Studying the MLitt in Playwriting and Screenwriting
Creative Writing has thrived at St Andrews since Douglas Dunn set up the MLitt degree in 1993. In 2015, a new MLitt in Playwriting and Screenwriting was inaugurated by Zinnie Harris and Oliver Emanuel, who died in 2023 aged 43 from brain cancer, to enhance and develop the University’s already impressive reputation for writing excellence.
The aim of the programme is to provide intensive critical and creative study in writing for stage, radio and screen with an emphasis on best practice in recent and contemporary writing, and to encourage the development of students' original work. Applicants should be adept at academic study as well as their own writing, and will be taught by professional playwrights and screenwriters who are familiar with the problems, pressures and pleasures of writing.
Students may choose to convert their degree to the MFA and study for a second year (assuming that they have achieved satisfactory progress in the MLitt coursework).
What you'll study
Students undertake a compulsory module in Research Skills for Creative Writers and two further core modules in playwriting and screenwriting. The MLitt concludes with the submission of a dissertation, which takes the form of original writing.
The programme is designed as a gateway to working in the industry, whether students intend to write for stage, radio or the screen. In addition to excellent teaching from award-winning and international writers, emphasis is put on networking and learning from real experience in the rehearsal room. Teaching takes place in the Byre Theatre, a professional working theatre at the heart of St Andrews and its cultural life – the only course that is run within this unique setting.
In recent years, students have been taken to rehearsals at the National Theatre of Scotland, the Citizens Theatre, the Traverse Theatre and to recording at BBC Maida Vale. Additionally, Joe Douglas (acting Artistic Director of Dundee Rep), David Greig (Artistic Director of the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh), Kirsty Williams (BBC Radio Drama), and Stephen Greenhorn (screenwriter – Sunshine on Leith and River City) have worked with students, providing insights and tips from their years of professional experience. The connections students made will stand them in good stead as they go forward to write professionally.
Students are trained in how to read a script and make a script report so they can go on and offer this as a skill to a theatre.
The focus of the first semester is playwriting. A selection of the best contemporary plays is used as a tool for learning as well as discussion of the current theatre scene. Teaching time is divided into character work, visual storytelling, structure, dialogue and the internal architecture of a play. In addition, every week there is a two-hour dramaturgy session where students’ own work is read aloud and critiqued by the group. The assessed submissions through the semester are designed to allow students to hone and develop the fundamental skill of playwriting whilst developing their unique voice as a playwright.
In the second semester, the idea of the voice and what a play can and should be saying is built upon. Students explore work for younger audiences and writing for radio, working on synopses and how to make an approach to a theatre or TV or film company before turning to screenwriting for the second half of the semester when Zinnie Harris leads workshops on how successful screenwriters use viewpoint to create an intimacy with their characters, and how screenwriters work with symbols and myth. Jillian Mannion leads classes in structuring for TV and feature films. Students also explore TV thriller-writing, as well as adaptation from novel to screen. The semester culminates in a final written submission of a 30-minute screenplay adapted from a short story.
The MLitt in Playwriting and Screenwriting has been running for six years and has received excellent feedback from all cohorts of writers. A number of graduates have gone on to win prizes and commissions for their work, including the David MacLennan Prize and the Tron Theatre Mayfesto Residency. All alumni are expected to go on with their writing in the professional world.
Contact
School of English
University of St Andrews
Castle House
The Scores
St Andrews
KY16 9AL
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2668
Email: pgeng@st-andrews.ac.uk
Publications by staff teaching this course
Why choose St Andrews?
St Andrews was one of the first universities in the world to teach English literature. Today, the School of English is ranked 1st in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2024 and we enjoy an international reputation for excellence as a centre for academic research and literary creativity.
Our Masters programmes span the history of English literature from the Medieval period to the present, explore works from diverse literary cultures drawn from across the world, and cultivate the next generation of creative writers, poets and playwrights.
You will be part of a vibrant scholarly community of more than 120 postgraduate students from around the globe and over 30 permanent members of staff with expertise in a range of specialisms. By joining one or more of our Research Groups you will have the opportunity to work with the School’s outstanding academic researchers, visiting speakers, and fellow postgraduates in research seminars, lectures and workshops.
