Directing MFA



Our two-year MFA gives you the opportunity to launch your career as a director with a full run in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Overview

This course has been launched to extend a great opportunity for trainee directors.

Working in the heart of the festival city, there will be time to work with actors on all years of the BA Acting & English and the BA Acting for Stage & Screen courses.

You'll be working on contemporary and classic texts and alongside trainee playwrights to create new work. 

You'll have dedicated industry-recognised mentors providing support throughout your training time and you’ll be studying in one of the most culturally-vibrant cities in the world.

The two-year duration gives you time to truly develop skills and creativity, and also allows you to network and build relationships with actors and writers who can make an impact on your career after you graduate.

Typical entry point to this course is in September. Please enquire for more information.

 
Students on stage chatting as they work on Shakespeare

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

2 years

Start date:

Sep

Course details

We believe that there is no standard approach to the training of theatre directors.  The art is a combination of visual, textual, and communicative acuity and every director is unique.  For that reason the course is designed to be individually responsive to each student’s interests and experience.  Most modules are heavily mentor-based, which means that you always have advice, expertise, and guidance on hand as you explore your artistic potential.

The courses are taught by a team of industry professionals: Mark Thomson (Directing) has worked with most of the great names in British theatre and served as Artistic Director of Edinburgh's prestigious Lyceum Theatre for 13 years. 

May Sumbwanyambe is an award-winning playwright currently working with the National Theatre of Scotland, the Traverse, and the BBC, to name just a few.

Modules:
  • Dramatic Story and Structure 
  • Script Analysis 
  • Design and Metaphor
  • Applied Directing 
  • Professional Preparation
  • Festival Production
  • calendar

    How you’ll be taught

     The course is structured over 5 trimesters and, along with many opportunities to direct various projects and to assistant direct public shows, you’ll learn by a variety of teaching methods including lectures, tutorials and independent study.
  • note and pen

    Assessments

     The majority of your assessments are based on a variety of practical performances and are the culmination of workshops and focused rehearsals, supported by tutorials.

Modules

Modules that you will study* as part of this course

Applied Directing 2 ( CLP11126 )

The aim of this module is to develop practical applications of understanding and knowledge in live theatre production. The module will begin with a placement or case study, which will allow you to examine the professional practice of a company or a theatre artist in depth, and will culminate with a preview performance of your own festival production. You will have individual mentor support, which will underpin your ability to plan, negotiate and lead this project through to completion.

Further information

Festival Production Directing ( CLP11135 )

This module focuses on launching your professional career, along with creating and potentially presenting work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Working from your reflective analysis of the preview production, you will be given the opportunity to go on to present your work publicly at the Fringe Festival, and you will be working to bridge your experience as a training director into the world of professional work. Meeting with mentors in the early stages, you will outline a development plan and rehearsal schedule, which will include workshop/rehearsal times as well as production/tech schedules. Also included in these early plans will be a detailed marketing/media campaign. Mentors will work specifically with you for a set number of hours, but there will also be staff mentors assigned to the acting students, which will further ensure support and help throughout the critical rehearsal period. In addition to the festival production, all directors will submit a 2-part thesis (approx. 7,000 words), which combines critical reflection on the Festival experience and on the artistic presentation of the play, along with a professional portfolio and career/business plan.

Further information

Festival Workshop ( CLP11130 )

This module will begin with a chosen scene presentation. The scene is expected to stretch your imagination particularly in terms of style and you will be choosing the scene with the approval of your supervisor. Throughout the module there will be series of intensive classes which will focus on the development of new material and creative responses to extant work. These classes will involve strategies for enhancing creativity, effective group communication, setting the stage for innovative work, sympathetic listening and responding, and enhancing group problem-solving abilities. Along with these classes, directors will have scheduled rehearsal times with actors and will be focused on honing short sample scripts (10-15 mins each) and performance for Edinburgh Festival ‘backer’s auditions’ at the end of trimester. You will have 5 hours of individual mentoring time. Additionally, you will present a written paper on the proposed future of the scenes shown at the auditions. This will take the form of directorial concepts (with design and production ideas).

Further information

Professional Practice ( CLP11131 )

You will attend a series of classes, many delivered by visiting professionals, introducing necessary business and self-management skills. You will prepare a thoroughly researched case study of the career path of either a director, playwright or theatre company. You will have ‘mock-interview’ sessions in which you will present work, pitch ideas, present portfolios, and business plans and get immediate feedback from industry professionals. You will also be expected to produce a professional opportunities analysis, for which you will research and identify opportunities for your work once you have completed the course. These may include placements, resident writer/director schemes, funding opportunities, writing competitions, etc.
Areas covered will include:
-- Business planning
-- Production and small company finance
-- Effective marketing, including online presence, social media, etc.
-- Setting up and running a small theatre company
-- Self-promotion and networking
-- Mock interviews
-- Establishing Professional Networks
-- How to research and write a case study

Further information

* These are indicative only and reflect the course structure in the current academic year. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Directing?

The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) Degree at 2:2 or above, with a background in Drama or Humanities.

We may also consider lesser qualifications if you have sufficient professional work experience within the industry.

Can I get admission into Directing based on my working experience in this sector?

This course has academic entry requirements which are assessed alongside relevant work experience. Full details of any relevant work experience, including references should be submitted with your application and may be considered for entry where the minimum academic entry requirements are below those required.

Usually, unrelated work experience is not considered sufficient for entry without meeting the minimum academic entry requirements. Please contact us with your specific circumstances by submitting an enquiry form above and we will be happy to discuss your options.

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the postgraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

 

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test.  The English Language requirements for this programme are IELTS (Academic) with 7.0 with no individual component score less than 6.5.  For guidance on the acceptability of other English Language tests please contact pgadmissions@napier.ac.uk

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English, or your undergraduate degree was taught and examined in English (within two years of starting your postgraduate course). Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students from 2024/25 2025/26
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £5,600 £5,880
Overseas and EU £18,800 £19,750
Tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other tuition fee matters, please see our Fees and Funding links above.
Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Please note:

The discount for Edinburgh Napier alumni can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount.

For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.

Please read our full T&C here

Careers

What can you do with a MFA Directing course?

This course aims to train such graduates, who can see unlimited potential and a variety of opportunities for themselves in the entertainment industry. Through a comprehensive curriculum encompassing theory, practice, and collaboration, you'll develop the skills and expertise needed to lead productions with confidence and flair. You will have the opportunity to get into various roles such as:

  • Theatre Director
  • Theatre Producer
  • Commercial Director
  • Dramaturg
  • Creative Learning Director
  • Casting Director

Throughout the course, you'll explore the art and craft of directing from script analysis and staging to casting and rehearsal techniques. Through hands-on projects, workshops, and mentorship from industry professionals, you'll gain practical experience developing your directorial voice and realizing your artistic vision on stage.

Our graduates have gone on to do some great work. In the seven years of the programme our graduates have worked as directors, associate and assistant directors at the National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Teatru Manoel (National Theatre of Malta) Strange Town and several have made their professional directing debuts at Òran Mór’s celebrated Play, Pie & Pint as well as creating their own companies and developing them.

We believe that directors trained in the core skills of good story-telling, inspiring great performance, working effectively and creatively in a collaborative environment, preparing and adhering to schedules and budgets, and understanding a variety of marketing possibilities will be able to adapt their work to a variety of platforms.

Black and white image of Students on the MFA Directors course working on a sound system for the Shakespeare production