Research Degrees at East 15

As an internationally recognised drama conservatoire, East 15 promotes a variety of research methodologies including practice as research and practice-based research alongside more traditional outputs. Practice as research has a natural home within a conservatoire environment, where staff and postgraduate research benefits from engagement with industry specialists and professional practitioners.

Our staff are experts in drawing connections between exploratory practice and advanced conceptualising, process and product, making and articulating.

We have extensive links with all sectors of the theatre industry and as one of the most international drama schools in the UK, we also have a range of established international connections.

East 15 staff have expertise within fields such as actor-training, theatre-directing, immersive and participatory theatre, embodiment, and intercultural practices.  

East 15 welcome applications for postgraduate research in areas such as movement and somatics, voice studies, immersive theatre, participatory performance, intermedial/digital performance, performance art and live art, heritage and performance, site-specific theatre,  twentieth century avant-garde practice, theatre theory and philosophy, intercultural practices and training, Balinese theatre, Brazilian theatre, Shakespeare, and theatre directing. 

As a highly competitive acting conservatoire we are well equipped to cater for a range of activities and practices.

Our cutting-edge facilities, resources and support for research, offered across three campuses (Southend, Loughton, Colchester) are world class.

We are well placed to facilitate practice as research by virtue of our high-specification performance and rehearsal spaces, design studios, and infrastructure.  

PhD students will be based at Southend or Loughton depending on the location of their supervisor. However, all PhD students will be able to access the available facilities at both Loughton and Southend. 

In Southend, East 15 PhD candidates have access to a designated University of Essex PhD room in the Gateway Building. In both Southend and Loughton, PhD students will have access to hot desks, computers, on-campus libraries and printing facilities. In addition to this, PhD students will have access to:

• Performance studios to support practice as research.
• Access to book rehearsal spaces in the evening and weekends, when the spaces are not in use for undergraduate classes.
• PhD students will also be able to book spaces outside the usual undergraduate term dates, approximately 20 weeks a year.

In Loughton, facilities include over 20 rehearsal studios of various sizes and a radio and recording studio. In Southend, East 15 facilities include 16 large rehearsal studios, seminar rooms and an Apple Mac editing suite. Both campuses also have a working theatre and dance studio. 

As well as the physical resources, PhD students will have the opportunity to create connections with the acting, technical, and producing students on each campus – inviting them to take part in research activities outside of their timetabled classes and rehearsals.

At East 15, our research spans many different topics surrounding performance, stage, and theatre. Our research staff and postgraduate research students are part of  The Screen and Performance Research Network (SPERN) and also contribute to research with the Centre of Theatre Research, based in the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies.

Our PhD Drama and Performance (Practice as Research) course sees candidates assessed via practice as research, a thesis that contextualises and analyses the performance practice in relation to the research topic, and a viva voce examination.

For guidance, areas of expected practice include: theatre directing, dramaturgy, actor training, design (scenery, sound, lighting, costume), and performance art.

Learn more about our PhD Drama and Performance (Practice as Research) course.

The PhD in Drama and Performance is a conventional PhD whereby candidates are assessed via thesis and viva voce examination.

Learn more about our PhD Drama and Performance course. 

There's a lot to think about before starting to make an application for a research degree. For example, you must first be sure you know what you want to study and who with.

Our Postgraduate Research application information page will take you through all the necessary steps required for your application as well as the documents you’ll need along the way.