The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama - Prospectus 2018

Page 1

Royal central

School of Speech & Drama • University of London

PostGraduate

UNDERGraduate

Prospectus

Research

Short Courses & Training

2018



A WORLD-LEADING INSTITUTION OF THE THEATRICAL AND PERFORMING ARTS


Contents

4

ABOUT CENTRAL

40

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice

6

Why Central?

41

Overview

10

International Students

42

Costume Construction

14

Staff

44

Design for the Stage

16

Staff Research

46

Performance Arts

48

Production Lighting

50

Prop Making

52

Puppetry: Design and Performance

54

Scenic Art

56

Scenic Construction

58

Stage Management

18 COURSES 20

Central’s Portfolio

22

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

26

BA (Hons) Acting

27 Overview 28

Acting

30

Acting CDT

32

Acting Musical Theatre

34 BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education 38 BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education: Writing for Performance

60

Technical and Production Management

62

Theatre Lighting Design

64

Theatre Sound


66

POSTGRADUATE COURSES

104

70

Research Degrees (PhD/MPhil)

106 MA/MFA Voice Studies

74

MA Acting Classical

76

MA Acting Contemporary

108 MA/MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media

78

MA Acting for Screen

80

MA/MFA Actor Training and Coaching

82

MA/MFA Advanced Theatre Practice

MA Theatre Criticism and Dramaturgy

110 PG Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 112

SHORT COURSES & TRAINING

86 MA Applied Theatre: Drama and the Criminal Justice System

114

FURTHER INFORMATION

114

How to Apply

90 PG Certificate Applied Theatre with Young People

115 Tuition Fees

92

MA/MFA Creative Producing

94

MA Drama and Movement Therapy

116 Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards

86 MA Applied Theatre: Drama in the Community and Drama Education

96 MA/MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching 98

MA Music Theatre

100 MA/MFA Performance Practice as Research 102

MA/MFA Scenography

115 Student Finance and Funding 116 Student Advice Service 117 Learning Centre 118

Development

119 Governance, Patron, Presidents, Honorary Fellows/PhDs, Professor Emeritus 120 Important Information

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Intro


Message from the president I remember well the Central prospectus I read when I was seeking a drama school education back in the 1980s. It was slimmer than this one, but it had a life and an identity that seemed to set it apart from other schools and colleges at the time. Central was my first choice because it had a real sense of history and a reputation for staying ahead of the game. I am delighted to report that is something that has never changed. Central is constantly evolving and now offers even greater opportunities as one of the leading drama conservatoires in the world. It remains linked to its glorious past while looking forward to the ever-changing landscape in higher education. This prospectus is much more far-reaching than the one I (still) have from over 30 years ago and, while it clearly sets out the range of courses available, it won’t tell you why your experience as a Central student will be extraordinary. That you can only discover by being here, because that is when you will engage with the inspirational men and women who teach at Central. As I was fortunate enough to discover, they will give you a unique education that prepares you for the profession you are about to enter but, best of all, they will give you an education for life.

Michael Grandage CBE President

Introducing Central A recent international review of the key English Drama Schools confirmed Central as being truly ‘World Leading’ – prompting our specialist government funding to be more than doubled. This followed a similar assessment of our Research – which came out at the forefront of the UK’s Drama Conservatoires. Significant aspects of the National Students’ Survey accorded Central a 100% rating.

Photo: Bill Ray

So it is that we go forward with confidence, proud of our Graduate employment statistics in the burgeoning Creative Industries, the fastest growing sector of the UK economy. Central’s estates have long been regarded as exemplary in our sector, and this will be considerably enhanced with a new block of studios, including a new theatre plus film and TV facilities, for which building has now commenced. These will complement the historic Embassy Theatre and associated workshops. An exciting time to be part of the Central community! We hope that you will wish to explore the range of courses, both undergraduate and postgraduate, set out in this Prospectus. Do visit for an Open Day, or come to our regular productions and screenings of our award-winning films, and indeed exhibitions of our design and construction work. With a series of ground-breaking festivals, and over 60 shows making it to the Edinburgh Fringe – Central is hard to miss …

Professor Gavin Henderson CBE Principal

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Why Central? A complete conservatoire for today’s fast-moving performing arts industry, Central prepares you for the professional world as a specialist in your subject. Your career is at the heart of the curriculum.

Besides our many famous and up-and-coming actors and writers, Central’s alumni are to be found in all departments of theatre, film and television, in the music industry, in education and in community arts organisations. Central graduates (and some current students who have returned to study as postgraduates) have produced theatre shows, films and festivals and help to light, design, make, direct or stage manage shows, such as Complicite’s The Encounter, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time and Olympic ceremonies. Our graduates also teach, research and renew their subject, finding new applications for theatre, developing new audiences, engaging with new communities and making drama count in society. Central is a specialist college for the performing arts – a college of specialists and a college for

specialists in: acting, actor training, applied theatre, theatre crafts and making, design, dramatherapy, lighting, movement, musical theatre, performance, producing, puppetry, scenography, stage management, sound, teacher training, technical arts and production, theatre studies, voice, writing and much else besides. The cultural industries are built on creative collaboration between such specialists. This is why collaboration, collegiality and communications are core to our principles and approach. As a student or PhD candidate at Central, you will learn much from your fellow students, as well as collaborating with your tutors, lecturers and supervisors, taking an active approach to your learning or training. We expect you to bring a sense of enquiry, along with a readiness to argue a point in an academic discussion and to have your preconceptions challenged.

We work closely with industry professionals to ensure that the way you learn is relevant to the way you will work. We also encourage you to challenge traditions, innovate and take creative and intellectual risks within a vibrant research environment. According to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, Central ranks as the top UK drama conservatoire for world-leading research, and among the top UK universities for worldleading impact in drama research. This environment of discovery and innovation alongside the development of new knowledge through practice and scholarship informs and enriches all of Central’s activities as a specialist college of drama, performance and the theatre arts.


ENVIRONMENT Central’s Swiss Cottage campus is set in Hampstead, a quiet, leafy corner of London. Across a plaza where a regular market sells great coffee, fresh produce and international food, it faces the Hampstead Theatre, one of London’s key producers of new writing. Behind this there is a leisure centre with a large pool and gym, which offers Central students a good discounted rate. This plaza acts as a forum that informally extends our campus. From here, trains take you directly into the heart of London in ten minutes or less, as well as to Central Bankside, our studio facility in the heart of Southwark’s riverside arts sector, right next to Shakespeare’s Globe and the Tate Modern. Central’s facilities are among the UK’s best. At the heart is the historic and now fully-refurbished Embassy

Theatre. Where Edward Gordon Craig staged Dido And Aeneas (1900), Paul Robeson performed (1933 - 35) and Joan Littlewood staged Ewan MacColl’s Uranium 235 (1952), Central students now perform work by award-winning 21st century playwrights such as Tony Kushner, alumnae Rebecca Lenkiewicz and Jessica Swale and regular visiting lecturer Tanika Gupta MBE. Students also devise new productions such as our 2015 adaptation of Sapphire’s Push, undertake workshops with recent graduates such as screenwriter and playwright Vinay Patel, and each year produce and perform in newly written films which regularly screen and win awards in festivals such as Sundance 2016, Raindance 2016 and Sitges 2016. Around this iconic auditorium, you will find fully-equipped scenic and props workshops, craft and design studios, rehearsal rooms, edit suites, experimental sound and lighting

studios, five fully functioning black box theatre spaces, a busy wardrobe department and a specialist library. The building is a hive of activity – constantly buzzing with creativity, Central is not only for students; it is well known as a meeting place for the theatre and performance industries. Professionals come and go, delivering masterclasses and seminars or developing their own work. Many of the leading international authorities in drama and performance work at Central, visit us to give lectures or deliver research seminars. Most of Central’s courses and many of our staff are engaged in practice-based research. It is a campus bursting at the seams with activity and discussion. Students cluster on the steps and in the atrium rehearsing lines, or discussing projects and you can usually hear the sound of music practice coming from somewhere. In the summer of

Primrose Hill, Hampstead

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Senate House, University of London

2018 our brand new North Block will be completed, with five additional performance and rehearsal studios.

BEING A STUDENT AT CENTRAL

Within this participatory process, staff and students have responsibilities to one another.

The canteen and coffee bar spaces sell good, subsidised food to keep bodies and minds nourished and energetic, and between mealtimes these spaces are hubs for discussion. But it’s not all work: in the evenings the student-run bar also offers a place to socialise and the range of entertainment you would expect in a place like Central.

Central is not a building or a group of people, but a process of learning and discovery, of experimentation and reflection, of production and pedagogy. As well as teaching, members of our academic staff are actively involved in developing their fields and creating new knowledge as practitioners in their own right. Central welcomes and actively encourages a diverse and international student and staff body. Each year we welcome students from over 40 countries; students with one or more disabilities; students of different faiths and religious backgrounds; lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and/or non-binary students; students who identify as many different ethnicities and nationalities or as being of mixed or multiple ethnic heritages. For a student body of only 1000 we have a rich cultural diversity and we work hard to ensure that every person belongs here with us.

Staff undertake to ensure:

The best way to see Central is to visit us. We have a series of open events for all our courses throughout the year. See www.cssd.ac.uk or email openevents@cssd.ac.uk for up-todate details. Alternatively, please visit us internationally. We regularly hold auditions and interviews including North and South America, Australia and Singapore. Please contact our Admissions Office (see page 114) for details of when and where Central will be on the road near you soon.

> a safe, supportive and inclusive environment in which to study > high standards of teaching, support, advice and guidance > access to activities that will enhance employability and personal development > regular continuing professional development > support for student participation in academic development and course management, including elections of representatives > access to a range of pastoral support services, including the provision of advice on financial support > access to our Learning Centre, library, IT and other facilities, including the University of London Senate House Library and The British Library


> that both practice and research are conducted ethically, safely and with respect to the dignity of all, adhering to the School’s ethics guidance, health and safety policy and other codes and policies. In turn, students undertake to: > treat staff, visitors and their fellow students equitably, professionally and respectfully > respect the academic judgement of the institution > attend inductions, participate in timetabled classes and attend meetings with tutors > obtain agreement from the School, in advance, for any essential absences > take responsibility for managing their own learning: actively engaging in their course ensuring they spend sufficient regular time in private study, and participating fully in group learning and assessment activities

> submit assessed work by stated deadlines and actively participate in feedback > make prompt payment of charges made by the institution > return promptly, and in good condition, any equipment loaned by the institution > support Course Representatives and participate in systems which will lead to improvements in the quality of learning and teaching > respect the physical environment of the institution and behave respectfully towards all members of the School’s community and its neighbours > ensure that both practice and research are conducted ethically, safely and with respect for the dignity of all, adhering to the School’s ethics guidance, health and safety policy and other codes and policies.

When you enrol as a student at Central you will have access to Learnzone (the School’s virtual learning environment), where you will find course and student handbooks that will give you information about the things that are expected of you and what you can expect. Students come to Central because they are seriously committed to their subject, and because they want to learn. We work to high standards, and we do not promise that training or studying at Central will be easy – indeed, we set out to challenge your preconceptions, your understandings and your abilities. We are confident, however, that if you come here prepared to be challenged and to work hard, that your time at Central could change your life.

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International Students Central is a vibrant, international community. Students from approximately 40 different countries are warmly welcomed to Central at undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree level.

One of Central’s great benefits is its London location. Whether you join us for one, two, three or more years, you will have a chance to experience a richness and diversity of performance that a tourist can only glimpse.

The Students’ Union has an International Student Officer and the Student Advice Service (SAS) and Admissions and Student Recruitment Office staff are available to help.

If you are considering coming to study at Central from another country, we recommend that you make yourself aware of what to expect in a UK university college – modes of study and ways of life may be quite different from what you might expect in your own country. We run free sessions on understanding some of these things once you are here, but it would also help you to research before you arrive.

AUDITIONS AND INTERVIEWS

If you have questions about any aspect of study, do not hesitate to ask at your audition or interview.

Central hosts international auditions/interviews for many of its undergraduate and postgraduate courses. In the past auditions/ interviews have taken place in Singapore, Hong Kong, Toronto, New York, Chicago, Bangkok, Sydney, Santiago, Bogotá, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Dates and locations for auditions/interviews vary, but usually take place in February, March and April. See Central’s website www.cssd.ac.uk for further information.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS All of Central’s courses are taught in English and most courses have a stated International English Language Testing System (IELTS) requirement of 7.0. Even if you speak the language, however, you may encounter things that are different, or unexpected in the way students are taught or are expected to learn in the UK.


I wouldn’t change my time at Central for anything. Central gave me the opportunity to explore my practice and pushed me to do things I never thought I could do. I’ve met incredible people with whom I hope to keep working, and I feel very inspired to keep exploring the possibilities of my work. All the difficulties and challenges to get here, and while being here, have been worth it considering all that I feel I’ve achieved. Ana Diaz Barriga Lopez, MA Advanced Theatre Practice – Mexico

VISAS Many international students, especially those from outside the EU, require a visa in order to study in the UK. If you are accepted on to a course we will send you information on how to make your student visa application. This will include a unique Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) which is needed to support a student visa application. Please ensure you allow enough time for your visa to be issued.

Central gave me the most adventurous experience in studying Scenography; it is a rewarding journey indeed. I was able to work boldly in independent units and work intellectually in collaborative units. Central offered me an opportunity to get in touch with current practitioners in theatre and have conversations with them. It enabled me to have a dialogue between what I experienced in my country and what is happening in the UK. For me, Central provided a vital platform to work internationally during and after the course. Minglu Wang, MA Scenography – China

SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS You will be able to access a whole range of support, advice and guidance once you are a registered student. This includes advice on finance, the Counselling Service and other services offered through the Student Advice Service. The Student Advice Service holds a yearly International Student Welcome Event to bring all the international students together. The event provides key information on being an international student at Central and living in London. It will also give you an opportunity to voice any queries.

Once enrolled, you will also be able to access a range of free generic and specialist academic support through the Learning Skills programme. This includes, but is not limited to, referral based one-to-one sessions that focus on English with academic purpose and international themed short courses. For information about the Learning Skills programme, see www.cssd. ac.uk/content/learning-skills. Further information about support for international students is available on Central’s website, see www.cssd. ac.uk/international-students, and forms part of the application and registration process.

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ONE WEEK PRE-COURSE For students from countries outside the UK, the Learning Centre offers a short course to pre-enrolled international students. The course is the perfect opportunity to familiarise yourself with Central’s academic culture before starting your course whilst orientating you to London. Course outline: > get to know Central > get to know London > understand the process of undergraduate/postgraduate study orientation > understand English for academic purposes, by familiarising yourself with subject-specific language and terminology across courses (which will help you get to know other courses here)

> become familiar with modes of learning and teaching at Central > experience communicating with peers and staff at Central > receive information sessions on accommodation, finance and other practical aspects of living and studying in London. Key features: > the course involves a combination of tutor-led classes, independent tasks and cultural experiences in London (costs included in the price of the course) > some students may take this course as a result of a recommendation from a tutor at the point of audition/ interview

> many students are not required to take this course, but do so in order to better prepare themselves for their future studies and their experience as a student in the UK. You can learn more about the precourse on Central’s website www.cssd. ac.uk/content/international-pre-course For further information, call +44 (0)20 7449 1624 or email international.precourse@cssd.ac.uk.


When I first visited Central, for my audition, I had the feeling that I was at home. It was kind of odd since it was the first time I had visited London and I didn’t know anyone here. Everyone was so helpful and supportive. I thought it might be only because of the auditions, but it wasn’t. Here I found my voice as an artist – which, combined with all the skills that I’ve learnt, makes me feel more confident about my future career in this competitive industry. And I have always been supported by the staff and my classmates – you cannot feel homesick when you are at home. Valentin-Borisov Stoev, BA (Hons) Acting CDT – Bulgaria

Studying abroad was always one of my dreams and Central made this dream come true. Central takes good care of international students. It helped me get into the new environment a lot. I really appreciate that. Studying here has taught me how to be professional in the field of theatre, how to cultivate this profession and how to respect it properly. Making theatre on a professional level is the most valuable thing I have learned at Central. Huai-Chieh Yu, MA Advanced Theatre Practice – Taiwan

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Staff A faculty of over 60 subject specialists provides high levels of tuition and training, with over 400 visiting industry specialists working with students each year. Academic staff profiles can be seen on www.cssd.ac.uk/staff-profiles.

Professor Gavin Henderson, CBE, Hon FRCM, Hon FBCM, FRNCM, FTCL, Hon CTL, MA, CCIM, Principal

Professor Paul Barker, MMus, PhD, GGSM, Course Leader MA Music Theatre

Aldona Cunningham, BA, PGCE, FHEA, Senior Lecturer, Course Leader Design for the Stage

Deborah Scully, DMS, PGDip, FRSA, Deputy Principal/Deputy CEO, Clerk to Governors

Jane Boston, Adv Dip, BA, MA, Principal Lecturer, Course Leader MA/MFA Voice Studies, Head of International Network for Voice

Diana Damian-Martin, BA, MA, AFHEA, Lecturer, Performance Arts

Professor Ross Brown, BA, FHEA, Dean of School Professor Maria Delgado, BA, MA, PhD, FRSA, MAE, SFHEA, Director of Research Catherine McNamara, BA, PGCE, MA, PhD, PGCert TLHE, PFHEA, Reader in Applied Theatre, Pro Dean/Director of Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Hugo Burchell, BA (Oxon), MA, Academic Registrar and Director of Academic Services

FACULTY Nicola Abraham, BA, MA, PhD, PGCert TLHE, FHEA, Lecturer, Applied Theatre Practices Joshua Abrams, BSc, MA, PhD, SFHEA, Deputy Dean (Academic) Catherine Alexander, BA, SFHEA, Reader in Theatre Making, Course Leader Acting – Collaborative and Devised Theatre (BA) Joel Anderson, BA, DEA (University of Paris), PhD, Senior Lecturer, Course Leader MA Theatre Criticism and Dramaturgy Cariad Astles, BA, MA, Lecturer, Course Leader Puppetry: Design and Performance

Jessica Bowles, BA, Principal Lecturer, Course Leader MA/MFA Creative Producing Amanda Brennan, BA, MA, Principal Lecturer, Course Leader MA Acting for Screen Experience Bryon, BMus, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Course Leader MA/MFA Performance Practice as Research Ben Buratta, BA, MA, FRSA, Lecturer, Applied Theatre Practices Selina Busby, BA, PGCE, MA, PhD, Principal Lecturer, Course Leader MA Applied Theatre, PG Certificate Applied Theatre with Young People Professor Gilli Bush-Bailey, BA, MRes, PhD, Chair in Women’s Performance History Alyson Coleman, MA, PhD, Lecturer, Drama and Movement Therapy Geoffrey Colman, BA, MA, FRSA, Head of Acting and Programme Leader BA (Hons) Acting Paul Colwell, FHEA, Lecturer, Course Leader Technical and Production Management Tom Cornford, BA, PGDip, PhD, FHEA, Lecturer, Theatre and Performance

Sarah Davey-Hull, BA, MA, Lecturer, Course Leader MA Acting Contemporary Simon Donger, BA, MA, PhD, Lecturer, Course Leader MA/MFA Scenography Lucinka Eisler, BA, Lecturer, Movement Kate Elswit, BA, BS, MA, PhD, FHEA, Reader in Theatre and Performance Vanessa Ewan, LCMD, FHEA, Senior Lecturer, Movement, Co-Course Leader MA/MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching Stephen Farrier, BA, MA, PhD, FHEA, Principal Lecturer, Programme Leader BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education Tony Fisher, BA, MA, PhD, Reader in Theatre and Philosophy, Associate Director of Research with responsibility for Research Degrees Wendy Gadian, BA, PPRNCM, Principal Lecturer, Course Leader Acting – Musical Theatre (BA) Ben Gallacher, BA, Business and Enterprise Manager Deborah Garvey, BMus, LTCL, MA, PGCert TLHE, FHEA, Lecturer, Voice Debbie Green, LCMD, MA, FHEA, Senior Lecturer, Movement


Sarah Grochala, MA, PhD, AFHEA Lecturer, Course Leader MA/MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media Professor David Harradine, BA, MA, PhD, Professor of Interdisciplinary Practice

Jane Munro, BA, MA, PhD, Lecturer, Movement Ben Naylor, BA, Lecturer, Course Leader MA Acting Classical

Ayse Tashkiran, BA, PGCert, FHEA, Senior Lecturer, Co-Course Leader MA/MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching

Jessica Hartley, BA, PGCE, MA, PhD, SFHEA, Lecturer, Theatre and Performance Studies

Daron Oram, BA, MA, SFHEA, Senior Lecturer, Voice

Caroline Townsend, PGCert, PGDip, FHEA, Principal Lecturer, Programme Leader BA (Hons) Theatre Practice

Joanna Parker, BA, Senior Lecturer, Scenography

Madaleine Trigg, BA, FHEA, Lecturer, Performance Arts

Mairi Hayes, BA, Community Drama and Diploma Manager

Giulia Pecorari, MA, Lecturer, Costume Construction

Donato Wharton, BA, MSc, Lecturer, Course Leader Theatre Sound

Richard Hougham, MA, Principal Lecturer, Course Leader MA Drama and Movement Therapy

Daniël Ploeger, BMus, PhD, AFHEA, Research Fellow

Gareth White, BA, PhD, FHEA, Reader in Theatre and Performance, Community Performance and Applied Theatre

Julian Kelly, GMusRNCM, PPRNCM, Lecturer, Music Theatre

Duška Radosavljević, BA, PhD, PGCHE, FHEA, Senior Lecturer, Performance Arts

Lynne Kendrick, BA, MA, PhD, FRSA, Senior Lecturer, New Theatre Practices

Verna Rhodes, BA, MA, Head of Central Outreach

Katharine E Low, BA, MA, PhD, Lecturer, Community Performance and Applied Theatre

Sinéad Rushe, BA, DEA (University of Paris), PGDip, MA, Senior Lecturer, Acting and Movement

Peter Maccoy, BSc, PGCert, FHEA, Senior Lecturer, Theatre Production, Course Leader Stage Management

Jo Shah, BA, PGCE, MA, Lecturer, Programme Leader, Learning Skills

Professor Sally Mackey, BA, PGCE, MA, PhD, FHEA, FRSA, Associate Director (Research and Projects) Carla Mardle, BA, Lecturer, Course Leader Scenic Art Peter McAllister, BA, PGDip, MA, Senior Lecturer, Acting Nick Moran, BSc, C&G Teaching Cert, MA, FHEA, Senior Lecturer, Course Leader Production Lighting and Theatre Lighting Design Ian Morgan, BA, MA, Senior Lecturer, Course Leader MA/MFA Actor Training and Coaching

Lucie Shilton, BA, FHEA, Lecturer, Costume Construction

Claudette Williams, PGDip, LGSM, Senior Lecturer, Voice Nicholas Wood, BA, PGCert, MA, Senior Lecturer, Course Leader MA/ MFA Advanced Theatre Practice Martin Wylde, BA, PGCert, MPhil, FHEA, Principal Lecturer, Programme Leader MA Acting Dot Young, BA, Lecturer, Course Leader Prop Making

Professor Simon Shepherd, MA, MLITT, PhD, Emeritus Chair in Theatre Andreas Skourtis, Dip ARCH, MA RCH, MA, PGCert TLHE, FHEA, Lecturer, Scenography Vesna Stanojevic, BA, Senior Lecturer, Acting Alex Stone, BA, Lecturer Performance Lighting Amanda Stuart-Fisher, BA, MA, PhD, Reader in Contemporary Theatre and Performance

Nick Moseley, BA, PGCE, MA, FHEA, Principal Lecturer, Course Leader Acting (BA)

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Staff Research Central supports a dynamic research community of staff, postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate research students (PGRs) promoting an inclusive vision of theatre and performance and its place in society of the 21st century.

AHRC funded research project: Challenging concepts of ‘liquid’ place through performance practices in community contexts 2011-2014. Principal Investigator Professor Sally Mackey. Photo: Dayna Brannick

We examine the ways in which theatre is made, analysed and documented across different contexts and environments and our research activities are realised with a range of partners within the university, conservatoire and industry sectors. In addition to published books and articles, much of the research undertaken at Central is based in practices and processes and disseminated through performances, projects, playtexts, films, installations, and recordings. Research at Central addresses various domains of knowledge, including artistic creation, advanced technical capability, social application and performance theory. Areas of expertise include: > acting, movement, and voice > applied theatre > contemporary dramaturgies

> cultural histories of performance > international theatre practices > music theatre and sound > puppetry and object theatre. A public research seminar series, Theatre Workings, invites key researchers into Central regularly to share their ideas and findings. The methodology-driven Practices and Processes allows for work in progress to be shared and discussed. Central also hosts masterclasses, workshops, seminars and performances where research is tested and disseminated. Visiting scholars and research fellows take part in the School’s research activities while Central@ sees the School collaborate with external venues on a range of projects, presentations, seminars and interviews. Central enjoys close working relationships with a range of industry partners and other relevant organisations (e.g. NGOs, local

authorities, charitable trusts). Staff and students present their research through lectures, seminars, panel discussions and Q&As at theatres, film festivals, museums, local authorities, charity events, educational settings, and academic conferences. At the last Research Excellence Framework (2014), over two-thirds of the research submitted by Central was judged to be ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world-leading’. The School has been described as an example of ‘the emergence of a new kind of research institution in the performing arts, bridging the creative industries and the academy’ and as ‘world-leading in practice as research’.


Fevered Sleep’s Men & Girls Dance. Photo: Benedict Johnson

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CourseS After The Dance by Terence Rattigan, public production construction


Mary Stuart by Friedrich Schiller, public production

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Central’s Portfolio We offer specialist degree courses in drama, theatre and performance practices and study, with a high level of choice as shown in the undergraduate and postgraduate sections of this prospectus.

Brink Festival, MA/MFA Performance Practice as Research

It is recommended that you read the following entries carefully and see the website (www.cssd.ac.uk) to download more detailed course specifications. Terminologies may vary internationally, so for instance Stage Management is used to cover a range of different professional roles in schools and yet does not even exist as a term in some countries. Applied Theatre might be known by different names in different regions and sectors. It is important therefore that you are absolutely sure that the course you are interested in is the right one for you.

OVERVIEW OF CENTRAL’S COURSES At undergraduate level, there are 16 courses: > three conservatoire acting courses, each with a different specialist focus and each leading to the award of BA (Hons) Acting. If you believe you have the talent and commitment for a career as a professional actor, then these courses might be for you. > 12 different specialist theatre practice courses that work collaboratively together within one degree programme and result in the award of BA (Hons) Theatre Practice. If you want to work professionally within theatre production, design or making, then these courses might be for you.

Also within the BA (Hons) Theatre Practice programme are courses in Performance Arts, which are for those interested in the artistic development of new theatre and performance, and Puppetry: Design and Performance, the leading UK training for this increasingly important specialist theatre practice. > BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education, which offers students a broader practical course of study leading to a number of different career options and with a specialist pathway in Writing for Performance. If you have a more general interest in drama, theatre and performance and culture, and their uses in education and society, then this course might be for you.


Scenography Exhibition, MA/MFA Scenography

At postgraduate level, there are 15 specialist MA courses, a number of which have MFA versions, providing a qualification recognised as a ‘terminal degree’ in US and other international universities, and allowing for an extended second-year independent project. These include intensive training programmes in Contemporary Acting, Classical Acting, Acting for Screen, Music Theatre and Drama and Movement Therapy.

undergraduate courses offer such a background and, indeed, graduates of all three of Central’s undergraduate degrees have gone on to eventually become directors. For some, however, the urge to direct comes slightly later, perhaps having undertaken a first degree in a different subject. Several of our postgraduate degrees provide an excellent grounding in directing, depending on your specialist areas of interest.

> One year MAs in Theatre Criticism and Dramaturgy, Applied Theatre (with two strands: Drama in the Community and Drama Education; Drama and the Criminal Justice System).

MA/MFA Actor Training and Coaching Each course enables you to understand directing through a particular focus on working closely with actors.

> MA/MFAs in Voice Studies, Movement: Directing and Teaching, Actor Training and Coaching, Scenography, Creative Producing, Writing, Advanced Theatre Practice and Performance Practice as Research. A note about directing at Central: Central’s research enriched conservatoire environment is the ideal place to develop the knowledge, creativity and practical understanding students will need to one day be a successful director. While famous directors have trained at Central, we choose not to offer one orthodox director training programme. Instead, several of our courses provide an ideal foundation from which to develop as a director, depending on your interests, skills and experience. Most successful directors progress to the role having first gained an in-depth, practical understanding of dramaturgy, collaborative creativity and production processes, and from working in theatre in another capacity. All of Central’s

MA/MFA Advanced Theatre Practice This course looks specifically at directing in relation to interdisciplinary collaboration, devising, practical dramaturgies and company-based work. MA Applied Theatre This course encourages the facilitatordirector, working in a range of community contexts. Central also accepts practice-based or traditional PhD/MPhil proposals in the field of directing. MA/MFA Performance Practice as Research Each course enables you to consider your individual practice as research, and is ideal for those who might want to direct as part of a long-term individual ‘enquiry’, professionally or within the academy. MA/MFA Scenography These courses enable you to explore directing through designing via a range of collaborative, dramaturgical and technological frameworks. Students work with designers-directors as well

as choreographers, visual artists, filmmakers and sound artists to develop their own authorial strategies for developing creative work. MA Theatre Criticism and Dramaturgy This course enables you to develop a greater understanding of dramaturgy, placing your existing practice in urban cultural and critical landscapes. There are many famous directors who have trained at Central: Michael Grandage CBE (Acting), Theatre Director and Producer, Artistic Director of the Michael Grandage Company; Deborah Warner CBE (Theatre Practice), Director of Theatre and Opera; Daphna Attias (Advanced Theatre Practice), Artistic Director of Peut-Être Theatre, and Co-Artistic Director of Dante or Die; Terry O’Donovan (Advanced Theatre Practice), Co-Artistic Director of Dante or Die, Co-Artistic Director of TOOT; Bijan Sheibani (Advanced Theatre Practice), Associate Director at the National Theatre; Orla O’Loughlin (Advanced Theatre Practice), Theatre Director, Artistic Director of the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh; Mark Down (Advanced Theatre Practice), Artistic Director of Blind Summit Theatre Company; Clem Garritty (Scenography), Director of Kill The Beast Theatre Company. ‘One of the interesting things about directing is that there are as many ways to direct a play as there are directors to do it. The only thing that we probably share in common is that we all sign a piece of paper at some point to agree to deliver something on a certain date.’ Michael Grandage 1 1 Shepherd, S. 2012. Direction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillian

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Undergraduate CourseS

Construction workshop

Intro


Sweet Charity, book by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, public production

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Images

The Crucible by Arthur Miller, public production


Design & Crafts Exhibition

Images

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Hitchcock Blonde by Terry Johnson, public production


BA (HONS) Acting OVERVIEW Central’s professional actor training is legendary. Award-winning graduates include Cush Jumbo, Zoë Tapper, Nonso Anozie, Stephen Tompkinson, Claire Bloom, Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, Kevin Whately, Joss Ackland, Martin Freeman, Zoë Wanamaker, Gael García Bernal, James Purefoy, Andrew Garfield, Jack Donnelly, Kit Harington, Julie Christie, Laurence Olivier, Carrie Fisher, Harold Pinter, Vanessa Redgrave, Alex Hassell and Natasha Richardson.

Drawing upon multiple performance theories, rather than subscribing to a particular doctrine or method, Central actors have always adopted a pragmatic approach to their training. The three specialist undergraduate acting courses: Acting, Acting Collaborative and Devised Theatre (CDT) and Acting Musical Theatre (MT), reflect this eclecticism and celebrate the many and varied techniques available to the actor wanting to work in theatre, television, film and radio. These courses exist within a thriving conservatoire environment – home to a dynamic range of related performance disciplines at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Training is contextualised alongside relevant professional advice and is structured in such a way as to gradually equip you with a thorough understanding of the industry.

Performances by Acting alumni have long been recognised by major awards such as the BAFTAs, Oscars, Golden Globes, Olivier Awards, Tony Awards, London Evening Standard Theatre Awards and The Sunday Times/ National Theatre Ian Charleson Awards. Most recently alumni have been awarded a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, MTV Movie Award for Best Hero, British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor, Empire Award for Best Actor, Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Performance, San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Ensemble Performance, Ariel Award for Best Actor and London Evening Standard Theatre Awards Emerging Talent. If you would like to attend an audition (held in London or internationally) check the audition requirement section (page 114) and www.cssd.ac.uk for further details on how to apply. Good luck! Geoffrey Colman Head of Acting

NONSO ANOZIE Graduated 2002, recent film credits include Cinderella, directed by Kenneth Branagh with Cate Blanchett and Derek Jacobi, The Grey with Liam Neeson, Pan with Hugh Jackman, and television credits include Game Of Thrones and Zoo.

