Close icon
Close icon

Drama & Theatre Studies

About

The Department of Drama & Theatre Studies at Mary Immaculate College was established in June 2015 with Dr Michael Finneran as the founding Head of Department.

Undergraduate Level

At undergraduate level, we offer a number of pathways to study drama and theatre. The BA in Drama and English (MI010) is offered in conjunction with the Dept of English Language and Literature. It offers students a unique and exciting degree in these subjects that will develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and excellent writing and communication skills. The department offers Drama & Theatre Studies to full degree level on the joint honours BA in Liberal Arts (MI002) programme, which allows drama to be studied to degree level alongside one of thirteen other subjects.

Postgraduate Level

Our full-time faculty conduct and supervise research in a number of aspects of drama and theatre studies, particularly in contemporary theatre and performance practices, applied drama and theatre, theatre for young audiences, performance studies and practice as research. We are home to an ever-expanding range of research studies at PhD level.

Studying Drama at MIC

Mary Immaculate College has rapidly become one of the most desirable places in Ireland to study drama at third level. Our campus is rich in artistic provision, and our relationship with visiting artists and our two linked professional venues (Lime Tree Theatre and Belltable) is central to our teaching and research. Our drama programmes are designed to accommodate all students passionate about drama, including those who wish to pursue a career in performance.

Check out our social media pages for all up to date information about us and events in the department:

Facebook.com/DramaTheatreMIC

Twitter.com/dramatheatremic

Instagram.com/DramaTheatreMIC

Contact
Head of Department
Dr Michael Finneran
+353 61 204976

Subject Overview

Undergraduate Programme Modules

  1. BA in Drama and English (MI010)

    Full programme details, including entry requirements, can be found on the MI010 programme page.

  2. Drama & Theatre Studies offered as a full subject on the BA in Liberal Arts (MI002)

    Full programme details, including entry requirements, can be found on the MI002 programme page.

BA in Drama and English (MI010) Modules

Semester 1 (Year 1)
Introduction to Drama, Theatre and Performance
Modern Irish Theatre (1601 - 1960)
Introduction to Literature 1
Adaption: Page to Stage and Screen
Semester 2 (Year 1)
Introduction to Acting and Ensemble
Contemporary European and World Theatre
Introduction to Literature 2
Literature and Drama of the "Long" Eighteenth Century
Semester 3 (Year 2)
Contemporary Irish Theatre (1960 - Today)
Scenography and Technical Theatre
The Novel in the 20th and 21st centuries
Utopian and Dystopian Literature
Students to select 1 of the following:
Introduction to Devising Theatre
Critiquing Theatre
Cultural Policy and Administration
Musical Theatre in Performance
Ensemble Performance Elective 1
Development of Modern Drama
Teaching English as a Foreign Language 1
Semester 4 (Year 2)
Performance and Music
Applied and Social Theatre
Irish Poetry and Prose in English
Literature and Society
Students to select 1 of the following:
History of Theatre and Performance
Drama and Theatre Education
Contemporary Theories of Performance
Masks and Puppetry in Performance
Storytelling and Poetry in Performance
Ensemble Performance Elective 2
Teaching English as a Foreign Language 2
Semester 5 (Year 3)
Students to select 1 of the following:
Placement 1
Study Abroad Semester 1
Semester 6 (Year 3) 
Students to select 1 of the following:
Placement 2
Study Abroad Semester 2
Semester 7 (Year 4)
Core Ensemble Performance
Literary Modernism
Interpreting Literature
Undergraduate Research Project 1
Semester 8 (Year 4)
Directing and Writing for Theatre
Young People, Education, and Theatre
Romantic Literature in English
Elizabethan/Jacobean Theatre: Shakespearean Drama and its Contexts
Undergraduate Research Project 2

 

BA in Liberal Arts (Drama & Theatre Studies) (MI002) Modules

 

