The Department of Performing Arts and Film (PAF), formerly known as the Department of Music, Dance and Drama (MDD) till 2010, was established in 1971. PAF is one of the most vibrant units at Makerere University. Makerere is the oldest Institution of higher learning in Eastern Africa and was established by the colonial government in 1922. PAF, the only one of its kind in Uganda and Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. It offers training in music, dance, drama and film under one roof. The Department has produced some of the best musicians, dancers, actors, radio and television presenters, film personnel, and performing arts managers. PAF has also produced internationally recognized academics in the different areas of performing arts.
Since its inception in 1971, PAF was offering diploma courses and the degree programme in drama was started in 1996. At that time it was called Bachelor of Arts in Drama. However, in 2010, it was revised and renamed Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Film and the latter is the one which has been revised. PAF belongs to the School of Liberal and Performing Arts in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The current title of the Programme is Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Film (BDRM). However, we have revised the name to Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Film (BDTF). The change of name is because the old term ‘drama’ in the former programme title is largely limited to the script. However, the revised term ‘theatre’ is a broader term and encompasses drama as well as other aspects of improvisational performances which are also taught at the Department of Performing Arts and Film.
Theatre and Film contribute to cultural advancement, interaction and creativity which nurture and renew cultural expressions, and enhance the role played by those involved in the development of culture for the progress of society. This calls for improving of performers’ learning experiences to conversely cater for the needs and interests of society.
While the programme has been successful, there is a need to revise it to be able to encompass all the components in theatre and continue addressing the changes and developments in film and the entertainment industry in Uganda, the region and globally. The world over and particularly in Africa, theatre is becoming intercultural and multi-medial, finding greater
expression on screen and the emerging stages with less happening on traditional mainstream
stages.
With the increasing developments of theatre and film as entertainment, scholarship and
business and the rising demand for skills in these artistic areas of expression, it has become
imperative to revise the programme to increase capacity of graduates to deliver in this field.
Moreover, theatre as a field also continues to expand for example in light of technology and
globalization. Hence, it is imperative that we review the Drama and Film programme for it to
take care of current local and global realities. Specifically, the revised program has put
emphasis on Applied Theatre Arts Entrepreneurship, Arts Management as these areas are now
core for the growth of the arts industry
The programme shall offer comprehensive critical understanding of the processes and practices
by which new creative work is generated and how the arts are used as high-level
communication tools to enhance learners’ natural creative enthusiasm. This will enable them
to use the creative skills in performance, education, health and well-being, media practices,
festival and events management, tourism and arts management, among others.
The programme is also being revised partly to increase enrolment by providing more options
for learners, most of whom are admitted on the private sponsorship scheme. This will also
enhance the sustainability of the programme.
All the courses shall combine academic enquiry with opportunities for practical production,
and the balance between theory and practice. Alongside traditional lectures and tutorials, the
courses shall include creative workshops, opportunities to work on live performances in a
variety of roles and invaluable industry-based learning opportunities. The core courses shall be
complemented by electives and options that enable specialization in areas relevant to learners’
career paths. No matter the options, candidates shall be encouraged to examine the creative
process closely, find their own style, develop their critical consciousness and think for
themselves both creatively and as creative arts entrepreneurs.
Our approach to learning fosters collaboration, with students from different courses often
working together on productions and creative projects as a natural and creative way to prepare
them for real-life team work after graduation. We also have a wide range of industry
connections, where students have regular opportunities to hear directly from those working
across the creative and cultural industries. A number of courses also offer students the chance
to undertake industry-based learning through industry-based-placements or undertaking real
world-of-work-client projects. At every level, students have the opportunity to develop vital
creative enterprise skills, including: collaborative working, new business development,
company formation, budgeting, pitching and presenting, fundraising, design thinking, idea
formation and social media management. We design our assessments to put these skills into
practice so that our graduates are well prepared for the world of work and capacity to develop
a sustainable career in the creative and cultural industries.
