University of Melbourne

Master of Theatre (Writing)

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.