Programme: Bachelor of Drama [BDram] 4-year programme

Kindly take note of the disclaimer regarding qualifications and degree names.
Code Faculty Department
01130118 Faculty of Humanities Department: School of the Arts
Credits Duration NQF level
Minimum duration of study: 4 years Total credits: 420 NQF level:  07
Contact:
Prof CW Broodryk
[email protected]
+27 (0)124202556

Programme information

This BDram degree is a four-year programme (extended curriculum programme) and consists of the existing number of regular modules for the standard three-year degree in addition to five foundational modules in the first year of study. The first year of the programme offers foundational support in academic information management, writing and literacy skills, visual imaging as well as competence in discipline-specific theory and praxis which are crucial towards entering drama studies.  

Admission requirements

Important information for all prospective students for 2024

The admission requirements below apply to all who apply for admission to the University of Pretoria with a National Senior Certificate (NSC) and Independent Examination Board (IEB) qualifications. Click here for this Faculty Brochure.

Minimum requirements

Achievement level

English Home Language or English First Additional Language

APS

(Grade 11)

APS

(NSC/IEB completed)

Additional requirements:

 

4

26

26

Applicants must complete and pass an audition process.

* To retain admission, you must obtain an APS of at least 26 in the NSC. 

Admissions for the Bachelor of Drama (BDram)—Extended programme will take place in August, Ad-hoc.

Life Orientation is excluded when calculating the APS. 

Applicants currently in Grade 12 must apply with their final Grade 11 (or equivalent) results.

Applicants who have completed Grade 12 must apply with their final NSC or equivalent qualification results.

Please note that meeting the minimum academic requirements does not guarantee admission.

Successful candidates will be notified once admitted or conditionally admitted.

Applicants should check their application status regularly on the UP Student Portal at click here.

Applicants with qualifications other than the abovementioned should refer to the Brochure: Undergraduate Programme Information 2024: Qualifications other than the NSC and IEB, available at click here.

International students: Click here.

Transferring students

A transferring student is a student who, at the time of applying at the University of Pretoria (UP) is/was a registered student at another tertiary institution. A transferring student will be considered for admission based on NSC or equivalent qualification and previous academic performance. Students who have been dismissed from other institutions due to poor academic performance will not be considered for admission to UP.

Closing dates: Same as above.

Returning students

A returning student is a student who, at the time of application for a degree programme is/was a registered student at UP, and wants to transfer to another degree at UP. A returning student will be considered for admission based on NSC or equivalent qualification and previous academic performance.

Note:

  • Students who have been excluded/dismissed from a faculty due to poor academic performance may be considered for admission to another programme at UP, as per faculty-specific requirements.
  • Only ONE transfer between UP faculties and TWO transfers within a faculty will be allowed.
  • Admission of returning students will always depend on the faculty concerned and the availability of space in the programmes for which they apply.

Closing date for applications from returning students

Unless capacity allows for an extension of the closing date, applications from returning students must be submitted before the end of August via your UP Student Centre.

Other programme-specific information

Academic literacy

The academic literacy of all students who enrol at the University of Pretoria for the first time and all new students enrolling with the Faculty of Humanities for the first time will be assessed at the start of the academic year by means of their NSC marks Grade 12 English mark.
Students who have obtained a mark of 4 or lower in English Home Language are deemed at risk in terms of academic literacy and must register for ALL 110 and ALL 125.
Students who have obtained a mark of 5 or lower in English First Additional Language are deemed at risk in terms of academic literacy and must register for ALL 110 and ALL 125.
All students in the Faculty of Humanities who are not at risk in terms of their academic literacy, are compelled to obtain at least 12 credits in language modules

Department of English
ENG 110 Introduction to literature in English (I) 
ENG 120 Introduction to literature in English (II) 
ENG 118 English for specific purposes 

Departement Afrikaans
AFR 110 Afrikaanse taalkunde en letterkunde 
AFR 120 Afrikaanse taalkunde en letterkunde 
AFR 114 Afrikaans vir sprekers van ander tale (I) 

