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Wimbledon College of Arts

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MA Theatre and Production Design

College
WIMBLEDON
Start date
September 2021
Course length
1 year (full time)
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Course begins in September 2021

MA Theatre and Production Design will begin in September 2021. Recruitment will start in Autumn 2020.

If you are interested in theatre design take a look at our MA Theatre Design

MA Theatre and Production Design at Wimbledon College of Arts invites you to engage with contemporary ideas and research within the field of theatre, performance and entertainment, and will prepare you for the continually evolving nature of practice within the industry.

There are 3 pathways on MA Theatre and Production Design: Creative Events, Interactive Performance Design and Technologies, and Theatre Design.

This course is subject to validation. Validation is a process that makes sure students get a high quality academic experience. During validation there maybe be some changes to course content and structure. Please contact us if you have any questions about this course.

Course overview

You will be immersed in the collaborative nature of theatre and performance practice so that you are able to build ideas, proposals and events with other makers.

Creative Events pathway

With a strong emphasis on live/real-time performance, you will learn skills related to organising and developing effective models for delivery and acquire a comprehensive understanding of the qualities needed to project manage and deliver creative event production.

Interactive Performance Design and Technologies pathway

You will experience and employ high-level performance design and fabrication techniques as practiced in industry to augment production processed within the mediums of stage, film and entertainment. Advanced techniques and research ideas will build upon your vocational training to encourage transdisciplinary, practical approaches to creating future theatres of practice.

Theatre Design pathway

Theatre Designers make dynamic, innovative environments that connect and audience to the performance and can contribute towards the continuing development of the performance space as a place for social interaction and debate. This established pathway offers you a studio-based vocational course to train as a freelance theatre designer.

What to expect

  • To apply the skills and knowledge that underpin your essential practice to work across a wide range of disciplines, contexts and partnerships as practiced in the sector
  • To learn to identify and critique influences, traditions and cultures that make up and impact upon artistic endeavours
  • Supported by seminars, you will develop a critical awareness of the landscapes of cultural production
  • To develop your own way of asking questions, researching and solving problems in a professional, historical and social context at an advanced academic and professional level
  • To take part in a cross-course, mediated, ensemble design with your peers
  • To establish a partnership with a professional mentor
  • To develop and present at public exhibition a final creative event project based on an area of personal research
  • To produce a research dissertation
  • To have access to Wimbledon's shared workshops. View the Wimbledon facilities

Mode of study

MA Theatre and Production Design is offered in full-time mode and runs for 45 weeks over 12 months. You will be expected to commit an average of 40 hours per week to your course, including teaching hours and independent study

Course units

A short description of what you can expect.

Unit 1: Methods

You will engage with creative research skills to investigate your chosen pathway to form a distinctive view of the discipline and pursue further areas of enquiry pertinent to the field of producing.

Students will undertake a pathway-specific project that is structured to emulate professional responsibilities of a commission or interest within industry practice. You may also engage with a collaborative project with the peer group, which will end in a short, team-based activity.

Opportunities will be provided to explore and develop various forms of technical software to promote idea-generation, problem solving, communication and dissemination.

Unit 2: Practice

This unit will enhance your creative research skills and practical research methods to facilitate event proposal ideas, assisting participants to identify the means necessary for bringing a proposal to completion and challenge the discourses identified in the field of practice.

Unit 3: Collaboration

In this unit all students will engage in a cross-course, mediated, ensemble design with peers on the other pathways, through which you will experience the collaborative nature of theatre practice whilst studying, building ideas, proposals and events with other theatre and performance makers.

You will also focus the critical scope of your practice in order to identify an area of personal research which will be the foundations of a final creative event project for the following unit.

At this stage, students will also be encouraged to establish a partnership with an appropriate professional mentor.

Unit 4: Realisation

In the final unit you will independently complete a self-directed creative event project which has been explored during previous units.

The final project will be shown in a public exhibition that may also include documentation of a live practice experiment, preparatory work and any other work produced throughout the year.

Your professional mentor may assist and critique the ideas for the final project, monitor the work’s progress at a mid-stage, locate its significance within the wider research field and provide an industry-based reaction to its effectiveness.

You will also produce as scholarly piece of work for a research dissertation.

How to apply

Opportunities for all

We are committed to making university education an achievable option for a wider range of people and to supporting all of our students in achieving their potential both during and after their courses.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities. If you have a disability (e.g. mobility difficulties, sensory impairments, medical or mental health conditions or Asperger’s syndrome) we strongly encourage you to contact us on disability@arts.ac.uk or +44 (0)20 7514 6156 so that we can plan the right support for you. All enquiries are treated confidentially. To find out more, visit our Disability & Dyslexia webpages.

Entry requirements

The standard minimum entry requirements for this course are:

  • BA (Hons) degree in either art and design or drawing-related disciplines, including social and other sciences or engineering
  • Alternative qualifications and experience will also be taken into consideration
  • Personal statement
  • Portfolio of work (not for Creative Events pathway)

Entry to this course will also be determined by the quality of your application, looking primarily at your portfolio of work, personal statement and reference.

APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

  • Related academic or work experience
  • The quality of the personal statement
  • A strong academic or other professional reference
  • A combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

English language requirements

All classes are taught in English. If English isn't your first language you must provide evidence at enrolment of the following:

Selection criteria

We look for:

  • Commitment and motivation for studying designing for performance at an experimental level
  • Understanding of contemporary performance design and its' context
  • Evidence a visual interest in performance though design practice or other, directly related activities
  • Be able to articulate though writing and if appropriate, illustrate a potential, considered, project idea that is feasible and achievable
  • An ability to work imaginatively and creatively in 2D and 3D visual media, materials and processes
  • A desire to learn and an ability to investigate ideas critically and independently
  • Evidence of critical awareness and self-direction, openness and the ability to learn
  • Potential for creative problem solving appropriate to theatre and performance design contexts

Making your application

Personal statement

This should be about 500 words long and include:

  • Your reasons for choosing the course
  • Your current creative practice and how this will help with your future plans
  • If you do not have any formal academic qualifications please describe your relevant education and experience

Course begins in September 2021.

