Master of Arts - Comedy Writer-Performer
- 1,5 years
- Duration
- 30,890 GBP
- Price
- September
- Start
- June
- Deadline
- Master
- Degree
- Campus
- Format
- London / United Kingdom
- Location
Program description
The MA Comedy Writer-Performer at Wimbledon College of Arts is designed as a direct stepping stone into commercial performing arts careers, with curriculum guidance from industry partners.
The course teaches students to develop and star in their own content, creating scripts for formats ranging from short films and TV pilots to feature-length plays. Students hone their distinctive comedy voice, develop memorable comic characters, and learn to navigate and create professional opportunities. Through public scratch nights and a final industry showcase, they stress-test their work and build a versatile portfolio across media. The program also provides access to Wimbledon's shared spaces, fostering a collaborative network with the wider college community to build a sustainable creative practice.
Program structure
- Unit 1: Performance and play
This unit enhances your skills as a live performer through playful, improvisational methods for creating new characters and performance. Studio workshops and public scratch nights provide a supportive environment to develop and test original work in front of an audience. By the end of the unit, you will have created a 10-minute solo character performance, shaped by workshops, live feedback, and independent study.
- Unit 2: Lights, camera, action! Navigating the industry
This unit focuses on building the practical, technical, and storytelling skills needed to succeed as a freelance comedy writer/performer in today's industry. You will learn strategies to both pursue existing opportunities and create your own, with an emphasis on developing your verbal pitching ability. The core outcome is creating and pitching a new idea for a TV or audio series, featuring a character you perform, accompanied by a professional written pitch document.
- Unit 3: Don’t laugh. Storytelling, scriptwriting (and pitching)
This unit provides foundational training in professional storytelling and scriptwriting for writer/performers, starting from the very basics. You will learn to develop a nuanced central character and a complete scripted narrative, mastering both technical layout and improvisational techniques to strengthen your writing. The outcome is an industry-standard short-form comedy script and a 2-minute taster tape, which together act as a professional showcase for your skills.
- Unit 4: Performing across media
This unit integrates live performance and sketch writing skills, focusing on creating, filming, and editing character-based content for audio and video platforms. Students collaborate in small groups to develop new characters and produce a series of short pieces, receiving ongoing peer and tutor feedback. Technical skills in audio and video production are developed through workshops, culminating in a final portfolio of character content tailored for a chosen platform.
- Unit 5: "Snazzily titled 60-credit unit"
The final unit synthesizes skills from the entire course, requiring students to produce an original performance work for a showcase and a supporting reflective essay. The performance, which can be live or pre-recorded, may develop existing course work or present something entirely new, blending script with performance. The accompanying essay critically examines the creative process, research, and the student's role as a practitioner, providing deeper insight while ensuring the performance itself stands independently as a professional showcase piece.
Price
Tuition fee:
- 30,890 GBP per education*
*Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.
You may need to cover additional costs which are not included in your tuition fees, such as materials and equipment specific to your course.
Requirements for applicants
The standard minimum entry requirements for this course are:
- BA (Hons) degree in either humanities or performance disciplines, including creative writing, script and theatre/media production
- Alternative qualifications and experience will also be taken into consideration
- Personal statement
- Portfolio of written work and/or evidence of performing. This may include a writing sample or comic monologue performance.
Entry to this course will also be determined by the quality of application, looking primarily at the portfolio of work and personal statement.
Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases.
The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:
- related academic or work experience – for instance experience producing comedic scripts, stand-up comedy experience or other practical examples of engaging with the discipline
- the quality of the personal statement
- a strong academic or other professional reference
- a combination of these factors.
Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.
English language requirements
- IELTS level 6.5 or above, with at least 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking
About the university
The University of the Arts London (UAL) produces and encourages the creativity essential for a better future. Its colleges have been at the forefront of innovative education since 1842, creating work with a lasting impact on people and the planet, driven by curiosity, imagination, and purpose.
London is fundamental to UAL's identity, providing a vital context where the university connects and exchanges ideas with individuals from all walks of life. Globally, its creative network influences education, culture, business, and society.
Through innovative research and creative instruction, UAL's faculty and staff bring fresh perspectives to education. The university enables students to build the careers they desire by working with them at every level - from pre-degree to postgraduate, and from short courses to online learning.
UAL's colleges
Ranked second in the world for art and design, UAL comprises six distinct colleges:
- Camberwell College of Arts
- Central Saint Martins
- Chelsea College of Arts
- London College of Communication
- London College of Fashion
- Wimbledon College of Arts
Together, they form a community of creatives, innovators, trailblazers, and storytellers, united in their mission to reimagine the future.
Courses in the visual arts, animation, screen, communication, fashion, media, and performance are available at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
