more than that. It gives you the opportunity to design, produce, stage-manage on the same scale as writing, directing and performing. I haven’t just developed my skills in theatre, either. Through essays and coursework, I’ve honed my critical thinking and analytical skills. I’ve gained an in-depth understanding of how to pull detail from scripts, and present my ideas. You’ll become a confident leader and public speaker in seminars and in practical tasks.
The course is so tailored to you and your journey as a creative. Because the course is so collaborative, you’ll see your own skill set grow surrounded by inspiring people. This is very inspiring and great to learn from and work with.
Now into my final six months, I’m so glad I decided to study Theatre at York. The School of Arts and Creative Technologies is inspiring and collaborative. The staff are lovely, approachable, and have lots of industry experience. They’re great at guiding you but give you the freedom to find what you really want from your degree. It’s an inspiring place to be, and there is always something going on. The Visiting Practitioner Programme lets you connect with industry professionals, so you’re already building your network as you study.
Here comes postgraduate life!
I have been accepted to study for a Masters in Advanced Theatre Practice at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. It’s one of the best drama schools in the country, and I can’t wait to continue studying. My degree at York has many different plus sides but the contact hours, the close work with lecturers and peers alike, not to mention the consistent industry level training means I am leaving feeling set up and ready for what comes next. I hope you can see how a theatre degree prepares you for your career or further study. When I graduate, I’ll do so as a proud student of Theatre!
Cerelia (she/her)
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