Master Programme in Performing Arts as Critical Practice
MA in Performing Arts | 120 credits
The international Master programme in Performing Arts with a specialisation in Critical Practice with a social focus is a two-year, full-time study. It is open to artists within theatre, dance and performance who want to embark on a research-led study and to situate their practices within the social, political and economic conditions of the contemporary world.
Application is now open
Application is now open for new cohort starting in September 2025.
Deadline for application 15 January 2025.
The application takes place in two steps: first on universityadmissions.se and then in the Academy's Application portal for uploading required documentation.
Note that your application cannot be processed unless both steps have been completed.
Working methods
The programme brings together innovative performing arts practices with critical reflection and promotes expertise in initiating and building new alliances and arenas both within and outside existing structures. It aims to educate artists who can engage imaginatively with urgent social and political challenges and will take an active role in shaping current developments in the performing arts field and research.
As a student you will engage in embodied and embedded practices of criticality, with the understanding that live performance is inevitably relational. During your studies you will be encouraged to explore how an art practice can impact and reshape the contexts it is part of. The programme offers a supportive structure to create the fundamental conditions for research and experimentation. with a collaborative peer focus.
Theoretical framework
Next to the practical work, the emergent curriculum comprises a range of theoretical frameworks and ethical reflections, as well as writing, fieldwork, and an introduction to artistic methods and processes. The study trajectory is shaped by the specific research questions and needs of the students. The teaching is executed collaboratively and is dialogue-based and focuses on cooperation and reflection. Feedback sessions with peers and supervisors are an important part of the education. The students work with invited international guest artists, curators and theoreticians whose practices are at the vanguard of exploring the interaction betweenperforming arts and society. In the second year, each student develops their final project in close collaboration with one or more partner organization(s). There is a flexibility in certain periods to work independently at other locations.
The studies include processes of learning and unlearning in an inspiring and supportive environment and prepare the students to be open and responsive to changing situations. At the same time, students develop skills for planning and carrying out complex, sensitive processes of creating artistic work with partners and communities.
Beyond the MA
In addition to developing and expanding their artistic practices, the students’ professional opportunities are enhanced regarding teaching, curating, extended art practice and social practice. A focus on critical theory and artistic research prepares them to pursue a PhD or to teach in higher education.
Studying at Malmö Theatre Academy
During their studies the students will not only become part of a community of peers on the MA but also at the Theatre Academy and Lund University. The programme is situated in Malmö, a dynamic and diverse city near Copenhagen, and easily reachable from several other European cities. This gives students access and chances to broaden their international performing arts network and create new affinities.
This visionary programme will prepare students of the performing arts to engage aesthetically, critically, and institutionally with the most important social issues of our time. It offers a brilliant and timely course of study.
Shannon Jackson, Professor of Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies, UC Berkeley, author of Back Stages: Essays on Art, Performance, and Public Life (2022)
Collaborative partners
Characteristic of socially engaged art is to clearly identify who the artist wishes to address and how they wish to engage them. In the programme, the student will develop relationships and will build alliances with individuals, organisations and/or institutions.
To help the students identify collaborators and thus initiate an alliance, Malmö Theatre Academy has established partnerships with a diverse range of art institutions, societal stakeholders and artistic communities.
The programme’s current partners include:
Helamalmö, Malmö Art Museum, Malmö City Theatre, City of Malmö’s Culture Department, Metropolis, Region Skåne’s Culture Department, Gylleboverket, CommunityKulturCentrum, Skånes Dansteater, Unga Klara, Hosting Landsand Warehouse9.
How to make art sustainable: in a political, social and economical way? This new MA Programme was created for conceiving artistic practice in a holistic way – representing, but also changing society through the means of art.