This review aligns with the mandatory statutory requirements and guidelines for programme
accreditation by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). It also aligns
with Makerere University’s quality assurance guidelines requiring programme review every
five years’ cycle.
The revised Bachelor of Theatre and Film programme is in line with Uganda’s strategic
direction as spelt out in the National Development Plan III (NPD III) and Vision 2040 and is
responsive to the Agenda Africa 2063. Core to Agenda Africa 2063 is the decolonization of
knowledge, which has also been the aim of Universities in Africa during the last decade. Also,
Africa Agenda 2063: Pillar Two, highlights the need for well-educated citizens and a skills
revolution underpinned by science, technology and innovation. In this revised Bachelor of
Theatre and Film programme new courses have been introduced, and course titles and course
units revised to rhyme with all the foregoing.
The revised programme also caters for the UN SDGs 2030 more so goal 4 – which talks about
the provision of Quality Education. Further, the revised programme also addresses Makerere
University’s strategic direction, especially focusing on Makerere being research-led,
internationally outward and engaging in community outreach programmes.
Also, since the last course review in 2010, there have been numerous developments in theatre
and film as entertainment, scholarship and business and there have been rising demands for
skills in the creative arts. For example, theatre stage and marketing have since moved to the
cyber space using platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Tik Tok and Telegram etc. The revised
course caters for these cyber space developments.
There has also been an upsurge in the popularity of standup comedy as a form of performance
and there are a number of artists in need of harnessing their skills in this area. Hence, it has
been imperative to revise the programme to increase capacity of graduates to deliver in this
field.
With the revised curriculum, the aim is to offer theatre education that responds to the evolving
demands of the performing, and creative industry of the twenty-first century; to promote
interdisciplinarity within the department and the entire university; and to increase student
enrolment for economic viability. Moreover, since more fields of theatre beyond training for
the theatre stage have tremendously developed over the years, it is imperative that we review
the programme to provide training and skills in theatre and other associated theatre fields of
application including Film/TV drama, theatre crafts, theatre technology, Applied Theatre and
arts entrepreneurship and management, and so on.
(i) To offer theatre and film education that responds to the demands of the Twenty-first
Century at different levels: local community, national, regional and globally.
(ii) To offer an education with transferable skills that can enable the Bachelor of Arts in
Theatre and Film graduates to create jobs.
(iii)To produce all-round graduates that are critical, adaptive, reflective, reflexive, and
aware of their society and surrounding phenomena and environment.
(iv) To contribute to the aims and objectives of Uganda’s national development goals, the
sustainable development goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations (UN), the
UNESCO Convention for safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of 2003, as well
as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
(v) To train students to be arts entrepreneurs who understand the history and background
of Uganda’s and the rest of the world’s Theatre and film industry.
(vi) To equip students with research skills that are applicable in the performing, film and
leisure arts.
(i) Graduates with theatre and film skills that are responsive to the demands of the
performing, creative and screen arts industry of the Twenty- first century.
(ii) Graduates with transferable skills that can enable them to create jobs, which is an urgent
intervention that is needed to propel Uganda’s economy.
(iii)All-round graduates that are critical, adaptive, reflective, reflexive to, and aware of their
society and surrounding phenomena and environment.
(iv) Graduates that will contribute to the aims and objectives of Uganda’s national
development goals, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set forth by the United
Nations (UN), the UNESCO Convention for safeguarding the intangible cultural
heritage of 2003, as well as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
(v) Enterprising graduates who understand the history and background of Uganda’s and
the global Theatre and film industry.
(vi) Graduates with research skills that are applicable in the performing, film and leisure
arts.
The BDTF graduates have career projections that include but are not limited to the following
areas:
i)Creative Writing
iii) Arts Administrators
vii) Production designers (Theatre, film, Television)
viii) Theatre and Film criticism
xii) Film and Theatre Events Managers