Technical Theatre Arts with Professional Placement

Master your passion for bringing stage and live events to life.

Play a vital technical and creative role in the success of live performance productions. Working in our professional studios and production spaces, you’ll master the skills to captivate audiences.

You’ll learn from practising technical specialists and creative academic staff, becoming an expert in lighting, sound, visual technologies, set construction and stage management. With endless opportunities to work on real events – in collaboration with other students or through our public performance venue – you’ll graduate with real experience to take into industry.

You will:
Gain an all-round technical grounding in live sound, lighting, stage management, rigging and scenic construction
Receive a critical insight into the cultural sector, exploring how performance technologies and professional practice influence each other
Work in state-of-the-art facilities with access to both core industry technology and some of the latest equipment.
Broaden your skills by collaborating with students across a broad range of disciplines including popular music, contemporary dance, and musical, devised and traditional theatre
Gain industry-recognised safety accreditations

As part of this Technical Theatre Arts degree, you’ll be taught by practicing technical specialists, academic staff and creative technicians. You’ll also have the opportunity to gain nationally-recognised qualifications in equipment use, processes and health and safety.

Year one:
During your first year, you’ll explore stagecraft techniques, equipment, technology and processes, as well as modern performance practices and the industry’s history. You’ll have the chance to take on roles in live performances, work at our summer schools, conferences, events and artist residencies and gain nationally recognised health and safety training.

Modules:
Stagecraft 1
Performance, Culture and Contexts
Professional Development
Stagecraft 2
Practical Production

Year two
In your second year, you’ll have the chance to collaborate with other courses on performance projects and work with professional staff on real events on and off-campus, including opportunities for work placements. You’ll also work on creative projects focusing on design and project management.

Modules:
Venue & Production Management
Digital Performance Technologies
Design Project
Collaborative Project

Year Three:

You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the employability team. Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying.

How you’ll study during your professional placement:

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks.

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation.

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth.

Year four
In your final year, you’ll continue to develop a practical and forward-thinking set of skills for professional practice. You’ll develop your own independent lines of enquiry and projects, continuing to collaborate with other performance and live events courses in the form of projects and productions. You’ll also explore new technologies and advanced digital processes that are central to future-facing professional skillsets. Finally, you’ll deliver a major professional practice project of your choosing and reflect upon its strengths and weaknesses.

Modules
Production Management, Design and Realisation
Industry Horizons in Technical Theatre
Professional Project: Practice
Professional Project: Research

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.

You’ll be assessed through a combination of practical skills, competencies and written work.

Practical assessments
Reflective presentations
Reflective critical reviews of learning
Creative portfolios