Milo Rau, artistic director NTGent, Honorary doctor Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts, Lund University
The core team of the Master’s Programme in Performing Arts as Critical Practice at Malmö Theatre Academy includes:
Edit Kaldor, MA Programme Director / Senior Lecturer
Sophia New, Lecturer/ Tutor
Gigi Argyropoulou Lecturer Critical Thinking
Erik Pold, Tutor, Lecturer/ Tutor
Tanja Diers, Tutor
Sofie Lebech, Tutor
Ditte Maria Bjerg, Senior Lecturer
Felicia Mulinari, Lecturer (maternity leave)
During the course of your studies you will also work with invited international guest artists, curators and theoreticians who will teach individual courses and workshops within the two-year programme.
Requirements
BA (180 credits) within the field of performing arts or equivalent professional experience, and proficiency in English.
Application and tuition fees
In general, if you are a citizen, a permanent or long-term resident of Sweden or a citizen of another EU or EEA country, you are not required to pay application or tuition fees. Read more at University Admissions (new window, universityadmissions.se)
The tuition fee for non-EU or EEA students of the MA in Performing Arts as Critical Practice is 400 000 SEK per academic year and 800 000 SEK for the whole programme. You can read more about tuition fees and scholarships at University admissions and who is required to pay fees (new window, universityadmissions.se)
There are also grants available to EU and Non-EU students
Q: Is your programme looking for applicants with particular type of work?
A: This MA is open to applicants with a variety of practices, both in terms of the artistic work and the critical social engagement. You are also welcome to apply if your current practice is not explicitly dealing with social and political issues, but you want to open it up or shift it in that direction during the MA.
Q: What if I don’t have a BA diploma in performing arts? Can I still apply?
It is possible to apply without a BA in the arts. For instance, if you already have an established artistic practice or a diploma in a related field.
Q: Is your programme open to applicants who work with technology?
A: Although it is not the specialization of the course, technology is an integral part of today’s society and of the contemporary performing arts. We welcome applications from practitioners who integrate technology in their artistic practices.
Q: Who needs to pay Tuition fee?
Students who are citizens of countries outside the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are generally required to pay application and tuition fees. There are some exceptions to this general rule. For the full list of tuition fee exemptions, please see official information from University Admissions in Sweden. Visit www.universityadmissions.se for all the general criteria for tuition fees and exemptions.
Q: Can I apply for a scholarship?
We offer a global scholarship for a non-EU applicant, which covers the full tuition fee. There are other possibilities for both EU and non-EU applicants to obtain financial support for the studies. You can read more about possible scholarship programmes within Lund University as well as external ones that might be able to accept your application. We do encourage you to investigate possible scholarships from your home country or region as well as European funds towards education.
Scholarship & Funding at lunduniversity.lu.se
Application period: 15 October 2024 - 15 January 2025
The new MA programme can provide a learning structure where critical thinking doesn’t just remain topics, but the ideas go throughout the work and into the practice
Sonya Lindfors, choreographer and artistic director of UrbanApa
MA in Performing Arts as Critical Practice
Education start date: September 2025
Education scope: 120 credits, four semesters of full time studies
Teaching language: English
Study location: Malmö
Study pace: Full time
Application period: October 15th, 2024 - January 15th, 2025
Education Plan:
Programme Syllabus EN (pdf) | Utbildningsplan SE (pdf)
Semester overview:
Semester 1 - Context and Collaboration (.pdf)
Semester 2 - Alliances and Arenas (.pdf)
Semester 3 - Critical Practices (.pdf)
Semester 4 - Exam Project, Master's Thesis and Portfolio (.pdf)
The strong partnerships and outward looking principles of this MA programme provide a generative context for critical theory and performative experimentation, and the strong practice traditions of the Malmö Theatre Academy offers a supportive home for students to push boundaries, ask questions and take risks.
Terry O'Connor, Forced Entertainment, Honorary doctor Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts, Lund University
Malmö is the perfect city for this new programme. The city has such a rich social fabric, and a sense of transit, which create a vibrant environment.
Maj Hasager, Rector Malmö Art Academy
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Get to know our students
MA cohort 2023-2025
Programme Director
Edit Kaldor
Senior Lecturer
edit.kaldor@thm.lu.se