Directing Text and Performing Text – planned developments on the MA Advanced Theatre Practice at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Following the Conference Thomas Ostermeier: Reinventing Director’s Theatre at the Schaubühne Berlin, the MA Advanced Theatre Practice is pleased to announce the development of  two new Options – one for Directors and one for Performers – exploring  the reinvention of these two distinct roles within the context of contemporary practice.

While continuing to develop practitioners within a collaborative company-based  laboratory environment,  these new Options are designed to strengthen and refresh the provision on the course for those wishing to make new work from the perspective of these two distinct roles.  To be called Directing Text and Performing Text, participants in these Options will be working closely together, exploring synergy as well as differences in their approaches to rehearsing and performing written text.

Another inspiration for these Units will be the work of Katie Mitchell, who visited the course last session, and whose regular creative team involves a number of MA Advanced Theatre Practice alumni.

Among its alumni, the MA Advanced Theatre Practice already counts successful directors, including three winners of the James Menzies-Kitchen Award , Olivier Award nominees, and directors of established theatres such as the Traverse and the BAC. Some of these are also likely to be playing a leading role in this fresh initiative, aiming to reflect and represent recent developments in contemporary practice.