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Email academic.registry@tcd.ieThe theatrical landscape is constantly being moulded by theatre makers who are presenting original works or reimagining classics. Critical to this process is new writings and adaptations. The Master of Fine Art degree in Playwriting at The Lir Academy offers every student the opportunity to develop and hone their unique writing skill so that each play written is the best it can be.
Through a series of skills-based writing workshops and tutorials with professional playwrights, directors and a dramaturge, the individual voice of the student writer will be nurtured and developed. Classes in dramaturgy and contemporary theatre practice will supplement the training. The course will culminate in the writing of a full-length play for the stage. Excerpts of these final works are shared in a public event with an invited audience of industry professionals.
In addition to the core classes and workshops, individual tuition from the Course Director for Playwriting will be a key feature of the training. Master classes by visiting practitioners will supplement the student experience.
The course is designed to complement the other MFA programmes - MFA Theatre Directing, MFA Theatre Producing and the MFA Stage Design (Lighting Design, Costume Design and Set Design). Students on all four programmes will work together in collaboration, developing a shared understanding of contemporary theatre practice and a collective appreciation of the dedication and commitment required to make innovative performances happen.
If you have a passion for theatre and are interested in the process of playwriting, from idea to completion, you should consider the M.F.A. in Playwriting. This course is designed to encourage, nurture and promote the individual voice of the developing writer.
This course is designed to equip students of exceptional talent with the skills necessary to pursue a career in theatre and related industries through the development of skills, professional practices and creative approaches to writing for performance.
Students may elect to take this course either full-time (12 months) or part-time (24 months).
Full-time students take modules in Theatre in Context (10 ECTS), Contemporary Theatre Practice (10 ECTS), Dramaturgy (20 ECTS), and Writing Workshop (20 ECTS) in the first two terms, and Full-Length Play (30 ECTS) module in the third term and subsequent summer months.
Students who choose to take the course part-time ordinarily complete:
Year 1: Dramaturgy (20 ECTS) and Writing Workshop (20 ECTS)
Year 2: Theatre in Context (10 ECTS), Contemporary Theatre Practice (10 ECTS), and Full-Length Play (30 ECTS).
The Play module will be taught by an ongoing series of individual tutorials.
Core modules include:
Contemporary Theatre Practice: Enables students to become conversant in the styles, forms, theories, and practices that constitute contemporary theatre making in Ireland.
Dramaturgy: Introduces students to a range of dramatic texts for the theatre or related media with an emphasis on the dramaturgical composition of those texts.
Writing Workshop: Students share their creative writing in a workshop format and receive both group feedback and individual tuition in the development of their craft.
Play: Individual supervision and showcase staged reading of a student’s full-length play.
For further information on modules/subjects, click here.
The Lir Academy's Director & CEO, Gemma Bodinetz, introduces you to the Academy.
September 2027
Graham Whybrow, MFA Course Director of Playwriting
Gavin O'Donoghue, Director of Actor Training and Postgraduate Programmes
01 March 2027
Applicants are required to possess a minimum 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree or equivalent. In place of traditional academic qualifications, applicants may be assessed for Recognition of Prior Learning.
References: applicants are normally expected to submit one academic and one professional reference. Where an academic reference is not available, candidates may submit two professional references for consideration.
Applicants must fill out all the information required on the online form, which includes the submission of two references, copies of the transcripts of previously completed education levels, and a CV.
The Lir Academy requires the documents listed below to assess an application for the course. Please note that your application cannot be assessed if we do not have these documents. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the required documents have been attached to their application.
a) Letter of Application: A letter that outlines the applicant’s theatre education and creative writing experience to date. This may also include experience in other areas of theatre. Please note, however, that applicants will require some playwriting experience to be accepted on to the course
b) Statement of Purpose: A statement outlining ambitions in terms of theatre writing. Applicants should include the role of theatre in their life, discuss their choice to follow playwriting as a career path, and demonstrate their ambition in completing further education. Applicants should also explore their ambitions in terms of creative writing style, form and medium.
c) A sample of writing in the form of a play (minimum 45 minutes reading time).
d) A portfolio of your work. This may be in the form of a website or .pdf and should contain highlights of your writing for the stage, any staging of your writing, or other written pieces. Please make sure appropriate credits are included for all information.
All applicants to Trinity are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language. Applicants to this course are required to meet Band B (Standard Entry) English language requirements for their application to be considered for shortlisting to the programme. For more details of qualifications that meet Band B, see the English Language Requirements page here.
For a full list of postgraduate fees, click here.
To apply to this course, click on the relevant Apply Link below. Please note that places on the course may fill before the application deadline, so early application is encouraged. Eligible applicants may be added to a waitlist if all places are currently filled.
+353 (0)1 896 2559
Register your interest in studying at Ireland’s leading university, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.
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Studying at the Lir has introduced me to a completely new approach to making work. It has invited me to delve deeper into my creative process, interrogating old habits, and fostering the development of new modes of learning. It has been such a delight to connect with artists throughout all MFA programmes and has paved the way for future creative partnerships to grow.
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