Drama and Theatre Production | University of Essex

Cultivate your craft and dive into our main stage

A hub for creative activity and central to the performative arts at the University, the Lakeside Theatre contains our main collaborative spaces and studio to flourish your talent.

Having an active theatre on campus really helped me develop creatively and impacted how I went about making and developing work. I wholeheartedly believe that without my studying drama at Essex, I wouldn't have ended up working in the theatre industry.

Samuel Button-Bell BA Drama 2019, MA Theatre Practice 2020

The Lakeside Theatre

At the heart of the University of Essex Colchester campus, the purpose-built 200-seater Lakeside Theatre is home to two performance spaces: the Lakeside Studio, an intimate fully equipped black box theatre, and the Main stage. The Lakeside Theatre also serves as a connection to the cultural hubs around the country as a host of the prestigious National Theatre Live and the Royal Shakespeare Company live screenings.

In conjunction with the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, our Lakeside Theatre provides the collaborative space that enables students to learn and work in a professional venue through lectures and classes. The immersive, nurturing environment of the Lakeside Theatre becomes a second home and dedicated space to many of our students - central to the University community.

Drama students performance in the dark

The experts

Delivered by on-site experts with decades of experience and visiting professionals from various backgrounds, our students access a diverse range of professional theatrical works through their course and time at the University, expanding their knowledge and gaining experience ready for the theatre industry.

Our core teaching staff

Professor Elizabeth Kuti

Playwright for Theatre and Radio

Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex

Researching in the field of eighteenth-century theatre, Elizabeth was recently a Writer-in-Residence for Hampton Court. Before joining the department, she worked extensively as playwright and actor in Irish theatre and took on many roles across the industry. Elizabeth writes regularly for BBC Radio and explores lesser-known aspects of life at court through her micro-dramas.

Dr Annecy Lax

Senior Lecturer

Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex

A specialist in Applied Theatre and human rights performance, Annecy has more than a decade of experience in testimonial and verbatim theatre. She continues to work as a playwright and creative production with the Ice and Fire theatre, working on an installation piece about the UK's involvement in the arms trade.

Dr Mary Mazzilli

Senior Lecturer

Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex

A practicing playwright and renowned expert in World Theatre, Mary is the Creative Director of Lumenis Theatre company. With a strong expertise in literature, she has published works in the topics of Chinese and Digital Theatre, dramaturgy and translation. Mary also writes regularly for the British Theatre Guide and The Conversation as a theatre and book critic.

The courses

Unleash your potential as a theatre maker and deepen your critical understanding of the vital role the world of drama and theatre plays in our society with our courses at different levels of study.

Undergraduate courses

BA Drama BA Drama and Creative Writing BA Drama and Literature BA Film and Drama

Our Masters courses

MA Scriptwriting (Theatre and Digital Media) MA Theatre Practice

Our research courses

PhD Theatre Studies PhD Theatre Studies (Playwriting)

Ignite your passion for performance

The Lakeside Theatre hosts a dynamic mix of stage productions by top touring companies, alongside original works written, produced, and directed by our talented staff and students through the Essex Interns Scheme and the Homegrown Shows programme. Our students have the opportunity to gain valuable employment, professional training, and hands-on experience in a variety of roles across arts production and administration. See what events and upcoming shows are hosted at The Lakeside Theatre.

Check out the Homegrown Shows programme See the full list of upcoming events and performances

Our drama and theatre facilities

Cultivate your craft and dive into our main stage

The Lakeside Theatre

The experts

Our core teaching staff

The courses

Undergraduate courses

Our Masters courses

Our research courses