ANDREW GARFIELD Graduated 2004, recent film credits include The Amazing SpiderMan 2, 99 Homes, Martin Scorsese’s Silence with Liam Neeson, and Oscar nominated for Best Actor in Hacksaw Ridge directed by Mel Gibson. ‘It can be a playground. The core teachers inspire and can reveal parts of yourself that you might not know existed – if you allow them that trust and openness, you can experience true creativity. It can be testing and a struggle, but that’s where most of the learning happens. I feel that my training at Central ultimately showed me how generous you can be in this profession. You definitely get out of it what you put in. You are your own master. The teachers’ expertise is sacred. If you’re lucky enough to be in a creative environment with them, give all of yourself to it, but never lose who you are. It all ultimately comes from within you. And just play.’

‘Central didn’t force-feed me about what to be. Central gave me infinite options so that I could choose which ones to take on board and build my craft. Everyone at drama school had talent. At Central you are given time and the tools so you can improve your skill. With skill your talent can shine.’

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ACTING A comprehensive classical and contemporary actor training Prepares actors who aim to become world-leading artists in theatre, film and television Focuses on new thinking in response to the rapidly evolving world of the arts and culture

The course has four key principles: Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Acting (360 credits/Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W410

Course Leader

Nick Moseley (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Self-discovery – we encourage you to investigate and interrogate your world, challenging your own habits and preconceptions and opening yourself to the journey of the training, while learning to accept uncertainty and failure as part of the process of change and growth, and making curiosity, originality and artistic courage the cornerstones of your professional and artistic life. Artistry – we offer you the skills you need to build your craft as an actor, so that your imagination and creativity can find expression in truthful characterisation and in the telling of complex and profound stories that offer insights into our world and the human condition.

Empowerment – within the safety of the creative space and the integrity of the acting ensemble, we promote the honest exchange of thoughts and ideas, the sharing of creative inspiration and the generosity of spirit which should always characterise a true actor. Tradition and innovation – intrinsic to this course is a commitment to studying longstanding theories and practices while welcoming innovation and new vision. Students are entitled to full Equity status upon graduation.

LINDSEY CAMPBELL Graduated 2013, first professional London stage debut was in The Harvest at the Soho Theatre, subsequently filmed The Holly Kane Experiment, a British feature directed by Tom Sands, and recently played the lead in Michael Boyd’s production of Right Now at the Bush Theatre. ‘My time at Central gave me the essential training and knowledge I needed to develop as an actor at the start of my career. The course offers a wide variety of teaching that nurtures and liberates your creativity. I have also gained a huge support network that I know will always be there, inside and outside of Central.’

JOE ALWYN Graduated 2015, first professional job was the title role in Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, subsequently filmed The Sense Of An Ending with Charlotte Rampling. ‘Central provided me with an environment that gave me the confidence and permission to go for something I’d always really wanted. It was hard work but I loved the level and the intensity of the training ... It’s a place where you can play around and make mistakes and grow, alongside a small class of people you’ll see almost every day for three years. It felt unique and exciting and unlike anything I’d experienced. The training is brilliant. You just have to jump in and give it your all: be bold in your own way, be hungry to soak everything up and find out what works for you.’ Shivered by Philip Ridley, public production


YEAR 1 Discovery – freeing and discovering: an environment of active learning is carefully nurtured, with particular emphasis placed on the individual actor’s aptitude for selfexpression within a collaborative class, rehearsal and production setting. You will learn to open up the body, voice and imagination and to embrace methodologies that promote professional discipline and self-discovery alongside the development of techniques that lead to a psychologicallyrooted, physically-embodied character.

YEAR 2 Mastery – expanding form and meaning: building on core training, you will discover how to take what you have learned into new and intensified theatrical contexts, expanding your own physical, vocal and emotional range to meet the demands of classical and contemporary performance styles. You will encounter a wide range of complex texts, exploring a heightened use of physicality, voice and speech (including accents and dialects) and the dramatic imagination. You will also learn to transfer skills to both television and radio, and towards the end of the year you will start to think about how to apply your training within industry settings.

YEAR 3 Independence – applying the craft of acting: This year focuses exclusively on the ‘industry-ready’ actor. You will perform in a number of productions that aim to consolidate your skills in acting, voice and movement, and you will embrace a broad range of industry-specific skills as part of a rigorous transition from personal development to career-orientation, including the presentation of an industrytargeted showcase. You will also develop an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the industry, meeting and speaking with industry professionals, such as agents, casting directors and working actors, and learning how to find work by acquiring skills in auditioning, television castings, selftaping and the production of showreels and voice reels.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS The Acting course has strong and growing links with the industry. Central employs professional directors from the second year, and invites a range of industry professionals to deliver talks and workshops on subjects from audition technique to rehearsing Shakespeare. Recent guests include acclaimed directors Michael Grandage, Lindsay Posner and Max

Stafford-Clark, and well-known actors such as James Purefoy and Kit Harington. Acting students gain professional work while still on the course and there are regular visits by major theatre companies, such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, Almeida Theatre and Out of Joint, who give talks and hold workshops.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Directors, Auriol Smith (Orange Tree, Royal Exchange), Richard Beecham (Crucible Sheffield, Chichester Festival Theatre), Angie Langfield (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry), Dugald Bruce-Lockhart (Propeller), Bill Buckhurst (Shakespeare’s Globe), Sarah Berger (Casualty), Rolf Saxon (Woman In Gold), Simon Dormandy (Liverpool Playhouse, Complicite), Jonathan O’Boyle (Chichester Festival Theatre), Irina Brown (National Theatre). Visiting Professionals, Ian Brener (Theatre Royal Haymarket, Sadler’s Wells), Paul Harris (Harry Potter), Nick di Cola (Billy Elliot), Peta Lily (Théâtre du Mouvement), Mark Street (Forbidden Theatre Company), Chris Pavlo (BBC Radio), Philip Foster (Thriller Live), Francesca Greene (Francesca Greene Casting).

BEYOND CENTRAL Recent graduate successes include: Theatre, title role in Dr Faustus, Duke of York’s Theatre; Baba in Hero’s Welcome, written and directed by Alan Ayckbourn, Stephen Joseph Theatre; Lucy in A Room With A View, Adrian Noble/Bath Theatre Royal; Straker in Man And Superman, National Theatre; Tara in Overshadowed, The New Theatre, Dublin; Rico in The Shawshank Redemption, Bill Kenwright national tour; Alice in Right Now, Michael Boyd/Bush Theatre national tour; Charlotte Serber in Oppenheimer, Royal Shakespeare Company; Ray Davies (lead) in Sunny Afternoon, Harold Pinter Theatre; Rodolpho in A View From The Bridge, Young Vic; Constable MacDonald in The Ladykillers, Watermill Theatre, Newbury; title role in Hamlet, Shakespeare’s Globe; Taj in Pine, Hampstead Theatre; Sam Desai in The Suicide, National Theatre; Pamela in Five Finger Exercise, Print Room; Student in Losing Our Children To Islamic State, National Theatre; Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing, Dundee Rep; Amy in Dry Land, Jermyn Street Theatre; Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Oxford Shakespeare Company; Jack in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Pitlochry Festival Theatre; Circe in The Odyssey; Missing Presumed Dead, Liverpool Everyman; Trim in Solace Of The Road, Derby Theatre; Shane in Brassed Off, Oldham Coliseum. Television, Jon Snow in Game Of Thrones, HBO; Adam in Apple Tree Yard, Dwight Enys in Poldark, Hedges

in The Secret Agent, Mary in Dickensian, Young Anita Harris in Cradle to Grave, Sarah Francis in Father Brown, Andrew’s Assistant in Episodes, Theresa in Birds Of A Feather, BBC; Easter in Jericho, Odile in Maigret Sets A Trap, Kylie Platt (regular) in Coronation Street, Dr Lennon in Emmerdale, Dash in Vera, ITV; Ru’A in Tyrant, Kevan Carson in Ebola, Fox; Ken in The Five, Keckers (regular) in Stella, Sky 1; Lizzie in 4 O’Clock Club, CBBC; Helen in Pobol y Cwm, BBC Wales; Princess Gisla in Vikings, Sergeant Harold Reed in Murder Maps, History Channel; Corporal Stewart in Rebellion, RTÉ; Liv Nygaard in Fortitude, Sky Atlantic; PC Taz Ahmed in No Offence, Channel 4; Cromwell in Drunk History, Comedy Central; Lieutenant Jeremy Foster in Outlander, Starz; Aiden Stockton in Spark, ABC; Iolo in Dim Ond y Gwir, S4C; Patrick Mackay in Killer Psychopaths, Channel 5; Joan in Joan Of Arc, BYUtv. Film, Billy Lynn in Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, TriStar Pictures (directed by Ang Lee); Sophie Dunant in Unhallowed Ground (Ind Brit Horror directed by Russell England); Mark Hudson (lead) in Entirely Accidental (US Feature directed by Maxime Arthur Gibert); Deedee in What Happened Last Night (US Feature directed by Candice T. Cain); Samuel in Brimstone (US feature directed by Martin Koolhoven); Audrey Donahue in Trust Fund (US feature directed by Sandra L. Martin); Faz in Lies We Tell (US feature directed by Mitu Misra); James in FirstBorn (UK feature directed by Nirpal Bhogal); Tomas in Modern Love (UK feature directed by Simon Aitken); Jeannie Callaghan in The Holly Kane Experiment (UK feature directed by Tom Sands); Python Suit in Brash Young Turks (UK feature directed by Naeem Mahmood); Percy in D is for Detroit (UK feature directed by Israr Azam); Nina in The Scampi Trail (UK feature directed by Craig Gallivan and Will Norris); Karen Cramer in Live to Tell (US feature directed by Candice T. Cain); Tim in Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool (UK feature directed by Paul McGuigan). Radio, Young Ishmael in Moby Dick, Lovel in The Antiquary (Walter Scott series), Hudson in The Reserve Rope, Brill Productions, BBC Radio 4.

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Acting CDT Innovative and rigorous actor training, emphasising the creation of new theatre Embraces a multicultural and multidisciplinary methodology Celebrates the creative potential of collaborative processes alongside development of the individual actor

From Morning To Midnight by Georg Kaiser, translated by Dennis Kelly, public production

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Acting (360 credits/Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W410

Course Leader

Catherine Alexander (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

You will graduate with the skills to work in classical and contemporary theatre, film, radio and screen, as well as being an accomplished maker of your own work. The core actor training includes the psychophysical techniques of Jacques Lecoq, Michael Chekhov, Konstantin Stanislavski, Kristin Linklater and Moshe Feldenkrais and emphasises an embodied and experiential approach. As well as developing rehearsal techniques for script-based work, the course will encourage you to explore the most up-todate forms of theatre and filmmaking and to have a full creative and political engagement with your work. Acting CDT is in creative partnership with

Complicite new LH.6 (2014).A/W:Layout 1

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Students are entitled to full Equity status upon graduation.

Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin, adapted by Helen Edmundson, public production


FISAYO AKINADE Graduated 2011, credits include Cucumber for Channel 4, Banana for E4, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Ordinary Lies series for the BBC, The Vote at the Donmar Warehouse, Pigs And Dogs at the Royal Court Theatre, and the film The Girl With All The Gifts with Glenn Close and Gemma Arterton. ‘The course has been invaluable to me. Its greatest strength is that through detailed and varied training it nurtures real versatility in an actor: an ability to adapt to almost any situation. This has been hugely beneficial to me when moving between working on the stage and screen. The techniques you learn on the course are universal and can easily be applied to any medium. For example, the work we did on Jacques Lecoq and Michael Chekhov made screen work feel instantly familiar. Acting CDT gives you a rounded training and it challenges the limits of your imagination – making you think more freely and creatively.’

YEAR 1

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS

Beyond Central

Acting and devising practice: through progressive work on acting, script analysis, voice, movement, devising, ensemble, singing, dance and improvisation, you will begin to undo physical and vocal habits. You will develop openness and sensitivity to space, image and impulse and cultivate psychophysical connectivity. You will apply these approaches to work on poetry, verbatim, observation and storytelling, as well as studio work on three plays.

Permanent members of the Acting CDT staff regularly work on professional theatre projects and, from the outset, you will work closely with professional theatre companies and emergent or professionally active directors. In recent years students have had workshops and created performances with Complicite, Filter Theatre, Catherine Tate, Lucy Porter, Ridiculusmus, John Hegley, Inspector Sands, Declan Donnellan, Max Stafford-Clark, Robin Soans, Tanika Gupta MBE, Transport Theatre, Blind Summit, the TEAM (New York), out of Inc and Quiconque. Film and theatre professionals are often invited to hold research and development workshops with students, who may go on to work on those productions.

Recent graduate successes include: Theatre, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, Sonia Friedman Productions; Lionboy, The Encounter, Complicite; Barbarians, Young Vic; The Plough And The Stars, Three Days In The Country, Moon On A Rainbow Shawl, Emil And The Detectives, People, Places And Things, The Amen Corner, National Theatre; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bristol Old Vic; A Raisin in the Sun, Sheffield Crucible; Beautiful Burnout, Frantic Assembly; The Roaring Girl, The White Devil, Royal Shakespeare Company; The Alchemist, Liverpool Playhouse; Let The Right One In, National Theatre of Scotland; The Vote, The Silence Of The Sea, Making Noise Quietly, Donmar Warehouse; The Mystae, A Human Being Died That Night, Hampstead Theatre; Richard III, Money The Game Show, Waiting For Godot, Refugee Boy, West Yorkshire Playhouse; The Crossing Plays, Hidden, Truth And Reconciliation, Royal Court Theatre; Powder Monkey, Manchester Royal Exchange; War Horse, West End and Broadway; Romeo And Juliet, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s Globe; The Duchess Of Malfi, The Old Vic; Fear Of Music, Out of Joint. Television, Stella, Sky 1; Paranoid, Downton Abbey, Foyle’s War, A Touch Of Frost, ITV; Banana, Youngers, E4; A Song for Jenny, Cuckoo, In the Dark, One Child, EastEnders, The Ark, Peaky Blinders, Wallander, The Village, Inspector George Gently, Casualty, Holby City, Doctor Who, Robin Hood, Our Girl, Doctors, Call The Midwife, New Tricks, BBC; Cucumber, Hollyoaks, Fresh Meat, Drifters, Blackout, New Worlds, Channel 4; Law And Order, Hallmark; Game Of Thrones, HBO. Film, The Girl With All The Gifts, Altitude Films; Knights Of The Round Table: King Arthur, Velocity; Dunkirk, Gravity, Sherlock Holmes, Warner Bros.; Good People, Millennium Films; World War Z, Paramount Pictures; The Rochdale Pioneers; The Look Of Love, Film 4/Baby Cow Productions/ Revolution Films; This Is Not Happening, Picnic Films; Cinderella, John Carter, Disney/ Pixar.

YEAR 2 Transforming through acting and devising: through continued and extended work you will move towards greater expressivity and transformation across a broad range of characters and genres. This is applied to a full-length devised performance, American scenes, radio drama, comedy of manners and classical tragedy. Uniquely, the process includes the full integration of design (sound, lighting, video, set) in the autumn term. The classbased training concludes with a three-week clown intensive and a series of professional preparation workshops.

YEAR 3 Testing creativity and actor processes: through producing public performances for paying audiences, agents, casting directors and industry professionals, you will develop your artistry and independence. You will work on at least two plays and one devised theatre piece, as well as undertaking radio and screen training (including recording voice clips and showreels, and writing, shooting and editing a short film). One of the third year performances is usually performed off-site at a professional London theatre venue, as is the annual showcase.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Directors, Pooja Ghai (Stratford East), Nancy Meckler (Shared Experience, Royal Shakespeare Company), Mel Churcher (Control, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory), Wilson Milam (Royal Court, Donmar Warehouse, Tony Award Nominee), Marcello Magni (Globe, Complicite, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord), Yael Shavit (Young Vic: Jerwood Directors Award), John Walton (Fol Espoir), John Wright (Told by an Idiot), Dominic Rouse (Concerned Architect, Headlong), Simon McBurney (Complicite), Joyce Henderson (Complicite, National Theatre), Jemima James (Complicite, Theatre O). Visiting Professionals, Tanika Gupta MBE (Royal Court, Royal Shakespeare Company, BBC), Ally Cologna, Max Mackintosh, Imogen Knight (Old Vic, Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells), Maeve Diamond, Stephen Kemble (RSC, Birmingham Rep), Vicki Manderson (National Theatre of Scotland), Lucy Cullingford (Royal Shakespeare Company), David Ashley, Ng Choon Ping (Royal Exchange, Hodgkiss Award Winner), Julie Spencer (Shakespeare’s Globe), Robert Bowman (Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, Living Pictures).

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Acting Musical Theatre Intensive musical theatre training with the emphasis on acting Extensive engagement with industry professionals External performance opportunities/collaboration with artists, theatre companies and producers

The Crucible by Arthur Miller, public production

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Acting (360 credits/Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W410

Course Leader

Wendy Gadian (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

You will graduate with the skills to work in classical and contemporary theatre, musicals, feature film, television and radio. Throughout the course, you will explore acting through a range of contemporary approaches to sung and spoken voice, movement and dance. As an actor, you will interrogate both musical and non-musical settings ranging from Shakespeare and the modern American realists to Sondheim and the popular musical. As the course progresses you will acquire the necessary skills for the realisation of ‘character’ in both the transformational and heightened theatrical styles of both spoken and sung performance.

The course has outstanding links with the performing arts industry and this is reflected in the wide range and high percentage of graduate employment. Students on Acting Musical Theatre currently benefit from a high level of external and internal scholarship and bursary support (to help with fees and living expenses) from the following: Ian Fleming Musical Theatre Award, Olivier Bursary Award, Lilian Baylis Award, Lionel Bart Foundation, Pilkington Trust, David Day Memorial Scholarship, Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, Clare Rich Scholarship, and Fergal O’Mahony Foundation Awards for Musical Theatre. Students are entitled to full Equity status upon graduation.


HANNAH JOHN-KAMEN Graduated in 2011, described by Screen International as ‘One of The Stars of Tomorrow 2016’, Recent screen credits include Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, Killjoys (Dutch), Dark Souls ll, The Hour (Rosa Maria Ramirez), Game Of Thrones (Ornela), and Black Mirror (Sonja). ‘The world of acting is a tough world to live in. Living in this tough world, with the training that I have had, fills me with pride. I was taught how to challenge myself creatively and to focus on being solely truthful in this profession. The tutors’ expertise, proficiency and wisdom inspired me for the world of acting. I will never forget the attention to detail and the focus on each individual actor to prepare them for their journey ahead.’

YEAR 1 Classes and workshops: a full-time schedule in acting fundamentals, acting through song, spoken/sung voice (including 1:1 weekly singing lessons), ballet, jazz, ballroom, hip hop and contemporary dance, clowning, text analysis, musical theatre repertoire and ensemble singing. Students undertake performance projects that include Dostoyevsky/Pinter scenes and Shakespeare comedy.

YEAR 2 Continuing practical training in all disciplines: performance projects include Brecht, Orton, Greek theatre, contemporary American scenes, comedy of manners, Sondheim musical, Shakespeare tragedy and professional preparation. Second year students perform in the public production book musical alongside final year students.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: with public production performances (plays, musicals, actor/musician shows), a West End industry showcase, acting for camera (including a professional showreel), radio training (including a voice reel) and recording a professional sung voice reel. Previous plays include: Pentecost (Edgar), Man Of Mode (Etherege), Too Clever By Half (Ostrovsky), Black Snow (Bulgakov); musicals include: Sweet Charity, West Side Story, City Of Angels, Cabaret, Grease; new commissions include: Keeping The Faith (Fiona Laird), The Wish!, The Twee Musketeers!, Sleeping Cutie (Mark Chatterton and Sarah Nixon), and Through The Wire (Catherine Johnson).

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS The majority of the teaching is delivered by visiting professionals and you will engage with industry professionals on a weekly basis. There are many external performance opportunities throughout the training and the course collaborates with a wide range of artists, theatre companies and producers, most recently: Tate Modern (The Bridge by Peter Liversidge commissioned for the opening of the Turbine Hall); the National Theatre (NT Connections and NT Studio); Andrew Lloyd Webber (Really Useful Group); Bryony

Kimmings and Complicite (development of The Pacifist’s Guide To The War On Cancer at the National Theatre); Complicite and Pink Floyd (for the producer’s showcase of The Wall); Derby LIVE (co-producers for the tour of the autumn term public production); Royal College of Music (Opera School); and the Royal Northern College of Music (School of Composition). The course closely collaborates with the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation which generously co-support the teaching post of the ALW Associate Musical Director.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Directors, Mike Bradwell, Sue Dunderdale, Anna Ledwich, Anthony Banks, Martin Parr, Robert Shaw Cameron, Jon Pashley, Ed Hughes. Musical Directors, Phil Bateman, Catherine Jayes, Michael Haslam, Ben Holder. Dance, Lynne Thomas, Lizzi Gee, Ellen Jakubiel (ballet), Shaun Paul Smith (ZooNation), Karl Stevens. Acting, Carol Harvey, Andrei Biziorek. Actor Movement, Mark Bell, Anna Healey (clowning), Anna Morrissey. Sung Voice, Verona Chard, Sarah Leonard. Spoken Voice, Annie Morrison, Elspeth Morrison, Jessica Higgs, Louise Jones (accents), George Ryan, Michael Elliott. Acting for Camera, David Hounslow, Emma Cunniffe, Sarah Ball, Anji Carroll, John Canon, Ben Cogan. Radio, Colleen Prendergast, Chris Pavlo.

BEYOND CENTRAL Recent graduate successes include: Theatre, Hangmen, Royal Court Theatre and Wyndham’s Theatre; Mr Foote’s Other Leg, Hampstead Theatre/Theatre Royal Haymarket; Royal Shakespeare Company 2015 season; War Horse, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Chariots Of Fire, Home, Othello, The Elephantom, National Theatre; Wolf Hall and 2014 season, Royal Shakespeare Company; Viva Forever!, Piccadilly Theatre; The Judas Kiss, Duke of York’s Theatre; Great Expectations, Vaudeville Theatre; Goodnight Mister Tom, Phoenix Theatre; The Recruiting Officer, The Physicists, Donmar Warehouse; The Wild Bride, Midnight’s Pumpkin, Beggar’s Opera, Kneehigh; A New World, Shakespeare’s Globe; Equus, To Kill A Mockingbird, UK tours; The Little Prince, Lyric Belfast; Hurts Given And Received, The Wrestling School,

Riverside Studios; The Railway Children, Waterloo Station; The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, Kensington Gardens; The Flying Lovers for Kneehigh Theatre at Shakespeare’s Globe/Bristol Old Vic. Regional theatre, Jesus Christ Superstar, Arena Tour; Hairspray, UK tour; The History Boys, Mercury Theatre, Colchester; Jack And The Beanstalk, Liverpool Playhouse; Barnum, Cameron Mackintosh, Chichester Festival Theatre. Christmas shows, leading roles at Lyric Hammersmith, Everyman Theatre Liverpool, Corn Exchange Newbury, Chester Theatre in the Quarter, Park Theatre in Finsbury Park. Television, Humans, Channel 4/AMC; Mount Pleasant, Sky; The Sound Of Music Live!, Mr Selfridge, Whitechapel, ITV; Olyvar in Game Of Thrones, The Red Tent, HBO; Killjoys, Canadian TV; Banana, Misfits, The Inbetweeners, E4; Call The Midwife, Murdered By My Boyfriend, EastEnders (regular character/leading role), The Syndicate, Holby City, Doctors (guest characters), Great Expectations, Money, BBC; Horrible Histories, CBBC; Black Mirror, Shameless, Channel 4. Film, Angel in X-Men: Apocalypse, Killjoys, Ready Player One, Tulip Fever, Granite Mountain, Angel Of Decay, A Storm In The Stars, Dark Souls, Pride, Mr Turner, Les Misérables, W.E., Hereafter, X-Men: First Class, Age Of Heroes. Musicals (London), Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, Mamma Mia, Stephen Ward, Sweeney Todd, Aldwych Theatre; City Of Angels, Donmar Warehouse; Merrily We Roll Along, Harold Pinter Theatre; Jersey Boys, Piccadilly Theatre; Les Misérables, Queen’s Theatre; Oliver!, Theatre Royal Drury Lane; Soho Cinders, Soho Theatre. UK & European tours, King Lear, Dirty Dancing, The Commitments, Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, The Two Worlds Of Charlie F, Dead Dog In A Suitcase (and other love songs), Kneehigh; Sister Act, Avenue Q, Les Misérables 25th Anniversary European Tour, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Dreamboats And Petticoats; Spring Awakening, English Theatre Frankfurt; Kiss Me, Kate, Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris; Call Me Madam, Mierscher Kulturhaus, Luxembourg; Brassed Off, Touring Consortium Theatre Company. Radio, SBLT (Single But Living Together), Great Expectations, Isadora Wing in Fear Of Flying, BBC Radio 4.

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Drama, Applied Theatre and Education erform in, direct and devise theatre, explore performance that takes place outside P traditional theatre environments Learn how theatre making can change lives and inspire new possibilities Build industry contacts worldwide through placements and outreach projects

Year Two Practical Project, studio performance

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education (360 credits/Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W490

Course Leader

Dr Stephen Farrier (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Applied Theatre at Central is highly regarded internationally as a world leader with the largest number of specialist staff in the field. The BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education (BA DATE) course will train you as a highly adaptable theatre maker, with a particular focus on performance making within Central’s first-class facilities and beyond, in diverse settings such as community centres, parks, prisons, pupil referral units, refugee camps, hospitals, playgrounds, schools and nursing homes, in the UK and abroad. Such innovative work aims to bring about change in communities and participants from all walks of life. We believe that excellent professional applied drama theatre makers are skilled practically and intellectually and we work with you to help you develop your practice, as well as your theoretical abilities. You will have the opportunity to develop skills in areas such as facilitating, devising, directing, performing, playwriting and filmmaking.

The course offers an unparalleled breadth of experience, tailored to your developing aspirations. Whilst lively debate and energetic discussion are a cornerstone of the course, you will have the opportunity to participate in professional quality, fullyrealised directed productions, for example a commissioned site-specific show and touring ensemble works, a show for underfives, or a theatre in education show in the north of England. As you progress through the course you will undertake small group performance-based projects for specific communities and groups. You will work alongside visiting professional practitioners, playwrights, filmmakers and applied theatre specialists from organisations which have, in the past, included Tamasha Theatre Company, Royal Court Theatre, Complicite, Talawa Theatre Company, London Bubble Theatre Company, Greenwich and Lewisham Young People’s Theatre and Synergy Theatre Project.


You will learn through a programme of performance making, formal lectures, essay writing, workshops, skills sessions, movement and voice classes, seminars, group and individual practice and placements. Being at Central means you benefit from the specialist expertise and resources available because of the course’s distinctive positioning within a drama school. You may have the opportunity to travel and explore the use of drama in diverse community settings. In recent years students have undertaken projects in places such as Kosovo, Romania, Thailand, New York, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mumbai. Most of this work is undertaken in partnership with international arts organisations, which work closely with course tutors and students to design, develop and deliver projects. Central has

the only applied theatre courses on which students have access to funding from the Leverhulme Trust to support these distance projects (see www.cssd.ac.uk). Graduates from this course are uniquely placed for a broad range of different career paths, going on to pursue careers in performance, directing and drama facilitation, and educational roles in theatre companies, for example. BA DATE graduates are highly employable and lead the field in applied theatre internationally. They have high-level professional skills because Central works in collaboration with many professional organisations and practitioners. There is also financial support available for participation in placements and outreach work in many arts, community, health or education settings within London and beyond.

SHEREEN JASMIN PHILLIPS Graduated 2010, Playwright and Community Arts Producer. ‘I am currently under commission from the Tricycle Theatre to write a play for their Young Company. I am also Project Manager for the Dialogue Festival, managed by the Barbican Centre/ Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Throughout my degree I had amazing placement opportunities ranging from month-long school tours in New Zealand to a three-month placement at Theatre Royal Stratford East, which in turn propelled my career in theatre. Whilst at Central, I was introduced to industry professionals who have since become mentors and colleagues. The training I received successfully prepared me for a career within community arts by equipping me for the tools necessary to become an applied theatre practitioner. Since then I have gone on to work in the creative learning departments of the Lyric Hammersmith, Hampstead Theatre, Ovalhouse and Hackney Empire.’

Community group rehearsals, professional placement at the Arcola Theatre

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Year Two Practical Project, studio performance

YEAR 1

ASSESSMENT

Exploration of practical and theoretical perspectives: study practices, concepts and ideas relating to drama, applied theatre and performance. As well as being involved in a full-scale production, you are introduced to drama in a range of community and educational contexts and undertake practical units exploring theatre making.

Assessment is carefully integrated into the experience of learning and you are encouraged to place your own experiences and practice at the heart of your studies. The assessment methods include presentations, practice, drama workshops, research projects, traditional essays, a dissertation and professional placement work, which is assessed by professionals working in the industry.

YEAR 2 Studio-based explorations of theatre texts: in Central’s studio theatres (e.g. Simon Stephens’ Pornography, Heiner Müller’s Explosion Of A Memory, Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis, Harold Pinter’s Mountain Language), or playwriting and filmmaking options using Central’s facilities. Further lecture programmes: based around playtexts and the role of drama as a force for change in contemporary society. You will study applied theatre contexts through study units and a collaborative outreach project, working as a group creatively in London or beyond, including overseas.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: you will pursue your own specialist interests further. Units include a dissertation, a final student-led practical project and a termlong placement. The degree concludes with a specialist lecture series delivered by artists, academics and researchers, who are pioneering in the field of applied theatre.

PLACEMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL FOCUS BA DATE works closely with major organisations internationally and in the UK, and has excellent partnerships within the applied theatre industry. Your experiences with industry will vary from small-scale collaborative practice to peer-professional placements. Professional companies are also invited to create new practice with you, either on-site at Central, or at off-site theatre venues and performance spaces. You will have one major placement in Year Three and undertake experience in a professional context in Year Two. In the UK, companies have previously included the Royal Court Theatre, National Theatre, Unicorn Theatre, Graeae Theatre Company, Half Moon Youth Theatre, Clean Break, Shakespeare’s Globe, London Bubble Theatre Company and a number of smaller, innovative, community-focused theatre organisations, such as Little Fish Theatre Company.

Throughout the degree you will have the opportunity to work in collaboration with a wide range of industry professionals, from visiting lecturers and workshops by leading practitioners and academics in the field of applied theatre, to creating projects and performances with professional companies and artists. The course nurtures relationships with local, national and international community and educational arts organisations, from Tender in London (involved in the prevention of domestic violence and sexual abuse) to Sibikwa Arts Centre in Benoni, South Africa, and from Camden Carers in London (involved in support and respite for family and unpaid carers) to SNEHA in Mumbai (an NGO supporting mothers and children across India), as well as a wide range of theatre, education and arts organisations nationally. Students have also participated in staff-led research projects and workshops led by artists from companies such as Graeae Theatre Company, Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah, Ice and Fire Theatre Company, Punchdrunk Theatre Company, National Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre. All students participating in placements will be required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This is a mandatory government safeguarding scheme for all those seeking to work in any capacity with minors or vulnerable adults.


Playwriting workshop led by Ola Animashawun

RECENT VISITING STAFF Alecky Blythe, Playwright (London Road); Oladipo Agboluaje, Playwright (The Hounding Of David Oluwale, The Christ Of Coldharbour Lane), Performance Artist; Ola Animashawun, Artistic Associate, Royal Court Theatre; Stella Duffy, Co-Director of Fun Palaces; Divya Bhatia Stage Left, Mumbai; Professor James Thompson, author of Performance Affects; Professor Helen Nicholson, author of Applied Drama: The Gift Of Theatre; Amit Sharma, Graeae Theatre Company; Rob Watt, Youth Programme Manager, National Theatre; Evan Placey, Playwright;Terry O’Leary, Associate Artist, Cardboard Citizens; Bola Agbaje, Playwright (Gone Too Far!, Off The Endz); Vicky Ireland MBE, Director and Founder of Action for Children’s Arts; Karen Tomlin, Director; Vishni Velada-Billson, Director and Deputy Head of Education (Learning) at Clean Break Theatre Company.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Director, Fabricate Theatre, Advocreate. Drama Worker, Immediate Theatre. Education and Drama Facilitator, Open Minds Theatre Company, Capita Education. Education Associate, York Theatre Royal. Project Support Officer, Greenwich Council. Workshop Leader, Exeter Northcott Theatre. Creative Arts Teacher, Kemnal College. Drama Educator, Bigfoot Theatre Company. Project Manager, Young People

Programmes, Royal Shakespeare Company. Education Events Officer, Shakespeare’s Globe. Assistant Director, Royal Court Young Writers’ Programme. Youth and Outreach Worker, Playwright and Youth Worker, Almeida Theatre. Animateur, C&T Theatre Company, Harrow Arts Centre. Assistant Director, Oxford Playhouse. Creative Projects Facilitator, MakeBelieve Arts. Trainee Director, Salisbury Playhouse. Head of Theatre Studies, The CorwinRussell School, Massachusetts, USA. Head of Education, Hall for Cornwall. Associate Director, Birmingham Rep. Broadcast Production Assistant, BBC Extend Scheme. Freelance Director, Ovalhouse, Tamasha Theatre Company. Creative Projects Manager, Sheffield Theatres. Executive Producer, dreamthinkspeak. Co-Artistic Director, Little Fish Theatre Company. Founder members of companies, Milk Presents, Full House. Recent further study, teacher training courses, master’s degrees in Performance Practices, Development Studies, and Drama and Movement Therapy. PhDs at Central and other universities.

