MA Theatre and Performance Design

Course overview

MA Theatre and Performance Design offers you studio-based vocational training. As a 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.

Collaboration lies at the heart of each project on this course, whether speculative or realised. You will have the opportunity to build ideas, proposals and events with other makers. 

With a strong emphasis on live, real-time performance, you will learn skills to help you develop, organise and deliver a production.

The course will enable you to work across a wide range of disciplines, contexts and partnerships as practiced in the sector. 

This course will at all times seek to promote, defend and explore the UAL’s Principles for Climate, Social and racial Justice.

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’ll 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’ll 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: We have a responsibility to contribute towards a better and more sustainable world. Throughout your course, you'll 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’ll 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’ll 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’ll develop and present a final creative event project based on an area of personal research and interest. 
• Research: You’ll produce a dissertation, as well as learning about research techniques and ideas that will enhance your practical training.
• Access to Wimbledon’s shared workshops: View the Wimbledon facilities.

Industry experience and opportunities  

Connections with practitioners and directors occur throughout the course, but industry placements are not part of the course. Self-motivated involvement in the industry is encouraged. Though it needs to happen in a way that doesn't impact your studies and in consultation with the Course Leader.

Mode of study

MA Theatre and Performance Design is offered in full-time mode and runs for 45 weeks over 15 months. You will be expected to commit an average of 40 hours per week to your course, including teaching hours and independent study.

Home fee

£13,330

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£28,570

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.