Our Creative Writing and Playwriting/Screenwriting classes are taught by award-winning novelists, poets and playwrights with strong links to the University-managed Byre Theatre and the StAnza Poetry Festival.
As a postgraduate scholar at St Andrews, you will have access to rare books and manuscripts in the Library’s Special Collections, an archive built up since the 15th century.
The School does not make any formal distinction between academic and creative staff; many staff publish both academic and creative work, and also teach in both contexts. This means that creative writing has found a natural home in the University as an academic discipline, and the School encourages students to use its research environment as a means of pursuing their dedication to their craft.
The School of English also believes that knowledge is best imparted by those working in the same discipline and at the highest level: all the School's writers have national and international reputations, and are regarded as leaders in their individual fields. All are dedicated teachers with a passion for their art.
In addition, the ancient town of St Andrews – with its pristine beaches, castles and historic buildings, its constantly changing seascapes and cloudscapes – is simply a beautiful and inspiring place for any writer to work.
Student testimonials
"The MLitt at St Andrews offers sustained engagement with teaching staff, who have helped me to find out who I am as a playwright. Rather than holding up rules of writing, I have been provided with an open and discursive environment in which to develop my own toolkit as a dramatic writer.
Crucially, those tools are human as well as dramaturgical: they give a robust understanding of conventions of plot, structure, character, tone, but they have also equipped me with a resilience and a curiosity about dramatic writing which have been invaluable in my professional development."
- Ryan (Glasgow, Scotland) - 2019
"The School of English offers great facilities to postgraduates. Writing for Performance modules are taught in the Byre Theatre which gives the students an opportunity to experience what it means to work in a professional theatre.
However, in my opinion, this course’s best asset is its teaching. Zinnie Harris and Oliver Emanuel are both very successful and prolific playwrights with a vast knowledge of both the craft of writing for performance and the entertainment industry. This permits them to deliver a very high standard of teaching while understanding the challenges facing young writers and being able to always provide useful insight. Additionally, we were also delighted to host a variated range of visiting speakers which included theatre critic Mark Brown and radio producer Kristy Williams. We also had the incredible opportunity to have our scripts read and developed by professional actors and directed by the artistic director of The Citizens’ Theatre, Dominic Hill and the artistic director of The Traverse Theatre, Orla O'Loughlin during development days.
Overall, taking this course has made a huge impact on my writing skills as well as on my confidence as a writer. The amount of teaching hours, time for writing, and workshops is well balanced and gave me the opportunity to learn the craft while giving me the time to explore my own writing."
- Alice (Tayside, Scotland) - 2017
"The MLitt Writing for Performance degree has been invaluable to my artistic career. The opportunity to have regular, detailed feedback on my work was such a privilege and it really pushed me to progress as a playwright. The tutors were unbelievably supportive, encouraging and inspiring throughout, and taught me so much about the industry as well as the craft. Since graduating, I have been commissioned to write for youth theatres (Lyceum, Strange Town), selected for writing festivals and development programmes (Dundee Rep, Hampstead), and self-produced my own plays (Assembly Roxy) – all as a result of the skills, contacts and creativity I cultivated during this course."
- Isla (Edinburgh, Scotland) - 2018
"The MLitt course at St Andrews is a fantastic introduction to the playwriting and screenwriting industry. Oliver and Zinnie both offer constant support and feedback on new writing, going out of their way to bring out the best in their students. Support from tutors who are very much part of the industry itself is something that sets this course apart from the others. The opportunity to meet professional screenwriters, playwrights and directors has given me an insight into the industry that cannot be attained from simply studying in the classroom.
All students had the opportunity to develop their work with a professional director and actors, an invaluable day teaching us not only how to better assess our own work but also how new writing is developed within the industry. The course has benefitted my own work immensely. Oliver and Zinnie are extremely passionate about the arts and this certainly influences their teaching- encouraging students not only to keep writing but also to see theatre and to be wholly immersed in the Scottish arts scene. Their enthusiasm and incredible work ethic certainly transfers to their students and it is something I will be eternally grateful for."
- Clare (Yorkshire, England) - 2017