MFA in Writing Drama

Train at one of the UK’s best conservatoires
RWCMD is considered one of the top places to study drama in the UK. With our MFA in Writing Drama, you’ll learn the intellectual, practical and collaborative tools needed to create modern drama as well as the skills to navigate the writing profession after you graduate.

No other drama school prepares you for industry by helping you develop a slate of potential works alongside a full-length, long-form script.

World-class tuition from industry leaders
You’ll benefit from regular teaching by experts working at the forefront of their fields and exclusive masterclasses led by visiting creatives with impressive credits to their name. Writers who have visited or worked with RWCMD include Roy Williams, Penelope Skinner, David S Goyer, Phillip Ridley, Isley Lynn, Inua Elams, Hugo Blick, Aaron Posner, Dennis Kelly and Simon Stephens. 

Small classes and personalised mentorship
You’ll be one of around 10 students in your group, so you’ll get a high level of contact and support from your tutors throughout the course. 

Collaborations with other creatives across the College
You’ll also work regularly with our MFA in Directing, MFA in Voice, Speech and Text Coaching, and MFA in Movement Direction students, as well as with the College’s wider drama and music community.

Industry links with leading media and arts organisations
As Wales’s national conservatoire, we have partnerships with some of the most prestigious arts and media organisations in the UK – such as Sherman Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, Bad Wolf, Fiction Factory, Paines Plough, Young Vic and BBC Radio Drama Wales. Some offer placements (for example, as an in-house dramaturg or general writer of drama outlines) that are open to our MFA students. 

Professional experience to advance your career
Industry placements, and those offered by the College, allow you to put into practice what you’ll learn under the mentorship of experienced professionals or teams, build your network of industry contacts and potentially open up employment opportunities.

Live in Wales’s capital city
You’ll train in the heart of Cardiff – a dynamic capital city and a hub of creativity in Wales, a nation known for its coastline, its countryside and its poetry. From linking up with other writers to networking with numerous local production companies or showcasing your work at live events, the city offers ample opportunities to grow as a writer and make your mark.

Study in a vibrant arts centre environment
Acclaimed artists and groups visit our campus every year as part of our internationally recognised public performance programme of opera, musical theatre, orchestral concerts and award-winning drama. We encourage you to attend as many of these events as you can, and they’re all available to you for free or at a reduced rate. 

Explore diverse styles, methods and formats
You’ll train on a course designed from the outset to include styles of drama and methods of writing from across the world – those that look beyond traditional mainstream drama to new formats like computer gaming and shortform.

Rigorous training that challenges and inspires
This course is intense and very practical, with around 21 hours of teaching in the classroom or studio per week. Much of that is focused on the craft of writing with professional projects to put it into practice – alongside a broader understanding of how we make contemporary drama to give you a solid understanding of the sector and find your place and voice within it.

Showcasing bold new voices
We have a tradition of championing new writing, and often commission our graduates to write material for our events and productions. We were the first drama school to present a season of co-commissioned work in London with companies like Royal Court, New Vic, Paines Plough and Sherman Theatre. More than 40 plays have been produced, alongside annual short film commissions for our acting projects.

• Collaboration runs through the entire length of this MFA, setting it apart from other courses of its kind. You’ll learn by working with others, such as actors, designers, directors, theatre technicians, composers and musicians, evolving into an ensemble artist – essential in today’s industry – as well as a writer.
  
• You’re likely to see your writing come to life through collaboration with students on our directing and acting courses – for example, through writing scenes for short films or projects. This gives you the chance to experience how your work interacts with a creative process such as rehearsal with actors and directors or production design.
  
• You’ll be on your feet as much as you’ll be behind a computer screen or in a lecture hall, exploring both practical and intellectual techniques to create material and understand your place in the drama-making pipeline.
• You’ll have the chance to collaborate on projects within RWCMD or a professional company that produce real outputs – such as pitching creative ideas, generating material, proofing and script analysis, dramaturgy or editing.

Our admissions team is happy to help with any questions about our entry requirements, interviews or life at RWCMD. Email admissions@rwcmd.ac.uk to get started.

Join a community of passionate, talented artists at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Whether you’re preparing for a career as a freelance screenwriter or looking to join a leading UK theatre company, your path starts here.