MFA Theatre Directing

East 15 Acting School's MFA Theatre Directing is designed for practicing or aspiring directors seeking to establish themselves as professional theatre directors.

The course brings together a diverse mix of emerging theatre directors from the UK and around the world, under the guidance of experienced directors and professional practitioners from the UK and overseas. With strong ties to the London theatre world, you'll have access to top-tier training as well as invaluable professional networks needed to build a successful career in directing theatre.

The MFA is a two-year, full-time programme, running over 24 months. You'll undertake eight modules over six consecutive terms, followed by independent study which results in a fully resourced practical project at one of East 15's theatre performance spaces or a London theatre venue (or alternatively, your MFA Dissertation).

We offer seven to eight modules each year, of which you'll be able to choose eight. While the menu of modules varies from year to year, they cover a diverse range of directorial practices such as Shakespeare, Contemporary British Drama, Comedy, Musical Theatre and Opera, Physical Theatre, and much more.

We also run some modules overseas, most recently in Poland with the legendary Song of the Goat Theatre Company, and in Bali, involving specialist practical study in an alternative cultural environment.

Some of the highlights of this course include:

• A unique modular structure, enabling you to tailor your training to discover your own artistic voice as a theatre director.
• International module options in Bali and Poland.
• Final dissertation production project fully supported by a creative team of professional theatre artists and technicians.
• Regularly direct work with actors from our acting courses, including BA Acting, BA Acting (International), MA Acting and MFA Acting (International)
• Facilitated opportunities to connect with playwrights, designers, producers, stage managers and theatre technicians to build your creative network.
• Intensive practical training by leading professional directors in the UK.
• Daily sessions in the rehearsal studio, leading and participating in ensemble activity that is modelled on the daily practice of a working freelance theatre director.
• Opportunities to work on attachment with UK theatre companies and assistant direct in the West End or at London venues such as Hampstead Theatre, Soho Theatre, Park Theatre, Arcola Theatre, Watford Playhouse and Queens Theatre Hornchurch.
• Professional preparation sessions guiding you in how to find work, how to self-produce, and how to create your own artistic opportunities as a freelance theatre-maker
• Be a part of the largest and most established professional theatre directing programme in Europe.

Visiting artists and guest workshop leaders in the past three years have included internationally renowned artists such as:

• Thomas Ostermeier
• Mike Leigh
• Yael Farber
• Bijan Sheibani
• Rufus Norris
• Robert Icke
• John McGrath
• Grzegorz Bral
• Philip Ridley
• Lyndsey Turner
• Ultz
• Sally Cookson
• Practitioners from the UK’s leading companies such as Punchdrunk, Complicite, Gecko and Mischief Theatre.

MFA Theatre Directing is open to applicants with a background in theatre directing or related fields, and is specifically tailored to those seeking professional development in this area. Study is full-time, but some modules enable time away to pursue professional theatre work.

This course is taught at our picturesque Loughton Campus.

View more Masters courses from East 15 Acting School.

Our expert staff

Our training is by professionals and for professionals, allowing our graduates to work successfully across the globe.

Our international, outstanding teaching faculty is made up of professionals from all areas of live and recorded performance.

Learn more about our staff here.

Specialist facilities

Our Loughton Campus is perfectly located, providing access to both the rich, cultural diversity of London and an attractive and peaceful setting in which to study.

We are just a five-minute walk from London Underground station, Debden, where you can travel in only thirty minutes to Central London, West End theatres and mainline train stations including the Eurostar.

We have three sites at our Loughton Campus – Hatfields, Roding House and Unit Four. Hatfields is a beautiful Georgian dower house, set in five acres of lawns with orchards, flowerbeds and a small lake, providing an idyllic atmosphere for study, relaxation and performance.

Just a short walk from Hatfields is Roding House, a £1.3 million facility containing 10 rehearsal rooms, a green room/café, a sound recording studio and a video editing suite, and our costume department.

Next to Roding House, Unit Four is a £1.5 million facility which is home to the Stage & Production Management department. The Unit contains a large workshop, paint shop, prop shop, prop storage facilities and teaching spaces.

Our on-site Corbett Theatre is named in honour of Harry H Corbett, a key member of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and early benefactor of East 15. It is used extensively for student productions and is a practical training hub for our BA Stage and Production Management students.

The building is a medieval tithe barn that was dismantled and transported to Hatfields in the 1960s. These unusual origins create a unique performance space with a special atmosphere. Renovated to include full technical facilities, tiered seating for 130 people and fitted dressing rooms, the theatre provides an excellent resource for public productions, while the adjacent Bar and Café provides a social meeting point for students and staff.

Your future

Graduates of our MA in Theatre Directing work all over the world as professional theatre directors and Artistic Directors, as well as occupying distinguished positions in universities and leading drama schools.

We are particularly proud of the speed with which our directors create work and find employment after they leave the course. It is very common for work initiated during the course to be developed, with a further life at the London or Edinburgh Fringe. Our graduate directors regularly apply what they have learned during their training in the professional world.

The MFA degree is internationally recognized by academic institutions and is also a powerful employment tool for those seeking to run theatre degrees and drama departments across the world.

The training you receive at East 15 doesn’t simply give you the craft skills to direct plays, it also equips you with the resilience to navigate a career as a freelance artist. The course is especially suited to those who see theatre as a global language and wish to pursue their work through international collaborations and partnerships.

"The Theatre Directing course at East 15 not only trained me to become a theatre director, but also prepared me for the position of Artistic Director. During a recent interview process, I read and studied all of my notes, projects and logbook from the Artistic Director module at East 15. All of this invaluable information not only prepared me for my interview, but also gave me the confidence to pursue this highly coveted job. Finally, after three intense interviews, I was chosen for the role of Artistic Director at Theatre Orangeville. I highly recommend this course to any theatre artist and practitioner. It will change the trajectory of your career and life."

Jennifer Stewart, Artistic Director of Theatre Orangeville, Ontario, Canada

UK entry requirements

Our applicants need to undertake a successful interview, plus have a first degree with an overall 2.2, or equivalent or suitable life and/or professional expertise.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum component score of 5.5.

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Course structure

During the first six terms of your course, you'll select eight modules out of seven to eight options that we offer each year. These modules cover a wide range of directorial practices, and usually includes several of the following:

• Shakespeare
• Contemporary British Drama
• Comedy
• Musical Theatre and Opera
• Physical Theatre
• Brecht
• Techniques of Adaptation
• Improvisation and Devising Techniques
• Stanislavskian Acting Methodology
• Meyerhold and Biomechanics
• Michael Chekhov
• Rehearsal Processes and Workshops
• Collaboration with Designers
• Attachment (Assistant Director)
• The Artistic Director
• Directing for Camera

The final stage of your course is a period of independent study that results in a fully resourced practical project at one of East 15's theatre performance spaces or in a London theatre venue (or, alternatively, an MFA Dissertation).

Our carefully selected modules will give you the chance to explore and develop your specialist training.

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