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DRAMA, APPLIED THEATRE AND EDUCATION: WRITING FOR PERFORMANCE Develop skills for writing for performance practices Create new performance work and explore innovative forms of writing for solo performance, verbatim theatre and devised theatre Work with award-winning playwrights, arts practitioners and directors

Playwriting workshop led by Tanika Gupta MBE

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W490

Course Leader

Dr Stephen Farrier (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

This pathway of Central’s long established and highly-regarded BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education (BA DATE) programme positions you as a writer within the performance process. You will study alongside students on the BA DATE programme, exploring a broad curriculum that is centred around socially engaged performance practices and the dramaturgical skills of writing, and you will develop your writing skills in different community contexts in the UK and abroad. Students taking the BA (Hons) Theatre Practice Performance Arts course (see page 46) may join the Writing for Performance pathway at certain points in the degree, offering a vibrant meshing of writing and live performance art at undergraduate level at Central. You will work with a variety of high profile writers, arts practitioners and directors, encountering a diverse range of innovative performance practices that use writing for

performance in different ways. Commencing with an exploration of classical dramaturgical approaches to writing and moving on to explore practices such as stand-up comedy, writing for communities and solo performance, you critically interrogate the role of the writer within the creative process. You will examine how this is historically constructed and how it changes in different eras and within different performance contexts. Through an engagement with a series of practical writing projects, you will learn about different genres of writing for performance, exploring areas such as collaborative approaches to writing, political theatre, verbatim and testimonial theatre, and writing for live art and digital media. Throughout the three years of study, you will encounter a wide range of learning and teaching styles and engage with learning through practical workshops and theatre making, as well as lectures and seminars.


A key component is an emphasis on collaboration leading to engagement with many performance practices, key practitioners and writers within the field of theatre, drama and performance and with diverse participant groups and communities. You will have the opportunity to participate and create projects in collaboration with other students and explore the role of the writer within different community-specific creative projects. Central works closely with major organisations internationally and in the UK and has formed partnerships with professional new writing organisations and many innovative and cuttingedge practitioners and writers. Organisations include the Royal Court Theatre, National Theatre, Headlong, York Theatre Royal, Clean Break, Shakespeare’s Globe, Talawa Theatre Company and London Bubble Theatre Company, as well as communitybased theatre organisations such as Scene and Heard, Little Fish Theatre Company and Apples and Snakes. Students can apply for Leverhulme funding for distant placements (see www.cssd.ac.uk).

YEAR 1 Exploring concepts and ideas: relating to writing for performance and applied theatre through a lecture programme and practical workshops. You are introduced to playwriting and the role of the writer in devised performance contexts, undertaking the practical study of writing for performance and the critical study of contemporary theatre. Many units include a strong practical element where you will work as writers and creators, specifically in term three where, currently, students create and participate in a major devised performance practice spread over the entire summer term.

YEAR 2 Workshops/masterclasses/study units: you will engage with professional playwrights and theatre makers and produce a short extract of script to be presented at a rehearsed reading and a piece of solo performance. Further lecture programmes are based around writing for performance, playtexts and the role of drama as a force for change in contemporary society. You will experience the role of the writer in an applied theatre context through study units and a collaborative outreach project, working in a group creatively in London or beyond, including overseas. You may develop your writing practice by sharing optional units with BA (Hons) Theatre Practice Performance Arts (see page 46).

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: you will pursue your own specialist interests further. Units include a dissertation, a writing project where you will be placed

Azania Hammond-Dallas Graduating 2018 ‘The visiting lecturers were very helpful for us – we met artists who are creating work in applied theatre and learnt about what we could do after we graduate. We were in a small group during the first year learning the theory and techniques of writing. In the second year we started to do more creative writing, developing our style and discovering what kind of writing we could bring to the applied theatre world.’

as a writer within a community context and a final student-led performance and writing-focused practical project. The degree concludes with a specialist lecture series delivered by artists, academics and researchers, who are pioneers in the field of drama, theatre, performance and applied theatre.

Assessment Assessment methods used include presentations, practice, drama and writing workshops, research projects, traditional essays, a dissertation and the creation of new writing, some of which will be viewed by professionals working in the industry.

PLACEMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL FOCUS Throughout the degree students have the opportunity to work in collaboration with industry professionals, from visiting lecturers, professional playwrights and workshops by leading practitioners and academics in the field of theatre and performance, to creating projects and performances with professional companies and artists. The pathway nurtures relationships with local, national and international community and educational arts organisations, from Rewrite in south London (which uses drama to bring young people together and support young people for whom English is an additional language) to SNEHA in Mumbai (an NGO supporting mothers and children across India). Your experience with industry will vary from masterclasses with some of the country’s leading theatre practitioners and playwrights, to interaction with smallscale, innovative companies. Professional companies are invited to create new

practice with you, either on-site at Central, on tour in various parts of the UK, or at off-site theatre venues and performance spaces. For example, in previous years, students have worked with a number of different theatre companies at the Minack Theatre Cornwall, including Cartoon de Salvo and Twisting Yarn. Students have also participated in staff-led research projects and workshops led by artists from companies such as Graeae Theatre Company, Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah, Ice and Fire Theatre Company, Punchdrunk Theatre Company, National Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre. All students participating in placements will be required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This is a mandatory government safeguarding scheme for all those seeking to work in any capacity with minors or vulnerable adults.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Alecky Blythe, Playwright (London Road), Rachel De-lahay, Playwright (The Westbridge, Routes), Bola Agbaje, Playwright (Gone Too Far!, Off The Endz), Tanika Gupta MBE (The Waiting Room, Sugar Mummies), Ola Animashawun, Artistic Associate, Royal Court Theatre, Professor James Thompson, author (Performance Affects), Professor Helen Nicholson, author (Applied Drama: The Gift Of Theatre), Jenny Sealey MBE, Artistic Director, Graeae Theatre Company,Rob Watt, Youth Programme Manager, National Theatre, Peter Higgin, Enrichment Officer, Punchdrunk Theatre Company, Terry O’Leary, Associate Artist, Cardboard Citizens.

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Design & Crafts Exhibition


BA (HONS) THEATRE PRACTICE OVERVIEW A programme of specialist courses in the creative and production practices of theatre and associated arts. Based on the processes of traditional theatre practice, you will learn to apply depth and rigorous practice to a wider theatre context and collaborate with professional companies and individuals.

You will receive a high-level specialist training, rooted in a thorough, practical understanding of how ideas become realised through collaboration, communication and effective planning and resource management. Theatre Practice graduates are qualified to work professionally with the critically reflective skills and knowledge necessary to continually develop, innovate and, eventually, lead. They know the importance of mutual respect for the processes of others, and in turn command the respect of their collaborators. You will learn these core lessons through practical projects, while undertaking specialist study in one of the following disciplines: > Costume Construction > Design for the Stage > Performance Arts > Production Lighting > Prop Making > Puppetry: Design and Performance > Scenic Art > Scenic Construction > Stage Management > Technical and Production Management > Theatre Lighting Design > Theatre Sound. Distinctively, the courses admit students who already have a commitment to a specialist area of theatre practice on entry. They are, therefore, able to develop students to a higher level of specialist practice (with advanced skills of interdisciplinary collaboration). Whilst you will specialise in one of these subjects, you will work in mixed teams with students of the other specialisms on practical projects and productions. There is also the

opportunity to work with acting, applied theatre, movement, voice, dramaturgy and writing students, encountering many different models of theatre and performance practice. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with professional companies and individuals. Recent collaborators include Goat and Monkey, Parrot in the Tank, Blind Summit, English National Opera, Little Angel Theatre, National Theatre, Roundhouse, Border Crossings, Robert Lepage, the Ellie Goulding tour, Shunt and Emergency Exit Arts. As appropriate, you will have the opportunity to use technical facilities unrivalled in the sector. Alongside traditional techniques and methods, you will engage with the latest digital practices, including computer-aided drafting, rendering and modelling, image capture and manipulation, digital sound production and design and show control. The courses have excellent industry links with the performance and entertainment industry. As well as undertaking projects with theatre institutions, such as the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Opera House and English National Opera, Opera Holland Park and the Park Theatre, you may have opportunities to work with film and television companies, museums and galleries on immersive theatre and devised theatre, and also on visual merchandising projects with, for example, Conran, Harvey Nichols and Liberty.

TOBY OLIÉ Graduated 2006, Director, Designer and Performer of Puppetry. Credits include work with the National Theatre (War Horse, The Elephantom), Disney Theatrical Group, Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet, Chichester Festival Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange and Greenpeace. He is Co-founder of Gyre & Gimble theatre company, placing puppetry at the centre of its storytelling. Toby regularly teaches at Central. ‘The whole ethos of the course is collaboration. Each term consists of a few weeks of skills training and workshops, followed by the opportunity to work alongside colleagues studying other disciplines to make the project or performance happen. With staff expecting you to behave as a theatre practitioner from day one, you are immediately given theatre making challenges to overcome. The network contacts that I gained at Central were incredible and, by the end of the course, I felt I had met the leading figureheads of British puppetry.’

Caroline Townsend Programme Leader BA (Hons) Theatre Practice

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Costume Construction Develop skills in costume interpretation Learn pattern drafting, women’s and men’s costume making, hat making and accessories Undertake costume supervision and placements with professional companies and designers

Design & Crafts Exhibition

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

Technically skilled and creatively inventive ‘makers’ are an essential part of any theatre production team, sensitive to the stylistic intentions of the designer and director.

Course Leader

The work of the costume constructor is to interpret the given costume designs, whether period or modern, abstract or representational. As part of the production team, you will work closely with the costume designer to interpret the brief and create costumes and accessories to the level of finish expected by contemporary audiences, and are able to research and understand the time, place and narrative of the production through analysis of scripts and creative concepts.

Please see Important Information (page 120).

Alongside high-level and diverse costume making skills, you will develop skills in time management, resource management, budgeting and scheduling, working closely

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W460

Caroline Townsend ((see Staff, pages 14/15)

with students of all other theatre disciplines to contribute to the overall understanding of performance and theatre production. Costume construction has evolved into a craft which requires the making of garments suited to the modern body, while achieving the correct shape and silhouette for a given era and design. It is important that the garments are appropriate for the character and are comfortable to enable the performer to use costume to enhance their performance. The course does not focus solely on historical garments and is proud of the diversity of projects included.


Lauren Hall Graduated 2016, recent theatre credits as Wardrobe Mistress include Beauty And The Beast at The Playhouse Theatre and the UK tour of An Evening Of Dirty Dancing, and as Dresser on the international tour of Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story On Stage. She has also worked as Assistant Costume Supervisor on the BBC’s On Stage: Live From Television Centre. ‘I feel that being a student here has really given me the experience and the confidence to be able to become a professional and I can’t thank Central enough for that. For example, on placement I worked within wardrobe and costume on the Pinewood Studios film Crooked House, filmed on location at Minley Manor in Surrey, which was a fantastic experience and I learnt a lot about the industry.’

YEAR 1 Projects and workshops: to understand the role of the costume interpreter, including women’s pattern drafting, good sewing techniques, dyeing and breaking down skills and taught sessions on costume supervision. You will work with a professional designer producing costumes for a tableau vivant and adapting a modern pattern block to making period underwear, such as corsetry and crinolines. You will work as part of a team on a public production, dressing and undertaking wardrobe maintenance.

YEAR 2 Developing skills: pattern cutting for men and women, cutting and draping on the mannequin, and learning and applying tailoring techniques. You will make outfits for Central’s public productions, and costumes that look at a personal interest, such as a tutu, frock coat or a prop costume. You will have the opportunity to undertake a placement with a professional company, or assist a costume supervisor on a professional production.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: acting as Head of Department on a fullscale realised production in the Embassy Theatre or Webber Douglas Studio, you will take on the role of Wardrobe Supervisor managing the costumes and students in the costume dressing teams. You will undertake professional projects and placements, researching and making a costume to their specifications, and working with a professional company to create costumes, or to costume supervise. You will participate in an exhibition to present a portfolio of best work to the industry.

PLACEMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL FOCUS From the second year, you will have the opportunity to arrange placements, and there is a wide range of professional companies that work with Central, allowing access to many performance styles. Previous work placements include: costume departments of the Royal Opera House, Shakespeare’s Globe, The Bloomsbury Theatre, Southwark Playhouse, The Royal Academy of Music, Philip Treacy, Hand and Lock; costume internship with the Royal Shakespeare Company; costume supervisors’ departments on the West End production of Funny Girl and the National Theatre; Chichester Festival Theatre with costume supervisor Karen Large and Channel 5 Documentary Inside Holloway with designer/supervisor Karen Hobbs. Students have also worked with designers Bob Bailey (The Happiest Day Of My Life, DV8; Anything Goes, UK Tours), Sara Perks (American Idol, Arts Theatre; The King And I, Leicester Curve), Sarah Beaton (Attachment, The Old Vic; This Is Living, Trafalgar Studios); and with costume supervisors Hannah McMahon-Major (English Touring Opera) and Rosie Neate (A Little Neck, Goat and Monkey; After Troy, Lifeblood Theatre). You will have opportunities to work with professional companies across a wide range of productions. The following gives an overview of recent activity in this area: first-year students have worked with set and costume designer Simon Kenny on the Tableau Vivant Project and costume designer/supervisor Helen Coyston on Friends Of Narcissus at the Minack Theatre; second and third year students have assisted costume supervisor Hilary Lewis on The Heresy Of Love at Shakespeare’s Globe; assisted costume supervisor Natasha Prynne on Carmen for the Nevill Holt Opera; assisted costume supervisor Samantha Pickering on A Mad World, My Masters for English Touring Theatre; worked with designer Keith Orton making costumes for London Assurance at the Miller Centre and undertaken an internship with Philip Treacy.

Recently second and third year students undertook placements with Hand and Lock, English Touring Theatre, the Royal Opera House, Disney alterations department for Beauty And The Beast, The Conran Shop, The BBC Redux project and the National Theatre costume department. In the final year, there is the opportunity to work with a professional company to create costumes for one of their productions. For example, many students (and graduates) have undertaken work experience with the White Horse Theatre Company as costume makers and costume supervisors.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Lorraine Westhead, Brigid Strowbridge, Karen Hobbs, Karen Large, Jane Smith, Rachel Young, Kate Flanaghan, Nancy Betton, Lydia Cawson, Simon Kenny, Hannah McMahon-Major, Natasha Prynne.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Costume Maker, The Nutcracker (Disney), Camden Costumes. Costume Supervisor, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Deputy Head of Wardrobe, Opera Holland Park. Resident Wardrobe Mistress, Hampstead Theatre. Dressers, The Book Of Mormon. Wardrobe Mistress, The Tricycle Theatre and tour, The Father. Archivist, The Fulham Palace Costume Collection. Internship, Royal Shakespeare Company costume department. Design Assistant, Hand and Lock. Costume Assistant, P&O Cruises. Apprentice Tailor, Roxy Cressy Theatrical. Recent further study, master’s degrees, University of Glasgow, Museum Studies with Dress and Textile Histories.

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Design for the Stage Intensive design training with industry-wide interaction Develop skills through speculative and realised performances Collaborate with performers, directors, designers and production crews and engage with interdisciplinary processes and knowledge Design & Crafts Exhibition

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W461

Course Leader

Aldona Cunningham (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

This course prepares you to work creatively and professionally as a set and costume designer. You will learn through collaboration with other design and production courses and develop a professional respect for, and understanding of, all the specialist practitioners with whom you are likely to work in your career, such as lighting and sound designers, puppeteers, constructors, stage managers and technical production teams. You will share some workshops with acting students, enabling both disciplines to gain a deeper insight into the other’s practices and methodologies as the basis of a collaborative approach to design. There are opportunities to work on undergraduate and postgraduate productions of plays, musicals, devised productions, community theatre, puppetry performances and performance art projects.

You will develop necessary skills, including model making, technical drawing with AutoCAD, costume drawing and storyboarding using Adobe Photoshop, and the use of projected media. You will have the opportunity to put these skills into practice on realised projects in Central’s professionally equipped performance spaces. The course develops practitioners with a strong sense of direction and identity, and an ability to think conceptually. From the first year you undertake speculative design projects that will challenge and test ideas in a broad range of performance contexts, from text-based drama to opera, dance, site-specific performance and installations, under the guidance of professional directors, designers and choreographers.


YEAR 1 Completion of several units: allowing the development of core skills and a clear understanding of what performance and performance design are through a series of taught classes, workshops and realised projects, as well as contact with the professional world as part of the course from the start. You will work on a number of collaborative projects that encompass installation and immersive and traditional contexts in which to design.

YEAR 2 Developing individual design processes: to a near-professional level through a series of assignments, during which you will work with directors on speculative design projects using texts and opera. Assignments can also include completing a professional placement with a practitioner or company, or designing a realised performance within Central.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: applying and refining design practice on Central’s public productions, as well as smaller scale professional productions, as appropriate. You will finalise areas of professional interest and identity and participate in an exhibition to present a portfolio of your best work to the industry.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS A large number of successful placements take place, usually once for each student in either the second or third year of the course. Past students have collaborated with, or had placements at, Improbable Theatre, John Pawson Architects, Royal

Opera House Model Room, Opera North, National Theatre, Punchdrunk, Arcola Theatre, Thin Man Films and Harvey Nichols, and have assisted or worked alongside professional designers and other industry professionals, both within the UK and abroad.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Tom Cairns, Tim Hatley, Tim Hopkins, JeanMarc Puissant, Katrina Lindsay, Caroline Gawn, Polly Teale, Naomi Dawson, Nick Philippou, Stewart Laing, Dick Bird, Jeremy Herbert, Kevin Knight, Michael Taylor, Simon Basketter, Dan O’Neill, Peta Lily, Grάinne Byrne, Simon Vincenzi, Julian Maynard Smith, Sarah Beaton, Miriam Buether, Will Holt, Jamie Vartan, Judith Weir, David Sawer.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Designer, National Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Place, Southwark Playhouse, Riverside Studios. Design Assistant, Sadler’s Wells, National Theatre Design Office, Dreamthinkspeak. Emerging Artist, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta), Art of Regeneration. Interdisciplinary Artist and Scenographer, BRAVENEWWORLDs. Art Department Assistant, Thin Man Films, BBC Drama The Interceptor, feature films including Muppets Most Wanted, One Day and Mr Turner. Production Designer, Long Forgotten Fields. The Linbury Prize for Stage Design 2015. First runner-up in the Hermione Hammond Drawing Award 2013.

Milda Samsonite Graduated 2015, recently Production Designer for KOLO – King Of The Street People. ‘I have gained all the essential skills that I need to go out and work in the industry including model making, computer programmes, technical drawings, moment drawings and producing storyboards. The course has taught me about the various types of theatre and performance that exist and what it actually means to be a designer. I’ve been told that theatre is not about one person doing their job, but about many people working together. At Central you collaborate with so many people from different courses - from prop making to working with actors - as well as working alongside industry professionals.’

Design & Crafts Exhibition

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Performance Arts Experiment, explore and create new forms of performance and produce work in professional environments Develop critical skills to explore, theorise and make new performance Undertake projects with national and international arts organisations and practitioners

Hackney Showcase

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W440

Course Leader

Dr Stephen Farrier (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Focusing on critical inquiry and experimentation, you will develop your identity as performance makers and producers. This course fosters independent and collaborative creative practice and is aimed at aspiring creative practitioners who want to develop new and challenging performance forms, rooted in a rigorous engagement with the skills, theories and histories of theatre and other performance arts. The curriculum’s integration of artistic development with curatorial and production skills prepares you to become an independent practitioner, able to work in key organisational, administrative and artistic positions across the arts sector. In the first two years, the programme focuses on development of your practice across three key areas: text/theory, body/ movement and materials/technology. The final year focuses on a specialised area of practice developed through research, professional mentorship and independent projects. The course is tailored towards the development of your creative identity through both theoretical analysis and practical experimentation. You will undertake different processes that will challenge and develop your ways of working.

The course brings together the theoretical foundations of Performance and Theatre Studies, and focuses on developing skills across creative and contextual disciplines of contemporary performance arts practices. These may include areas as diverse as critical and creative writing, live art and body-based work, site-specific performance and performance photography, as well as an engagement with visual dramaturgy and scenography. In the context of your development as a performance maker, you will be trained in the role of producer, acquiring skills in programming, marketing, finance, fundraising and administration to ensure that you are ready to create your own work and help others to produce their performances. As a practitioner, you are encouraged to challenge assumptions about the creation, understanding and analysis of performance and to develop the future of performance, dramaturgy and curating, with an emphasis on interdisciplinarity. In this process, you will be asked to engage with work outside your immediate areas of interest in order to reassess what you expect, know and value about art and culture in general.


SOPHIE GRODIN Graduated 2013, Performer and Director, recently worked with Karen Christopher/ Haranczak/Navarre performance projects and ROOM. ‘I chose Performance Arts because it allowed me to experiment. I was challenged, pushed and encouraged to try out the things that might have seemed alien to me in the beginning, only to discover that those were the areas that came to mean the most for my future work. This course teaches you how to make your own work, to think for yourself, to make decisions, to take ownership and collaborate; it was like an adventure that led me down avenues I would have never found myself. I met my current collaborators at Central and that became the root of a network that keeps growing.

YEAR 1

YEAR 3

RECENT VISITING STAFF

Developing fundamental skills: building on historical, theoretical and practical foundations of theatre and performance arts, acquiring key skills in dramaturgy and writing for and about performance, contemporary movement practices and performance-making. You will produce short pieces of work across collaborative projects, involving installation, textual practices and immersive and traditional performance techniques. To support this you will engage with skills sessions in applying research methods, reflective practice and the processes of documentation and criticism.

Refining your practice within a range of professional contexts: you will apply specialist skills in creative practice through two major negotiated tasks, where you may work in a vocational setting beyond Central, and/or undertake a practice-based, written dissertation on a topic of your choice.

Dr Julia Bardsley, Elizabeth LeCompte, Dr Trish Lyons, Julian Maynard Smith, Daniel O’Neill, Kira O’Reilly, Orlan, Richard Schechner, Tim Crouch, Tim Etchells, Edward Bond, Marisa Carnesky, Karla Shacklock, Rajni Shah, Simon Vincenzi, Stelarc, Hannah Silva, Johanna Linsley, Sally Rose, Something Other, Simon Stephens, Manuel Vason, Michael Walling, Juschka Weigel.

YEAR 2 Continued focus on creative practice: in particular the deconstruction, development and contextualisation of creative practice. You will undertake a project to engage and develop strategies for working across artistic disciplines, often mentored by internationally renowned practitioners. You will develop skills and knowledge in producing, project management, curation and programming, and organise a festival at a public venue in London with professional curators and producers. A professional placement with a company or practitioner is offered alongside optional work, including an interdisciplinary photography project, or developing your writing practice by taking optional units shared with the BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Education: Writing for Performance course (see page 38).

Professional Focus You will be involved in collaborative projects with national and international arts organisations and practitioners. In previous years these have included Tim Crouch, Simon Vincenzi, Deborah Pearson and Tim Etchells. The course has also worked with the Institute of Contemporary Arts, the Roundhouse, Battersea Arts Centre, ] performance s p a c e [ , Goat and Monkey, the Live Art Development Agency, Punchdrunk and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Students have taken their work (while studying) to Los Angeles, New York, Prague, Montenegro, Slovakia, Denmark, Estonia, Brazil, Russia, Singapore, Scotland and Lithuania. Several students have secured scholarships and grants to develop their work, for example from the Fulbright Commission, Arts Council and the British Council, and placements with Seabright Productions, BBC, Robert Wilson, Manchester International Festival, Artsadmin, Centre For Creative Collaboration, Victoria and Albert Museum and the Soho Theatre.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Performer, Arcola Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, Brighton Fringe, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Budva Theatre Festival Montenegro, Glastonbury Festival, National Theatre Studios, The Shed (National Theatre), The Place. Company-in-Residence, Artsdepot, Shunt Vaults, Dixon Place (New York). Writer, Royal Court Theatre, Something Other, Exeunt Magazine. Director, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, New York International Fringe Festival, Finborough Theatre, National Theatre Connections. Performer/ Director, Brighton Festival. Producer/ Performer, Latitude Festival. Producer, CircusFest, Roundhouse, Singapore World Expo. Presenter, BBC Radio 1Xtra, Sky Arts. Projection Specialist, Mesmer. Stage Manager, Secret Cinema. Lecturer, Goldsmiths University of London, Queen Mary University of London, University of Swaziland. Recent further study, master’s degrees, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, California Institute of the Arts. PhDs at various universities.

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Production Lighting Learn to specify and produce a range of lighting, power and video systems Manage a crew and the procurement and installation of equipment from fit-up to de-rig Work in role on productions and through industry placements

Earthquakes In London by Mike Bartlett, public production

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W451

Course Leader

Nick Moran (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

The course trains students in the practical and managerial skills of realising performance lighting systems, video and projection. To help you position yourself at the forefront of the industry, you will be guided and encouraged to explore the latest automated lighting, green technology, programming protocols, digital networking and communication, video projection and LED technology. You will benefit from Central’s industry-focused research culture, which ensures your developing skills and experience are at the cutting-edge of knowledge and industry practice in theatre, live events and concert touring. As you progress through the course, there are opportunities to develop specialist skills in the areas of most interest to you as a developing practitioner, giving you the best

possible preparation for employment upon graduation. Tuition is structured around practical projects in Central’s well-equipped studios, theatre and performance spaces, supported by taught sessions on, for example, computer-aided drafting, making electrical props and programming. You will also study video and projection systems, working on productions and on more experimental projects. Central offers opportunities, within the course and on placement in industry, to broaden your experience beyond the traditional theatre roles for production lighting practitioners. Past projects have included programming for music, conference and event lighting, site-specific work and architectural projection.


Ellie Thompson Graduated 2014, recent projects include Associate Video Designer for Reisende auf einem Bein, Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg and for Schatten, Schaubühne. ‘The course was a great way to form strong contacts for the future. Straight after leaving Central, I collaborated with Katie Mitchell on The Forbidden Zone at the Salzburg Festival, as Video Production Technician. I also worked as Video Supervisor for The Driver’s Seat with the National Theatre of Scotland and a co-production with Battersea Arts Centre, The Destroyed Room, with Vanishing Point on their Scottish Tour.’

YEAR 1 Introduction to professional lighting practice: through skills sessions and workshops in Central’s studio and theatre spaces, you will gain a solid foundation in health and safety management, safe working with electricity and working at height. Collaborative exercises and longer projects further develop technical and management skills, in preparation for work in the role of Lighting Crew and/or Lighting Programmer in the summer term.

YEAR 2 Continuing to build practical and management skills: through taught sessions and production experiences, including opportunities to work in role on Central’s public productions, you will rig and troubleshoot lighting and video systems, programme them, and manage fellow students through the production process. You will also research areas of practice beyond conventional theatre including events and festivals. You will be mentored by tutors, technical support staff and visiting professionals, and have the opportunity to develop projects with fellow students.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: you will continue to research the industry sectors that interest you, and build on your experience through projects based at Central and/or individually negotiated placements. Tutors and industry mentors help each student to develop a strategy for their entry into the world of work. Personal networks are of great importance for this and students benefit from Central’s relationship

with the industry, including numerous alumni and lighting practitioners working in the theatre, live event and concert touring/ festival sectors.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS Central’s lighting courses are generously supported by major industry partners, including White Light, HSL and PRG UK. Central also has strong links with smaller companies, several of which were started by graduates, including Liteup Events, Cassius Creative and DBSL. In addition, members of the Mesmer collective (behind many large-scale video designs for theatre and opera productions) are regular visitors and placement hosts, as are 59 Productions and other high-profile video design companies. A regular panel of industry experts helps final year students launch their professional careers. Many opportunities for lighting students come through the network of graduates already well-placed in theatre, concert touring and event industries. The course has strong links with the Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) and local theatres, which helps students to network in the industry, and to find placements and job opportunities.

RECENT VISITING STAFF

Theatre, large-scale theatre tours and West End productions), Jo Richardson (CoDirector of Full Production Services Ltd), Chris Purnell (Touring Chief Lx of Rambert Dance Co) Squib Swain (Lighting Designer for Bombay Bicycle Club, The Streets, Delphic), Jamie Thompson (award-winning Lighting Designer for The Script and others).

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Theatre, National Theatre London, Rambert Dance Company, Northern Ballet, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, English National Opera, Sadler’s Wells, The Place, Hampstead Theatre, Young Vic, Royal Court Theatre, Tricycle Theatre. Events and Production Graduate Traineeships, PRG UK, White Light, working on events at the Royal Albert Hall, Roundhouse, Chelsea Football Club, The O2 Arena and venues throughout the UK and Europe. Concert Touring and Festivals, including Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival, V Festival, The Big Chill and touring with companies such as Cyan Lighting, Neg Earth, GLS Lighting and HSL worldwide. Video and Projection, including world tours with leading concert artists, as media server specialists on d3 and Hippotizer, and nominations for awards for concert lighting and video design.

Leading Production Lighting Specialists, Mark Mumford, Craig Bennett, Martin Chisnall, Stuart Crane. Lighting Designers, David W. Kidd, Ingi Bekk, Marc Callaghan, Nick Richings, Matt Daw, Simon Corder, Andy Purves. Lighting Programmers, Lawrence Stromoski, Jim Beagley. Visiting graduates, Adam Povey (Production Electrician for Regent’s Park Open Air

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Prop Making Intensive training in making props using a broad range of materials and techniques Develop research-based, aesthetic and technical design interpretation choices Undertake industry placements within a range of professional practices Construction workshop

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W462

Course Leader

Dot Young (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Prop Making reaches into all areas of the entertainment industry – theatre, film, television, window display, model animation, community arts, museum installation and replication work. The Prop Maker will work with designers and directors to produce what is required for each individual outcome. It is rare to make the same thing twice and, as such, the Prop Maker has to be ingenious, quick-thinking, explorative, dexterous, enjoy problem solving and have a love of materials and all things three-dimensional. The work can range from small, intricate, hand-held reproduction props, to largescale, articulated structures, but will always require excellent artistic and creative skills. Working independently or as part of a team, accurately and to deadlines, the Prop Maker will cover the broadest ranges of materials and techniques. You will gain experience and a high level of technical competence, working with a wide range of prop making materials and techniques in Central’s first-class facilities, including sculpting skills, casting techniques, welding, polystyrene carving,

vacuum forming, carpentry, life casting, paint finishing and texturing. You will develop skills in research, analysis, collaboration and design interpretation, as well as strong technical drawing skills and an understanding of colour theories and working to scale. You will also cultivate a broad understanding of period styles and aesthetics. Central’s Prop Makers develop into highly technically skilled, creatively inventive, collaborative and informed individuals, able to contribute effectively and professionally to any production and its team. You will be offered a range of opportunities to develop excellent and comprehensive prop making skills as part of a prop making team, including on public productions at Central, working closely with students of other theatre disciplines in order to develop an overall understanding of performance and theatre production. You will also undertake placements in the industry to develop a full CV and further extend your skills. In the final year you will participate in an exhibition to present a portfolio of best work, to which industry professionals are invited to attend.


RUBY MATTHEWS Graduated 2016, recent credits include Assistant Prop Maker for Madama Butterfly and Glyndebourne Festival Opera, (Designer Nicky Shaw), as Prop Maker for Five Guys Named Moe (Underbelly Productions in association with Cameron Mackintosh), Star Trek The Exhibition (Bower Wood Production Services), and Prop Maker/Fabricator, window display for Charles Tyrwhitt (Harlequin Design Ltd). ‘Prop Making taught me such a variety of skills and I was able to be involved in a range of projects. Some of my favourite things I got to make on the course include a puppet goat, an extravagant clock and an Edwardian corset. There is also a big emphasis on work experience. I feel these industry placements are invaluable as they allow you to work with professional companies and freelancers, which can then help you to obtain work once leaving Central.’

