MA Collaborative Theatre
MA Collaborative Theatre Course Overview
Fourth Monkey have given me the tools to strive for success, to create innovative theatre, and to push the limits of what I thought I was capable of.
Jonathan Hawkins, 2017 Graduate
Collaborative Artists of the Future
Fourth Monkey’s MA Collaborative Theatre was designed by experienced professional directors, theatre makers, practitioners and scholars with a wealth of national and international industry experience, who are passionate about original work and the creation of the next generation of makers. The course will continue to be driven, taught and shaped by their first hand and diverse contact with the current professional landscape and their up-to-date understanding of the most relevant disciplines necessary for a sustainable professional career in the contemporary industry as it becomes increasingly cross-media, multi-disciplinary and international.
Working alongside these national and international practitioners and theatre companies, students on Fourth Monkey’s MA Collaborative Theatre course develop skills to contextualise, re-frame and challenge their artistic practice in theatre and related fields, further developing their skills and portfolio of work throughout the course.
Through the exploration of collaborative artists and their work, students on this postgraduate training course take part in practical workshops and seminars exploring skills, technique and text to develop professional practice. Within a small ensemble training environment, students receive holistic training in the processes and practices necessary to establish thriving theatre companies. This includes creating professional pitches, to funding applications, and marketing and managing a tour.
Presented as a supported and intensive year-long Research and Development process, the MA Collaborative Theatre course is designed to launch the next generation of artists, makers and creatives. The culmination of training on the course is a full student developed and led collaborative production and tour of devised, original work in professional performance settings throughout the UK, becoming a fully functioning company in the process.
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Course Delivery
You will be part of a small group of up to 12 students, so there truly is a personal approach to the training. The exchanges with our faculty, the visiting practitioners, and professional theatre companies are rich and rewarding with a view to establishing lasting professional relationships.
The MA Collaborative Theatre course runs from January to December. Throughout the training, students are expected to work independently in our studios and explore the processes and methodologies introduced to them by the visiting collaborative practitioners and companies. You will be expected to locate your own artistic practice within this wider historical, sociopolitical and international context, constructing and developing your own embodied knowledge and understanding for your developing portfolio.
You will gather the professional skills you require to take your work into the industry. Seminars and workshops will range from artistic development to production design and contemporary acting techniques, helping you to develop a sustainable and responsible arts practice that promotes longevity.
Core Modules
- Theory & Practice
- The Creative Process & Realisation
- Production & Scenography (incorporating placement opportunities)
- Research & Development
- The Functioning Company (incorporating small-scale tour)
Enhanchement
You will have the additional opportunity to participate in the professional classes and workshops of Fourth Monkey’s independent Continuing Professional Development (Evolve) programme, subject to availability. The hours from any class / workshop within this independent enhancement programme will be outside the timetable structure and in addition to what is stated in the course documentation. These sessions encompass a range of professional development opportunities including acting and performance practice classes, guest-led masterclasses, workshops, and Q & A sessions. These sessions may also build your own professional networks and industry contact base, as they continually intersect with your MA study, due to its professional, industry-focused positioning.
Please note, Fourth Monkey are cognisant of the diversity of our students and are aware that not all students are able to commit to extra-curricular activities for a variety of reasons. As such, participation on this Evolve programme is not mandatory for any student as these classes / workshops sit outside of the academic and timetabled framework. Any content therein is not essential to this MA qualification
Recent Graduate Information
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Achieved Merit or Distinction
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Achieved Pass Rate
Collaborate
- Olivier Award Winning Choreographer & Movement Director, Steven Hoggett
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Song of The Goat’s Alicja Bral
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IROKO Theatre Company founder Alex Oma-Pius
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Japanese Noh Theatre practitioner Sachi Kimura Lawson
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Peter Brook Ensemble collaborator Sean O’Callaghan
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Alice Kornitzer from The Berliner Ensemble
- Bec Martin, producer at The Vaults Festival
Onward Destinations
FAQs
Why are Fourth Monkey’s auditions free for all?
Fourth Monkey believes access to actor training starts at audition and we purposefully do not charge an audition fee for any applicant to support this mission. We have not charged auditions fees for four years now and prior to that Fourth Monkey offered 70% audition fee-wavers and the audition fee was previously fixed at £25 prior to it being removed completely in 2018.
How long has Fourth Monkey been delivering their training?
Fourth Monkey have been delivering our actor training courses since 2010. Our founders had been working with actors in training for twenty years prior to that and continue to work with our students to this day alongside our dedicated staff team and practitioners who are all working industry professionals by design. We only work with practitioners who are professionally engaged with the modern industry to ensure our training is current and relevant.
How many students do Fourth Monkey recruit for the MA Collaborative Theatre Course?
Fourth Monkey recruit a maximum of 12 students to this course.
Who is this course suitable for?
Those with a desire to work in the industry and interdisciplinary artists and collaborators. A background in acting or performance is not essential but a desire to tell stories and make art is. We actively pursue a diverse pool of students in populating this course, with a wide-ranging skill-set and backgrounds to enable the creation of genuinely original collaborative relationships and work.
Do Fourth Monkey provide student halls of residence?
Like most London institutions, Fourth Monkey do not have our own dedicated halls of residence, however our students have access to a number of student housing halls of residence in our locality, whilst a vast majority of our students will choose to live in shared student housing with others training on our courses. More information can be found on the Student Life section of our website, but we advise all students to coordinate their housing arrangements as early as possible upon acceptance to avoid disappointment or delay.
How do I fund my training on this course?
Postgraduate finance is available for eligible students. More information can be found via our Fees & Funding page. Scholarships are also available.
Do Fourth Monkey support students with learning needs or disabilities to access their training?
Yes, Fourth Monkey is an inclusive and accessible school providing inclusive training by design. Students eligible for additional support, in the form of a student disability allowance should apply as early as possible once they have decided to accept their place to enable any available support to be place for the commencement of their studies. Those students unsure of their eligibility for a disabled student allowance should check with their GP, local health care professionals or education provider to ascertain if any additional support may be available via a DSA.
Do Fourth Monkey provide welfare support for their student body?
Yes. Fourth Monkey has a dedicated Student Welfare officer to support our students with their welfare and learning support needs.
What do Fourth Monkey graduates go on to do within the industry?
Our alumnus work right across the industry in a broad range of mediums. Working on stage, film, and television both within the UK, US and internationally for companies such as Warner Bros, Dreamworks, Netflx, Sky Atlantic, HBO, RSC, National Theatre & The Globe to name a few, whilst a number of our MA Collaborative Theatre graduates in particular have also formed their own successful careers as writers, directors, producers, and theatre-makers. Refer to our alumni page for the latest news and to see where our alumni are currently working.
Academic Course Information
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