External Student Transfer Policy:

If you are currently studying at another institution and if you have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units and modules on your current postgraduate course and wish to continue your studies at Wimbledon College of Arts, you can apply to transfer. The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible. Further information can be found in our UAL External Student Transfer Policy.

Deferring your place

This course allows offer holders to defer. If you have an offer of a place, but you would like to defer starting for a year, please contact our Admissions Service as soon as possible via your UAL Portal. Make sure you check our Admissions Policy before requesting a deferral.

If you are an EU offer holder, it is important to consider that, from 2021-22, you may be charged International fees, which are higher. Read our Coronavirus guidance for prospective students for details.

What happens next

Communicating with you

After you’ve submitted your application, you’ll receive a confirmation email providing you with your login details for the UAL Portal. We’ll use this portal to contact you to request any additional information, including inviting you to upload documents or book an interview, so please check it regularly.

Initial application check

We check your application to see if you meet the standard entry requirements for the course. If you do, you’ll be invited to submit a mini portfolio through UAL’s online portfolio review system (you do not need to do this if you are applying to the Creative Events pathway, you will be asked to submit a page stating 'Not Applicable' to enable your application to move on).

Mini portfolio

The portfolio should show the following:

  • A maximum of 30 images or other files such as animation, film or video
  • A range of visual work which demonstrates experimentation and idea generation
  • Design development showing how problems are solved
  • An interest in collaboration and making performances
  • Awareness of character in the context of a dramatic situation
  • Any previous experience of theatre work
  • Sketchbooks and notebooks

Following the review of the mini portfolio we select applicants to move on to the next stage of the process. These applicants will be invited to an interview.

Interview

You will be expected to bring your portfolio, which will be reviewed by the academics conducting the interview (not for the Creative Events pathway). Please be prepared to talk about your work, what inspires you and your influences. We may not discuss all of these topics at the interview.

More details about your interview will be emailed to you once you have chosen or been allocated your date.

Selection for Home/EU applicants happens in a variety of different ways:

  • In person at Wimbledon College of Arts
  • By phone or Skype

If you choose phone or Skype your mini portfolio that you uploaded via UAL’s online portfolio review system will be used during the interview (not for Creative Events pathway).

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

You will receive the final outcome of your application through the UAL portal.

Please note that applications made to this course may be given an alternative offer. This decision will be based on our assessment of your creative and potential interests.

Course begins in September 2021.

There are 2 ways international students can apply to a postgraduate course at Wimbledon College of Arts:

  • Through one of our official representatives in your country
  • By direct application

Read our immigration and visa information to find out if you need a visa to study at UAL.

External Student Transfer Policy:

If you are currently studying at another institution and if you have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units and modules on your current postgraduate course and wish to continue your studies at Wimbledon College of Arts, you can apply to transfer. The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible. Further information can be found in our UAL External Student Transfer Policy.

Deferring your place

This course allows offer holders to defer. If you have an offer of a place, but you would like to defer starting for a year, please contact our Admissions Service as soon as possible via your UAL Portal. Make sure you check our Admissions Policy before requesting a deferral.

What happens next

Communicating with you

After you’ve submitted your application, you’ll receive a confirmation email providing you with your login details for the UAL Portal. We’ll use this portal to contact you to request any additional information, including inviting you to upload documents or book an interview, so please check it regularly.

Initial application check

We check your application to see if you meet the standard entry requirements for the course. If you do, you’ll be invited to submit a mini portfolio through UAL’s online portfolio review system (you do not need to do this if you are applying to the Creative Events pathway, you will be asked to submit a page stating 'Not Applicable' to enable your application to move on).

Mini portfolio

The portfolio should show the following:

  • A maximum of 30 images or other files such as animation, film or video
  • A range of visual work which demonstrates experimentation and idea generation
  • Design development showing how problems are solved
  • An interest in collaboration and making performances
  • Awareness of character in the context of a dramatic situation
  • Any previous experience of theatre work
  • Sketchbooks and notebooks

Following the review of the mini portfolio we select applicants to move on to the next stage of the process. These applicants will be invited to an interview.

Interview

You will be expected to bring your portfolio, which will be reviewed by the academic conducting the interview (not needed for Creative Events pathway). Please be prepared to talk about your work, what inspires you and your influences. We may not discuss all of these topics at the interview.

More details about your interview will be emailed to you once you have chosen or been allocated your date.

Selection for international applications are available in a variety of different ways:

  • By phone or Skype
  • In your country, if your application was made through one of our official representatives
  • In person at Wimbledon College of Arts

If you choose phone or Skype your mini portfolio that you uploaded via UAL’s online portfolio review system will be used during the interview (not for Creative Events pathway).

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

You will receive the final outcome of your application through the UAL portal.

Please note that applications made to this course may be given an alternative offer. This decision will be based on our assessment of your creative and potential interests.


Fees & Funding

Home / EU fee

£11,220 (2020/21).

International fee

£22,920 (2020/21).

Course fees may be paid in instalments.

Additional costs

In addition to tuition fees you are very likely to incur additional costs such as travel expenses and the cost of materials. Please read the information on our additional costs page.

Accommodation

Find out about the accommodation options available and how much they will cost.

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Wimbledon College of Arts

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Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 9641
Address
Wimbledon College of Arts
Merton Hall Road
London
SW19 3QA