Department of African Languages
NDE 110 Introduction to isiNdebele grammar – Capita selecta 
* Students who want to take isiNdebele in the second semester, should also register for AFT 121 (African languages literature: Capita selecta)
ZUL 110 IsiZulu for beginners 
ZUL 111 Introduction to isiZulu grammar – Capita selecta 
* Students who want to take isiZulu in the second semester, should also register for AFT 121 (African languages literature: Capita selecta)
SEP 110 Sepedi for beginners 
SEP 111 Introduction to Sepedi Grammar – Capita selecta
* Students who want to take Sepedi in the second semester, should also register for AFT 121 (African languages literature: Capita selecta)
STW 110 Setswana for beginners
STW 111 Introduction to Setswana Grammar  – Capita selecta
*Students who want to take Setswana in the second semester, should also register for AFT 121 (African languages literature: Capita selecta)

Department of Modern European Languages
DTS 104 German for beginners 
DTS 113 German: Cultural-professional (1) *Prerequisite: Grade 12 German
FRN 104 French for beginners 
FRN 113 French: Cultural-professional (1) *Prerequisite: Grade 12 French
SPN 101 Spanish for beginners 
SPN 102 Spanish for beginners 
PTG 101 Portuguese for beginners

Department of Ancient Languages and Cultures
HEB 110 Hebrew 
LAT 110 Latin 
GRK 110 Greek

LANGUAGE GROUPS FOR SELECTION IN PROGRAMMES

Note: Consult the yearbook for module-specific requirements/prerequisites by searching for the relevant language module.

Module group 1 – Afrikaans
Year level 1
• As a first language: AFR 110, 120
• For speakers of other languages (also for speakers of other languages who are registered for qualifications in education and law) AFR 114

Year level 2
• As a first language: AFR 214, AFR 210 ,220
• For students following a programme in education: AFR 214, AFR 220

Year level 3
• As a first language: AFR 311, 321
• For students following a programme in education: Any modules with alpha codes AFR offered at year level 3.

Module group 2 – English
Year level 1
• For special purposes: ENG 118
• For academic purposes: ENG 110, 120

Year level 2
ENG 210, 220

Year level 3
• ENG 310, 320
• ENG 311, 322

Module group 3 – French
Year level 1
• For beginners: FRN 104
• Cultural-professional (for students who have passed French in Grade 12): FRN 113, 123

Year level 2
FRN 211, 221

Year level 3
Cultural-professional: FRN 361, 362, 363, 364

Module group 4 – German
Year level 1
• For beginners: DTS 104
• Cultural-professional (for students who have passed German in Grade 12): DTS 113, 123

Year level 2
DTS 211, 221

Year level 3
Cultural-professional: DTS 361, 362, 363, 364

Module group 5 – Greek
Year level 1
GRK 110, 120

Year level 2
GRK 210, 220

Module group 6 – Hebrew
Year level 1
HEB 110, 120

Year level 2
HEB 210, 220

Module group 7 – Latin
Year level 1
LAT 110, 120 (students who passed Latin in Grade 12 may start immediately with Latin at year level 2)

Year level 2
LAT 210, 220

Year level 3
LAT 310, 320

Module group 8 – IsiNdebele
Year level 1
For speakers of isiNdebele as home language or first or second additional language
NDE 110, AFT 121

Year level 2
NDE 210, AFT 220

Year level 3
NDE 310, AFT 320

Module group 9 – IsiZulu
Year level 1
• For beginners: ZUL 110, 120
• For speakers of isiZulu as home language or first or second additional language: ZUL 111, AFT 121

Year level 2
• For students who did ZUL 110, 120 at year level 1: ZUL 210, 220
• For students who did AFT 121: ZUL 111 at year level 1: AFT 220, ZUL 211

Year level 3
ZUL 310, AFT 320

Module group 10 – Sepedi
Year level 1
• For beginners: SEP 110,120
• For speakers of Sepedi as home language or first or second additional language: SEP 111, AFT 121

Year level 2
• For students who did SEP 110, 120 at year level 1: SEP 210, 220
• For students who did AFT 121, SEP 111 at year level 1: AFT 220, SEP 211

Year level 3
SEP 310, AFT 320

Module group 11 – Setswana
Year level 1
• For beginners: STW 110, 120
• For speakers of Setswana as home language or first or second additional language: STW 111, AFT 121

Year level 2
• For students who did STW 110, 120 at year level 1: STW 210, 220
• For students who did AFT 121, STW 111 at year level 1: AFT 220, STW 211

Year level 3
STW 310, AFT 320

Module group 12 – Spanish
Year level 1
For beginners: SPN 101, 102

Year level 2
SPN 211, 221

Year level 3
SPN 311, 321

Module group 13 – Portuguese
Year level 1
• For beginners: PTG 101
• Portuguese language and culture (for students who have passed Portuguese in Gr 12): PTG 113, 123

