PhD (Theatre Performance)
Course Overview
Candidates will be required to submit an original performance project and a critical commentary. The performance will normally be in one of the following practice genres: directing, theatre making, dramatic writing, or theatre design. The outcome will be either a directed performance, a created performance work, a written dramatic work for an actual performance, or a series of designs and models for an actual performance. The project will constitute about 60% of the course and the critical commentary will form approximately 40%.
The critical commentary will be an explication and analysis of the performance research project and will address methodological and theoretical issues that arise during the research investigation. The project will normally be 60–90 minutes in length and the commentary 30,000–35,000 words. The combined equivalent word total will be in the vicinity of 80,000 words and will not exceed 100,000 words.
Entry Requirements
The minimum qualifications for admission to PhD candidature are:
- a four year Australian or New Zealand bachelors degree with an overall result of H2A or above (normally with a research component in the fourth year) or
- an Australian or New Zealand masters preliminary qualification with a significant research component and with an overall result of H2A or above or
- an Australian or New Zealand coursework masters degree with a significant research component graded at Distinction or above, and an overall result of H2A or above or
- an Australian or New Zealand research masters degree with an overall result of H2A or above or
- a qualification considered equivalent to one of the above (a minimum of a Bachelors degree with substantial professional experience in the field).
An explanation of the grades H2A (70+) and Distinction is available from the Monash University Grading Scale Policy.
If you apply as an International Student, you will also need to check the following pages:
Applying
All applicants must submit evidence of practical work in the field in a portfolio which will include the following:
- A representative selection of the candidate’s performance work, in the practice genre in which the candidate proposes to work (i.e. playtexts, performance texts, production photographs, visual recordings, designs for performance).
- A research proposal of 2–3 pages addressing the following headings:
- Research question
- Background to the research
- Aims of the research
- Methodologies of the research
- Examples of comparative practice as research and associated literature
- Proposed structure of the performance project
- A covering letter explaining the candidate’s interest in the degree and a CV outlining the candidate’s professional interests, previous performance projects, and publications if any.
Note: Work submitted in the portfolio for admission may not be part of the work submitted for examination.
See the How to Apply for an Arts PhD page.