MA Creative Writing: Playwriting

50% of the course will be taught via masterclasses which will be held at the three theatres. These masterclasses will be taught by staff working at these theatres. The other 50% of the course, its creative writing component, will be taught at the University of Salford’s base at MediaCityUK. Part-time students will spend their first year working with the three theatres and their second year on the modules Writing Workshop and Literature in the Academic and Cultural World.

Assessment

• Participation (20%)
• Reflection (20%)
  
• Creative Work (80%)

Staff Profile

Link tutor Jennifer Tuckett is an award winning playwright who has been the joint winner of the Old Vic New Voice Theatre 503 Award. Her plays include 'Kidnapping Cameron' (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), 'I am a Superhero' (Old Vic New Voices/Theatre 503), 'Ways You Can Survive the World' (Theatre 503), and 'Lucy's Brief Guide on How to be Human' (Old Vic New Voices 24 Hour Plays). Jennifer has an MFA in Playwriting from Yale School of Drama, an MA in Creative Writing (Scriptwriting) from the University of East Anglia and a BA (Hons) in English from Cambridge University. She has pioneered new methods of industry-partnered playwriting teaching in the UK. She will be the main supervisor on all final creative projects for playwriting students.

Suzanne Bell is New Writing Associate at the Royal Exchange Theatre. She has worked with and developed a variety of writers and projects across different media and spaces in cities including London, Liverpool, Manchester, Hull, Scarborough, Birmingham, Oxford, Brighton and New York. She has worked with the British Council on development of playwrights in Turkey, Brazil and Canada. She was the first literary manager to be appointed to the Liverpool Everyman and PLayhouse and has worked as dramaturg on the development of plays by Jonathan Harvey, Tom Holloway, Lizzie Nunnery, Esther Wilson, Laurence Wilson, Nick Leather, Stephen Sharkey and Jeff Young.

Lindsay Rodden is the literary associate at the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatres. In this position, she has worked with and developed the work of numerous writers, helping them develop their playwriting skills. Lindsay also runs the theatre's young writers programme and the leading Everyword Festival of new writing.

Elizabeth Newman is the associate director at the Octagon Theatre Bolton. She runs the new writing department, co-ordinates the supplementary season of events and activities and directs main auditorium productions. Her role at the theatre also includes developing creative partnerships and managing professional placements. Since being at the Octagon Theatre Bolton, Elizabeth has directed Sweeney Todd, David Copperfield, The Wonderful World of Oz, Should Love Hurt this Much?, The Nose, A Thing Called Love Season, White Nights, Smoking is Bad for You, Seven Jewish Children, First Dates Season, The Queen of the North, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and Poetry on a Plate Recitals.

A senior playwright will be appointed by the theatres each year who will be an established UK playwright.