YEAR 1 Classes and workshops: in design interpretation, technical drawing, sculpting, mould making, casting, fibre glass and plaster work, vacuum forming, paint effects, construction, welding and polystyrene carving. Working with professional designers and as part of a production team, you will produce props for a public show at Central, or for an external industry event. You will also develop text analysis and research skills, and an understanding of the wider context of your practice.

YEAR 2 Skills sessions and workshops: in body padding, advanced mould making, silicone and resin work, advanced sculpting, fabrication and model making. You will continue to develop your skills in design interpretation, time management, selfmanagement and budgeting and lead a team in order to develop management skills. You will also undertake further industry placements and continue to develop research skills.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: you will further develop in the role of Head of Department, managing fellow students producing props for productions, and continuing to coordinate with other members of the creative and production teams. You will develop a personal project to showcase at the summer term exhibition, and extend links with the industry through placement work. Focus is on developing specialist skills to inform strategies for future practice beyond Central, which include developing a strong media profile.

PLACEMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL FOCUS Through project work and regular close contact with industry professionals and recent graduates, you are prepared to enter the industry by your final year. From the second year onwards, you have the opportunity to arrange placements. These include a variety of genres, such as live arts, devised and collaborative works, text/character-based play productions, film, large-scale community arts events, museum installation and television. The opportunities offered through placements ensure that each student graduates with a full and professional CV, showing a widerange of industry contacts and dynamic experiences. You will benefit from the established links the course has with some of the best prop making and associated companies and entertainment practitioners in the UK and beyond, such as English National Opera, White Horse Theatre in Germany, Unicorn Theatre, Madame Tussauds, Merlin Entertainments, Endemol Productions, Elstree Studios, Emergency Exit Arts, Kinetica, Asylum Models & Effects, Millington Associates, Neil Corbould Special Effects, Manta Ray and Whetton & Grosch. Through placements, students have worked with these and other companies in the areas of film work, theatre, community arts, museum installation, television productions and window display.

and film on productions such as Doctor Who, Harry Hill, Thor, Snow White And The Huntsman and a range of children’s television productions. Students have also worked on store window displays including Fortnum and Mason, Harvey Nichols and Ted Baker. Many other opportunities come through the network of graduates already well placed in theatre, film and television, and contacts made with the professional designers that you will work with on public productions at Central.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Michael Taylor, Simon Kenny, Mike Bell, Darryl Worbey, Nic Webb, Laura Brooke, Mark Chapman, Ruari Murchison, Bob Bailey, Tracy Lilley, Simon Basketter, Ollie Cooper.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Prop Makers, English National Opera, WOMAD, Barbican, Emergency Exit Arts, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Pinewood Studios, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Arcola Theatre, National Theatre, Watford Palace Theatre, Unicorn Theatre, Madame Tussauds, Warner Bros., Boom Town Festival, Robert Allsopp and Associates, Royal Opera House, Shepperton Studios, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, The Imperial War Museum.

Students have recently engaged in festivals and events, such as the Glastonbury Festival, Rio Carnival, WOMAD, Thames Festival, Hatton Garden Festival, and at Circus Space and the Roundhouse, and museum installations in the UK, Europe, United Arab Emirates and Egypt. There have been opportunities to work in television

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Puppetry: Design and Performance rain in a world-leading institution for puppeteers with industry professionals T Design, make and perform with puppets through interdisciplinary and collaborative devised work Undertake directed and individual performance projects showcased in leading puppet theatres

Mon Frère – Shadows Music Video

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W441

Course Leader

Cariad Astles (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Central pioneered the first UK degree in puppet theatre and the course works closely with national and international professional practitioners, who are all experts in their fields; you will benefit from this with an expansive range of visiting lecturers and placements in theatres and with companies worldwide. Specialists in specific cultural traditions often visit and offer masterclasses in their area of specialism. You will develop performance projects making and performing puppets and objects, within and outside Central. Our aim is for you to develop as a skilled practitioner able to initiate and develop your own projects, as well as collaborating closely with others within a discipline that requires both technique and creativity. You are encouraged to engage with contemporary practice from the outset, to develop strong working relationships with professional

practitioners and to forge your own identity as a specialist in the field. Practical research and development is underpinned by contextual studies in puppetry and visual theatre performance, including historical and theoretical discussions, and intercultural study of traditional forms and practices. You will work closely with other Theatre Practice students, so that you understand, respect and work effectively with the full range of professional practitioners, in order to appreciate the theatre process and interdisciplinary practice. Throughout the three years, you will have the opportunity to experience puppetry in a variety of contexts, participate in frequent visits to shows, talks and workshops by visiting professionals, and benefit from ongoing collaboration with a number of arts bodies within London and beyond.


JENNY DEE Graduated 2016, has worked with BBC, Sky, Universal Music and various other television and film production companies as Art Director and Puppeteer / Puppet Designer. Recent credits include Co-Producer of the Suspense Puppetry Festival at the Little Angel Theatre, and devising and performing in her one-woman comedy puppet show, Vetted. ‘Being exposed to opportunities in making, performing, directing and writing for puppetry I was able to find what it was I enjoyed the most and developed skills that meant I could pursue it as an achievable career. Via the network I developed through Central, I have been able to establish myself in the television and film sector as a Creative Director and Puppeteer. Developing my understanding of physicality and characterisation through puppets has aided my discovery of movement-based solutions with human actors in real world scenarios, both on set and in the theatre. Studying at Central has given clarity to my future goals, as well as the necessary skills needed for me to achieve them and helped raise my expectations of where I see myself in the future.’

YEAR 1

YEAR 3

Make, perform: introduction to a range of collaborative and course-specific projects in order to explore puppet making and animation processes, principles of movement, devising, design skills, voice work, acting, animation and manipulation, and application of manipulation skills to specific projects. You will create a performance in response to a text and develop installation, site-specific and immersive theatre in collaboration with other strands. You will also research traditional puppetry forms and contemporary puppetry companies of note.

Direct, critique: you will focus on your own voice as creative auteur and develop skills in directing and analysing puppet theatre. You will negotiate personal development plans and carry out individual work to deepen learning in specific areas of interest. The personal development plan may be a professional placement with puppet theatre companies, working as an assistant director, in-school training in specific complementary areas, preparing solo work for performance, or an apprenticeship with makers.

puppet festival. Recent productions and performances have been part of festivals, for example Tallinn Treff Festival, Bialystok International Puppet Festival, Stuttgart Puppet Festival, Istanbul International Puppet Festival, Indonesia International Puppet Festival, Ghent Street Theatre Festival and the Toy Theatre Festival in New York. Community collaborations undertaken include work with local and national healthcare providers, such as hospitals, residential centres, schools and community centres.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS

RECENT VISITING STAFF

YEAR 2 Write, create: developing writing, producing and performing skills and working with a range of different disciplines in order to develop a sensitivity to crossart approaches. The course collaborates closely with Performance Arts and Design for the Stage students on experimental and speculative performance projects. In the third term, you will develop a major puppetry production, which will tour nationally and possibly internationally. Where negotiated, you will collaborate with Applied Theatre students, using puppetry in a community setting e.g. working with the charity MIND, creating performance for elderly dementia sufferers, or assisting with a puppetry production created by prisoners. You will continue contextual and academic research into different styles of puppetry, for example symbolism and Dada, and explore practitioners such as Kantor, Meyerhold and Craig.

Central collaborates with a large number of professional companies and practitioners who visit as lecturers or host students on professional placements. The course works particularly closely with the Little Angel Theatre (which supports the smallscale touring project and community placement in the second year) and students participate in masterclasses at Suspense, the international festival of adult puppet theatre. There are also talks and workshops by internationally recognised practitioners including Sandglass Theatre, Handspring Puppet Theatre, PuppetCraft, Thai puppeteers from Arts on Location, and Annie Rollins. Students have recently undertaken placements with a range of companies such as the National Theatre, Polka Theatre, Little Angel Theatre, Theatre-Rites, Dockteatern Tittut in Stockholm, Edinburgh Puppet Company, Blind Summit, CBeebies and ITV television. The course has excellent links with other related courses within the UK and with international puppetry courses. You may be invited to take one production during your studies to a major international

Stephen Mottram, Sue Dacre, Steve Tiplady, Stan Middleton, Sue Buckmaster, Dr John Bell, Rene Baker, Penny Francis MBE, Annie Rollins, Colette Garrigan, Isobel Smith, Rachel Warr, Peter O’Rourke, John Roberts, Roman Stefanski.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Puppeteer, War Horse, Blind Summit/ENO collaboration; Horse and Bamboo Theatre; Mongrels, BBC. Creative Director, CBeebies. Performer, The Paper Cinema, Little Angel Theatre, Puppet Theatre Barge. Puppet Maker and Performer, PuppetCraft. Founder, Arts Centre. Puppet Maker, His Dark Materials, National Theatre. Puppetry Education Assistant, Little Angel Theatre. Workshop Facilitator, Theatre Royal Plymouth. Community Workshop Leader, The Moveable Feast. Puppetry Workshop Leader, Korea, Taiwan, Italy. Puppeteer for traumatised children in Iraq. Puppetry Director, European Youth Project. Artist Residency, Tallinn Treff Festival.

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Scenic Art Undertake realisation of production designs to professional standards Learn to interpret set designs – period or modern, abstract or representational Develop a high-level of technical competence and skills in research and interpretation

Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde, public production

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code: C35

Course code W463

Course Leader

Carla Mardle (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

The role of scenic artist requires excellent artistic skills, combined with the ability to work independently, or as part of a team, accurately and to deadlines, meeting design specifications agreed with the set designer or art director. You will gain experience of working in a wide range of materials, textures, scenic finishes and effects enabling you to interpret the design to the level of finish expected by contemporary audiences. You will develop skills in research, analysis and interpretation, working on both large and small-scale elements on a variety of surfaces and materials. You will learn techniques such as marbling, wood graining, lettering, spray gun and texturing, as well as gaining a good understanding of art history, period styles and architecture.

There will be the opportunity for you to develop excellent and comprehensive artistic and scenic skills as part of a scenic art team on public productions, working closely with students of other theatre disciplines, to contribute to the overall understanding of performance and theatre production. As the course progresses and your skills develop, your level of responsibility and involvement will increase. The project work that is chosen is negotiated to fit with the area(s) of the industry in which you are most keen to make your career.


ROBYN KAHN-CLELAND Graduated 2013, freelance Scenic and Mural Artist. Recent commissions as Scenic Artist include Capital Scenery, the Contemporary American Theater Festival, Cleveland Playhouse, Indiana Repertory Theatre and Utah Shakespeare Festival. ‘Lectures, such as Gender in Theatre and Race in Theatre, introduce you to many aspects of the industry on an intellectual level, while sessions on how to create CVs and portfolios, be self-employed or start your own business help to prepare you for the nitty-gritty of becoming a professional. Undertaking work placements on the course gave me many opportunities to network with professionals and production companies.’ Miss Johnson by Amanda Whittington, public production

YEAR 1 Workshops and classes: in colour theory, colour mixing, scaling-up, drawing, scenic art painting techniques, marbling, stained glass, hand painted wallpaper, wood graining, trompe l’oeil and lettering. Working with a professional designer to produce samples for a reproduction of an existing texture or fine art painting, and transcription of an image from a 1:25 scale onto a pre-prepared stage flat. You will contribute an engaged involvement working as part of a production team on a public production within a scenic art team.

YEAR 2 Developing skills: in spray painting, perspective, texture, architectural and figurative painting, trompe l’oeil painting, signwriting and learning and applying advanced painting techniques. Painting a cloth and/or gauze for a Central public production, or at a professional theatre. You will work in a professional context within the industry and have the opportunity for personal projects exploring techniques not covered by production work.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: you will work as Head of Department on a fullscale realised production in the Embassy Theatre or Webber Douglas Studio, managing other students painting scenery, textured floors and walls, and finishes on furniture or specific props. You will undertake a personal project or placement focused on a main area of expertise, as well as working in professional contexts, e.g. painting scenery for a West End show or regional theatre. You will participate in an exhibition to present a portfolio of best work to the industry.

PLACEMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL FOCUS You will benefit from the established links the course has with some of the leading London-based freelance scenic artists. Through placements in the second and third years, students have worked with scenic artists on West End productions such as the English National Ballet’s Nutcracker, Annie, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Love Never Dies, Grease, We Will Rock You, Singing In The Rain and Peter And Alice. Students have also regularly undertaken placements on productions at the National Theatre, the Royal Opera House, Salisbury Playhouse and Watford Palace Theatre. Through links the course has established with other industries, such as window display, festivals, events and theme parks, students have been able to broaden their scope of skills and expertise working on a diverse range of projects. Examples are painting the display ‘live’ in the windows of London’s well-known Conran Shop, The Bar Of Ideas for the Glastonbury Festival, and at Thorpe Park. The course has links with established scenic studios, such as Harvey Nicol’s window dressing department, Rocket Scenery, Scott Fleary, Souvenir and Scena, where students have had the opportunity to work on television shows such as Friends Like These, QI, Ant & Dec, The All-Star Cup, The National Music Awards and the Olivier Awards. Many opportunities arise through the network of graduates already well-placed in theatre and contacts made with the professional designers who work on public productions at Central.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Lionel Stanhope, Andy Greenfield, Julian Walker, Sue Dunlop, Janice Gorringe, Gordon Aldred, Stewart Hall, Jenny Knott from Roscoe Paints, Mark Chapman from Bristol Paints, Natalie Perkins, James Hunt, Philip Engleheart, Michael Taylor, Gary Thorne.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Scenic Artist, on productions at the Royal Opera House, Young Vic, Royal Court Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Glyndebourne, Royal Shakespeare Company, Louis Vuitton worldwide visual merchandising, Buckingham Palace Garden Party, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, The Old Vic, Watford Palace Theatre, Pinewood Studios, Alton Towers, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Souvenir Scenic Studios, Legoland, Cobalt Studios New York, Chessington World of Adventures, Donmar Warehouse, Unicorn Theatre, Burning Windmills Pictures (Disney), The London Dungeon, CBBC, Sky TV, Channel 4, Samuelson Productions, Ealing Studios, Elle Decoration, Thorpe Park scenic workshops. Head of Design Realisation, Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Display Manager, Harvey Nichols. Resident Designer and Scenic Artist, The Mill at Sonning. Founder members of companies, Scene a Theme (designing themed rooms, murals and private fine art commissions), Barnickle Furniture (handpainted furniture, which has previously been exhibited at the Country Living Fair).

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Scenic Construction earn traditional making skills and experiment with newer materials and making techniques L Plan and build sets for theatre, film, television, events and advertising Undertake work in a professional context within the industry

West Side Story by Arthur Laurents/Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim, public production

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W464

Course Leader

Currently visiting lecturers Please see Important Information (page 120).

Scenic Constructors are creative problem solvers who use ideas and solutions that are drawn from all aspects of engineering and industrial practice to aid the creation of sets or staging. You will learn to be autonomous and resourceful, and will develop specific scenic construction skills to the high professional level required to meet design briefs and the requirements of the industry in which you plan to work. The training will principally be in theatre, but these skills are easily transferable to many different media environments. From the second year of the course you will have the opportunity to work in professional contexts, for example constructing scenery for a professional venue, working with a major scenery building company, or with companies working in events, television or advertising.

The Scenic Construction course is for those with a strong interest in building with wood and metal, but who want a career that is also creative. You will collaborate on projects which offer experience in the varied and diverse areas in which you can work upon graduation, including television and film. Other opportunities come through the network of graduates already well-placed in theatre and contacts made with the professional designers that you will work with on public productions at Central.


MARTIN SMITH

Graduated 2016, freelance Scenic Constructor. He has worked at Park Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and as Chief Carpenter at Millfield Theatre on their pantomime Aladdin. ‘The course at Central was really helpful to show us all the various aspects of scenic construction, as well enabling us to learn skills in budgeting, scheduling and working closely with the other departments on public productions. The hands-on approach to learning benefits you in the industry, along with the skills learnt whilst undertaking placements within the professional industry.’

The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan, public production

YEAR 1 Exploring and learning specific skills: in a variety of materials, including woodworking tools, hand-held tools and machinery. You will build specific elements of scenery, working to a professional designer’s specifications and working closely with technicians to plan how scenery might be rigged to fit within either a studio or a main house space. Learning carpentry techniques, you will work as part of a team, building or adapting scenery. You will also have an introduction to AutoCAD and learn basic technical drawing.

YEAR 2 Further skills development: you will continue to develop AutoCAD skills and work on welding and building metal work structures, constructing a set for a public production, either individually or as part of a team, and also work with automated scenery. You will also have the opportunity to work in a professional context within the industry.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: you will undertake the role of Head of Department on a full-scale realised production in Central’s Embassy Theatre or Webber Douglas Studio, manage other students building scenery and coordinate with all members of the creative and production team. You will work on a personal project or placement that is focused on your main individual area of expertise. Project work is chosen and negotiated to fit with your understanding

of which area/s of the industry you are most keen to make a career in. You will participate in an exhibition to present a portfolio of best work to the industry.

PLACEMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL FOCUS From the second year onwards, you will have the opportunity to arrange placements and there are a wide range of professional companies that work with Central, allowing access to many performance styles. Through placements in the second and third years, students have worked on productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company, English National Opera, Blackfriars Scenery, Scott Fleary, Shape Construction and East London Furniture. Students regularly undertake placements at the Royal Opera House and All Scene All Props. Through the links the course has established with other industries, such as festivals, events and theme parks, students have been able to broaden their scope of skills and expertise by working on a diverse range of projects. The course has links with established scenic workshops, those at Scott Fleary, Britain’s Got Talent, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, All Scene All Props, Closer at the Donmar Warehouse, Kinky Boots at the Adelphi Theatre, Clockwork Scenery, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf at the Theatre Royal Bath, and Adobe Summit 2016.

Design and Construct, as well as working on the Sherlock Holmes installation at Madame Tussauds, and the David Bowie Exhibition for the Victoria and Albert Museum and world tour.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Roger Harrison, Sam Greenfield, William Floyd-Maclean, George Stephens, Sara Perks, Sarah Beaton, Andy Shewan, Sam Dowson, Bob Bailey, Rory Evans, Nigel Hayne, Philip Engleheart, Andrew D Edwards, Michael Taylor, Sophie Skelton.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Scenic Constructor, Watford Palace Theatre. Founder members of companies, Illusion Design and Construct. Internship, Royal Shakespeare Company’s Engineering Department. Freelance Scenic Constructor, English National Opera, Bower Wood Production Services, Hedgehog Construction, English Touring Opera. Tutor, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Head of Engineering, Scott Fleary. Touring Carpenter, The Phantom Of The Opera.

Alumni have also successfully started their own companies, which offer opportunities for graduating students such as Illusion

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Stage Management A general grounding in all aspects of theatre production specialising in stage management Work with students on other theatre disciplines to develop an understanding of how each contributes to live performance Professional placements through a range of industry contacts

From Morning To Midnight by Georg Kaiser, translated by Dennis Kelly, public production

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W491

Course Leader

Peter Maccoy (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Professional theatre requires production personnel with both a general knowledge of production and specialist knowledge and skills within their area of practice. The curriculum emphasises the role of stage management as a conduit between the director and the production team throughout the rehearsal process and the management of the performance itself, including the acquisition of furniture and props. Today’s Stage Manager must have excellent people skills, being responsible for communicating developments as they occur through rehearsals and negotiating solutions to the production challenges identified.

During your time as a student, you will develop practical management skills through working in production teams on a number of realised productions in collaboration with students on other Theatre Practice courses, with the Acting courses and with visiting professionals. You will be introduced to a model of practice that underpins traditional British theatre as experienced in the commercial and subsidised sectors. Through realised production opportunities, you will also experience alternative methods of practice, including community, small-scale fringe, devised, physical, visual, site-responsive and immersive theatre.


SEBASTIAN CANNINGS Graduated 2016, recent credits as Assistant Production Manager include La Strada UK tour, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, Palace Theatre and In With A Bang, Hull City of Culture, as Production Manager at the Tricycle Theatre on The Mother and as Assistant Production Manager on Ben Hur. ‘Central gave me the knowledge and skill base that allowed me to start a career in Production Management. By experiencing all the Theatre Practice strands of the course in my first year, I gained a well-rounded knowledge and appreciation of how the theatrical industry works. The contacts I met, both tutors and fellow students, helped me to gain work both whilst at Central and as soon as I graduated. It was through a placement that I gained my first professional West End job on Harry Potter And The Cursed Child.’

YEAR 1 Developing basic stage management skills: for creating live performance, through a series of workshops and realised projects, including managing rehearsals and the performance, blocking and working with the cast and director, marking up, show calling, props sourcing and adapting, costume supervision and sewing, lighting, and sound and aspects of staging technology. Workshops focus on text analysis, group dynamics, communication and current legislation, including health and safety. In the final term you will undertake the role of Assistant Stage Manager on a realised production, working with students from the undergraduate Acting and other courses.

YEAR 2 Developing skills further through undertaking different roles: including Assistant and Deputy Stage Manager on a range of realised production projects from main house proscenium theatre shows to site-responsive fringe work. This is underpinned by sessions looking at more advanced aspects of stage management, including company management, score reading, pyrotechnics, firearms and stage blood effects, and event management. You may work on projects outside Central, including community theatre, immersive theatre and events and may operate sound and lighting on small-scale productions. You are assigned a professional mentor who will advise and guide you.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: roles are assigned individually based on strengths and interests. This will include at least one with significant managerial responsibilities on one of Central’s public productions and which may also be of a larger-scale or more challenging. This enables you to develop your skills further, negotiating with directors and designers, managing a team, managing a budget, and finding solutions to complex production challenges, working in a ‘real world’ context. You will research and organise a suitable placement with a professional company, encouraging you to build a network of contacts whilst exploring the areas of the entertainment industry in which you aspire

to work. You will prepare a portfolio and career plan, including a presentation to a panel of leading industry figures, who will offer ideas, suggestions and advice to support you on your chosen path.

PLACEMENTS AND PROFESSIONAL FOCUS The course enables you to build on the professional contacts you make throughout and to set up professional placements for the final year. Recent placements have included Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, Disney’s Aladdin, Wonder.land at the National Theatre, Don Quixote and Doctor Faustus with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Welcome Home Captain Fox! at the Donmar Warehouse, the Tricycle Theatre/Theatre Royal Bath’s production of The Mother, and at the Royal Opera House, Opera Holland Park, Gandini Juggling, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Wellfit Media, Hong Kong. The course has extensive links with the live performance industry on all scales in London and beyond, including Border Crossings, English National Opera (via an annual graduate internship), Donmar Warehouse, Tricycle Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre. Through project work, formal visits to theatres and regular close contact with professionals, including recent graduates, you will be well prepared to enter the live performance industry. You will work with professional Stage Managers either undertaking their role within Central, or as project supervisors and team mentors. There are potential opportunities for students to work with companies such as Parrot {in the} Tank, Shunt and Nutkhut on more unconventional immersive work and in non-traditional theatre making areas, such as street arts and outdoor theatre. This can include festivals such as London Mela, and companies Walk the Plank, The World Famous, Emergency Exit Arts and Kinetika.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Stage Management, Sophie Acreman, Marion Colwell, Jo Miles, Hannah Roy, Adam Tripp, Andy Shewan, Charlotte Padgham, Natasha Dubowski, George Cook. Production Management, Dennis

Charles, John Riddell, Tom Lee, Kaley Freeman. Technical Management, Jon Hare, Aidan Lesser. Sound, Jamie Flockton, Pete Eltringham. Lighting, Josh Gadsby. Directors, Dominic Rouse, Debbie Seymour. Prop Making, John Blunden. Working at height, Mark Mumford. Event Management, Simon Byford. Score Reading, Lisa Westerhout. Adobe Photoshop, Cate Blanchard. Pyrotechnics, Just FX. Firearms and stage blood, Rc-Annie.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Company Manager, Salisbury Playhouse; Disney’s Aladdin, Prince Edward Theatre. Assistant Company Manager, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Stage Manager, Guys And Dolls, Phoenix Theatre; Disney’s Aladdin, Prince Edward Theatre; Elizabeth, Royal Ballet; The Last Tango, UK tour; Liberian Girl, Royal Court Theatre; Complicite’s The Master And Margarita; Cirque du Soleil’s Zarkana, Radio City Music Hall, New York; Secret Cinema presents: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back; Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Deputy Stage Manager, Yerma, Young Vic; Pericles, The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare’s Globe; Bugsy Malone, Curve Theatre, Leicester; Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Donmar Warehouse; Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, ENO; The Schoolmistress, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough; Maometto Secondo, Garsington Opera; The Monster In The Maze, LSO, Barbican; Jack And The Beanstalk, Watford Palace Theatre. Assistant Stage Manager, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, Palace Theatre; Plays At The Garrick Season, Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company; Another World: Losing Our Children To Islamic State and Project Octagon, National Theatre; The Girls, UK tour; Toast, UK tour; When We Were Women, Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond; The Vote, Donmar Warehouse; Yerma, Young Vic; The Nutcracker, English National Ballet; Sunset Boulevard, ENO; Don Carlos, Grange Park Opera; Props Buyer, Happy Days, Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg. Award Events Producer, BAFTA. Production Manager, Imagination. Production Assistant, Square Deals Productions. Assistant Project Manager, Don’t Believe In Style, Hong Kong.

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Technical and Production Management Intense training in fundamental theatre technology and management practice Preparation for a career in technical management, production management, or associated fields within the entertainment industry

Embassy Theatre

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W493

Course Leader

Paul Colwell (sse Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

As a Technical and Production Management student, you will learn hands-on skills and techniques of theatre technical work through to managing the collaboration of the whole production team of designers, engineers, artists and technicians. You will expand your contextual and critical understanding of performance, through examining and challenging contemporary philosophies, theories and issues surrounding the industry. You will focus your career direction by engaging directly with performing arts professionals, including access to both long established and emerging industry companies, venues, manufacturers and suppliers. Alongside work within Central, you will direct your learning towards the

areas of the entertainment industry that you see yourself aligning with. By the end of the second year, you will be encouraged to make strong connections within the industry which may often lead to work. This extends your learning opportunities and greatly supports your transition from education to full-time employment. You will have opportunities in the final year to undertake placements which further build your network of contacts and integrate them with up-to-the-minute productions, projects and developments in the sector.


GARY BEESTONE Graduated 2002, established Gary Beestone Ltd providing production and project management for world-class theatre and events for clients such as Disney, Sonia Friedman Productions, Hull City of Culture and the Rugby World Cup, as well as working as worldwide Technical Director for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child. ‘My time at Central taught me how to work with a wide range of people and disciplines and opened my mind to the full spectrum of theatre genres. It was there that I was able to transition into working on real live projects. It was an amazing opportunity to explore the areas that I enjoyed, and those that I didn’t, to set the foundations for an exciting career working in technical theatre. Working on projects within Central with fellow students and later with the freedom to develop my own work and contacts outside, gave me opportunities that shaped my future development!’

YEAR 1 Developing hands-on skills and building knowledge: of the core technologies and techniques used in theatre production, including set construction, lighting, sound, technical drawing, risk assessment, counterweight flying and rigging. Working closely with students from other specialist courses at Central on a number of practical projects, forming team working and leadership skills, and learning the principles of ensuring the safe, economical and timely completion of theatre projects.

Year 2 Continuing to hone organisational and management skills: undertaking roles which are pivotal to the creation of public productions, progressively taking on greater responsibility, as appropriate. For example, you may be the Technical Manager or Head of Flying and Rigging. You will be guided by specialist staff and mentored by visiting professional practitioners, as they work alongside mixed student and professional creative teams. You will continue to receive taught sessions in specialist topics e.g. AutoCAD, health and safety legislation, pyrotechnics and automation. Career development awareness is built exploring aspects such as self-marketing and securing employment, unions and industry associations, pay and work conditions, and insurance requirements.

Year 3 Focus on professional development: undertaking activities such as managing budgets, ensuring the highest standards of health and safety are maintained and creatively solving complex logistical or technical problems. You will be assigned roles individually, which may include being the Production Manager on Central’s public productions. These challenges offer experience as Technical and Production Managers through working in a ‘real world’ context. Preparation of a portfolio

and a career plan which sets out the next steps in your professional life, including a presentation to a panel of leading industry figures, who will offer you suggestions and advice to support you on your chosen path.

Placements AND PROFESSIONAL FOCUS Throughout the course, you will have contact with a variety of performance arts professionals including industry leading and pioneering companies, venues, manufacturers and suppliers. During your third year, you will research, arrange and attend a placement with a company, or alongside an individual practitioner, working in the field of performance arts, theatre making or events production that you are interested in developing further. Students have undertaken a variety of placements including Production Assistant at the National Theatre, with Proper Productions on the British Summer Time Festival, and Assistant Technical Manager at the Young Vic and with Stage Technologies. They have also gained experience in non-traditional areas of practice, for example at the Glastonbury Festival and Opera Holland Park. The course has a range of relationships at all levels and in many areas of the performing arts industry. London theatre companies include the National Theatre, English National Opera, the Young Vic, Hampstead Theatre, Tricycle Theatre and Unicorn Theatre for Children, as well as receiving houses such as Sadler’s Wells, Hackney Empire, the Pleasance Theatre and many West End theatres. Touring theatre companies include Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, English Touring Opera, Kneehigh Theatre, Ambassador Theatre Group and smaller, more radical companies such as dreamthinkspeak, Shunt, Goat and Monkey, Walk the Plank, The World Famous and Emergency Exit Arts.

In addition to performance companies, Central has connections with a range of technical equipment manufacturers and suppliers, for example Stage Technologies (automation), Flying by Foy (people flying), Unusual Rigging (rigging and suspension), White Light and Stage Electrics (lighting and sound), J&C Joel (stage fabrics) and Scott Fleary (scenery construction). The course also has links with performance venue designers including architects Keith Williams (Unicorn Theatre), Tim Foster (Tricycle Theatre) and Jason Flanagan (Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama), and theatre consultants (Theatre Projects, Charcoalblue and Theatreplan).

Recent Visiting Staff Julian Rudd (Remarkable Productions), Liz Pugh (Walk The Plank), Simon Byford (Production Manager), Martin Jady (Production Manager), Di Willmott (National Theatre), Kim Swaden-Ward (Circus Space).

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Technical Director, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child; Curve Theatre; 59 Productions; David Bowie Exhibition, Victoria and Albert Museum; Stage Technologies; Olivier Awards; Royal Opera House. Assistant Production Manager, English National Opera. Production Assistant, Heart Productions Events. Technical Manager, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake tour. Automation Technician, White Christmas the musical tour. Head of Stage, Opera Holland Park. Draftsman, Olivier Stage Productions, National Theatre. Arts Centre Manager, Ellesmere College. Whole crew and production management, Opera Holland Park.

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Theatre Lighting Design Train in lighting design for theatre and live performance and develop the ability to make aesthetic and technical design choices Learn practical skills of rigging, focusing and maintaining lighting equipment Investigate aspects of video and projection design

The Crucible by Arthur Miller, public production

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code W450

Course Leader

Nick Moran (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Our emphasis on practical as well as aesthetic training gives you the best chance of being able to create work of which you are proud, and from which you can earn a living upon graduation. Tuition is structured around practical projects in Central’s wellequipped studio and performance spaces, with rigorous investigation of the design process. As you progress through the course, you will be encouraged to develop your own design style, supported by tutors, mentors and visiting professionals. To help you become one of the leading practitioners of the next generation, you are supported and encouraged to make full use of automated lighting, video, projection, LEDs and other emerging technologies in your designs.

You will benefit from Central’s industry focused research culture, which ensures that what we do and what we teach is at the forefront of knowledge and industry practice in theatre, events and concert touring. Throughout the course, but especially in the third year, you will create links in your chosen area of the industry and spend some time working outside Central, to make the journey from the academic world to the professional world as smooth as possible. You are encouraged to build and maintain valuable contacts with industry professionals and recent graduates working in theatre, events and concert touring.


JOSHUA GADSBY Graduated 2015, freelance Lighting Designer working across theatre, dance and live art. Recent credits include new plays directed by Nadia Fall and Simon Evans for Hampstead Theatre, and new work at Battersea Arts Centre, Nuffield Theatres, The Vaults and The Place. ‘Central helped me interrogate what it means to be a valuable collaborator, and understand how my specialism can enhance the process of theatre making. Being part of such an eclectic community of theatre makers, enablers and facilitators fostered a safe space for creative risk taking. Overwhelmingly, the course has helped me find my voice and encouraged me to be bold in my approach.’

