Theatre is an ancient art form that enjoys continuing popularity in many societies. In Theatre and Performance Studies, we ask why this is so by exploring theatrical events, practices and ideas. Our investigations are built on understanding of the skills and approaches required to create theatre, and of the historical and cultural contexts in which people have made and watched it.

Some Theatre and Performance Studies programmes, including ours, take a broader view of the subject by studying the relationship of performance to other art forms and cultural practices. At NUS, alongside the study of theatre, we also examine media, popular culture, and performance in everyday life. As a result, Theatre and Performance Studies is a wide-ranging discipline combining creative practice, analytical inquiry, and critical thinking. Graduates leave equipped with both specialist knowledge of a living art form and the cultures it is part of, and transferable skills in communication, interpretation and imagination.

The aim of the NUS Theatre and Performance Studies curriculum is to provide a balanced education for students in all areas of theatre and performance history, production and interpretation. To graduate with a degree in Theatre and Performance Studies, all students must complete a range of courses, which are grouped under broad strands.