Theatre and Performance Studies Courses

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Theatre and Performance Studies offers a wide range of courses in contemporary approaches to thinking about performance, as well as thinking through practice. Undergraduate courses are grouped in three strands:

  • Framing Histories
  • Cultures in Practice
  • Researching Performance

Courses focus on specific theatre and performance cultures, histories, movements, practices and ideas, such as pre-modern Asian theatres, cinematic and digital practices, popular culture, cultural performance in Asia and applied theatre. Across the range from introductory courses (including General Education courses) to more specialised topics, the courses share a common commitment to understanding how theatre is made and the contexts in which it has significance for its communities.

One of the most distinctive things about Theatre and Performance Studies is the range of activities it entails. At NUS, these diverse kinds of learning include:
• Lectures and seminars
• Workshops, practical sessions and group projects
• Working on productions and creating performances
• Field trips to the theatre and other events
• Independent study and thesis writing
• Practice research with staff members
• Internships with professional companies and arts institutions

Unless otherwise stated, all level 1000–6000 courses carry 4 units.

Level 4000HM coded courses carry 5 units each (for Cohort 2020 and before).

For more information on the courses below, please consult Canvas or contact the course lecturer.

Courses offered in AY2025/2026 Semester 1

Maiya MURPHY

This course will provide students with foundational knowledge of the different aspects of, approaches and discursive contexts relating to the study and praxis of theatre and performance. The course will also introduce students to the various forms of classical and contemporary performance practices and their attendant modes of analyses: combining play analysis, theatre history & theory. Using complementary content-centred lectures and practice laboratory, the course creates an environment where students simultaneously engage with course content while investigating its relations to the creation of theatre and performance.

Strand: Non-stranded
Pre-requisite: Exempted from NUS Qualifying English Test, or passed NUS Qualifying English Test, or exempted from further CELC Remedial English courses.

Courses offered in AY2025/2026 Semester 2