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PhDs

PhDs in Drama and Theatre Studies

ABOUT US

University of Galway is the world’s leading centre for the study of Irish theatre and performance history.  The O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance is the ideal location for you to pursue your PhD in this area, as well as other specialisations within contemporary and international theatre and performance practice, using either research or practice-as-research methodologies.

Applying to the PhD and Finding A Supervisor

Entry to our PhD programmes is necessarily limited. We have developed a pre-admission evaluation process that is open for formal expressions of interest (EOIs) multiple times per academic year.  These are the dates when your EOI will be considered and a potential supervisor identified.

2027-2028 Expression of Interest Pre-Admission Evaluation Deadlines 

Round 1: Monday 1st September 2026

  • Outcome: Notified by 15th September 

Round 2: Monday 14th September 2026

  • Outcome: Notified by 30th September 

Round 3: Monday 30th November 2026

  • Outcome: Notified by 18th December

Round 4: Monday 4th January 2027

  • Outcome: 18th January

Round 5: Tuesday 21st January 2027

  • Outcome: Notified by 1st February

Round 6: Monday 17th May 2027

  • Outcome: Notified by 7th June

Round 7: Monday 14 June 2027

    • Outcome: Notified by 1st July
If you contact us, you will be invited to submit an EOI as outlined below by the dates above and be notified of the outcome of your EOI by the corresponding round date.  This EOI will be considered by the individual Discipline’s PhD programme board. 
You are matched with supervision by the relevant discipline’s staff through this process and are asked to express preferences for supervision on your EOI. 
 
Read about the interests and research specialisms of our academic staff on the School website and follow up if you wish by reading articles/books/chapters by individual lecturers in your areas of interest and citing them within your EOI.
 
Programme Board considerations in assessing EOIs:
  • The quality of the research project itself 
  • The strengths, academic record, and potential of the applicant, including English language competency, where relevant
  • The availability of suitable supervision
  • The feasibility of the project and the suitability of University of Galway as a location for the research
We will make one of the following decisions about each EOI submitted that will be communicated to each candidate:
  1. That you should be mentored for the funding cycles above and are matched with a confirmed prospective supervisor. 
  2. If you intend to fund your own studies, that you have a confirmed supervisor and can proceed with a formal application to the university.
  3. That your proposal is not yet ready to be mentored but that we would like to work with you in the future and provide feedback for development.
  4. That we are not in a position to supervise your proposed project because of a mismatch between our areas of expertise and your proposed project.
Use of Generative AI is not permitted in the preparation of this application. 
 
You can download the Expression of Interest (EOI) form HERE.
 

You can contact the PhD coordinator for Drama and Theatre Studies, Dr Charlotte McIvor, for more information: charlotte.mcivor@universityofgalway.ie.

The Abbey Theatre Digital Archive contains original material from almost all of Ireland’s leading writers, including Nobel Prize winners W.B. Yeats, G.B. Shaw, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney. It also features work by Brian Friel, Tom Murphy, Conor McPherson, Marina Carr and hundreds of others. With access to videos, prompt books, designs, administration records, and more, University of Galway students have unique opportunities to understand the history and practice of Irish theatre – and to consult material that in some cases has never been seen before. This resource is exclusively available at University of Galway. It complements our other archival holdings in Irish theatre, including the archive of Druid Theatre, the playwright Thomas Kilroy, the Lyric Players Theatre, and much more.

Our staff also excels in the study of contemporary theatre and performance in an Irish context and beyond, with recent staff research addressing the relationship between topics as diverse as:

  • Performance and social media
  • Race, migration, performance and social policy
  • Gender, trauma, commemoration and national histories
  • Popular performance and mass culture

WHAT WE OFFER

The Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance offers:

  • Structured PhD AHSS in Drama and Theatre Studies [full-time] (GYG43)
  • PhD in Drama and Theatre Studies [full-time] (GYG44)
  • PhD in Drama and Theatre Studies [part-time] (GYG45)

These courses allow students to undertake doctoral research in any areas related to Drama and Theatre Studies. PhDs may be conducted in the area of practice-as-research (playwriting, direction, devising, etc.) and academic research (theatre history, contemporary drama, etc.). 

The Structured PhD AHSS in Drama and Theatre Studies [full-time] (GYG43) is a four-year programme which offers added value to the core component of doctoral training. Students on this programme are offered disciplinary or dissertation-specific modules, as well as generic and transferable skills designed to meet the needs of an employment market that is wider than academe. The programme is flexible and student-centred, as candidates choose their own pathways in consultation with their Supervisor and Graduate Research Committee.

The PhD in Drama and Theatre Studies [full-time and part-time] (GYG44 and GYG45) are self-directed research degrees undertaken in consultation with the supervisor and Graduate Research Committee without additional coursework. 

For further information, contact Dr. Charlotte McIvor, Director of Postgraduate Studies (charlotte.mcivor@universityofgalway.ie) 

AREAS OF SPECIALISATION

We provide supervision in areas of drama and theatre studies as well as the wider discipline of performance studies including:

Theatre Archives and Theatre History

The Abbey Theatre Digital Archive

Irish Drama and Theatre

Theatre Practice and Production

Playwriting

Gender, Sexuality and Performance

Ensemble and Devising

Intercultural Theatre

Theatre and Social Change

Theatre and Digital Humanities

 PERSPECTIVES FROM CURRENT PHD STUDENTS

“I feel quite fortunate to be a PhD student at the Centre: myself and my cohort always feel supported by a department that actively practices collegiality, solidarity, respect, and academic kindness. We are presented with so many resources to broaden our skill sets and to help us along the way towards completion: whether it's special professionalisation seminars, conference volunteering, or tutoring students on different aspects of performance. I'd encourage anyone to join such a thriving, vibrant, close-knit, and friendly department!” 

- Emer McHugh, “Shakespeare in Modern Irish Theatre: Performance and Cultural Politics,” Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholar, 2014-2018

“As a postgraduate researcher in DTP I have benefitted immensely from the discipline's collaborative environment and structural supports. The programme is dedicated to furthering my professional development and both my peers and the staff are incredibly generous and encouraging.”

- Justine Nakase, “Hyphenating Irishness: Performing Irish Identity in an Intercultural Ireland,” Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholar, 2014-2018