Year level 2
PTG 211, 221

Year level 3
PTG 311, 321

Promotion to next study year

Students selected for the BDram four-year degree must pass all the modules at the end of the first year of study. The registration of students who do not comply with this requirement, will be suspended and no readmission will be considered. In such cases, students with satisfactory attendance will receive a foundation certificate of attendance indicating those modules that the student had successfully completed.  Students will only be promoted to the second year of study after successful completion of all the first-year modules. From its second year (Curriculum: Year 2), the extended programme is aligned with the first year of the mainstream BDram programme. 

Minimum credits: 30

Core modules

Minimum credits: 100

Fundamental modules

Core modules

  • Module content:

    The languages of drama and film
    This module introduces the languages of drama and film as well as approaches to drama and film analysis. In addition, historical and contemporary drama and film theories will be used to read various drama and film texts.

    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016.

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  • Module content:

    Drama and film genres: This module introduces the notion of genre as part of a wider concept of narrative building and storytelling in both drama and film. Different types of genre are introduced and discussed with regard to film and drama and furthermore linked to the idea of emerging identities in contemporary storytelling. All these parts are conceptually introduced and provide an introduction to reading, interpretation and giving meaning to various discourses in film and drama narratives.

     
    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    Text analysis and performance
    The self in relation to role, character, persona, embodiment and the creation of performance metaphors will be explored through analysis of prose, poetry and drama texts in order to establish a relationship between structural and aesthetic contents of the text and the construction of meaning in performance.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    Bodied Spaces
    This module explores the ways in which the elements of scenography engage with the body to make meaning in a theatrical performance. The course demonstrates how visual codes can be used as narrative devices and how components of the spatial field can be used to support the primacy of the body as a maker of meaning in theatrical performance.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    *Students have to pass all components of this module in order to be promoted to the next year level
    Basic techniques of acting will be introduced. Aspects of self, other and space will be explored and applied by means of acting exercises, theatre games, improvisation and interpretation of applicable material. The notions of storytelling/narrative/playmaking/construction and interpretation/recreation will be explored.
    The module further introduces experiential somatics for the actor and performer. Students will engage with the building blocks of body/voice integration towards the safe, interactive and heightened use of the body and voice in performance. Students will apply these building blocks in discipline-specific skills training and in performance, including acting.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    Performing arts management
    In this module students will be introduced to the current state of the performing arts in South Africa. Students will explore the language and technical aspects of theatre. It includes the processes involved with creation and performance of theatre productions. Focus will be placed on the ways in which the creative vision of the director is supported and manifested, to consolidate the aesthetical quality and conceptual framing of the production. The skills and responsibilities of the technical and creative theatre practitioners will be explored and put into context.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    Theatre and performance studies
    In this module students will explore the fundamental principles of role play and important elements are identified and described. The framing of a role play in various social, cultural and political arenas and the strategies applied forms the point of departure for this investigation. Students develop the skills to draw lines from the duality of text as well as life during the process of character development.

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Minimum credits: 126

Core modules

  • Module content:

    Historical modes of Western performance
    The module involves a study of the socio-political contexts of Western Classical and Renaissance theatre, redirecting the focus to the notion of violence in performance during the age of Enlightenment.

    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016. 

     

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  • Module content:

    Realism and contemporary South African performance
    Concepts of naturalism and realism will be interrogated in relation to dramatic texts and performance values in both drama and film. Ways in which dramatic realism emerges from and reflects historical perspectives since the "Age of Reason" will be offered. Against this background, the concept of "realism" will be interrogated in relation to performance texts and performance values in the emergence of interdisciplinary framework of performance studies. Ways in which dramatic realism emerges from and reflects historical perspectives will be offered and discussed, so as to draw connections between realism, and contemporary South African performance.

    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016. 

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    Performance: body/ voice studies
    There are many points of convergence between the foundational principles of various voice and body movement pedagogies for performers. These commonalties pivot around the organic principles of kinesiology and vocology (function) that can be applied to performance (expression). This module will identify these common principles across a range of voice and body movement pedagogies and explore the ways in which they inform performance.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    Digital media
    This module trains students to utilise available hardware and software used in filmmaking processes. With its emphasis on camera and editing technologies, the module introduces students to studies of mise-en-scene, decoupage and haptic criticism in engaging with the visual image. Students will also be introduced to radio as medium for fiction by interrogating the dynamics and processes of radio as a medium for communicating fiction.