Year 1
DT4711: Introduction to Drama, Theatre and Performance (6 Credits)
DT4714: Contemporary European & World Theatre (6 Credits)
Year 2
DT4715: Ensemble and Devising in Theatre (6 Credits)
DT4714: Contemporary Irish Theatre 1 (6 Credits)
DT4722: Social & Applied theatre (6 Credits)
DT4754: Performance & Music (6 Credits)
Year 3
OC4310: Off Campus Placement Programme 1 (30 Credits)
OC4320: Off Campus Placement Programme 1 (30 Credits)
Year 4
DT4733: Contemporary Irish Theatre 2 (6 Credits)
DT4747: Directing & Writing for Theatre (6 Credits)
DT4767: Undergraduate Dissertation 1 (6 Credits)
DT4728: Contemporary Performance Theory (6 Credits)
DT4734: Storytelling & Poetry in Performance (6 Credits)
DT4758: Undergraduate Dissertation 2 (6 Credits)

 

Staff

Dr Michael Finneran

B Ed (DCU), MA, PhD (Warwick)
Senior Lecturer & Head of Department
  • Phone: +353 61 204976
  • Email: Michael.Finneran@mic.ul.ie
  • Location: SG11, Summerville House

Dr David Clare

BA (Boston University), MA (UCD) and PhD (UCD)
Lecturer
  • Phone: +353 61 774752
  • Email: David.Clare@mic.ul.ie
  • Location: R106

Dr Brian Desmond


Teaching Fellow in Drama and Theatre Studies
  • Phone: +353 61 204502
  • Email: Brian.Desmond@mic.ul.ie
  • Location: S106

Dr Fiona McDonagh

BA (Drama & Theatre Studies) (St Mary's University, London); H-Dip (Arts Administration) (NUIG); MA (Drama & Theatre Studies) (NUIG); PhD (MIC)
Lecturer
  • Phone: +353 61 774751
  • Email: Fiona.McDonagh@mic.ul.ie
  • Location: S106

Past Conferences

Irish Society for Theatre Research (ISTR) Annual Conference 2019

Mary Immaculate College hosted the 2019 ISTR Conference.

The conference theme: Conversations Through Time: Intersectional, Intergenerational, Interdisciplinary

Keynote Speakers:

  • Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick, University of Ulster
  • Dr. Emilie Pine, University College Dublin

Theatre and performance practices have often been called upon as ways to understand contemporary discourses. Now more than ever academics and theatremakers need to use art and the analyses of various mediums to explore and explain the world in which we live. This conference sought to provide a platform for discursive practise to allow for conversations on how we engage with, and interpret given narratives, through the broad spectrum of theatre practice and performance types. Through promoting such conversation this conference sought to generate new links between theatre and performative practice in light of the current international discourse.

Full more about the 2019 ISTR Conference click here.

Irish Women Playwrights and Theatremakers Conference

Mary Immaculate College hosted the Irish Women Playwrights and Theatremakers Conference in 2017.

Keynote Speakers:

  • Ursula Rani Sarma, playwright
  • Dr. Cathy Leeney (UCD)
  • Dr. Melissa Sihra (TCD)
  • Dr. Mária Kurdi (University of Pécs)

The conference was organised to highlight the vital, frequently overlooked contributions that women have made to Irish theatrical life from the eighteenth century to the present.

Full details about the Irish Women Playwrights and Theatremakers Conference available here.

Departmental Assistantships

Departmental Assistantships in Drama & Theatre Studies 2023

Details of the competition for Departmental Assistantships in Drama & Theatre Studies 2023 here.

The deadline for receipt of application is 5pm on Wednesday 31 May 2023.

Please forward all queries to the Head of Department, Dr Michael Finneran: Michael.Finneran@mic.ul.ie

  • About
  • Subject Overview
  • Staff
  • Past Conferences
  • Departmental Assistantships
  • Departmental Handbook 2022-2023