Postgraduate study in Shakespeare: an open day in Stratford-upon-Avon

An event for prospective postgraduate students with an interest in Shakespeare.

The University of Birmingham's Shakespeare Institute is engaged in an exciting collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at The Other Place theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

On Saturday 2 March 2019, we are opening the doors to both The Shakespeare Institute and The Other Place, and our unique collaboration, to invite prospective postgraduate students to learn more about our range of innovative study opportunities for September 2019 and beyond.

The programme will start at The Shakespeare Institute before moving to The Other Place, a short walk away, for the afternoon.

This event is for prospective postgraduate students interested in developing or advancing careers in creative or academic fields – from teaching and lecturing to writing, acting or directing – as well as anyone with an interest in Shakespeare. It will give you a taster of postgraduate study with The Shakespeare Institute, access to RSC experts and The Other Place itself, and a chance to hear first-hand what it is like to study in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Arrival at The Shakespeare Institute is from 10.15am, for a 10.45am start. The programme includes:

- An overview of the postgraduate programmes available at The Shakespeare Institute, and the opportunities for postgraduates to work with the RSC.

- A chance to attend two hour-long taster sessions with University of Birmingham and RSC practitioners. You will choose from four sessions – workshops focused on education, performance, research, or a tour of The Shakespeare Institute and Library.

- An original performance from Shakespeare and Creativity MA students, developed as part of their programme

- The opportunity to ask your own questions about postgraduate study and have them answered by current and former Shakespeare Institute students and members of University of Birmingham and RSC staff

- Practical advice on applying for, and funding, postgraduate study.

Lunch and refreshments will be available.

Taster sessions

You will have the opportunity to attend two of four taster sessions:

1. Education workshop

A practical workshop which will introduce RSC pedagogy and how RSC Education links the classroom and the rehearsal room.

This workshop is ideal for those interested in the Shakespeare and Education MA.

2. Performance workshop

A practical workshop in which participants will explore how the spirit of ensemble can be developed in an RSC rehearsal room.

This workshop is ideal for those interested in the Shakespeare and Creativity MA.

3. Research workshop

This introduction to Shakespearean research will take the form of an illustrative MA seminar (no prior knowledge required!), and a discussion of the route from MA research through to PhD and beyond.

This workshop is ideal for those interested in the Shakespeare and Theatre MA/Diploma, or Shakespeare Studies MA/MA by Research/PhD.

4. Tour of The Shakespeare Institute and Library

This tour will introduce you to the facilities available to you at The Shakespeare Institute, including our specialist library which is home to around 60,000 volumes, archives, manuscripts and audio-visual collections.

As part of the registration process, you are asked to specify your preferred taster sessions, and we will allocate you places for each session based on this.