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  • Module content:

    Programme-specific execution of a community-related project.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    *Students have to pass all components of this module in order to be promoted to the next year level
    Performance techniques will be explored and located within selected modes of performance linked to the notions of enactment and embodiment by way of acting exercises, improvisation and interpretation of suitable material.
    Students will further apply somatic principles to various modes of performance involving the heightened use of the body and voice in the context of discipline specific skills training. This module will facilitate the development of heightened physical and vocal dynamics in expression and communication in performance.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    Directing
    In this module students will interrogate the ritual mode of performance as the embodiment of self-expression versus role-play as a representational mode of performance. The purpose of the course is to explore the dialectical notion between these differentiated modes of performance and directing. The aim is also to conceptualise the dynamic position of the director in the application of a multidimensional approach to the process of directing.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    Applied theatre
    The module investigates the use of theatre as methodology and participatory practise in a variety of socio-cultural and educational contexts. The module frames applied theatre as a medium of communication that stimulates action, reflection and transformation. The module culminates in practical applied theatre programmes.

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Minimum credits: 160

Core modules

  • Module content:

    Reading cultural representation
    Against the framework of post-colonialism, issues of signification, representation and meaning in performance will be considered in relation to selected theoretical approaches to performance and their concern with gender in theatre and film. Representation and subjectivity and how they are revealed as gendered fictions rather than "natural", inevitable realities will be explored through various drama and film texts. The student will explore how the body, as codified cultural product, can become a symbolic battleground for cultural supremacy in and through performance.

    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016. 

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  • Module content:

    Counter discourses
    Social relations, material conditions, discursive practices, identity and representational structures will be studied in relation to Marxist Materialism, cross-cultural theatre, postmodern discourse and post-theory ideas. Key figures and ideas from relevant critical theory will guide an interrogation of popular performance and cinema as well as non-dominant cinemas and modes of performance.
     
    A & B: For students who enrolled for the BA Drama programme prior to 2016, as well as for students entering the BDram programme in 2016. 

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    *This module offers a choice between writing for stage and film and intermediate body, voice and movement studies
    Performance: intermediate body/voice studies
    This module investigates selected voice and body movement pedagogies related to physical theatre, dance, theatre voice, acting and music theatre in depth. Referring to the common principles amongst these pedagogies, the module further explores the differing ways in which each pedagogical approach engages with these common principles in a performance context.
    or
    Writing for stage and film
    Writing allows a choice between writing for stage and screenwriting. These options are exclusive from one another.
    Admission requirements: to register for this option of SBT 311 you need to have successfully completed DFK 110, 120, 210 and 220.
    Screenwriting (one quarter) introduces students to narrative construction and narrative theory that draws mostly on classical dominant story modes. Certain film and television texts will be studied in order to guide discussions and analyses of the narrative modes and genres under discussion.
    Intermediate screenwriting (one quarter) immediately follows basic screenwriting and explores alternative narrative modes that deviate from and subvert dominant storytelling modes. Critical theory will guide students in explorations of seminal film movements and their positions in film studies with direct relevance for screenwriting.
    The writing for stage component of this module takes on the notion of play and improvisation as a key to activate creative impulses within the practice of writing for stage. Theatre Sport's improvisational skills will be explored along with other methods of writing that articulate ideas of "play". Improvisation is the key dramaturgical focus of method and practice that suggests ways of unleashing creativity, play and observational skills as a fundamental to the world of storytelling. The module then moves to writing as and from the self as in autobiographical and testimony writing/theatre. Themes of obsession, witnessing, time, space and identities will be explored. The module will culminate in written and performed monologues.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    *This module offers a choice between intermediate digital media and presenting for the media
    Intermediate digital media
    This module explores the use of technology and media in film and theatre through a conceptual engagement with notions of intermedial performance and frameworks of non-fiction filmmaking. Selected case studies guide an interrogation of intermedial performance theory while also engaging with image ontologies.
    or
    Presenting for the media
    This module will focus on advanced radio techniques and TV presentation within the broader context of the South African digital media practices.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    *Students have to pass all components of this module in order to be promoted to the next year level
    Live performance and digital performance
    This module employs the notions of making, appreciating and performing to explore selected modes of contemporary live theatrical performance as well as performance for the digital media.
    This module further offers discipline specific skills training in relation to selected voice and body movement pedagogies in the context of making, appreciating and performing. Students need to select two of the four available skills training options (physical theatre/dance; singing voice, theatre voice, movement for the actor) in consultation with lecturers.
    This module consolidates the conceptual, vocal and physical skills acquired in the previous two years and focuses on the application of heightened physicality and vocality in performance.
    NOTE:
    Students will have to align their TNP 310 praxis choices with their choices within each third-year level theory module. Choices within TNP 310 are:
    • Performance (Acting)
    • Theatre voice
    • Singing
    • Movement for the actor
    • Physical theatre and dance
    • Digital media
    • Directing/Theatre making
    • Writing for stage and film
    • Music theatre (musical theatre and cabaret)
    • Radio
    • Camera acting
    Students who want to proceed to the Drama department's honours programme need to consider the following:
    • DRA 702 (Performance studies) needs Performance (Acting), Theatre voice and Movement for the actor as entry level requirements
    • DRA 705 (Physical theatre) needs Performance (Acting), Physical theatre and Theatre voice as entry level requirements
    • Musical theatre needs Physical theatre and dance, Performance (Acting) and Singing as entry level requirements
    • Cabaret needs Performance (Acting), Movement for the actor and Singing. (TNT 211 and TNT 311 [Directing] will be favourable)