YEAR 1 Introduction: includes a solid grounding in ‘the tools of the trade’, building confidence in the practical side of creating stage lighting and working on developing your creative responses to texts and other sources. You will be guided to develop your skills of collaboration, working as part of multi-disciplinary creative teams. Production projects offer opportunities to take on the role of lighting designer and/or lighting programmer on a smaller show, or assistant on a larger one.

YEAR 2 Continuing the process of building practical skills and confidence as a designer: through realised productions and speculative projects, you will work closely with students from other courses and visiting professionals, developing your ability to communicate, negotiate and solve problems in a team environment. Workshops include working at height, working with electricity, programming, video design and event lighting. By the end of this year, you will be able to plan, focus and plot lighting for other designers, as well as for your own designs. Opportunity to complete at least one realised lighting or video design for a Central production working with a professional director.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: you will be able to take advantage of Central’s relationships with the lighting industry, including numerous alumni and leading international designers. There are opportunities to continue to develop the skills of a contemporary lighting designer or video designer and gain a

further understanding of the technologies involved. Projects offer experience of the managerial and creative demands faced by lighting designers on larger projects and productions. You will take part in an exhibition presenting a portfolio of your best work to the industry.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS Central’s lighting courses are supported by major industry partners, including White Light and PRG UK, Mesmer and 59 Productions (the video companies behind many large-scale theatre and opera productions). We also have strong links with smaller companies that were started by graduates, such as DBSL, Liteup Events and Cassius Creative. A panel of industry experts helps final year students launch their professional careers. Many opportunities for lighting students come through the network of graduates already well-placed in theatre, concert touring and event industries. The course has excellent links with the Association of Lighting Designers (ALD), and local theatres and other venues which helps you to network in the industry, and to find placements and job opportunities.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Lighting Designers, Richard Pilbrow, Rick Fisher, Andy Purves, Simon Corder, Nick Richings, Ziggy Jacobs, Katherine Williams, Matt Daw, Johanna Town. Leading Production Lighting Specialists, Mark Mumford, Marc Callahan, Martin Chisnall (Harry Potter And The Cursed Child), Stuart Crane (White Light). Lighting Programmers, Lawrence Stromski, Jim Beagley. International Lighting Scenographer, Yaron Abulafia. Visiting

graduates, including Jo Richardson (CoDirector of Full Production Services), Adam Povey (Theatre Production Electrician and Lighting Designer), Squib Swain (Concert Lighting Designer for Bombay Bicycle Club, The Streets, The Delphics, etc.), Dan Hill (Lighting Designer for Paul Weller, Mark Ronson).

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Theatre, including as Programmer and Assistant Lighting Designer, National Theatre, Glyndebourne, English National Opera, Sadler’s Wells, The Place, Young Vic, Royal Court Theatre, Tricycle Theatre and Hampstead Theatre. Lighting Design, Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House, Arcola Theatre, Tricycle Theatre, Park Theatre, Curve Theatre Leicester, and numerous small and medium-sized producing and receiving houses throughout the UK and Europe. Site-specific work, including Goat and Monkey, Secret Cinema and National Youth Theatre. Events and Production, graduate traineeships with White Light and Imagination, and working on events at The Royal Albert Hall, the Roundhouse, Chelsea Football Club, The O2 Arena, Geneva Motor Show and venues throughout the UK and Europe. Video and Projection Design, team members at English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, National Theatre and Complicite, and for bands including The Delphics, The Streets and Bombay Bicycle Club. Concert Touring and Festivals, including Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival and V Festival. Touring Lighting Designer, worldwide with bands such as Bombay Bicycle Club, The Streets, The Script and Mark Ronson.

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Theatre Sound Learn the art of creating sonic worlds integral to dramatic narrative Develop technical ability to control the sonic environment of live performance Work with tutors who are active professionals and with state-of-the-art equipment

Sweet Charity by Cy Colman/Dorothy Fields/Neil Simon, public production

Duration

Three years full-time, October start

Award

BA (Hons) Theatre Practice (360 credits/ Level 6)

Application

Via UCAS, www.ucas.com

Institution code C35

Course code WW34

Course Leader

Donato Wharton (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

The Theatre Sound course explores the possibilities of one of the most rapidly evolving of the specialist theatre disciplines. Focusing on practical learning on real projects, it explores the textures, subtleties and power of sound and music as part of the live theatre experience. From the start, you engage with the conceptual underpinnings of theatre sound design aesthetics. You will perform careful analysis of texts, consider how sound interacts with light, movement, set, moving image, costume and objects, and then actually create sound content and systems that will help present an integrated, seamless performance to the audience. You will interrogate the aesthetic relationships between sound and every other design discipline found in theatre. Creative sound design is only one aspect of the well-rounded sound practitioner’s skill set. Equally important is technical expertise. Throughout the course, you will work with state-of-the-art equipment and software, acquiring core technical understanding and an ability to teach yourself new skills, which will develop over three years and carry forward into your professional career. The newest professional performance technologies, including computer-based show control, audio recording, waveform editing, digital mixing, audio and computer networking, MIDI, scripting and OSC are made available to you and can become

an integral part of your practice. Relevant acoustic and electronic theory helps you use this equipment effectively in practice and allows you to adapt to emerging technologies in the future. You will develop as a theatre-maker through practice-based, experiential learning, working in role on fully realised public productions. If you are interested in composition for performance, the relationship between the fields of sound design and music composition may be explored. The making of performance is a collaborative process, and throughout the course you will learn artistic, technical, communication, group-work and problem-solving skills as part of a collaborative company of performance-makers. Central is placed at the heart of the performance and arts industries: there are opportunities to meet key industry practitioners and to develop your own unique career profile based on your talents and interests. In the final year, there are opportunities to showcase your design work by inviting sound design professionals to any of the public productions in which you are involved, and/or to the annual graduate exhibition, at which you can present a portfolio of your best work.


HARRY JOHNSON Graduating 2017 ‘The Theatre Sound course has really opened my eyes to the possibilities within the world of sound design. With a combination of practical learning in a variety of roles, exciting professional level shows and support from the industry’s top practitioners. I really couldn’t ask for a better environment in which to experiment and expand my knowledge of a constantly evolving industry.’

Sound studio

YEAR 1

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS

Developing and extending your skill base: examining core aesthetic and technical understandings to inform practice in theatre sound, including content design and production sound. You are encouraged to understand current professional practice and to develop your own design aesthetic. You engage in practical exercises, including speculative projects, looking at the link between theory and practice while expanding your understanding of working collaboratively in cross-disciplinary groups.

Theatre Sound was one of the first courses to incorporate the concept of industry partnerships at Central, looking at ways in which collaboration between audio and theatre industries could be mutually beneficial. The programme is generously supported by major industry partners, including d&b audiotechnik, Autograph Sound, DiGiCo, Orbital Sound, Blitz Communications, HAVEsound, Out Board Electronics, and a variety of other companies and individuals. Central played a major role in the establishment of the Association of Sound Designers (ASD), which provides a platform for continuing professional development and community support. Many opportunities for sound students come through the network of graduates already well-placed in the industry.

YEAR 2 Identifying an individualised career path: engaging with principle areas of practice, working ‘in role’ across a variety of productions, under the guidance of tutors, support staff and outside professionals, you will take responsibility for sound design and production elements of public productions, working collaboratively. You will enhance your design and technical skill set, and your ability to work as a valuable team member.

YEAR 3 Focus on professional development: undertaking key sound design and production roles across a variety of public productions at Central, including the management of sound teams and budgets. You continue to research industry practitioners and practice, and seek to begin integration with the professional industry outside Central through placements and/or offsite projects.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Dominic Bilkey (Head of Sound & Video, National Theatre), Paul Clark (Composer and Artistic Director, Clod Ensemble), Carolyn Downing (freelance Sound Designer, Olivier Award Winner – Best Sound 2014 for Chimerica), Peter Eltringham (Senior Sound Technician, Entec Sound & Light), Andy Farnell (Computer Scientist, Procedural Audio pioneer), Gareth Fry (freelance Sound Designer, Olivier Award Winner – Best Sound 2007 for Waves and 2009 for Black Watch), Tom Gibbons (freelance Sound Designer, Olivier Award Winner – Best Sound 2016 for People, Places and Things), Yvonne Gilbert (freelance Sound Designer and Mix Engineer), Tom Hackley

(Owner, HAVEsound), Jan Hendrickse (freelance Composer, Instrumentalist and Sound Artist), Tim Lynn (Owner, Showsound), Peter Malkin (freelance Sound Designer, Beware Of Pity, Complicite, The Tempest, Donmar Warehouse, Zoe Milton, Ruth Sullivan (Foley Artist), Rich Walsh (freelance Sound Designer, All That You Hear).

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Sound Designer, Robert Lepage/Ex Machina (The Blue Dragon, Playing Cards 2: Hearts – International Tours), Royal Shakespeare Company (As You Like It), Complicite (Lion Boy, Beware Of Pity), Katie Mitchell (The Rest Will Be Familiar To You From Cinema, Happy Days, Travelling On One Leg, Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg), Ivo van Hove (A View From The Bridge, Young Vic), Propeller (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Headlong Theatre (1984). Production Sound, National Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Stereophonics European Tour, Disney International. Freelance and staff design and production positions, Royal Court Theatre, National Theatre, The Young Vic, Almeida Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, and West End and professional touring productions e.g. Clybourne Park, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Gypsy, Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, Jerusalem, Legally Blonde, Matilda, Much Ado About Nothing, Pride And Prejudice, The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time, and Thriller.

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Postgraduate CourseS

The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, public production


We Are Now Festival at the Roundhouse

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Mary Stuart by Friedrich Schiller, public production


Scenography Exhibition

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Research Degrees (PhD/Mphil) Central’s research culture is one of enquiry, innovation and experimentation Staff and students alike are engaged with new and pioneering ideas and practices Seeking to understand these within a wider field of performance and cultural production Duration

Three years, full-time minimum registration period | Four years, normal maximum (excluding agreed interruptions) | Six years, part-time minimum registration period, with eight years as the normal maximum | To transfer a PhD from another institution, the minimum length of study at Central is one year, full-time/two years, part-time

Award

PhD (Level 8) MPhil (Level 7)

Application

You will normally have a good first degree and master’s degree in relevant subjects. In exceptional circumstances, you may have significant and relevant professional experience in place of a master’s qualification. For proposals to undertake research that includes practice-based elements, you will normally be able to demonstrate appropriate experience and proficiency in relevant areas of practice. See application procedures on Central’s website www.cssd.ac.uk and Further Information (page 114).

Programme Convenor

Dr Tony Fisher (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Trace Composition, Collisions Festival

We believe that research into our disciplines often involves exploration in, and through, the media with which we are concerned. Central’s academic staff are expert in drawing connections between exploratory practice, process and product, making and articulating. We also have a strong tradition of text-based academic scholarship in drama, theatre and performance. Your eventual PhD submission may be a single and sustained written thesis, or it may feature practice-based projects alongside a written component to the thesis. Central is pre-eminent in the UK with regard to research through practice. At the last Research Excellence Framework (2014), over two-thirds of the research submitted by Central was judged to be ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘world-leading’. The School has been described as an example of ‘the emergence of a new kind of research institution in the performing arts, bridging the creative industries and the academy’ and

as ‘world-leading in practice as research’. Our industry-specific facilities, which support practice research, are at the forefront of what is available in the university sector. Central is an obvious home for such research. We have extensive connections with all sectors of the theatre industry, as well as expanding international links. Central is also committed to enhancing the professional development of its researchers as future academics, researchers and practitioners in the field. In addition to seminars on research skills and methods, we offer both a series of professional development sessions and a pedagogies unit that teaches the core skills needed for careers in HE, as well as providing opportunities for teaching on MA and BA courses. In the space of less than a decade, Central has built up a unique culture of postgraduate research with students


Making Order Out Of Chaos In Musical Theatre Performance, Collisions Festival

working closely with expert supervisors across its range of specialist areas. The first PhD was awarded in 2010 and, since then, 19 further students have graduated from the doctoral programme, many of whom have taken up academic posts in the UK or work as innovative practitioners both internationally and in the UK performance and theatre industries. Benefits for a research student studying at Central include: > first and second supervisors of complementary expertise: with the largest grouping of drama/theatre/performance specialists in the UK, Central offers a wide choice of potential supervisors > the opportunity to participate in Collisions, Central’s annual practice-based research festival, presenting work in a variety of formats to peers > the opportunity to participate in Intersections, our annual postgraduate research conference, organised by Central’s PhD community

> being involved in a community that includes visiting artists, research fellows and staff who are expert practitioners in their own fields > developing and sharing work in a supportive, high-level academic environment that is also equipped for practice research > undertaking training in research methods that are appropriate to the chosen field of study, including fieldwork, workshop-based enquiry and experimental practice > being located close to the British Library and the University of London’s Senate House Library, to which Central students have access > having easy access to the cultural centre of London with its performance venues, archives, museums and theatres. Those thinking about a research degree, but who are unsure if they are ready, should consider undertaking an MA or MFA course first, if you do not already have that level of qualification.

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Current areas of staff research include the following (see pages 14/15) and www.cssd.ac.uk/staff-profiles: > actor training and movement > applied theatre > contemporary British theatre > cultural histories of performance > curating and criticism > devising and creative processes > dramatherapy > dramaturgy and director’s theatre > environment and performance > film analysis and curation > food and performance > light and sound design > participatory and immersive performance > performance philosophy > performance and queer theory > radical politics and performance practice > scenography > site-specific performance and the performance of place > social, democratic and political theatre > theatre and aurality > theatre and health > theatre, policy and governance > theatre for development > theatre history > theatre and religion > 20th and 21st century Spanish and LatinAmerican theatres and film > verbatim and testimonial theatre > voice > women in theatre.

Some PhD candidates are currently researching the following: > The five functions of film violence: philosophical interrogations of the systematic use of violence in film > Cripping acting: troubling ocularcentric performance > Compassionate Mobilities: How might urban placemaking performances compose narratives of possibility for young people in Singapore? > When The Lights Are Shining On Them: Drag Performance and Queer Communities > Character under erasure: A practical exploration of the application of realist strategies for character-creation in postdramatic paradigms > (Re)Frogging. (Re)Considering the potential input of Aristophanes’ The Frogs in contemporary actor training. Recently graduated PhD titles: > Cockburn, Rachel (2015) An Aesthetics of Auto( )graphy: An Aesthetics of Precarity > Danylyuk, Olha (2015) ‘Virtually true’: Intermedial strategies in the staging of war conflict > Givans, Charla (2015) Children and Young People with Depression: A Practice-asResearch Exploration of Dramatherapy and the Challenges of Evaluation > Mercier, Joseph (2015) Fucking with Ballet: Strategies for Performing Queer Negativity > Palm, James (2015) Acting Towards the Possibility of Good Faith: A Paradigm of Actor Training and Acting > Woynarski, Lisa (2015) Towards an Ecological Performance Aesthetic for the BioUrban: A Non-Anthropocentric Theory > Kapadocha, Christina (2016) Being an actor/ becoming a trainer: the embodied logos of intersubjective experience in a somatic acting process.


Shoot The Sissy, Collisions Festival

DR LISA WOYNARSKI Graduated 2015, Lecturer in Theatre in the Department of Film, Theatre and Television at the University of Reading. As a performance-maker and ecodramaturg, she makes research-engaged performances exploring climate change resilience in cities and intersectional environmentalism. ‘One of the unique things about Central is the tremendously supportive and enriching research community. Throughout my PhD, I was exposed to new ideas, new practices and different ways of thinking about performance, through bright PhD colleagues, accomplished research staff and distinguished visiting research fellows and practitioners. I was also able to take advantage of Central’s international links, travelling to conferences to present my research and engaging with international colleagues. Not only did these opportunities prepare me for a career as a professional researcher, contributing to the research culture enhanced and usefully challenged my work as a performance-maker and academic.’

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MA Acting An intensive, advanced level, conservatoire acting programme specialising in either Classical or Contemporary plays Perform in two fully-realised public productions and an industry showcase Be part of a small ensemble company (typically 14-16 students)

Mary Stuart by Friedrich Schiller, public production

Duration

One year, full-time, September start

Award

MA Acting (180 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

MA Acting Programme Leader Martin Wylde

Classical Course Leader Ben Naylor

Contemporary Course Leader

Sarah Davey-Hull (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

You will be part of a creatively, physically and intellectually demanding programme designed primarily for students with previous experience and/or training. The programme aims to hone the individual technical craft of the actor, and to release your collaborative and imaginative creativity within an ensemble. Practical classes in acting, movement and voice are taught in course groups, whilst research training for the Sustained Independent Project (SIP) and seminars combine both courses in collaborative enquiry. Each course follows the same basic structure of ‘intensives’ and ‘studios’ with classes examining particular theatrical forms combined with physical and vocal training, and individual research. You will have the opportunity to take part in two fully-supported productions and an industry showcase, and undertake separate period dance and stage combat training.

CLASSICAL COURSE The Classical course follows the development of the theatrical art from its earliest ritual roots to the birth of naturalism: > Greek Tragedy, Chorus and the Neutral Mask > Clowning and Commedia dell’arte > Shakespeare and the English Renaissance > Stanislavski, the Method and ‘Realist’ Theatre. The course draws on the hugely influential theories and techniques of the great French acting teacher Michel Saint-Denis, training the expressive body, voice and imagination. Working with some of the greatest dramatic texts ever written, you are asked to consider what they mean now, and how their 21st century reinterpretation and re-imagining still holds a ‘mirror up to nature’.


RIZ AHMED Graduated 2006, appeared as Rick in Nightcrawler, Naz in HBO’s The Night Of, Aaron Kalloor in Jason Bourne, Bodhi Rook in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and as Tommy Akhtar in City Of Tiny Lights. ‘When I came to Central, I was passionate about acting, but I was yet to understand the necessary rigour and discipline needed to pursue a career in it. Central guided me from a place of blind enthusiasm to one of diligent craft, providing me with the solid foundations I needed over the coming years. It wasn’t always easy to make that transition; at times the process was painful, and I fought against it. But my course leaders showed such belief and patience towards us, and built such trust, that I ultimately followed them into this unknown territory. I grew more in that one year than I could have ever imagined.’

You are encouraged to understand the demands of both art and craft, as participants in, and practitioners of, the Western theatrical tradition, through a course structure that examines, in chronological order, four key periods of innovation and transition.

In the second intensive (March – April), you will rehearse and perform in a fully-supported production of a Shakespeare, Renaissance or other appropriate play, integrating your work-to-date, in chorus, clowning, acting and characterisation, movement and voice.

Indicative course content includes:

In the third studio (April – June), the course examines the revolution of the realist and expressionist theatres in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and their contemporary legacy. Underpinning classes are the theories on narrative and character of Stanislavski and his successors. You can choose to work on scenes from a wide range of realist, expressionist and proto-naturalist plays (such as those by Chekhov, Ibsen, Strindberg, Brecht, Büchner, Williams, O’Neill or Shaw). During this term, you will also perform in an industry showcase at Central or a professional venue together with students from the Contemporary course.

In the first four-week intensive (September – October), the ensemble principle is nurtured through practical work on the chorus of ancient Greek tragedy (with examination of several different choric styles), neutral mask and intensive physical and vocal training. Accompanying seminars address Aristotelian theory of tragedy and the social and political discourses of ancient Greek drama. Regular voice and movement training continues throughout the course. In the subsequent studio (October – December), practical classes in commedia dell’arte, character mask and clowning examine the oldest unbroken European theatre tradition: comedy. In the second half of the term, you undertake work on scenes from Early Modern plays using approaches derived from clown, animal work and improvisational techniques. Practical assessments, showings and critiques take place at the end of each studio, and individual personal guidance from tutors is available throughout the year. Stage fighting classes also take place in this term, leading to a basic stage combat qualification. In the second studio (January – March), the course focuses on acting approaches to Shakespeare and his contemporaries: narrative structure and storytelling, textual form, heightened realistic expression, character analysis, gesture and movement psychology, and the actor’s relationship to the audience and to space. You can choose to work on scenes from Shakespeare, other Early Modern English playwrights and playwrights from the European Renaissance canon, such as Calderón, Lope de Vega, Corneille or Racine. Period dance classes in this term examine a range of historical dances and hone your movement and gestural skills.

In the final intensive (July – August), you will rehearse and perform in a fully-supported production of a play from the Western canon as a final summation of your practical work. Both productions will be chosen and cast to challenge and best represent the particular character of the cohort and the individual students. Throughout the practical training, you will work on a Sustained Independent Project (SIP) of written and/or performance enquiry, part of which may be presented as a solo performance. After the final intensive (August – September), there is a writing-up period for the final stage of your SIP.

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The Heresy Of Love by Helen Edmundson, public production

CONTEMPORARY COURSE The Contemporary course addresses the actor’s relationship with the writer, from Early Modern times to the present day through the exploration of: > Shakespeare and his legacy > Chekhov, Stanislavski and the birth of naturalism > the actor and 20th century playwriting > new writing and the development of new work. The course combines teaching in practical voice, movement and acting techniques with an exploration of some of the key playwrights who have helped forge the canon of Western theatre, from the Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatists to Chekhov, and from Beckett to Kane and beyond. Uniquely it explores the relationship between the two artists at the core of much Western theatre: the actor and the writer. Plays are frequently developed in collaboration between actors and writers, sometimes directly and sometimes mediated by a director. You are encouraged to explore your role as a creative artist in relation to writers and the written word. Throughout the course, you will have the chance to work with, and alongside, writers on plays in development, both the next generation of playwrights on the MA/MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media course, and established playwrights with a track record of produced plays. Indicative course content includes: In the first four-week intensive (September – October), you will explore the work of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, both in their historical context and in

their influence on contemporary theatre. Alongside this you will work on a series of ensemble building exercises. Complementing this will be an introduction to the neutral mask, and intensive physical and vocal work. In the subsequent studio (October – December), you will examine Stanislavski and some of the contemporary acting techniques that have derived from the grandfather of modern acting pedagogy. You will also practice period dance, stage combat, clowning and storytelling, undertaking a series of études that will develop skills in observation, imagination, transformation and character analysis. These will continue into the remaining studios. You will continue to work on voice and movement alongside scenes from plays of the early 20th century, including those of Chekhov. Practical assessments, showings and critiques take place at the end of each studio, and individual personal guidance from tutors is available throughout the year. In the second studio (January – March), the course examines plays from the latter half of the 20th century, including the work of Pinter and Kane. There is also the possibility for you to bring in scenes from other leading European and American playwrights. You will study textual form, including the use of fractured narratives, codified silence and stillness, and the semiotics of the actor. Alongside voice and movement, you will begin the process of collaborating directly with writers. In the second intensive (March – April), you will rehearse and perform in a fully-supported production of an existing 20th or 21st century text or new play. Here you will apply all of the practical and character analysis skills that you have developed to date.


ENYI OKORONKWO Graduated 2014, credits include wonder.land at the National Theatre, Boy With Beer at the King’s Head Theatre, and Junkyard, a new musical at Bristol Old Vic. ‘I was aware that it would be a considerable jump coming straight from the BA (Hons) Drama at Queen Mary to the MA Acting at Central, but throughout I have found that the intensity of this course – being taught by industry professionals, and being given unique opportunities and constant support, including 1:1 voice and movement tutorials – has given me incomparable training.’

In the third studio (April – June), the course concentrates on the development of new work. You will work in collaboration with a number of playwrights at different stages of the development process. This may include working with writers on the MA/MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media course, on the development of a script for the final production, and on rehearsed readings and workshops at Central or in industry venues. You will also be encouraged to visit a number of new writing venues. During this studio, you will perform in an industry showcase at Central, or a professional venue, in collaboration with students on the Classical course.

ASSESSMENT Assessment is through a mixture of practical assessments, including clown improvisations, scene studies and public production work. To complete the MA Acting, you will also submit a Sustained Independent Project, which may include elements of solo performance and critical writing.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS All staff are well connected to industry. In the past few years, Classical students have participated in a research symposium, worked on the stage of Shakespeare’s Globe and performed at the Brighton Festival with poet Alice Oswald. Several recent alumni have performed professionally at the Pop-Up Globe in Auckland, New Zealand. Each year a new play is commissioned by a leading playwright who works with the Contemporary students (Anna Jordan in 2016, Amanda Whittington in 2015 and Rebecca Lenkiewicz in 2014). Contemporary students have also worked at the Royal Court Theatre with their

In the final intensive (July – August), you rehearse and perform in a fully-supported production of either a new play or existing 20th or 21st century script as a final summation of your practical work. This may be specially commissioned for the group. Productions will be chosen and cast both to challenge and best represent the particular character of the cohort and the individual students. Throughout the practical training, you will work on a Sustained Independent Project (SIP) of written and/or performance enquiry, part of which may be presented as a solo performance. After the final intensive (August – September), there is a writing-up period for the final stage of your SIP.

writers’ groups and with members of the experimental theatre company The Factory. Recent graduates have worked at the National Theatre and on major international tours. Students on both courses have acted in masterclasses with directors including Michael Grandage and Ian Rickson, taken part in workshops with Hannah Miller (Head of Casting, Royal Shakespeare Company) and attended sessions with Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave. Students from Ireland and the USA have participated in showcases in Ireland, New York and Los Angeles, and all students participate in the MA Acting Showcase.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Riz Ahmed, Mark Bell, Rachel BownWilliams, Ally Cologna, Natasha Fedorova, Stephen Hudson, Federay Holmes, Michael Grandage CBE, Paul Harris, Anna Healey, Ian Rickson, Hannah Miller, Anna Morrissey, Thomas Ostermeier, Jeff Perry, Guy Retallack, Grace Savage.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Actors in leading theatre venues worldwide, including national and international tours, in the West End and on Broadway, and for the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Court Theatre, The Bush Theatre, English National Opera, Shakespeare’s Globe, The Old Vic, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Liverpool Everyman, National Theatre of Norway in Bergen, National Theatre of Greece, Teatro Gayarre in Pamplona, The Shaw Festival Theatre in Ontario, The Goodman Theatre in Chicago and Sydney Theatre Company in Australia. Television, Hannibal, NBC; The Night Of, HBO; Sons Of Anarchy, FX; Camelot, Starz; Baby Daddy, ABC. Film, American Patriot, Rogue One: A Star Wars Movie, Jason Bourne, Nightcrawler, Shifty, The Hours, Four Lions. Graduates have also worked as writers, directors, designers, filmmakers, producers, agents, musicians, singers, scholars, comedians, acting teachers, acrobats and dancers.

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MA Acting for Screen A professional training that focuses on acting in film, television and screen-related media Primarily for those with previous training or professional experience Explores the expressive potential of performance and the relationship between performers and camera

Dawn Of The Deaf, 2017 Sundance Film Festival

Duration

One year, full-time, October start | Fulltime, on-site attendance between July and October is not mandatory

Award

MA Acting for Screen (180 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Amanda Brennan (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

The course will build on your existing skills and focus on the specific needs of the year group. Drawing on the expertise of Central’s permanent staff team and specialist professionals from the industry, the course aims to encourage your development as a creative artist with the flexibility to work across all performance mediums, specialising in screen performance. Throughout the first two terms, you will follow rigorous training in acting, which will concentrate on the core skills of voice, body, acting and creative interpretation. The principles of study derive from psychophysical methods, particularly the techniques of Michael Chekhov and Stanislavski. The emphasis of the training is on producing actors who, on leaving, have a high skill level, with the necessary technique to apply to a screen context. The range of classes across the first two terms will include screen technique; this will

essentially examine the distinction between screen and live performance. It will also cover visual storytelling, working in – and adapting to – shot size, cheating, hitting the mark, shooting contemporary scenes from television and film, and the preparation of different styles of work, including soap, drama and comedy. Acting classes will interrogate the body and provide you with a toolbox of exercises. There is a specific focus on relaxing and working with ease, developing the imagination, unpicking personal habits and creating believable performances. Voice and dialect classes will encourage an understanding of the voice as an instrument and will work with a variety of texts including poetry, verbatim, classical and contemporary material. In the area of movement, there is exposure to various styles, which may include jazz and historical dance, yoga and chi kung.


BEN TAVASSOLI Graduated 2014, television and film credits include Tomorrow, New Blood, Silent Witness, No Offence and Tyrant. ‘l’ll always look back at the moment I was accepted on to Central’s MA Acting for Screen as the turning point in my career. I was given an opportunity to learn everything I needed to know about the craft, receive invaluable training and most importantly showcase my work to core industry professionals. I was picked up by an agent straight off the back of my end of year showcase and within two months found myself filming in a new Channel 4 drama from the makers of Shameless. Two years on and I have had roles in a feature film produced by Martin Scorsese and four television shows, including the lead in a BBC drama by Anthony Horowitz.’

Other classes include sight-reading, textual analysis, casting and mock auditions led by casting directors, actors and directors. Professional preparation will involve guidance on selecting photographs, writing CVs, self-marketing and online promotion. In Terms One and Two, screen study interrogates the work of various filmmakers from the perspective of the actor. This may include the work of Pedro Almodóvar, Luc Besson, David Lynch, Jean-Luc Godard, Andrea Arnold, Jane Campion, Lynne Ramsay and Michael Haneke. In Terms One, Two and Three, Performance Projects are designed to put classwork into practice, enabling you to develop and hone your acting skills on screen and learn the fundamentals of filmmaking. Projects may include a silent short film, which will examine visual storyboarding, using a

camera, learning about different roles on set, and editing. In the summer term, there is a Short Drama Project which is commissioned for Central and written by professional writers/filmmakers, and is shot on location by a professional crew. These films are screened in London’s West End as a showcase in June. Previous films have been entered for, and received awards at, national and international film festivals. During Terms Three and Four, you will complete your work with the Sustained Independent Project. There are three options offered in this unit: a research portfolio, a dissertation, or producing and performing in a short film. The work must be original and partnerships with graduates from film schools are encouraged. In previous years, films have been accepted at festivals, including London Short Film Festival, Aesthetica and Norwich Film Festival.

ASSESSMENT

BEYOND CENTRAL

Modes of assessment include practical assignments, reflective writing, presentations, and written and practicebased research. For the independent project there is an option to make a film, write a dissertation or compile a portfolio, which would include a case study of a filmmaker and an extended research enquiry.

Graduate employment and career pathways include: Actors, Film, The Theory Of Everything, Starred Up, Maleficent, Disney. Television, True Blood, HBO; Silent Witness, Casualty, Doctors, EastEnders, Doctor Who, Luther, Call The Midwife, BBC; Top Boy, Channel 4; Downton Abbey, ITV; The Inbetweeners, E4; Nip/Tuck, FX; Black Sails, Starz. Theatre, The Internet Is A Serious Business, Royal Court Theatre; The Judas Kiss, Hampstead Theatre. Founder members of theatre and film companies have shown their work at the Edinburgh Festival, London Film Festival, Brighton Fringe Festival, London Short Film Festival, Battersea Arts Centre, King’s Head Theatre, Sundance Film Festival and the Institute of Contemporary Arts.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Jeremy Zimmermann, Jane Deitch, Jennifer Withers, Jane Epstein, Janis Pugh, Rebecca Gatward (Director, Casualty, EastEnders, Doctors), Smita Bhide (Best Feature, Raindance), Keir Burrows (Winner Best Short/Best Director at Reykjavik International Film Festival), Martin McKellan (Head of Voice, Shakespeare’s Globe), Paul Harris, James Kent, Amit Gupta, Alison Steadman, Lesley Sharp, Riz Ahmed, Mark Street, Miriam Kerbavcic, Janis Price, Rob Savage.

VICTORIA EMSLIE Graduated 2012, television and film credits include The Christmas Candle, The Theory Of Everything, Downton Abbey, The Danish Girl, Lotty’s War and Run It Off. ‘Acting for Screen opened so many doors for me (both inside and out) and it is hard to put into words exactly how beneficial this course actually is. Personally, it marked the beginning of a better understanding of myself and of my craft, both of which will continue indefinitely. All the tools learnt and the hours of practice have led to a point where now, years after graduating, I can still breathe a sigh of relief and smile to myself, thinking this is what my training has given me: confidence, grounding and the tools for executing the carefully considered details that bring a performance to life. You are limited only by your imagination; not by what others think of you.’

