Theatre and Performance Design University of the Arts London (UAL)

Overview

The Theatre and Performance Design course at University of the Arts London (UAL) offers you studio-based vocational training. As a freelance theatre and production designer the course will develop your skills and approach to collaboration, technology and storytelling.

It will train you to become a theatre and production designer who makes dynamic, innovative environments that connect your audience to the performance. With a strong emphasis on live, real-time performance, you will learn skills to help you develop, organise and deliver a production.

What to expect 

• Analyse your work on a deeper level: Learn to identify and critique influences, traditions and cultures that inform your work.

• Design methods and processes: You will be exposed to performance design and fabrication techniques used in industry.

• Digital performance: Gain an understanding of the role of digital technology in theatre and production design.

• Exploration: You will look at the performer-audience relationship.

• Sustainability: Learn to assess and implement key factors of sustainability within the industry locally and globally.

• An ethical focus: Students have a responsibility to contribute towards a better and more sustainable world. Throughout your course, you will explore climate, social and racial justice and learn how to embed these principles into your creative practice.

• Making and drawing skills: Improve your model-making, technical and costume drawing techniques as a way of presenting and communicating ideas and designs. 

• Contextual study: You will look at historical, current and developing forms of practice and production within live performance, stage and costume design. 

• Seminars: Take part in discussions that will give you a critical awareness of cultural production. 

• An individual approach: You will develop your own way of asking questions, researching and solving problems in a professional, historical and social context. 

• Collaboration: Take part in a cross-course ensemble design with fellow students. 

• Professional mentoring: To investigate, and where possible, establish a partnership with a professional mentor. 

• Final major project: You will develop and present a final creative event project based on an area of personal research and interest. 

• Research: You will produce a dissertation, as well as learning about research techniques and ideas that will enhance your practical training.

• Access to Wimbledon’s shared workshops