A short description of each unit and what you can expect.
Year 1
Unit 1 - Introduction to Theatre Design
This unit is an introduction to your course, the college and the university.
Unit 2 - Designing and making 1
This unit will introduce you to the creative skills that are essential to working within the world of contemporary theatre design. You will begin to get an idea of the range and scope of current professional practice.
- You will use model-making, basic surveying, 3D modelling techniques and technical drawing to aid analysis and representation of spatial forms and colour
- Projects will provide a foundation of working methods and processes that you will build on through the course
Unit 3 - Designing and making 2
This unit will focus on costume design. You will:
- Explore methods for carrying out in-depth costume research and character analysis
- Look at the impact of the body in the performance space
- Use drawing as the core process to develop your ideas
Unit 4 - Exploring ideas
In this unit you will create set and costume designs for a set text using a small London theatre as the venue.
- Structured projects led by academics
- Self-directed studio-based project work
- You will engage with the debates and ideas around theatre design
- Begin to evaluate the potential impact of theatre design in a wider cultural context
- Look at critical approaches to theatre design
Unit 5 - Who are you? Establishing practice
In this unit a range of digital processes used in the theatre design and live performance industry will be demonstrated. You will work on short projects in relation to these.
Year 2
Unit 6 - Practice as laboratory
This unit will enable you to investigate the breadth of contemporary theatre and performance design practice. Areas covered will include, but are not limited to, site-responsive theatre, immersive performance and other aspects of design for performance.
- You will carry out research, practical experiments and speculative design projects
- Visit external institutions
Unit 7 - Collaborative and collective practices
This unit aims to introduce you to different ways in which collaborative working can focus and enhance your own creative strengths. This unit has 3 core purposes:
- To engage with fellow students with different practices and interests in a collaborative project
- To engage with external audiences, participants or institutions to consider new contexts for your work
- To develop your creative attributes to enable you to take on future challenges in a variety of contexts
Unit 8 - Where in the world? 1
This unit will be mainly self-directed with support from academic tutors, theatre directors and performers.
- You will make a realised performance in response to themes from set contemporary and historical texts
- Engage with and respond to broader concepts and themes. These might include, but are not limited to body, gender, genre, agency, authenticity, movement, audience, spatiality
- Attend and review performances and events
- Apply for work placements to be undertaken in unit 9
- Work on your CV and professional portfolio
- Have lectures delivered by a range of industry professionals
Unit 9 - Where in the world? 2
The main component of this unit will be in the form of a complete speculative design proposal for the same text that was used in unit 8. Your proposal will include storyboards, set, costume, lighting and sound design
During this unit you can undertake a work placement.
Year 3
Unit 10 - Finding your voice: portfolio design, crafting research skills, career planning
The work generated for your final year project will be self-directed and involve extended pieces of work. The unit has 3 elements:
- Research portfolio - a visual and reflective project that demonstrates your research voice within your studio work
- Dissertation - a research project which can be written, filmed or presented
- Professional portfolio - development of a portfolio for potential employment that articulates your aesthetic and personal identity
Unit 11 - Show your work: independent practice
This final unit enables you bring together all the ideas and learning from the course.
- To continue a self-directed programme of practice and related research
- Seminars and talks on working in the theatre design industry
- To prepare your portfolio to help you enter the theatre design profession
- To present work in the college degree show
Optional Diploma between year 2 and 3
Between year 2 and 3 you can opt to undertake the Diploma in Professional Studies or the UAL Diploma in Creative Computing. Whilst these Diplomas are an optional aspect of the course, they are designed as an integrated and assessed part of your journey through the course.