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MA/MFA ACTOR TRAINING AND COACHING Create approaches through research and practice in training methodologies and through specialist teaching Learn pedagogical tools for coaching and teaching actors Benefit from wide-reaching placement opportunities

Duration

MA: one year, full-time/ two years, part-time, October start | MFA: two years, full-time, October start | Fulltime, on-site attendance between July and October is not mandatory

Award

MA Actor Training and Coaching (180 credits/ Level 7) | MFA Actor Training and Coaching (240 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Ian Morgan (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Together with the MA/MFA Voice Studies and the MA/MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching courses, Actor Training and Coaching is one of Central’s postgraduate degrees that exposes you to high-level training practice. The course does not train actors, but develops a practical understanding of what it is to act, enabling you to work as an actor trainer, coach, theatre practitioner and a director of actors. During Terms One to Three, you may expect to encounter work associated with, for example, Stanislavski, Chekhov, Meyerhold, Bogart, Lecoq, Grotowski and Meisner, and methodologies appropriate for acting for screen. Teaching methods include tutorials, group seminars and workshops. You will develop advanced interpersonal, facilitation, coaching and pedagogy skills. These include: how to research, plan and deliver courses; obtaining knowledge of a

wide range of acting methodologies and practices - as well as some movement and voice - in the education and support of actors; research skills, both as an individual and through group research; presentation skills and an ability to plan, conduct and critically reflect on your own practice as an actor trainer/practitioner. In the MA and the MFA first year, there is the opportunity for you to undertake a teaching/assistant directing/coaching placement, as well as placements to engage with different acting and production contexts with the duration ranging from eight hours to three months. Placements are a vital part of the course and will enable you to develop experience and hone skills as a pedagogue/practitioner. If you are pursuing the part-time pathway, you will undertake placements in the second year of your course.


The MFA second year widens your opportunity to practise knowledge within a professional context.

AIDEN CONDRON

You will be expected to undertake one or two workplace attachments, as well as participate in tutorials and occasional seminars throughout the year as part of an ongoing process of pedagogical reflection and engagement leading to the submission of the final assessment. An MFA top-up year for those of you with an existing MA in this subject is also available.

Graduated 2014, and is a Teaching Fellow at Guildford School of Acting (Surrey University), a Lecturer on the BA (Hons) Acting course at the University of Central Lancashire and the BA (Hons) Acting at University of Falmouth, Cornwall. ‘The course played a vital role in deepening and expanding my knowledge and experience of actor training. In facilitating a detailed examination of my own practice and equipping me with an understanding of current issues, informing teaching and learning in vocational training and Higher Education, my time at Central played a significant role in opening up opportunities and preparing me for a viable future in the field.’

ASSESSMENT

RECENT VISITING STAFF

BEYOND CENTRAL

Assessment during the first three terms of both courses is through written work, presentation and teaching practice. In the MA fourth term (part-time second year) you will work towards a final dissertation or portfolio. In the MFA second year, assessment is by means of an extended dissertation or portfolio (inclusive of case studies, reflective documentation and plans of work) manifesting responses to attachment/s and practice.

Alison Hodge (Twentieth-Century Actor Training), Ally Cologna (director and teacher), Lucinka Eisler (joint artistic director Inspector Sands Theatre Company), Mike Alfreds (founding director Shared Experience and author of Different Every Night), Bella Merlin (performer, director, Professor of Acting and Directing UC Riverside, author of The Complete Stanislavski Toolkit and Facing the Fear), John Gillett (director, teacher and author of Acting on Impulse: Reclaiming the Stanislavski Approach), Peta Lily (performer/theatre maker, workshop leader), Izumi Ashizawa (director and faculty member of Theatre NYU Stony Brook), Brian Astbury (teacher, director and founding Artistic Director of The Space, South Africa, and The Forge Initiative, London), John Wright (co-founding Director of Trestle Theatre and Told by an Idiot, author of Why Is That So Funny?), Mel Churcher (acting coach and author of Acting for Film), Brigid Panet (teacher, workshop leader and author of Essential Acting), Peader Kirk (director and performance maker), Irina Brown (director, teacher).

Graduate employment and career pathways include: Acting Tutor, Arts Educational Schools, Central, Drama Centre London, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Rose Bruford College, Kingston University, London Film Academy, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, East 15 Acting School, National Theatre Education, Drama Centre London, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, National Film and Television School, The Actors Centre, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, St Mary’s University Twickenham, Method Studios, Northampton University, Falmouth University, University of St Mark and St John Plymouth, Brunel University London, Bangkok University, Toronto University, and institutions in the USA, Malaysia, Korea, Albania and Greece. Actor, National Theatre, The Watermill Theatre and other regional theatres, London Fringe and West End. PhDs, at Central, Exeter University, Kent University, Queen Mary University of London, Kingston University and Oxford University. Founder members of companies and acting studios working as freelance actor trainers and coaches.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS In the past, students have benefitted from working both on other courses (undergraduate and postgraduate) at Central and in external institutions. These have included various roles at the Central Film School, London Film Academy, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Arts Educational Schools, East 15 Acting School, Guildford School of Acting, Drama Centre London, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Rose Bruford College, Kingston University, Royal Holloway University of London, London Metropolitan University, Tricycle Theatre, The Actors Centre and London Bubble Theatre Company.

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MA/MFA ADVANCED THEATRE PRACTICE Engage in a collaborative laboratory for practical experiment Create new work for an extensive range of public encounters Play a leading role in tomorrow’s performance and theatre making worlds

Practices Unit

Duration

MA: one year, full-time, October start | MFA: two years, full time, October start | Full-time, on-site attendance between July and October is not mandatory; MA students are required to show work outside Central during this period

Award

MA Advanced Theatre Practice (180 credits/ Level 7) | MFA Advanced Theatre Practice (240 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Nicholas Wood (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

As active participants on these courses, you will: > develop experience from extensive workshops with leading professionals, learning to research and extend your own practice, launch a company, make new work, and, on the MA, finally take this to an audience beyond Central > extend the roles of performer, director, writer, designer, dramaturg, puppeteer, musician, artist, or creative thinker in new and unexpected ways within a supportive atmosphere of discovery and innovation > become involved in web-based technologies and digital media, building on the tradition of theatre making as a communicative medium of exchange, or inspired by the current wave of experimental directors, explore the distinct roles of director or performer working with text in contemporary theatre

> have opportunities to take work made on the course to festivals and events outside the School, for example, Camden People’s Theatre, Istropolitana Projekt (Slovakia), Zlomvaz Festival (Prague), Marathon Festival (Jerusalem), Blalystok Festival (Poland), Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Prague Quadriennale > join a network of distinguished alumni, including winners of Olivier, Total Theatre, Irish Times, Deutsche Bank, Rolex Mentor and Protégée, JMK, Allen Wright, Linbury and Evening Standard Theatre Awards, changing the way we work and think about theatre > have excellent opportunities, if undertaking the MFA, to work for an extended period with a number of distinguished external companies. You will be part of a carefully selected group who wish to pool your resources and imagine the theatre of the future.


Practices Unit

Practices Unit

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Practices Unit

In the first year of the MFA, you will join the MA students for Terms One to Three. The MFA then extends into a second year beginning in October, enabling the development of further projects and professional connections outside the School. Working together during this initial period of creative growth, you will develop experience from the intensive workshop atmosphere of Term One, through learning to research and extending practice in Term Two, to launching a company or the approach to making new work in Term Three. You will be supported in this process of growth and development, gradually enabling you to become a stronger, more articulate practitioner, better able to work flexibly and constructively with others, extending the boundaries of theatre and how it might be seen.

Term Four of the MA focuses on taking work to an audience of choice beyond Central. The MFA second year deepens and extends this opportunity for independent professional development beyond Central, while still retaining a degree of contact and guidance from tutors. An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.


Jessica SWale Graduated 2006, playwright, theatre director and screenwriter. Founder member of Red Handed Theatre Company, winning the Peter Brook Empty Space Ensemble Award and an Evening Standard Theatre Award nomination for Best Director. Her first play, Blue Stockings, premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013. Her recent play Nell Gwynn won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, transferring from the Globe to London’s West End, starring Gemma Arterton. ‘The course played a vital role in deepening and expanding my knowledge and experience of actor training. In facilitating a detailed examination of my own practice and equipping me with an understanding of current issues, informing teaching and learning in vocational training and Higher Education, my time at Central played a significant role in opening up opportunities and preparing me for a viable future in the field.’

ASSESSMENT Practice is evaluated throughout the first three terms through continuous assessment of contribution to the rehearsal/development process, combined with essays reflecting on this work in the broader context of contemporary theatre practice. Peer assessment also forms a part of the evaluation process. The course prepares you for the Sustained Independent Project. Those undertaking the MA will take a performance work that has been made with colleagues to a documented encounter with a public audience during the summer. MFA students will choose from a list of possible approaches and means of documenting your work, undertaking a more developed and independent version of the Sustained Independent Project beyond Central during your second year.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Katie Mitchell OBE (Director), Clare Lizzimore (Director, Young Vic), Joe Hill-Gibbins (Director, National Theatre), Hannah Ringham (Founder Member, Shunt), Duncan Macmillan (Writer, National Theatre), Selina Cartmell (Director, Abbey Theatre), Guy Dartnell (Associate Artist, Improbable), Mark Down (Artistic Director, Blind Summit), Liam Steel (Choreographer, DV8), Steve Kirkham (Choreographer, Frantic Assembly), Tim Crouch (Writer and Performer, Tim Crouch Theatre), Stephen Mottram (Artistic Director, Animata), Julian Maynard Smith (Artistic Director, Station House Opera), Andy Purves (Lighting Designer, Frantic Assembly), Daphna Attias (Artistic Director, Peut-Être Theatre and

Dante or Die), Mischa Twitchin (Founder, Shunt Theatre), Douglas O’Connell (New Media Artist, Filter), Kate McGrath (Founder, Fuel), Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones (Founders, Handspring Puppet Company), Sophie De Somere (Designer, Ontroerend Goed, Belgium), Hester Chillingworth (GETINTHEBACKOFTHEVAN), Melanie Wilson (Sound Designer, Schaubühne Theatre, Berlin), Chris Goode (Lead Artist, Chris Goode and Company), David Harradine (Artistic Director, Fevered Sleep), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Actor, Barbican).

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Performers, Theatre Makers, Directors, Writers, Producers, Dramaturgs, Lighting Designers, Puppeteers, Critics, Scenographers, Sound Designers, Casting Directors, Outreach Officers, Technical Directors, and Assistant Directors in companies including the Royal Court Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Camden People’s Theatre, Theatre503, Hampstead Theatre, English National Opera, High Tide Festival, Complicite, Frantic Assembly, Shakespeare’s Globe, MKA Theatre of New Writing Australia, Melbourne Theatre Company and National Theatres of Finland, Iceland and the UK. Founder members of companies, Analogue, New International Encounter, 1927, Grid Iron, Blind Summit, Peut-Être, Dante or Die, Unpacked and Shunt. Artistic Directors, Battersea Arts Centre, Traverse Theatre, Camden People’s Theatre, The Actors Centre Touring Company, Gate Theatre Dublin, Chapter Arts Centre, Chuncheon International Mime Festival and AsiaNow. Participation in festivals

and exhibitions, across the UK and mainland Europe, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (more than half of Total Theatre Awards in one year); ASSITEJ World Congress in Copenhagen (ASSITEJ Award for Artistic Excellence), Kontrapunkt Festival, Poland Grand Prix; International Festival of Puppetry Art, Poland Grand Prix; Fira de Titelles de Lleida, Spain (Drac d’Or Julieta Agusti); Salzburg Festival; Theatertreffen; Avignon Festival; Zagreb Theatre Festival and Sirenos Festival, Vilnius. Individual awards, Arts Council (for productions partly developed with current students), James Menzies-Kitchin Award (three), The Linbury Prize for Stage Design, Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, Trinity Guildhall International Playwriting Competition, Best Director and Best Production Irish Times Theatre Awards, Peter Brook Empty Space Awards, Stage Electrics Award for Lighting, New Sensations, Channel 4 and Saatchi Gallery shortlist, Allen Wright Award, Old Vic New Voices Theatre503 Award, Arts Foundation Fellowship, Olivier Award nominations, Evening Standard Theatre Awards longlist, Best Director, Best Designer, Best New Play and Outstanding Newcomer. Academic posts, Manchester Metropolitan University, The University of Wales and Brunel University London. PhDs, at Central, Oxford University, Goldsmiths, and Queen Mary University of London. The first two students to receive PhD awards at Central were graduates of this course.

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MA Applied Theatre Gain knowledge of theatre in extensive applied, community and drama education settings, in the UK and globally Combines theory and practice in exploring how theatre can change lives Offers industry placements, many funded by the Leverhulme Trust Seniors’ workshop

Duration

One year, full-time/two years, part-time, October start | Full-time, on-site attendance between July and October is not mandatory; part-time classes take place on Fridays

Award

MA Applied Theatre > Drama in the Community and Drama Education or Drama and the Criminal Justice System (180 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Dr Selina Busby (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Applied theatre at Central is highly regarded internationally as a world leader with the largest number of specialist teaching staff in the field. This course is aimed at those interested in developing current practice of using theatre and drama in community and education settings, or of using theatre and drama with people whose lives have been affected by the criminal justice system. The MA Applied Theatre encourages investigation into the possibilities and contradictions of drama and theatre practice as transformative and rehabilitative, and engages practically and critically with a range of theories and current practices. Key features of the MA Applied Theatre are: exploration of theatre work in specific settings; key practices in applied theatre; a theoretical engagement with new ideas in the field; project-based study examining specific professional work with a varied range of client groups; or specialising in working with people whose lives have been affected by the criminal justice system.

The course develops knowledge of the ways in which drama and theatre are used to benefit a range of distinct groups that are key to today’s evolving cultural landscape. It offers two specialist pathways: Drama in the Community and Drama Education or Drama and the Criminal Justice System. Each pathway is specifically designed to support current practice at work, or a particular field of interest in the developing landscape of applied theatre and drama in the UK. You will have the opportunity to develop your own practice and scholarship. Central has the only applied theatre courses where students have access to funding from the Leverhulme Trust to support distant placements (see www.cssd.ac.uk).


Working with teachers in rural India

MA Applied Theatre > Drama in the Community and Drama Education

MA APPLIED THEATRE > Drama and the Criminal Justice System

This pathway is for individuals wishing to develop current, or new, practice of using theatre and drama with people in a range of settings that may include schools, theatres, outreach departments, hospitals and prisons.

If you want to develop current – or new – practice of using theatre and drama with people whose lives have been affected by the criminal justice system, this pathway is for you.

Concerned with advanced enquiry into theatre for change or education, it enables you to situate your own emergent/ developing practice within a wider understanding of the applied theatre field. Delivery of the pathway involves contributions and placement opportunities from prestigious key UK organisations.

Concerned with advanced enquiry into prison theatre, it enables you to situate your own emergent/developing practice within a wider understanding of the applied theatre field. Delivery of the pathway involves contributions and placement opportunities from prestigious key UK organisations.

During Terms One and Two on both pathways, you will investigate applied theatre in a variety of contexts, communities and settings. You will explore the field’s diverse practices and engage creatively with the forms and aesthetics of applied theatre, the transformative potential of theatre and the ethics of intervention and notions of inclusive practice when working with specific groups.

For both pathways, study is undertaken through traditional academic means, as well as hands-on learning in the form of industry placements. Learning will be guided by tuition from professional specialists involved in theatre in a variety of community settings, including the academic experience of Central’s renowned applied theatre and drama education tutors.

The units will focus on theatre practices that promote inclusion and will address the ways in which theatre can be an agent for change, enablement and transformation, while problematising these terms. You will participate in workshops and seminars to explore practices that make a difference to people by engaging with issues, dramatising relevant stories, representing role models or possibilities for action, and involving participants in processes that they find useful, informative or exciting. This will also develop an understanding of the social and cultural contexts of applied theatre.

You will have the opportunity to engage with relevant research methods in your field, usually presenting your work at Central’s annual postgraduate conference. During Term Three, you may undertake project work (or further placement/professional practice) as part of an assessed unit. On the Drama in the Community and Drama Education pathway, you may work individually, or as part of a small group, on a practical project, such as an arts residency in a primary or special needs school, a devised play and

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In 2014 Clean Break and Central received funding from Creativeworks London to better understand, celebrate and share the diverse contributions and value that Clean Break’s alumni bring to the cultural landscape and to their communities. Photo: Tracey Anderson

MARINE BEGAULT Graduated 2014, working with a number of companies including Magic Me, Border Crossings and Tender. ‘I always knew I wanted to work with people creatively. My background in history and politics gave me a context from which to work from. However, it was the MA Applied Theatre which gave me the tools and confidence to creatively engage with the social and political issues that I feel so passionate about. The practical side of the MA was really important for me, as my background was not necessarily theatrerelated. Central has such a large network of companies and practitioners that it was a great stepping stone into the professional world.’

workshops for refugee children in the UK or abroad, creative playwriting workshops with selected client groups, or a performance and workshop on Bertolt Brecht’s theatre practice for post-16 students in schools and colleges in and around London. On the Drama and the Criminal Justice System pathway, you may work individually, or as part of a small group, on a practical project which might include a residency in a prison or young offenders’ institution, a devised play and workshops with fathers in prison for their children, or creative playwriting workshops with prisoners or exprisoners. On both pathways, you will theorise this work, interrogating its relationship within current and seminal discourses in the field. Term Three may lead to a performance with a specified community, or may be more process orientated. Recent examples of project work include a community radio project in Brazil, a series of workshops with the young platform dwellers of Jaipur Station in India, working with students in a hospital school in London, teaching English as a second language through drama with hotel staff in Thailand, working on Shakespeare in performance with a youth theatre, developing a range of theatre activities within a centre for the homeless in London, and introducing drama techniques to a special needs school in Ghana.

Recent examples of work within the criminal justice system have included an arts residency in HMYOI Feltham, a variety of performance-related work at Thameside Prison working with Second Shot in the areas of restorative justice, making theatre with the residents of a prison in Malta, Theatre-inEducation (TIE) for those at risk and devising and performing plays for invited audiences. You may also work alongside a professional host or in one of Central’s partner placement institutions in the third term, or use their own work-based practice. In addition, students have the option to join one of Central’s many cross-School optional courses. At the end of the year, you will consolidate your knowledge and understanding through a Sustained Independent Project (SIP). This is a dissertation about an area of particular interest in applied theatre. Routes onto the MA Applied Theatre: Central offers a PG Certificate Applied Theatre with Young People: Directing Text in association with the National Theatre, as part of their National Connections scheme. All students participating in placements will be required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This is a mandatory government safeguarding scheme for all those seeking to work in any capacity with minors or vulnerable adults.


CLAIRE FRENCH Graduated 2014, currently studying at PhD level. ‘I chose the MA Applied Theatre course because I was passionate about documentary theatre and the potential new and shifting roles of the spectator when autobiographical material is performed. I hoped for it to lead to a deeper research project as part of a PhD, yet, I hadn’t worked extensively in this particular field, nor been at university for eight years. All lurking self-doubt was quickly banished due to this course’s flexible curriculum which places value on practice, as well as the incredible teaching staff who worked tirelessly to support my journey. The word ‘yes’, followed by ‘how would you like to do that?’ and often closely by ‘we can do that’, was instrumental in developing the confidence, knowledge and skills to fully embrace this ambitious goal. And the support didn’t stop at graduation! My MA thesis supervisor and the course coordinator were both references for the scholarship and PhD that I have just embarked upon. This MA was the best investment of my life.’

ASSESSMENT Each unit has a written and/or practical assessment and submission of a dissertation addressing your specialist area of interest.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS Based in London, Central can offer optional industry support in the first two terms with an extensive choice of placement opportunities selected from the city’s wide array of innovative professional companies, including Clean Break, Cardboard Citizens, Almeida Theatre, Graeae Theatre Company and Synergy Theatre Project. Recent examples: MA Applied Theatre > Drama in the Community and Drama Education > Theatre and Disability – previous placement hosts include Graeae Theatre Company, Kazzum, Corali Dance Company, Extant Theatre Company > Young People’s Theatre – previous placement hosts include Unicorn Theatre, DreamArts, Big Fish Theatre Company, Half Moon Young People’s Theatre, Islington Community Theatre, Covenant

Teaching in a private school, India

House New York, Fringe Benefits Los Angeles >D rama in the Community – previous placement hosts include Spare Tyre Theatre Company, London Bubble Theatre Company, Cardboard National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe Education, The Old Vic, Cornerstone Theatre, Los Angeles >D rama Education – specific drama departments within primary and secondary schools and further education colleges, Pupil Referral Units in London, India and the USA. MA Applied Theatre > Drama and the Criminal Justice System >C lean Break, Only Connect, Paradise Park PRU, HMP Lowdham Grange, The National Youth Theatre Playing Up Project, Second Shot based at HMP Doncaster and Thameside, HMYOI Feltham, Synergy Theatre Project, Prisons in the UK, Malta, Canada and the USA.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Anna Herrmann (Clean Break), Esther Baker (Synergy Theatre Project), Amit Sharma

(Graeae Theatre Company), Natalie Mitchell (Almeida Theatre), Rob Watt (National Theatre), Saul Hewish (Rideout), Divya Bhatia (Stage Left India) Samantha Lane (Little Angel Theatre), Ned Glasier (Islington Community Theatre), Paul Sutton (C&T Theatre).

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Schools Engagement Officer, The Young Vic Theatre. Assistant Head Teacher, Britannia Village School. Educational Development Advisor, Dramatic English in Hong Kong. Applied Theatre Lecturer, FLAME University, India. New Works/Literary Officer, Graeae Theatre Company. Drama Facilitator, Applied Theatre Consultants, New Zealand. Producer, Learning and Participation, English National Opera. Drama Facilitator, The United Nations. Head of Education, Clean Break. Adviser, Intervention Centre HMYOI Feltham. Lecturer, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Drama Facilitator, Doncaster Prison. Director, Theatre Digital Sustain.

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PG CERTIFICATE APPLIED THEATRE WITH YOUNG PEOPLE ombines the National Theatre Youth Connections Scheme with academic study C Integrates theory and practical work in directing with young people Applied theatre at Central is highly regarded internationally as a world leader with the largest number of specialist teaching staff in the field

Devising workshop with MA Applied Theatre and PGATYP students at Central

Duration

One year, part-time, October start

Award

PG Certificate Applied Theatre with Young People (60 credits/Level 7)

Application

Directing Text: National Theatre Connections Scheme directly at connections.national theatre.org.uk

Course Leader

Dr Selina Busby (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Central offers a PG Certificate in Applied Theatre with Young People (PGATYP) in Directing Text in association with the National Theatre, as part of their Connections Scheme. You apply initially through the scheme at The National Theatre. The PGATYP is designed to provide a qualification based on work undertaken in partnership with the National in directing theatre and drama with young people (young people are usually interpreted as up to the age of 25 years). The course offers direct entry to Central’s MA Applied Theatre on successful completion of the PGATYP.

HAYLEY HOLT Graduated 2015, progressed to Central’s MA Applied Theatre. ‘The PG Certificate was a year packed with invaluable practical experience, which has given me both an array of devising techniques and an extensive toolkit for my own practice. This practical experience has created opportunities for me in the field of Applied Theatre as well as mainstream theatre. Central has encouraged me to explore different practices and experiment with my own in order to push boundaries. Central is such a creative and vibrant place that it attracts globally like-minded individuals with whom you can collaborate whilst learning from those at the forefront of their field.’


MA Applied Theatre and PGATYP students undertake a puppetry workshop at the Little Angel Theatre

NATIONAL THEATRE CONNECTIONS SCHEME The Connections Scheme is one of the world’s largest celebrations of Youth Theatre. Produced by the National Theatre Learning Department, Connections was established in the mid-1990s as a response to a demand for new plays by highly respected contemporary writers for young people to perform. In each cycle of Connections, the National Theatre commissions a number of new plays. Playwrights previously featured in the project include Dario Fo, Jackie Kay, Judy Upton, Andy Hamilton, Sarah Daniels, Sharman Macdonald, Bryony Lavery, Ali Clark and Mark Ravenhill. Hundreds of youth theatre and school groups from around the UK, Ireland and, increasingly, abroad apply to take part. Those selected (currently around 200) are asked to choose one text from the portfolio of plays that the National Theatre has provided. Productions that result from the first phase of the Connections programme transfer to other venues, appearing within a series of regional festivals across the country. Some 12 productions nationally are presented in a final festival of work on the stages of the National Theatre.

As part of the Connections programme, as directors of young people, you will select a new play and produce it with a youth company. You may also transfer it to another venue. This work is likely to be challenging and creative and it calls for artistic and strategic decisions geared to the selection of a particular piece for a specific context. You will make choices about rehearsal techniques and staging possibilities, and will oversee the pragmatics of production, continually interacting with the members of the company to ensure that they are developing both as young artists and as responsible members of a project for a public performance. Together with an accompanying portfolio, this forms the content of the larger of two units in the PG Certificate. For the second unit of the PGATYP, you join Central’s MA Applied Theatre students for ‘Critical Contexts’, a theoretical unit engaging you with contemporary issues in applied theatre discourses.

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MA/MFA CREATIVE PRODUCING eal-world creative producing opportunities to develop knowledge and skills R Networking through placements with leading theatre and arts organisations, masterclasses and industry mentors Collaborate with writers, actors and designers on other Central MA/MFA courses

Duration

MA: one year, full-time, October start | MFA: two years, full-time, October start

Award

MA Creative Producing (180 credits/Level 7) | MFA Creative Producing (240 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Jessica Bowles (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

The entrepreneurially skilled and culturally literate producer works in dialogue with artists to create performances and festivals, run venues and companies, manage projects, raise funds and investment, and negotiate commissions. Central graduates have become successful producers, among them Sir Cameron Mackintosh, a name synonymous with Britain’s global pre-eminence in musical theatre, and David Jubb, whose pioneering work at Battersea Arts Centre characterises the vibrancy and originality of London’s contemporary fringe, or ‘off West End’ scene. The courses offer real-world creative producing opportunities within Central’s production calendar and with extensive industry partners, enabling you to build on your existing practice. These skills are in ever-increasing demand in a competitive production environment. You will undertake masterclasses in producing with key industry leaders and innovators and take an active role in the organisation of events, productions and projects, underpinned by a solid critical understanding of the cultural industries and creative producing skills, relevant theory and current research in the performance field. While learning, you will also gain a career head start by building a vital network of industry and peer contacts. These courses are suitable for:

> arts graduates who wish to instigate or curate the work of others. The MA is for those with existing arts practice who wish to develop relevant knowledge and expertise, creative entrepreneurial and project management skills and become part of Central’s extensive network of industry collaborators. The MA and MFA have been developed in consultation with leading industry partners to provide a vocational course where you can apply your learning through a diverse range of practical projects. Central is involved in many external collaborative projects, so in addition to its own production activity and commercial theatre connections, its pioneering work in circus and site-specific theatre means excellent connections to a wide range of alternative theatre forms. Embracing the challenges of creating a sustainable business is a core part of the course and Central is proud to have been recognised by the prestigious London Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Education Trust (CET) for its entrepreneurial activity. On the MA and MFA, you will engage with the same core subject matter. In the first year of the MFA, you will join MA colleagues for most of the year, undertaking professional creative producing projects to develop your understanding of: > publicity, marketing and fundraising > business modelling and innovation

> experienced stage managers or production managers who wish to develop as creative producers

> authentic leadership and effective teamwork

> those already engaged in creative producing activities who wish to extend their knowledge in the field

> theatre production and tour management

> business graduates with an interest in performance arts applications > experienced theatre or performance artists or graduates who wish to produce their own work and gain entrepreneurial skills

> audience development and engagement > festival curation and organisation. In the fourth term of the MA, you undertake a Sustained Independent Project (SIP).


MOHAMAD SHAIFULBAHRI Graduated 2016, Founder and Artistic Director of Bhumi Collective, which produces work about the lesser seen, lesser heard and lesser talked about in its main bases in the UK and Singapore and looking to develop work for international markets in the near future. ‘Coming to Central and being asked at the very beginning, ‘What do you want (from this experience)?’ led to the unlocking of a newfound confidence in me that had been waiting to be unleashed. Gaining access to industry professionals across mediums and experiences, including meeting peers of varying international backgrounds, showed me the ever-growing importance of a producer in the industry today and how it stretches beyond budgets and spreadsheets alone, as well as the need for collaboration, foresight and people development. My time at Central opened my mind, heart and soul to infinite possibilities surrounding my practice that I could never have imagined before – best decision ever.’

The MFA extends into a second year that engages with further specialist subject skills. You are offered extended and sustained experience in the field, working closely with members of the related industry to establish yourself as a professional practitioner. You are encouraged to specialise in one or more directions building on the learning of the first year. The MFA second year widens the opportunities to practise knowledge within a context and framework where pertinent questions can be asked, protocols tested and new structures suggested. You will undertake tutorials

ASSESSMENT This is through formats used in the relevant industries and in academia, e.g. individual and group pitches to industry panels, business plans, online presentations, conference presentations, productions, case studies, reflective essays, reports, reviews and written submissions, and a substantial personal portfolio or dissertation.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS Course links with leading international arts organisations include the Southbank Centre, London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT), Prague Quadrennial, Roundhouse, Battersea Arts Centre, Hampstead Theatre and Artsadmin. It shares good practice internationally with Amsterdam Theatre School, Utrecht Theatre Faculty and Theatre Faculty Prague, as well as working closely with Stage One, the registered charity working with the commercial theatre industry to develop new theatre producers. Recently students have undertaken producing roles at the Southbank Centre, LIFT, Les Enfants Terribles, Neil Eckersley Productions, Headlong, The Vaults, National Theatre, English National Opera, Orange Tree Theatre, Royal Opera House, Paines Plough, Roundhouse, Camden People’s Theatre, Secret Garden Party, Block9, Glastonbury Festival, Kate Morley PR, AKA,

and seminars, although these may be via Skype or virtual seminar facilities if your attachment is outside the UK. You will gain a range of experiences both through Central’s extensive professional contacts and personal networks developed in the first year. In negotiation with the course team, you may use your own work-based learning on attachment, or with organisations in the field. An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.

Mobius Industries and Soho Theatre. New industry links are constantly being forged through our growing alumni, e.g. Sarah McBriar (graduated 2014) was Central’s first CET award winner, who created the AVA Festival, an electronic music festival in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter with audiences of over 4000 in 2016.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Sunita Pandya (Deputy Director of Producing and Presentation, Southbank Centre), Julius Green (author, West End Producer), James Pidgeon (Deputy Director Shoreditch Town Hall), Tim Jones (Head of Strategy, Future City), James Bierman (producer), Rafe Beckley (Open Book Theatre Management), Steve King (Social Business), Jo Danvers (Jo Danvers Co), Marcus Davey (CEO, Roundhouse), Katie Harper (SOLT/Stage One), Eva Liparova (Brand Strategist and Theatre Maker), Georgina Bednar (Producer, No Ordinary Experience), Neil Adleman (Theatre Lawyer/ Partner, Harbottle & Lewis), Greg RipleyDuggan (Producer and CEO, Ripley-Duggan Partnership), Sarah Nicholson (Executive Director, Orange Tree). Project Mentors, David Jubb (Director, BAC), Tamsin Ace (Head of Festival programme, Southbank Centre), Fran du Pille (Producer, Headlong), Jodi Myers (Jodi Myers Projects), James Seabright (author, West End Producer).

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Corporate Development, Old Vic Theatre, Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Producing Assistant, Headlong, Donmar Warehouse, Playful Productions. Production, National Concert Hall Dublin, Theatre Glastonbury. Manager, Jersey Boys. General Manager, Neil Eckersley Productions. Producers, The Old Vic New Voices at Finborough Theatre, Southwark Playhouse, Theatre Royal Windsor, InTransit Festival, London. Publications Coordinator, Pleasance Theatre. Marketing, Kenny Wax, AKA, Farnham Maltings, Paines Plough, Chats Palace. Establishing production companies including two Stage One Bursary Winners, Crow and Elk productions, Robert Bradish Productions, Szpiezak Productions and award winners Papatango and Sew theatre companies. Producers for companies including Engineer, Rhum and Clay. Management of venues including The Garage Norwich, Marlowe Studio, Marlowe Theatre and Stone Nest in London’s West End.