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    *This module offers a choice between Applied drama and Intermediate directing
    Applied drama
    The module investigates the use of drama as methodology in educational, community and corporate contexts. The interface between applied theatre and applied drama will be explored. The module culminates in a practical project.
    or
    Intermediate directing
    This module investigates the notions of concept, space, style, method and aesthetic in order to harness a praxis in directing. The module aims to activate conceptualisation skills and refers to contemporary directing methodologies in its aim to develop a directorial praxis. The module further provides the opportunities to begin to develop a distinctive directing style and voice while studying contemporary directing methods and concepts. The module culminates in a short directing scene.

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  • Module content:

    *Closed – only for BDram students
    *This module offers a choice between intermediate performance studies and intermediate performing arts management
    Intermediate performing arts management: Managing the production and managing the artist
    Being subjected to constant flux and change, the current state of the performing arts industry in South Africa (as introduced in TNT 111), will be reconsidered in this module. Aspects of production management, including organisation and administration, the writing of proposals and budgeting for productions/performances will be investigated. To enable students to secure a career in the industry, they will be introduced to the notion of managing the self/the artist as a business/product. This will include, amongst others, negotiating contracts, compilation of CVs and portfolios and preparation for interviews and auditions (interacting with TNP 310).
    or
    Intermediate theatre and performance studies
    In this module students will explore and interrogate selected western and non-western theories, paradigms and practices of actor and performer training with particular emphasis on embodiment by the performer. The work of key contemporary practitioners will be examined in order to establish how their training systems and approaches relate to performance traditions and how they have changed our perception of the artist's body/instrument in contemporary performance.

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The General Academic Regulations (G Regulations) and General Student Rules apply to all faculties and registered students of the University, as well as all prospective students who have accepted an offer of a place at the University of Pretoria. On registering for a programme, the student bears the responsibility of ensuring that they familiarise themselves with the General Academic Regulations applicable to their registration, as well as the relevant faculty-specific and programme-specific regulations and information as stipulated in the relevant yearbook. Ignorance concerning these regulations will not be accepted as an excuse for any transgression, or basis for an exception to any of the aforementioned regulations. The G Regulations are updated annually and may be amended after the publication of this information.

Regulations, degree requirements and information
The faculty regulations, information on and requirements for the degrees published here are subject to change and may be amended after the publication of this information.

University of Pretoria Programme Qualification Mix (PQM) verification project
The higher education sector has undergone an extensive alignment to the Higher Education Qualification Sub-Framework (HEQSF) across all institutions in South Africa. In order to comply with the HEQSF, all institutions are legally required to participate in a national initiative led by regulatory bodies such as the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Council on Higher Education (CHE), and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). The University of Pretoria is presently engaged in an ongoing effort to align its qualifications and programmes with the HEQSF criteria. Current and prospective students should take note that changes to UP qualification and programme names, may occur as a result of the HEQSF initiative. Students are advised to contact their faculties if they have any questions.

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