Iranian Higher Education
Assistant Professor, Department of Theatre, Faculty of Arts, Soore International University, Tehran, Iran. , alihajimollaali@soore.ac.ir
Abstract: (4 Views)
Objective: This article examines the concept of “Dramaturgy as Practice-based Research” within the university system and, through a comparative study of MSc theses in Theatre Studies in Iran versus dramaturgy dissertations in the UK, reveals the potentials of this approach. Whereas practice-based research has become an established method in the UK higher education system, in Iranian theatre studies it lacks a defined and institutionalised position. The main research question asks: What limitations do final-year student projects in Iran encounter and how might their revision increase efficacy in both the academic sphere and artistic production? The article posits that employing the dramaturgy practice-based model can offer an effective response to these shortcomings.
Findings: To illustrate how theory and practice might be integrated in a thesis format, three practice-based dissertations in the UK were examined: (1) Emily Lexsen’s thesis in puppet‐theatre dramaturgy, which through the creation of two plays and a framework transforms creative writing into research; (2) Michael Pinchbeck’s project, whose trilogy of performances simultaneously functions as an artistic production and a research outcome; (3) Zelda Franzka Henny’s study Between the Curtains, offering a theory–practice hybrid approach to contemporary dramaturgy. The findings show that in the UK the student is defined as an “artist-researcher” — a person who bridges theoretical frameworks and practical experience, thereby transforming university research into a creative, production-oriented process.
Conclusion: Recognising and institutionalising practice-based research in Iran could enrich theatre education, bridge the gap between university and performance, and provide a model in which the thesis not only studies theatre but itself becomes the stage for theatre creation. In this way, the university could move beyond purely theoretical positions and become a site of artistic genesis and creative thought.
Findings: To illustrate how theory and practice might be integrated in a thesis format, three practice-based dissertations in the UK were examined: (1) Emily Lexsen’s thesis in puppet‐theatre dramaturgy, which through the creation of two plays and a framework transforms creative writing into research; (2) Michael Pinchbeck’s project, whose trilogy of performances simultaneously functions as an artistic production and a research outcome; (3) Zelda Franzka Henny’s study Between the Curtains, offering a theory–practice hybrid approach to contemporary dramaturgy. The findings show that in the UK the student is defined as an “artist-researcher” — a person who bridges theoretical frameworks and practical experience, thereby transforming university research into a creative, production-oriented process.
Conclusion: Recognising and institutionalising practice-based research in Iran could enrich theatre education, bridge the gap between university and performance, and provide a model in which the thesis not only studies theatre but itself becomes the stage for theatre creation. In this way, the university could move beyond purely theoretical positions and become a site of artistic genesis and creative thought.
Keywords: dramaturgy, practice-based research, comparative study, postgraduate studies, Iran, United Kingdom
Type of article: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/10/4 | Accepted: 2025/11/1 | ePublished ahead of print: 2025/11/15
Received: 2025/10/4 | Accepted: 2025/11/1 | ePublished ahead of print: 2025/11/15
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