Objectives
The Bordeaux Montaigne University undergraduate Licence in Theatre Studies enables students to acquire a strong theoretical and practical understanding of the domain of performing arts. The programme seeks to develop in its students a sense of analysis and observation, a critical awareness, an experimental approach to practice, and a feel for working as a team.
The objectives of this undergraduate Licence are manifold. Beyond the acquisition of what are generally accepted to be the fundamental principles of Theatre Studies (units in the history of theatre, the history of texts, drama, and aesthetics), the programme aims to introduce students to cultures and performance from elsewhere, via course units in theatres of the world. The programme also broadens students’ awareness of alternative cultural approaches and performance criticism, via units in anthropological, sociological, and ethnographical approaches. Units in cultural law and economics, and careers events, introduce students to the institutional and professional worlds of live performance.
Theoretical learning is accompanied by a great many workshops, encouraging students to discover the study of theatre through a wide range of practical experiments (including workshops on acting and performance, scenography, staging, magic performance, circus performance, marionettes and puppet art). This process of experimentation also aids students in the preparation of their student personal professional project (PPE), to be accomplished by the end of the undergraduate Licence.
Links have been forged between the Theatre Studies programme at Bordeaux Montaigne University and the professional world, via numerous partnerships with local theatres (including TnBA, Carré Colonnes, T4S, Glob Théâtre, La Boite à Jouer, Manufacture Atlantique, Pessac en Scéne, etc.), as well as with the cultural bodies of Bordeaux and the surrounding urban area.
With a limited number of places (80 students in the first year of study), this undergraduate Licence in Theatre Studies is very human in its scale, enabling personalised monitoring and follow-up on student work and projects.
As a result of various international agreements, the Theatre Studies pathway has links with several foreign universities. Universities of Venice, Bacău, Chicoutimi, Leicester, and Madrid are among those to welcome visiting students from Bordeaux each year.
This pathway also aims to familiarise the student with the structure of museum and heritage institutions.
Training content
Three years of study
The undergraduate Licence programme is organised along five major axes: the history of theatre arts; theory and practice; trial and research; cultures of the world; and an introduction to the institutional and professional worlds of theatre.
First year of undergraduate study (Licence 1)
The first year of this undergraduate Licence (L1) is devoted to the history of traditional theatre, to the history of dance, to drama, and to an approach to acting and performance that is based on both theory and practice. This first year is also an opportunity to discover the institutional and professional theatre environment. Practical workshops are also offered. An important part of the first year of study is composed of interdisciplinary course units, including units in cultural history and art history. Ultimately, this first year introduces students to the cultures of the world via four subjects chosen among the numerous culture and civilisation course units on offer at Bordeaux Montaigne University.
Second year of undergraduate study (Licence 2)
The first year of this undergraduate Licence (L2) is an opportunity for deeper study within course units in history (including the history of performance art, the history of texts, and the history of stage design), as well as within units in drama and the cultures and theatres of the world. Students also gain an introduction to course units in human and social sciences (including anthropology and sociology of culture). Students continue in their discovery of the institutional and professional theatre environment. Workshops are also offered, which have been designed to introduce students to different techniques (such as set design and lighting) as well as to so-called ‘minor’ theatrical forms (such as marionettes and puppet art, magic art, and circus art). Ultimately, students have full choice of the direction of their studies. In the second semester, students prepare the ground for their student personal professional project (PPE).
Third year of undergraduate study (Licence 3)
Whilst continuing to develop the units seen over the course of the first two years of study (including units in theatres of the world, theatre criticism, anthropology and sociology, and practical workshops), the third year of this undergraduate Licence (L3) introduces students to the contemporary questions and issues surrounding the performing arts today (contemporary theatre, performance, acting and emotion). This third year also acts as preparation either for further studies at Master’s level, or for professional entry, via units in the law and economics of performing arts, and careers events.
An internship in a professional environment is a compulsory requirement of this programme, and is undertaken as part of the third year of study. Students continue to work on and ultimately conclude their student personal professional project (PPE), which brings together theoretical research and on-stage testing.
Entry capacity
The entry capacity of this programme is limited to 80 students.
Access condition
Find information regarding enrolment procedures and the supporting documents to be provided, according to your profile and your level of studies :
Identifier ROME
- E1103 : Communication
- E1106 : Journalisme et information média
- K2106 : Enseignement des écoles
- L1203 : Art dramatique
- L1301 : Mise en scène de spectacles vivants
Career pathways
Employment opportunities following specialisation can include:
- professions related to teaching and research;
- professions relating to culture and the organisation of cultural events;
- professions relating to broadcasting or PR management;
- professions related to set design and stage management;
- professions related to directing, producing, and theatre criticism.