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MA Drama and Movement Therapy CPC approved vocational training in the Sesame Approach to dramatherapy H Critical framework of Jungian psychology combined with contemporary theories in intersubjectivity and developmental psychology Apprenticeship model placements within NHS institutions, voluntary and education sectors with supervision

Duration

2 years, full-time, October start

Award

MA Drama and Movement Therapy (180 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Richard Hougham (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

The course offers a particular pedagogic approach to learning the craft of dramatherapy and is a unique combination of drama and movement within an intensive experiential training. The Sesame Approach is informed by Jungian psychology and draws together Laban movement, play theory and Billy Lindkvist’s work with movement with touch and sound, and a mythopoetic approach to the psyche. The combination of movement-based studio practice, collaborative facilitations, seminars and a shared research unit with other MA students creates a learning environment that encourages personal exploration, collaboration and critical reflection. Particularly in the first year, you will experience immersive practice in the subject areas of Laban movement, myth, movement with touch and sound, and drama. This is allied with studies in developmental and analytical psychology – specifically combining emergent knowledge of intersubjectivity and the work of Jung. The group process is central to your learning experience and supported by a weekly session across the first academic year which explores interpersonal dynamics and draws from group analytic theory. Placements are at the heart of the training and begin in the second term with the hallmark apprenticeship model. This offers well-supported early clinical practice with a specialist and qualified supervisor working alongside you as you begin to practise. All apprenticeship placements are arranged by Central and will normally include working with adults with mental health problems, elderly clients with dementia, people with learning disabilities, children with challenging behaviour and people on the autistic spectrum. The apprenticeship model is applied to placements in the spring and summer terms of the first year. In the second year, the final unit combines further placement practice working with different client groups, alongside individual

and group supervision. You will also cultivate your professional identity during the second year through preparation for professional practice sessions in advance of the final assessment of a viva and the submission of a 12,000-word portfolio. Upon receiving the master’s award, you are eligible to apply to the Health and Care Professions Council for membership as an arts therapist (drama). In Year One, Term One, you study two units: Unit One (Drama and Movement Therapy Practice) includes weekly sessions in the subjects of drama, myth, Laban, movement with touch and sound, and preparation for clinical practice. These strands combine to offer an experiential introduction to the discipline and a means for you to engage with your own process as a foundation for learning. Unit Two (Therapy and Psychology) is seminar-based with two strands: Analytical Psychology introduces you to the core concepts of Jung’s psychology and Developmental Psychology looks at emerging developmental theory and refers to, amongst others, Winnicott and Stern. Both strands offer a theoretical framework within which to examine and critique the practice of dramatherapy and the Sesame Approach. In Terms Two and Three, the Facilitation Practice unit includes individual and pair work in the subject strands of Myth, Laban, Drama and Movement with Touch and Sound. You research and lead sessions both individually and collaboratively. This unit offers a substantial opportunity to develop skills in planning, practice and peer feedback. The Performing Research unit is a shared postgraduate unit, which introduces fundamentals in research, including reference to methodologies that are performative and practice-based. The Practices One and Practices Two units frame two apprenticeship placements in the spring and summer term of the first year. These


are supported by on-site specialist supervision as well as weekly sessions in preparation for clinical practice and group supervision at Central. Year Two begins with the Sustained Independent Practice (SIP) unit, and you will undertake placement work to accumulate the required 100 sessions of client contact. Central supports you in finding placements during the second year and you are assigned an individual supervisor. You are at Central every Monday in term time in the second year for sessions in supervision, professional practice, and tutorials. The final piece of written work is a portfolio, which includes a 7,000-word critical essay, a 4,000-word report on clinical practice and a plan for future professional development. The final assessment is a viva voce. All clinical supervision costs are included in the course fees. You are required to be in individual therapy for the duration of the course, for which a Jungian analyst is strongly recommended. You are also required to join a dramatherapy group and complete at least 30 sessions. Please note that some of the dramatherapy groups may continue to run during the holiday periods. The cost of therapy is NOT included in the course fees.

ASSESSMENT

RECENT VISITING STAFF

This is by a range of methods which include written assignments, assessment of clinical practice and ongoing group work. There is ongoing tutor, peer and self-assessment. Assessment on placement is a key indicator of progress and standards of proficiency.

Aleka Loutsis (Laban Movement, individual supervision), Rachel Porter, (Movement with Touch and Sound), Mark Saban (Analytical Psychology), Alison Kelly (group supervision), Eran Nathan (Voice), Frankie Armstrong (Voice), Dr Tania Batzoglou, (Performing Research, placement supervision), Bryn Jones (Drama and individual supervision), Sara Wainstein, (Group Process), Alanah Garrard (Developmental Psychology).

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS The course has links with many institutions that offer placements. There are currently in the region of 60 institutions on Central’s books in the greater London area. These include: > NHS trusts (including Camden and Islington, West London, Bethlem Royal Hospital, The Maudsley Hospital) > Individual charities (including St Vincent’s Family Project, The Westminster Drug and Alcohol Foundation, Barnardo’s) > Education (including mainstream and special education, EBD schools, PRUs) > Institutions that provide care for older adults. In addition to placement hosts and partners, the course has also delivered projects and conferences in association with the following: > The Independent Group of Analytical Psychologists (IGAP)

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: dramatherapy posts, working with NSPCC, Camden Council, NHS Sussex Partnerships, people with learning disabilities, bereavement services. Arts Council funded collaborative research projects. Outreach projects, the Sahrawi Project working with refugees in the Sahara. Psychosocial Outreach Manager with the Danish Refugee Council. Some have transferred to study PhDs.

COLIN CAMPBELL Graduated 2014, Dramatherapist in schools, psychiatric hospitals and with a bereavement charity. ‘I came on to the course as one of the more mature students (aged 49) looking for a career change. I found that this was never a problem. It was a fantastic time of learning and development for me and I look back on my time on the course fondly. The mixture of experiential and academic learning was challenging and rigorous and has extended my range as an arts practitioner greatly. At present, I am a very busy dramatherapist. I like the work: it is sometimes challenging but always interesting and fulfilling and I particularly enjoy the continuing development in my practice and learning that began with the MA course at Central’.

> European Consortium for Arts Therapies Education (ECArTE).

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MA/MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching pecialist, vocational courses for performance and movement practitioners S Develop expertise in movement teaching and movement directing of the actor Taught by current professionals in their field of movement pedagogy, movement direction and movement research

Duration

MA: one year, full-time/ two years, part-time, October start | Fulltime, on-site attendance between July and October is not mandatory | MFA: two years, full-time, October start | Year One on-site attendance between July and October is not mandatory

Award

MA Movement: Directing and Teaching (180 credits/ Level 7) | MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching (240 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leaders

Ayse Tashkiran and Vanessa Ewan (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Central has a long-standing and wellrecognised reputation for the dissemination of actor movement disciplines within the British theatre scene; these pioneering courses are the first of their kind in Europe. Tradition, experience, eclecticism and innovation epitomise Central’s understanding of movement training for the theatre and these unique courses have been created in that spirit. You will belong to the fine history of movement at Central from Litz Pisk to the present. You may be an actor or dancer who wants to diversify your skills and knowledge, you may work with actors (a dance or movement teacher, or a theatre director with a movement history), or be a practitioner from an allied field of sport/holistic practice, wanting to enhance your understanding of practical/theoretical interfaces regarding movement in contemporary performance. You will be offered specialist, vocational teaching in the field of movement for actors, production practice for movement directors

and bespoke movement placements at Central and in other professional theatre settings, such as other conservatoires or theatre, opera, or film organisations (both in Britain and internationally). You will have the opportunity for the development of your individual movement specialisms and apply them to the work of actors. The courses provide a rich and diverse landscape within which to address movement practices in relation to a wide range of established theatre processes and innovations in the field. Practical movement teaching and movement directing on selected projects offers you a range of potential applications in the fields of theatre production, puppetry, animation, classical theatre, film acting, and contemporary and devised work. You are given the opportunity to develop your own practice as movement specialists according to your interests in this growing and innovative field, and you will undertake potentially ground-breaking research into movement.


You will undergo a formalised and systematic actor movement education that coincides with the emergence of a widespread social interest in all aspects of physicality and the body. There is a firm emphasis on Laban’s movement philosophy and Lecoq’s spatial and physical techniques, but the overall approach is eclectic and celebrates a variety of methods. You may encounter the work of movement practitioners such as Feldenkrais, Roth, Suzuki, Alexander, Pisk, Humphries, Barba and Grotowski. Our teaching methods place equal emphasis on individual and group development, through individual tutorials, group seminars and workshops. Practical sessions are designed to enhance your skills as a movement teacher or movement director.

ASSESSMENT For first year students on both the MFA and MA courses, assessment is through a range of methods, including work on practical projects, written assignments and teaching/directing practice placements. In the last term of the MA, students work independently to complete specialist enquiry, arising from work undertaken during the course. The MFA extends into a second year that involves workplace attachments, mentorship and practice.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS Placement activity at conservatoires has included East 15 Acting School, Guildford School of Acting, Rose Bruford College, the animation department at Central Saint Martins, and Central. Companies have included Welsh National Opera, Young Vic, Peut-Être Theatre, Chickenshed Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and Trestle Theatre. Placements abroad have included hosts CAP-21 in New York and university settings in Greece and Norway.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Imogen Knight (Movement Director and Choreographer), Struan Leslie (Movement Director, previously Head of Movement at the Royal Shakespeare Company), Jane Gibson (Movement Director for film and theatre, previously Head of Movement at the National Theatre), Sue Lefton (Movement Director in theatre, film and opera), Kate Flatt (Choreographer and Movement Director in theatre and opera),

In the first year, students of the MA and MFA combine for Terms One to Three. MFA students will work independently in a second year of specialist study aimed at widening and deepening practice within a professional context. You will be expected to undertake one or two attachments that are supported with tutorials throughout the year, as part of an ongoing process of reflection, analysis and growth that will lead to a final dissertation submission. A MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.

Liz Rankin (Movement Director, Shared Experience), authors on movement Mark Evans and Alison Hodge. Movement teachers have included Ian Brener (historical dance and period movement), Natasha Fedorova, Marie-Gabrielle Rotie, Alex Croft, Karin Fisher-Potisk, Lucy Cullingford.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Movement Directors, The Shed at the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford-uponAvon and Broadway), Royal Court Theatre, Young Vic, Welsh National Opera, Finnish and Australian Opera Companies. Movement Teachers, Head of Movement, Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, East 15 Acting School, Middlesex University, Rose Bruford College, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Assistant Directors, Royal Shakespeare Company. Trainee Director, Glasgow Citizens Theatre. Theatre Professors/Practitioners, Japan, Korea, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Germany. Research Degrees, Body and Image. Workshop Leaders, Shamanistic Practices, Body-Mind Centering for Choreographers, Movement, Animation and Laban.

DIANE ALISON-MITCHELL Graduated 2008, Movement Director and Choreographer, credits include They Drink It In The Congo directed by Michael Longhurst at the Almeida, Othello, directed by Iqbal Khan, and Julius Caesar, directed by Gregory Doran for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Island at the Young Vic, and the National Theatre film What Is A Movement Director? Diane recently contributed a chapter on movement direction to Shakespeare, Race and Performance: The Diverse Bard (edited by Delia Jarrett-Macauley). ‘I come from a dance background and was really interested in finding new ways to work with the body and always had a passion for theatre. The course really broadened my knowledge of movement practices, but more importantly helped me to build my own practice, which is crucial for a Movement Director. The course also supports those interested in movement to enquire and explore in a creative environment, with a range of people from a variety of backgrounds. This diversity is a rich part of what the course offers.’

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MA Music Theatre I ntense and demanding master’s level conservatoire-style training Practitioners develop music theatre performance techniques and creative skills Experience a diversity of music theatre forms in fully-realised productions, performance workshops and choral ensembles

The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, public production

Duration

One year, full-time, September start | Fulltime, on-site attendance between July and August is not mandatory

Award

MA Music Theatre (180 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Professor Paul Barker (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

MA Music Theatre integrates acting, dance and movement, singing and spoken voice within a framework of relevant theory and research, in order to train students to a professional level of artistry and technique. Specialist lecturers and professional artists deliver classes and workshops that complement a teaching staff with long-term experience across the profession. Emphasis is placed on acquiring and practising skills through creativity and performance within all aspects of music theatre, from conventional Broadway and West End repertoire to new writing and opera. Our work is multidisciplinary: collaboration and teamwork, imagination and creativity underpin all activities. The course is intense and demanding; fitness is assessed at audition and monitored throughout the year. There are opportunities to create original work and to pursue related

activities, such as composing, writing, choreography and acting with instruments. Research is embedded, reflecting the specific methodologies required by performers at a professional level. Term One provides acting, dance and movement classes, alongside individual singing lessons that continue throughout the year. Conditioning classes underpin health and well-being for performers. Performance workshops, actor-musicianship and choral ensemble work are activities designed to synthesise these skills and lead to a better understanding of professional demands. Term Two includes six performances of an ensemble production in a studio theatre directed by a professional team showcasing the individual-specific skills of the company members. Opportunities to develop


composition, writing, choreography and instrumental performance may be integrated into the curriculum. Skills learnt in Term One are targeted towards specialised performance requirements. An industry day brings students in to dialogue with agents and casting directors at the decision-making centre of the performer’s life. Term Two concludes with an industry showcase. Term Three comprises a full-scale public production of a contemporary work in the Embassy Theatre and the course frequently commissions and premieres new work. Acting, singing and dance/movement continue as part of preparation for that performance. The term ends with a unit which will prepare you for industry-standard audition techniques. Term Four is devoted to the Sustained Independent Project, the character of which will reflect your strengths across research, writing, performing or creating. The research, performing and creating experiences from previous units contribute to this final piece of work.

ASSESSMENT

BEYOND CENTRAL

Assessment is by public performances, process, examination and written submissions.

Graduate employment includes: West End, Sweeney Todd (ENO), The Commitments, The Scottsboro Boys, The Book Of Mormon, The Lion King, The Colour Purple, Ghost The Musical, Legally Blonde, Chicago, The Bodyguard, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, Exposure: The Musical, Aladdin, Phantom Of The Opera, Les Misérables, Made In Dagenham. UK, Kiss Me Kate (Opera North and Welsh National Opera); Fiddler On The Roof (Grange Park Opera, the Proms); Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (UK tour); Love Story (Southwark Playhouse); On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (Union Theatre); Little Shop Of Horrors (tour); Blood Brothers (tour), Parade (Manchester); Dirty Dancing (tour); Singin’ In The Rain (tour); Calamity Jane (tour). Film, Skyfall; The White King; Perfect Hunch Of An Agoraphobe; Everyone Knows. Television, Casualty, Cuffs, One Child, (BBC); Hollyoaks, The Future Wags of Great Britain (Channel 4); The Girl’s Guide To Depravity (Cinemax, US). Video games, Evie Frye in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Theatre, The Oresteia, Measure For Measure, 946: The Amazing Story Of Adolphus Tips (Shakespeare’s Globe); Caroline Or Change, The Amen Corner, A Pacifist’s Guide To The War On Cancer (National Theatre); Feast, Been So Long (Young Vic Theatre); Porgy And Bess (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Posh (Duke of York’s Theatre).

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS The core teaching team reflects diverse performing and creative practice across a varied cultural stage: from musical theatre through to opera; from television to film; from classic acting to actor-musicians; from West-End franchises to innovative exploration; from creating new companies to new media. The course encourages self-motivation and entrepreneurship and brings students into contact with agents and visiting professionals.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Core teaching team, Steve Elias (dance), Emma Caplan (acting), Hazel Gold (dance), Maria Huesca (singing), Ewa Kolodziejska (coaching), Arthur Kyeyune (movement), David Merriman (music), Rebecca Reeves (research). Directors, Bill Bankes-Jones, Jo Davies, Janie Dee, Joe Deer, Suzy Catliff, Ed Goggin, Kate Golledge, Stephen Clark, Simon Greiff, Thomas Hescott. Musical Directors, David Charles Abell, Derek Barnes, Richard Balcombe, Joshua Rosenblum. Producers, Agents, Andy Barnes, Ellie Collyer-Bristow, Jane Deitch, Lisa Hull, Anne McNulty.

OLIVER LIDERT Graduated 2008, credits include The Lion King, and in the original casts of The Book Of Mormon, Porgy And Bess at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical and Aladdin at London’s Prince Edward Theatre. Founder and Artistic Director of the West End Cabaret Company. ‘I had an amazing time on the MA Music Theatre course. It opened my mind to new possibilities in the field of performance and provided me with a spring-board for my career in the West End. The staff are caring, informative professionals and the environment they create allows you to grow. Many of the lessons I learnt I still use today and pass on to my own students.’

VICTORIA ATKIN Graduated 2009, she landed her first major television appearance and series role in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, six months after completing the course, cast as the first fictional transgendered teenager on British television. Further credits include the female lead on sci-fi television show Extinct, written by Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), and The Downside Of Bliss, 360 Films/Cornerstone Features. ‘I loved my year at Central. This course enabled me to channel my creativity in many ways, which continues to materialise in unique opportunities that have allowed me a great freedom in my work as an artist.’

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MA/MFA PERFORMANCE PRACTICE AS RESEARCH Taught courses for performance innovators who wish to investigate and interrogate concepts and practices within contemporary performance Designed for the ‘auteur’, the individual practitioner/researcher For those working across disciplinary boundaries

Duration

MA: one year, full-time, October start, some classes take place in the evening | MFA: two years, full-time, October start, some classes take place in the evening | Full-time, on-site attendance between July and September is not mandatory

Award

MA Performance Practice as Research (180 credits/Level 7) | MFA Performance Practice as Research (240 credits/ Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Dr Experience Bryon (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

If you have an established practice and/ or background in performance theory you can take your work to the edges of your specialism(s), exploring untouched ground, establishing new ways of thinking about and doing performance, while pushing the boundaries of your discipline(s). You will become part of a thriving community of postgraduate scholars and practitioners working within a School-wide framework for research and experimentation. You will interrogate, test and apply the most recent thinking and practices within your particular field, which may include any combination of performance practice(s), directing, scenography, composition, or live and performance art. Emphasis is placed on a reciprocal relationship between theory and practice, where one feeds into and enlivens the other. You will be encouraged to experiment and innovate by developing your own work, which will be presented as part of the Brink Festival. If chosen, a second MFA year can be undertaken, deepening the work of your first year, whilst gaining a critical expertise in a wider array of Practice as Research models. As the courses value the particular skills and personal proposals that individual students bring to them, the interests that you express can shape the timetable and content of course units. On both the MA and MFA courses, you start by learning the key vocabularies and skill sets within the Critical Contexts and Performing Practices units, before moving into the individual laboratory work in the Developing Your Disciplines unit, while concurrently joining others in the MA community in the Performing Research unit. You then go on to produce the Brink Festival as part of the Laboratory of Performance Practices double unit while benefiting from select professional development sessions. For MAs, the last term (July to September)

is undertaken as a Sustained Independent Project (SIP), where you synthesise all the learning and development through a multimodal output within a dissertation. If you chose the MFA, you return in October for your second year where, inspired by your own work in the Brink Festival and new work you investigate as part of your research, you engage in an extended MFA Sustained Independent Project (SIP). This is a supervised multi-modal thesis helping you gain expertise in the various dramaturgies, modes and models of performance practice as research through the lens of the methodologies developed in your first year, and others examined as part of your MFA research second year. During the MA/MFA Performance Practice as Research you might expect to: > participate in workshops and seminars to investigate the relationship between the concepts and materials of performance > analyse making, performing and spectatorship as interrelated activities > engage and apply critical contexts and concepts > explore different strategies and methods for conducting research and disseminating the findings, leading towards a conference presentation > undertake laboratory exploration of performance practice as a way of testing ideas > develop work towards a public presentation at Central’s Brink Festival > undertake a Sustained Independent Project (SIP) culminating in a dissertation or a portfolio documenting practice-based research. An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.


Andrew Houston Graduated 2017, performance artist based in London working mostly in live art and digital film. He has exhibited and performed in Paris, Hong Kong, Italy, London and Glasgow. ‘MA PPR is a course about challenging yourself and pushing the boundaries of your specialism. This is something I knew entering the course and it’s why I applied. What I didn’t know is that my peers and mentors alike would care to the level they did and that they would both provoke and support me so strongly as these things are not usually in a course specification. Yet without them, and without these brilliant people, I wouldn’t have been able to challenge myself, or have pushed the boundaries of my specialism and for that I will be forever grateful.’

MARIANA ARISTIZÁBAL PARDO Graduated 2017, actor and performer and devises collaborative performances in interdisciplinary projects that involve theatre, dance and music. ‘I am sure that this has been by far the most exciting year of my life. During the course, I had the privilege of working with people from different cultures and countries, which allowed me to become more aware of my own culture and background and its embedded relation to my practice. The nature of the MA PPR has made this journey fascinating and challenging, always pushing my boundaries as a practitioner, researcher and as a person. The course is an invitation to explore, to make mistakes, to try, to risk, to fail, to dare, to lose and recover, always knowing that there is someone willing to help and challenge you.’

Brink Festival

ASSESSMENT Assessment is through presentations, performances, process work and written submissions, as well as a personal documentation project or dissertation.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Dr Tania Batzoglou (Practitioner-Researcher, Drama and Movement Therapist with the Victoria and Albert Museum, Historic Royal Palaces), Dr Luis Campos (Lecturer in European Theatre Arts, Rose Bruford College), Dr Rachel Cockburn (researcher, artist, and lecturer, London), Dr Jon Davison (clown performer, teacher, director, lecturer), Kevin Logan (cross-disciplinary artist of installation, digital media and sound composition/design), Dr Nando Messias (practitioner-researcher in performance art, dance and theatre, performer at Hayward Gallery, V&A, Tate Tanks, Gate Theatre, Toynbee Studios, Riverside Studios, Roundhouse, Royal Vauxhall Tavern and ICA, among others), Deirdre McLaughlin (Director MA Acting, Arts Educational Schools, Symposium Coordinator, Embodied Cognition and Performance Training), Louise Orwin (live artist, researcher, writer and performer, live and recorded works with incarnations in performance, video and photography),

Ruthie Osterman (theatre director, playwright, performer), Joe Parslow (Central PhD candidate, visiting lecturer), Dr Jo Scott (live media practitioner-researcher and Lecturer in Performance, University of Salford), Farokh Soltani-Shirazi (Central PhD candidate, visiting lecturer), Dr Konstantinos Thomaidis (Lecturer in Drama, Theatre and Performance, University of Exeter, Artistic Director of Adrift Performance Makers), Salomé Voegelin (Reader in Sound Arts and author), Joe White (teacher/mentor at Central, ArtsEd, St Mary’s, drummer and performer with Stomp), Dr Mark Peter Wright (artist-lecturer, researcher working with experimental approaches to sound and listening, University College of Communication).

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Choreographers, Composers, Creative Producers, Dramaturges, Directors, Artistic Directors, Performers and Visual Artists, for example Assistant Designer, Berlin State Opera. Producer with Franko B. Public Engagement Coordinator, Battersea Arts Centre. Production Manager, cabaret venue, Fusion Festival, Germany. Assistant Producer, War Horse.

Personal Assistant, Alexander McQueen. Administrative/Artistic Assistant, Clean Break. Assistant Designer, English National Opera, East London Dance. General Manager, National Youth Theatre. Concert Coordinator, Music Conservatory, Roosevelt University. Artistic Director, Portmanteau. Performer, Stomp. Dancer, Candoco Dance Company. Dramaturg, Young Vic. Theatre/Performance Programme Manager, Morley College. Venue Manager, The Rag Factory. Producer, Tiger Aspect Productions. Digital Producer, Young Vic. Feldenkrais Practitioner, winner of Best International Award in USA Feldenkrais Film Festival 2016 for 9 Seconds. Performance work developed on the course as part of Central’s Brink Festival has also been presented at The Place, The Space, The Old Vic Tunnels, the Roundhouse, Camden People’s Theatre, Brighton Festival, Beacons Festival, Adelaide Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Fulbright Postgraduate Student Award for study at Wesleyan University, USA. The course is also a grounding for PhD research and an academic career (or portfolio career as practitioner-academic).

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MA/MFA Scenography Develop authorship through performance design, working with a dynamic interplay of practice and theory Balance of independent and collaborative work A professional focus through mentors, tutors and industry partners

Scenography Exhibition

Duration

MA: one year, full-time, October start | MFA: two years, full-time, October start | Full-time, on-site attendance between July and October is not mandatory

Award

MA Scenography (180 credits/Level 7) | MFA Scenography (240 credits/ Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Dr Simon Donger (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Some of the major innovations in performance practices over the past hundred years have been drawn from scenographic developments. These courses approach scenography from multiple practical and theoretical perspectives to create new opportunities for experimentation and authorship. Through past and present approaches to performance design, the Scenography courses aim to explore dynamic and innovative interplays between the body, space and time, further informed by a variety of disciplines including film, sculpture, sound, digital media, puppetry, choreography and architecture. On the MA/MFA Scenography course, your existing skills and practices are challenged, extended and refined as you investigate design processes and tools for creative developments. With a balanced mix of collaborative and independent work, and a particular attention to the interplay of

practice and theory, the courses include: workshops and mentoring to explore speculative and operative uses/misuses of processes and tools, ranging from dramaturgy, model making and technical drawing to audio-visual media, casting, interactive sensor technologies and 3D printing; and studies in relevant historical and theoretical frameworks and contexts for understanding and developing practice. In the first year, students of the MA and MFA combine for Terms One to Three of their course. The MFA second year extends the final project initiated at the end of the first year, with support from seminars and tutorials with the course team and with the possibility of undertaking one or two workplace/ professional attachments. An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.


ANA INÉS JABARES-PITA Graduated 2012, her work crosses the genres of ballet, theatre, installation and film, currently designing on a number of productions. Recently awarded the third place of the European Opera Prize with director Max Hoehn for their proposal for La Traviata. ‘Having a background in painting and music, the course challenged and broadened my creativity and, in particular, my understanding of space. The diverse range of students’ backgrounds on the course was also very enriching. After graduating, I assisted on and designed for over 20 productions including theatre, opera, film, exhibitions and events. In 2013, I received the Best Design Award at Ottawa Fringe Festival and was the Overall Winner of the Linbury Prize for Stage Design 2013.’

Scenography Exhibition

ASSESSMENT

BEYOND CENTRAL

Assessment is by practical conceptions and realisations, written assignments and verbal presentations (individual and collaborative). You will collaborate with your class peers, as well as with other courses within Central to create and design new work, including the MA/MFA Advanced Theatre Practice, MA Acting for Screen, MA/MFA Performance Practice as Research and MA/MFA Creative Producing.

Graduate employment and career pathways include: Designer, National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Court Theatre, Sadler’s Wells, Prague Quadrennial 2015 (representing Spain, Canada and the UK), Young Vic Theatre, Opera North, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Eldarin Yeong Studio, Ljubljana City Theatre, National Theatre of Iceland, Nulty, London Fashion Week, King’s Head Theatre, Musée des civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée, Martins Camisuli Architects. Design Assistant, Barbican Centre, Almeida Theatre, Glyndebourne, Royal Opera House, Opera North, Opéra de Marseille, Angers-Nantes Opéra, Gate Theatre, StoreyStudio. Artistic Director, Kill the Beast, Techture, Collective Textiles, Edible Opera, SWARM collective. Interdisciplinary Artist, Roundhouse, Station House Opera, Victoria and Albert Museum, Rio Occupation London, Glimmerglass Festival. Linbury Prize for Stage Design 2013, overall winner. Some graduates have transferred to study PhDs.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS Professional hosts and industry partners include Annemarie Woods, Antony McDonald, Dick Bird, Yoon Bae, Nic Sandiland, Darren Johnston, Whitechapel Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, London Biennale, Clerkenwell Design Week, English Touring Opera and National Theatre Studio.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Sophie Jump (Seven Sisters Group), Pete Gomes (mutantfilm), Helen Pynor (GV Art), Dan Scott (Creative Research into Sound Arts Practice), Mauricio Elorriaga (ETO/ Opera North), Stewart Laing (Untitled Projects), Hannah Millest, Phoebe von Held, Scarlett Perdereau, George Oates (Good, Form & Spectacle).

ALICE HELPS Graduated 2014, works professionally designing and fabricating interactive artefacts and installations for performance, exhibitions and events, currently undertaking a practicebased PhD. ‘After ten years working in performance design, I sought to deconstruct my working practices, in order to expand my creative potential. The course exceeded expectations, challenging me to rigorously interrogate my process and question my creative habits, which opened up vital and exciting new pathways in my creative thinking, both as a researcher and practitioner. This allowed me to develop a new body of conceptual work leading to doctoral studies.’

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MA THEATRE CRITICISM AND DRAMATURGY A unique course offering routes to dramaturgy and criticism through critical practice and scholarship Engages with its London context and embraces the diverse theatre offerings of the city Opportunities for field study in and around other cities

Archiving Practices, Practising Archives. Photo: Manuel Vason

Duration

One year, full-time, October start | Fulltime, on-site attendance between July and August is not mandatory

Award

MA Theatre Criticism and Dramaturgy (180 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Dr Joel Anderson (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

The cultural hub of London is the venue for the MA Theatre Criticism and Dramaturgy (MA TCD). The course balances theoretical study of theatre and performance with the development of diverse skills for dramaturgy and criticism, with applications in scholarship and across the creative industries. Engaging with theatre and performance practice of the past and the present, and attuned to the economy and ecology of the landscapes in which it takes place, MA TCD students embrace Central’s unique status as a conservatoire and a University of London college. This course is taught by way of six units, each of which is self-contained, focusing on a specific aspect of theatre and performance, followed by a final independent unit. At all points, learning combines critical reflection and the development of specific skills relevant to theatre criticism and dramaturgy, with a focus on appropriate outputs and practices.

At various points, MA TCD students work collectively with students from across Central’s postgraduate portfolio, emerging theatre practitioners and scholars with a range of specialisms and interests. Learning opportunities include seminars and lectures, classwork, independent research, group work and field study in and around London or other cities. You can develop your particular research interests and professional profile in the final unit, the Sustained Independent Project (SIP). This unit, taking place following the summer term, will give you the opportunity to work intensively in a specific area, with tutoring and support from faculty. You will determine your own focus for the SIP in conjunction with tutors, and projects may take the form, for example, of a scholarly intervention or a critical report relevant to theatre-sector issues and concerns.


Units may include: > Reviewing Performance > Shakespeare in London > Archiving Practices, Practising Archives > Critical Contexts > Performing Research > Cultural Landscapes. Each unit is intensive and, where appropriate, may be delivered with the participation of relevant experts, e.g. theatre journalists, arts managers, academic specialists, or in partnership with cultural organisations. You will have the opportunity in the third term to take an option unit hosted by another MA course.

Battersea Arts Centre

ASSESSMENT

RECENT VISITING STAFF

Assessment via formats used in the relevant industries and in academia, e.g. visual presentations, conference presentations, essays, reports, reviews and written submissions; and a personal portfolio or dissertation.

Brian Logan (arts writer and critic), Manuel Vason (performance photographer), Laura Oldfield Ford (artist), Maxie Szalwinska (theatre critic), Dr Sarah Dustagheer (Shakespeare scholar), Rachel Barnett (producer), E J Trivett (producer), Matt Trueman (theatre critic), Laura Kuch (artist), Mark Fisher (theatre critic).

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS You will learn in contact with practitioners and organisations. In the past, guests and venues have included Lyn Gardner and Michael Billington (The Guardian), representatives of Equity, BBC, Ambassador Theatre Group, The Old Vic, Shakespeare’s Globe, National Theatre, Live Art Development Agency and the Victoria and Albert Museum. You will have opportunities to participate in the wider academic community, and are encouraged to develop knowledge and awareness of contemporary theatre and performance scholarship.

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: posts at Shakespeare’s Globe, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hampstead Theatre and the Ruhrtriennale Festival, Germany. Roles include: Theatre Press Officers, Teachers, Tutors, Directors, Artistic Directors, Administrators, Youth Theatre Facilitators and Producers in China, Britain and the USA. Some have transferred to study PhDs, including at Central and King’s College, London.

JOSEPHINE YIM Graduated 2010, Project Manager, Hong Kong Arts Festival. ‘The course combines theories with practical experience. Not only were we able to discuss and apply theories in our research and study, but we were given the opportunity to learn from professionals from the London theatre industry, which I particularly enjoyed. I met and visited people from The Globe, the National Theatre and the Ambassador Theatre Group, which made the whole course solid, both academically and practically. Studying here not only provided me with a thorough understanding of the theatre industry, it also equipped me to be ready for the arts industry.’

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MA/MFA Voice STUDIES tudy with internationally renowned voice tutors and professionals S Learn pedagogical skills for the teaching of voice on this world-leading course Network with actors, accent coaches, speech therapists and singers and undertake education and industry placements

Duration

MA: one year, full-time, October start | MFA: two years, full-time, October start | Full-time, on-site attendance between July and October is not mandatory

Award

MA Voice Studies (180 credits/Level 7) | MFA Voice Studies (240 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Jane Boston (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Voice Studies courses at Central are nationally and internationally renowned, giving a specialised education in the study and practice of the spoken voice. These courses are for graduates of appropriate disciplines who wish to follow a career in voice teaching and who seek specialised study and practice in voice and speech.

Term Two builds on the previous term by relating acquired knowledge and practical experience to the needs of others and seeks to develop growing confidence and abilities. Practical experience of teaching, both of groups and of individuals in institutions where voice work is relevant, begins in this term.

In the first year of the MFA, you join the MA students for Terms One to Three of the course. The MFA then extends into a second year, beginning in October, which involves a mix of workplace attachments, mentorships and observed practice, in close liaison with members of the related industries. You are encouraged to specialise in one or more directions, building on the first year’s teaching.

Term Three consolidates the work already done, extends the teaching experience in a variety of contexts, and allows for a deepening of thought about voice as a field of study. It includes advice on preparation for a professional career.

Term One develops awareness of personal and professional needs and gives a foundation in practical skills, related academic disciplines, vocal pedagogy and research methods for the more applied work that follows.

Term Four of the MA is focused entirely on the preparation and submission of a portfolio or dissertation. The MFA second year widens your opportunities to develop voice knowledge within a variety of professional contexts in which pertinent questions can be asked, protocols tested and new structures suggested. This involves a combination


JESS CHAMBERS Graduated 2014, Voice and Dialect Coach on Matilda The Musical in Australia, and at the Shaw Festival Theatre in Canada and the Bell Shakespeare Company in Sydney.

of workplace attachments, mentorships and reflective observation where appropriate. You are expected to undertake tutorials and occasional seminars throughout the year, although these may be via Skype, as part of an ongoing process of pedagogical reflection and engagement leading to the submission of a final dissertation and reflective pedagogical documentation.

‘The practical teaching experiences I had on the MFA Voice Studies course and the pedagogical and personal reflection that the teaching staff encouraged, helped me to develop my practice and confidence and prepared me for success in the profession. Through workplace attachments and mentorships, the course offered me the opportunity to connect with industry professionals who have been key to my career development. I graduated as a highly employable coach with work prospects that I could never have anticipated.’

The MFA offers a further embedding of skills and concepts learnt during the first year. In some countries the MFA is more recognised, particularly for those interested in teaching, or researching in a higher education environment. An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.

ASSESSMENT

BEYOND CENTRAL

During the first three terms of both courses, assessment is through written work, practical projects and teaching practice. In the fourth term of the MA, you complete a dissertation or portfolio focusing on your specialist area of enquiry arising from the work of the course. In the MFA second year, assessment is by means of documents based on field experience and related research.

Graduate employment and career pathways include: Chorus Director, Bromley Youth Music Trust. Voice Lecturer, Central, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Kingston University. Voice and Singing Tutor, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Drama. Voice Internship, Royal Shakespeare Company. Voice Tutor, Arts Educational. Head of Voice, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Lead Vocal Supervisor, Mulberry School, London. Head of Acting and Voice, University of Oklahoma, USA. Voice Coach, Oregon Shakespeare Company, USA. Head of Voice, Head of Accents and Dialect Teaching, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Lead Voice Trainer, business clients, Short Courses & Training, Central.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Annie Morrison, Joanna Weir Ouston, Penny Dyer, Tim Birkett, Alex Bingley, Ilan Reichel, Natacha Osorio, Frankie Armstrong, Jacob Lieberman, Edda Sharpe, Barbara Houseman, Meribeth Bunch Dayme, Elspeth Morrison, Kristin Linklater, D’Arcy Smith.

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MA/MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media rain to write drama for different media including theatre, film, television and radio T Study the history of dramatic writing and explore its future Work with actors and be taught by industry professionals

Joseph Quinn as Dean and Erin Doherty as Tamsin in Wish List. Photo: Jonathan Keenan

Duration

MA: one year, full-time/ two years, part-time, October start | MFA: two years, full-time, October start | Fulltime, on-site attendance between July and October is not mandatory

Award

MA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media (180 credits/Level 7) | MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media (240 credits/Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Dr Sarah Grochala (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

The MA/MFA Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media offers a vocational training in writing drama across a range of different media contexts. In the past, students have also had the opportunity to study optional units on writing within other contexts, for example, writing with, and for, communities (in collaboration with the MA Applied Theatre). Both the MA and MFA courses provide the opportunity for you to develop the core competencies and skills of the dramatist, to explore your ‘voice’, to develop your confidence in your own writing and to understand the different media contexts within which you might work as a professional scriptwriter. Key features are: practice-based enquiry into techniques and processes for writing for stage and screen; a series of writing projects engaging with different styles and media formats; and research into dramatic writing techniques and issues of performance in relation to theatre, cinema, television, radio and other relevant contexts.

You will be taught in group sessions and through individual tutorials. During these sessions, you will consider the fundamentals of dramatic writing. In the past, these have included structure, narrative, dramatic action, genre, character, dialogue and rhetorical effect. You will attend masterclasses, seminars and workshops focusing on the particular modes of writing required for different production contexts. You will also have the opportunity to be part of a writers’ group, providing peer support in developing each other’s writing. Your vocational work in these areas is complemented by individual research and appropriate theoretical discussion and enquiry. You will explore the historical, theoretical and critical contexts within which traditions of dramatic writing have evolved. You will engage in projects that test and develop your skills as a writer of drama. These have included forming a team of writers to evolve a television series, writing a short play, having your script workshopped with actors, writing a short film script,


developing a radio play and developing and writing a complete dramatic script for production in a particular medium (theatre, film, television or radio). In undertaking these projects you will acquire an understanding of working in different formats, as well as the role of the writer in different production processes. Through a rolling programme of guest speakers from the industry, you will gain some insight into commissioning and production protocols in different media and the role of the literary agent. You will also have the opportunity to hear from professional writers working across various dramatic mediums. The MA ends with a Sustained Independent Project where you are able to focus on developing a full-length ‘calling card’ script for a specific dramatic medium (theatre, film, television or radio) under the guidance of a professional writer or other industry professional. If you choose to study for an MFA, you will join the MA students for two-thirds of their course. The MFA

ASSESSMENT You will be assessed through peer assessment, scriptwriting assignments, essays, presentations, critical reflection on your own writing and, for the MFA, the submission of a professional development portfolio.

PROFESSIONAL FOCUS There is an informal series of talks by guest speakers. Past speakers have included Diana Nneka Atuona (writer), BBC Writersroom, Clare Bayley (writer), Adam Brace (writer), Chris Campbell (Royal Court), Casarotto Ramsay, Complicite, Tim Crouch (writer), John Donnelly (writer), Rob Drummer (Bush Theatre; Company of Angels), David Edgar (writer), Sarah Golding (Rainy Day Films), Tanika Gupta (writer), Ella Hickson (writer), Lucy Kirkwood (writer), Rebecca Lenkiewicz (writer), Manda Levin (Kudos), Duncan Macmillan (writer), Papatango Theatre Company, Lucy Prebble (writer), Amy Rosenthal (writer), Max Stafford-Clark (Out of Joint), Victoria Saxton (musical theatre writer and dramaturg), Simon Stephens (writer), Theatre503 and The Yard. The MFA course encourages you to develop your professional network and gain experience in professional contexts.

then extends into a second year that engages you with further specialist subject skills. You will be expected to produce two ‘calling card’ scripts and to develop a plan for your professional development. MFA students are offered extended and sustained script development support from professional writers and other industry professionals. You will be expected to develop professional ties and to begin to establish yourself as a professional practitioner. The MFA second year widens your opportunities to practise knowledge within a context and framework where pertinent questions can be asked, protocols tested and new structures suggested. During the MFA, you will be supported with oneto-one tutorials and occasional seminars. The MFA offers a further embedding of skills and concepts learnt during the first year. In some countries, the MFA is more recognised, particularly if you are interested in teaching or research in a higher education environment. An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.

Previously, students have undertaken a range of professional development activities, including reading scripts for theatre literary departments, developing camera and editing skills, teaching writing, working with theatre companies that work with communities, producing their own work and developing pitches/spec scripts for film and television.

RECENT VISITING STAFF Tanika Gupta MBE (writer for theatre, radio, television and film), Katharine Way (television writer), Mark Tilton (screenwriter), Melissa Dunne (Theatre Director and Dramaturg, Papercut Theatre), Ola Animashawun (theatre director, Associate Director, Royal Court Theatre), Federay Holmes (Theatre Director, The Factory), Darren Rapier (television writer).

BEYOND CENTRAL Graduate employment and career pathways include: Writer in theatre, radio and/or screen-related industries. Script Editor, Literary Manager, Writing Tutor, work with script development, dramaturgy, creative partnership schemes, copy editing, and writers in education and the community, such as the Writers in Prisons Foundation.

KATHERINE SOPER Graduated 2014, her play Wish List, (Sustained Independent Project at Central), won the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2015. It premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester before transferring to the Royal Court Theatre. ‘It’s safe to say that without Central’s support I would never have written Wish List. Having that year gave me the space to experiment with my writing without feeling exposed, and helped me not only to see a play through from start to finish, but to be disciplined about elements like plot structure and dramatic action that I’d previously found difficult to navigate on my own.’

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PG CERTIFICATE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION Extend understanding of course design and the process of learning, teaching and assessment earn through study and demonstration of commitment to the UK Professional Standards L Framework (UKPSF) oster a critically reflective approach to the pedagogy of your discipline(s) and in relation to F the UKPSF

Duration

One year, part-time, October start

Award

PG Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (60 credits/ Level 7)

Application

See Further Information (page 114)

Course Leader

Dr Jessica Hartley (see Staff, pages 14/15) Please see Important Information (page 120).

Central’s Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (PGCert TLHE) aims to provide you with developmental opportunities within your professional practice as an educator. This course is designed for higher education staff undertaking a teaching role and seeks to engage teachers in reflective teaching practices. Successful completion of Unit 1 provides you with an accredited route to Associate Fellow (AF) of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). Successful completion of both Units 1 and 2 provides you with an accredited route to Fellow of the HEA. The course links the practice of supporting learning with theory and is underpinned by critical reflection. Participants undertaking the programme will have the opportunity to develop their practice through an individually tailored process of evaluating their own learning and teaching experiences. Participants will also have the opportunity to share and compare pedagogy from a range of disciplines. Unit 1 is available as a stand-alone unit for research students and specialist teaching masters students. At Central, you will be part of a thriving community of practitioners with a shared vision of learning and your own particular field, pushing forward the boundaries within your own chosen area of practice. As a participant in the PGCert TLHE, you will become part of a School-wide community for research and experimentation comprising theatre and drama facilitators working collaboratively to imagine pedagogic practice for the future. The PGCert TLHE is a part-time course delivered via blended learning. This means

that in addition to attending the face-to-face sessions, you are required to utilise selected online resources and to engage regularly in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Learnzone. The course is work-based and flexible, drawing on participants’ experience as learners and teachers to contextualise their professional practice within a reflective pedagogic framework. In addition to conventional face-to-face teaching sessions, participants will be largely self-directed. You will select and utilise your own specific teaching and research opportunities to evidence your active engagement with the UKPSF and to meet the course learning outcomes. Although the course is designed around generic issues concerning learning and teaching, there is, nevertheless, a particular focus on your professional context. While we assume that most applicants will be involved in teaching theatre (whether it be drama, movement, voice, lighting, costume or another discipline) and the arts, applicants are welcome to apply from any discipline. Since the focus of the course is on supporting student learning, support staff (e.g. technical, library, learning resources) and PhD candidates may also find that this programme is well suited to their needs. The approach we have taken is firmly located in your professional experience and your day-to-day activities in supporting learning, teaching and assessing. It is based on the underlying premise that people learn best when they are active and take responsibility for their own learning, which they then apply to their professional context. In order to achieve the course learning outcomes, you will need to adopt


a critically reflective approach throughout. Reflective practitioners are able to view their particular achievements and make informed judgments about them in relation to the broader theoretical context. The course is designed to support the interrogation and integration of contemporary praxis within your professional practice. Peer Observation is a required element of the course and is achieved on this course through a minimum of three teaching observations (one in Unit 1 and two in Unit 2). While these are not formally assessed, they are requirements of the course and provide a valuable opportunity for direct feedback and subsequent reflection on your practice. You will be given guidance on what to expect whilst being observed and how to act as an observer during the course. Students are also expected to observe teaching by their peers. This should be approximately six hours for Unit 1 (excluding observations of teaching provided online via Learnzone). For Unit 2 you would be expected to continue to observe the teaching of your peers. This should be approximately 10 hours.

Your record of peer observing will be part of your evidence submitted as part of your portfolio assessments. You must also be formally observed by experienced members of staff within your own teaching practice three times. The three formal observations over the course are as follows: >O bservation 1: 30-60 minutes as part of Unit 1 (Pedagogies: Integrating Theory and Practice) >O bservations 2 and 3: 45 to 60 minutes for each observation as part of Unit 2 (Scholarship and Enhancement of Professional Practice). Students on the course are expected to be undertaking the following minimum teaching loads: >1 5 hours in Unit 1 (Pedagogies: Integrating Theory and Practice unit) >3 5 hours in Unit 2 (Scholarship and Enhancement of Professional Practice unit).

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Short Courses & Training Intro T hese courses draw on specialist techniques developed in arts and community education and performance practice

O ffering learning and training opportunities appropriate to the needs of a diverse range of people at various times/dates throughout the year

Acting Diploma, studio performance

DIPLOMAS > An introduction to actor or performance training > Three practical non-accredited diplomas > You must be successful at audition to gain a place. Gap Year Diploma (September – August, Saturdays and an intensive summer project), for those taking a year out from formal education. This course develops career skills, audition techniques and acting skills. Students will perform extracts from plays in a studio-based performance project. The Gap Year Diploma is an ideal course to hone skills before applying to a full-time course, or to increase skills if applicants have not been successful at auditions.

Acting Diploma (January – August, two evenings a week and an intensive summer project), which develops voice, movement and acting skills. The course culminates in a studio-based performance project. Musical Theatre Diploma (January – August, two evenings a week and an intensive summer project), which develops acting, movement, dance and singing skills. Students will perform extracts from musicals in a studiobased performance project.

> All courses are for those aged over 18 years, with the exception of Preparing for Higher Education, Actors’ Audition Pieces and Youth Theatre. Current courses offered include: > Acting for Beginners > Acting for Camera for Beginners > Acting with Text > Actors’ Audition Pieces (aged 17+) > Directed Scenes > Introduction to Clear Spoken English > Musical Theatre

SUMMER SHORT COURSES

> Preparing for Higher Education: Studying Drama (aged 15+)

> Training courses between two days and three weeks, focusing on key techniques and skills used by actors

> Summer Theatre Company

> Courses take place in July and August from 10.00am – 4.30pm

> Youth Theatre for Actors aged 11–17

> Stage Combat > Summer Shakespeare > Voice Fundamentals > Youth Theatre for Actors aged 6 –11.


EVENING COURSES > Short practical training courses developing acting skills and techniques > Freestanding modules, over an eightweek period on two evenings a week > Modules run concurrently, to be taken independently, or in sequence, to form a unified programme for ages 18 years and over.

and some go on to study full-time at undergraduate level, eventually making careers in the profession.

> Open courses: providing individuals with accessible, affordable quality training

Further information and application: www.cssd.ac.uk, email shortcourses@cssd.ac.uk, +44 (0)20 7559 3960 / +44 (0)20 7722 8183.

> One-to-one training: tailored to your needs, designed around your availability.

Training for business

Areas of training include: > Elocution, Articulation and Accent Softening > Vocal Power

> All courses take place at Central

> Conquering Nerves

> Maximum of 12 participants to ensure individual feedback

> Performance in Presentation

> Acting – Text 1

> Led by a fully-qualified instructor.

> Personal Impact

> Acting – Text 2

From our 20 years of sector-specific experience transferring skills from theatre to business, we help our clients drive change throughout their organisation. Our innovative, experiential learning provides handson experience. All work explored within our training ensures direct implementation into the workplace for high impact.

Recent evening courses include: > Acting – An Introduction

> Acting – Shakespeare > Audition Techniques > Directing – An Introduction > Voice for Performance – An Introduction.

SATURDAY YOUTH THEATRE > Drama classes exploring a range of techniques and different theatrical forms > Sessions take place on Saturdays during term time > For ages 6 – 17 years (students are grouped by age). Sessions include improvisation, voice, movement and working with text. Students do not need experience to take part, just enthusiasm and commitment. Recent themes have included Shakespeare, plays from the Royal Court Theatre and celebrating difference. Each term culminates in a sharing of the students’ work to carers, family and friends. Many young people attend for a number of years

Our training approach mirrors the ‘rehearsal room’ experience: no PowerPoint, no heavy paper-based resources; simply active, experiential learning in a secure, creative environment. We offer:

> Secrets of Storytelling > Building Influence and Rapport > Unlocking Creativity > Voice of Leadership > Effective Networking > Courageous Conversations. Previous and current clients include Twitter, Santander, NHS, Five Guys, St John’s Hospice, Channel 4, Cisco, Imperial College, Huawei, Cognizant, VW Group, Perkin Elmer, 30% Club, Abbott Nutrition, UCL, Royal College of Art, Salesforce, Global Radio, Babcock International and Edelman, as well as barristers, royalty, doctors, MPs, civil servants, journalists, dentists, CEOs and HR Managers.

> Bespoke training: experiential training tailored to the needs and objectives of diverse clients

Further information and application: www.cssd.ac.uk, email ben.gallacher@cssd.ac.uk, +44 (0)20 7559 3958.

> Full-day workshops: providing indepth training in a unique drama school environment

Please see Important Information (page 120).

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Further Information Intro

CONTACT DETAILS The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London NW3 3HY Central Bankside 4-8 Emerson Street, London SE1 9DU Telephone: +44 (0)20 7722 8183 Fax: +44 (0)20 7722 4132 Email: enquiries@cssd.ac.uk www.cssd.ac.uk Admissions: +44 (0)20 7722 8183, admissions@cssd.ac.uk Open Events: +44 (0)20 7722 8183, openevents@cssd.ac.uk

HOW TO APPLY ADMISSIONS POLICY Most courses at Central prepare students for a higher education qualification and professional practice: knowledge and analysis are integrated with practical skills training, so that graduates will be informed by insight and reflection. Central’s policies and procedures for admission aim to identify applicants who can benefit from this combination of intellectual engagement and professional training and to ensure a good match between ability and the demands of the course, in order that those who begin a course can reasonably expect to succeed and achieve a qualification. Central is committed to offering opportunities to applicants from varied educational backgrounds who can demonstrate that they have the capacity to study in this way, to benefit from that study and to succeed. The selection process considers not only educational qualifications, but also evidence of aptitude and motivation. Central values learning from prior experience and particularly welcomes mature students who return to formal

study. The School’s Single Equality Policy applies to the admission process and the same criteria for selection for each course applies to all applicants. UNDERGRADUATE COURSES All applications must be made online via the UK’s nationwide Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) www.ucas.com. The UCAS code for Central is C35 (a campus code is not needed) and individual course codes are listed on the course pages of this prospectus. Applications should be made by the UCAS 15 January deadline to ensure that they are considered. For admissions criteria, see www.cssd. ac.uk/undergraduate-applications. POSTGRADUATE COURSES All applications must be made directly to Central using the online application form available on Central’s website www.cssd.ac.uk/postgraduateapplications. We have to consider applications in the order they are received, so it is advisable to apply early. We begin accepting applications in October in the year prior to the start of the course. Applications made from Easter onwards may be too late to be considered, as many courses become full very quickly. When a course becomes full and is no longer accepting applications, this will be stated on the individual course page. For admissions criteria, see www.cssd.ac.uk/ postgraduate-applications.

AUDITIONS/INTERVIEWS Once we have received your application, the relevant course team will review the information you have provided and decide whether or not to invite you to attend an audition/interview. There is no alternative to admission by audition/ interview. If you are selected, you will be contacted by email to inform you how to secure your audition/interview, along with any requirements and tasks you must prepare. The majority of auditions/interviews are held at Central’s Swiss Cottage site in London, however auditions/interviews are also hosted at a number of international venues. For a full list of international auditions/interviews, see www. cssd.ac.uk/content/how-applyinternational-students. DISTANCE AUDITIONS/INTERVIEWS If you live abroad and are unable to attend an audition/interview in person, you may, at the discretion of the Admissions Tutor, be offered the opportunity of a distance audition/ interview. This option is not available for any of the acting courses, for which candidates must attend a live audition. AUDITION/INTERVIEW FEES

All applications must be made directly to Central using the online application form available on Central’s website, www.cssd.ac.uk/phd-applications.

For the BA (Hons) Acting, MA Acting, MA Acting for Screen, MA Drama and Movement Therapy and MA Music Theatre courses there is a nonreturnable audition/interview fee. If Central invites you for an audition/ interview, details of payment will be in your invitation email. Candidates attending auditions/interviews outside the UK must also pay this fee, although this may be paid in the equivalent local currency amount. Details will be included in your invitation email.

Applicants will need to register initially for the MPhil (unless transferring research begun for a PhD elsewhere). To upgrade to the PhD, see www.cssd. ac.uk/phd-applications.

Central has a scheme in place to enable eligible applicants to audition with us for a place on the BA (Hons) Acting programme. The scheme is aimed at those facing the greatest financial

RESEARCH DEGREES / DOCTORAL STUDY


barriers to conservatoire training, see www.cssd.ac.uk/undergraduateapplications/audition-fee-waivers. OPEN EVENTS Open events for undergraduate and postgraduate courses are held, offering the opportunity to meet with course leaders, tour the facilities and discuss any queries with admissions, student advice and students’ union teams. Onsite taster workshops are also available for certain courses throughout the year. Additionally, Central attends a number of external recruitment events including UCAS fairs across the country to meet prospective students. For more information, see www.cssd.ac.uk/ events. ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY Students for whom English is not their first language must prove their English language proficiency by taking an approved English language test. There are a number of organisations that offer these tests. For details of the tests that Central accepts, see www.cssd.ac.uk/content/englishlanguage-requirements. Students do not need to pass an English language test prior to making an application, or even prior to audition/interview. If we wish to make an offer of a place on a course, we can make passing an English language test a condition of the offer. Students must have met Central’s English language requirements one month prior to the start of their course. We are not able to issue Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS) for international visa students unless they have first met our English language requirements. ACCREDITATION OF PRIOR LEARNING Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) is a process that can, exceptionally, allow a student to join a course at an advanced stage and be given credit for the section(s) of the course they have missed. The first stage for APL is making a formal application for the course (i.e. through UCAS or through direct postgraduate application).

TUITION FEES For each academic year, or for the part of an academic year in which you are enrolled, Central will charge you a tuition fee. This covers all elements of your registration, tuition and supervision. A complete guide to fees and paying your fees will be sent along with your offer. The following is a summary of this information: > Tuition Fee Levels (including ‘Frequently Asked Questions’) www.cssd.ac.uk/content/tuitionfees. DEPOSITS All postgraduate course offers include a request for a non-refundable deposit to be paid in order to secure your place. Undergraduate students may also be requested to pay a deposit if they are not eligible for a student loan. The deposit amount, and how and when it must be paid, will be listed in the offer. All deposits are deductible from the full course tuition fee. This deposit aims to avoid the situation where an applicant accepts a place on a course and subsequently withdraws late in the application process, thereby preventing an offer being made to another applicant. HOW CAN I PAY MY TUITION FEES? Fees due in any academic year are payable in a single lump sum no later than 1 August before the start of that academic year. There are three options available for paying tuition fees: 1. Most home/EU undergraduate students are not required to pay the tuition fees in advance, as they are eligible for a student loan from the Student Loans Company www.gov. uk/student-finance to cover the cost of fees. If you take out a student loan for fees, these will be paid directly to Central on your behalf.

3. You can pay your tuition fees in instalments. A scheme is available to assist self-financing students (those who are not eligible for a student loan), which will permit you to pay your tuition fees in two instalments. Under the scheme, half the fees must be paid by 1 August and the balance by 9 January at the start of the second term. An extra charge of £250 must be paid for this facility, and is payable along with your first instalment. Failure to pay the full tuition fees or an instalment by the due date may result in deregistration. BANK CHARGES Please note that there may be substantial charges on bank transfers, both within the UK and the country of origin, if paying from abroad. You must ensure the transfer of adequate funds to cover both these charges and your course fee. You may prefer to pay by debit or credit card.

STUDENT FINANCE AND FUNDING FINANCING YOUR LIVING AND OTHER COSTS In addition to tuition fees, you should also take into consideration the cost of living in London including accommodation (see page 116). You must make sure you have sufficient financial resources to meet the maintenance and other expenses that may be incurred throughout your course. However, you may be eligible for assistance with living costs through loans (information is outlined on the following pages). FINANCIAL AID AND STUDENT LOANS Students can apply for a number of government-funded loans. See www. cssd.ac.uk/student-finance-andfunding for further information.

2. You can pay your tuition fees on or before the 1 August deadline in a single lump sum.

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SOURCES OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION Additional information, including other websites and publications:

bursaries and awards can be found on Central’s website www.cssd.ac.uk/ student-finance-and-funding and www.cssd.ac.uk/fees-and-funding.

> www.gov.uk/student-finance

OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS

>w ww.gov.uk/extra-money-payuniversity/bursaries-scholarshipsand-awards.

Those seeking funding are also encouraged to use online resources where grants can be secured directly by the student, as there may be scholarship opportunities based within the applicant’s country of origin.

International students will often need to seek funding from their country of origin. There is useful information on the following websites: > UK Council for International Student Affairs www.ukcisa.org.uk > British Council www.britishcouncil. org. US FEDERAL LOANS Central participates in the US Department of Education’s Direct Loan Program (our Federal School code is G10089). Detailed information on how to apply for US Student Loans can be found on Central’s website www.cssd. ac.uk/student-finance-and-funding. To begin the process you will need to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the US Department of Education website www.fafsa.ed.gov or contact the US Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Information Centre at 1-800-4FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS Central is committed to remaining open to all potential students regardless of their background and to building upon our existing success in retaining students and helping them to achieve their full potential. The School aims to provide access to over £100,000 of scholarships and bursaries each year for students studying on particular courses. Up-to-date details of how to apply for scholarships,

Examples include: Marshall Scholarship The Marshall Scholarship is a full scholarship and is made available for US students who wish to study at graduate level, see www. marshallscholarship.org. Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Scholarship is a federal scholarship providing opportunities for US students, scholars and professionals wishing to undertake graduate study, advanced research or teaching in the UK, see www.fulbright.org.uk. BECAS Chile Scholarship The BECAS Chile Scholarship is a federal scholarship for Chilean students who wish to undertake graduate study in the UK, see www.becaschile.cl. Central also nominates students for a number of external scholarships, bursaries, awards and prizes. We will inform offered applicants and enrolled students of any awards for which they may be eligible to apply, whether internal or external to Central. Up-todate details can also be found at www.cssd.ac.uk/student-financeand-funding.

STUDENT ADVICE SERVICE Telephone: +44 (0)20 7559 3900 Email: sas@cssd.ac.uk www.cssd.ac.uk/content/studentadvice-service The Student Advice Service offers assistance with many aspects of student life, including accommodation, counselling and managing finances. ACCOMMODATION The Student Advice Service offers information and support to students in finding somewhere to live through a network of accommodation services, including local estate agencies. Please note that Central has no halls of residence, but students are eligible to apply for a limited number of allocated places at the University of London Intercollegiate Halls. Central’s Accommodation Service www.cssd.ac.uk/content/ accommodation-support, telephone +44 (0)20 7559 3900, or email sas@ cssd.ac.uk University of London Housing Service www.housing.london.ac.uk, telephone +44 (0)20 7862 8880, or email housing@london.ac.uk This service is available for Central students wanting help with accommodation, including legal advice and a contract checking service. HALLS OF RESIDENCE University of London Intercollegiate Halls www.halls.london.ac.uk, telephone +44 (0)20 7862 8881 To make an application for the University of London Intercollegiate Halls, please contact the Student Advice Service directly.


University of London Property Management Unit http://halls.london.ac.uk/clandonhouse

LEARNING CENTRE

Some postgraduate students and full-time second and third year undergraduate students can apply for self-contained flats.

The Learning Centre offers a wide range of specialist and general academic support and advice to students at Central. This includes providing a range of information, guidance and support to students with disabilities and learning differences, as well as learning skills sessions and oneto-one tutoring.

Private Halls of Residence www.cssd.ac.uk/content/hallsresidence There are a number of privately run student halls, some managed by charitable institutions and some by commercial companies. PRIVATE RENTED ACCOMMODATION Many Central students live in shared private rental accommodation in north-west London with other students from the School. The Student Advice Service holds two Sharers’ Days before the start of term to assist students in finding a suitable property and potential housemates. Local letting agencies often also attend to present suitable properties. These Sharers’ Days are only available for Central students. COUNSELLING The Student Counselling Service offers short-term counselling to all registered students www.cssd.ac.uk/content/ counselling. It is free and confidential. The service subscribes to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s Ethical Framework for Good Practice. MANAGING YOUR FINANCES The Student Advice Service staff are able to help students experiencing any difficulties such as a shortage of funds, debt, budgeting, eligibility for student support, or student support entitlement such as applying for crisis loans. There is also a government website where you can find out more about student financial support www.gov.uk.

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7449 1624 Email: learning.centre@cssd.ac.uk

The Learning Centre offers: > 1:1 learning skills tutorials to support writing and the use of media and technology > group sessions on a wide range of learning skills > referral based 1:1 tutorial support for students for whom English is an additional language

> assistance for students with applications to their funding body e.g. Student Finance England (SFE) or Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for Disabled Students’ Allowance > dissemination of information to relevant academic and other departments. Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) If you have a disability or learning difference and you are a home student, you may be eligible for a Disabled Students’ Allowance. You can find out more information and apply at www.gov.uk. For more information about the DSA application process, please contact The Learning Centre to make an appointment with one of the specialist team.

> a drop-in service for advice on issues relating to disability/dyslexia – f ree dyslexia 30-minute initial screening appointments –d yslexia diagnostic appointments – needs assessments > 1:1 dyslexia-specific study skills support > 1:1 enabling and assistive technology training > trans mentoring for students who plan to/are transitioning while studying > mentoring for students with long-term conditions which have substantial and long-term effects on their ability to do normal daily activities, including HIV, heart conditions or mental health problems > British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting

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Development Course In order to sustain and develop the training it offers and to provide financial assistance to students, Central relies on the support of philanthropists. Without their contributions, this would not be possible. Central thanks all those supporters who have requested that their names do not appear on these lists and all those who give their time and expertise to support students throughout their training and beyond. A complete list of our supporters can be found on Central’s website www.cssd.ac.uk. Central thanks the following individuals, organisations, trusts and foundations who have recently made donations of £1000 or more to support the School, its students and their work:

Higher Education Funding Council for England Arts and Humanities Research Council

The Hall School Sky

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation The Andy Stewart Charitable Trust The Ashley Family Foundation The Atkin Foundation The Beatrice Lillie International College of Comedy and Musical Theatre The Behrens Foundation The Coln Trust Commercial Education Trust The Ernest Cook Trust The Fenton Arts Trust The Foyle Foundation The Garfield Weston Foundation Guildford Academic Associates The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation The John Thaw Foundation The Leverhulme Trust The Mackintosh Foundation The Neaveth Fund (University of London) The Roger and Ingrid Pilkington Charitable Trust The Savile Club Shoresh Charitable Trust Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement Sophie’s Silver Lining Fund The Stanley Picker Trust The William Walton Trust Winship Foundation The Wolfson Foundation

Kitty Corrigan Wendy Craig Pippa Dale Victoria Dickie John Drummond Michael Estorick Clare Fox Brian Goodban Ros and Alan Haigh Dame Pippa Harris DBE Professor Gavin Henderson CBE John Kinder Chris and Birthe King Anne Mensah Mrs Milner Nicholas Murphy The late Fergal O’Mahony John Peach Charles Perrin CBE Christian Poltera Richard Pilbrow The late Adam Ray Clare Rich Alex and Nicky Shinder Claudia Spies Patricia Storace Paul and Jeanne Strang Paul Taiano Andrew Wilson-Dickson The late Julia Wilson-Dickson

The Estate of Margaretta Bundy The Estate of Dulcie Denison The Estate of Dr Walter Ross The Estate of Nellie Watson The Gary Bond Memorial Award The Clive Brook Prize The Walter Douglas Johnstone Memorial Fund

Big Lottery Fund


Governance, Patron, Presidents, Honorary Fellows / PhDs, Professor Emeritus Governance Paul Taiano – to July 2017 Chair of Governors Chair of Nominations Committee and Remuneration Committee Independent John Willis – from July 2017 Appointed Chair Elect February 2017 Chair of Governors Chair of Nominations Committee and Remuneration Committee Independent Anthony Blackstock Chair of Audit Committee Independent Professor Maria Delgado Director of Research Academic Board Victoria Dickie Independent Eleni Gill Independent Alan Haigh Independent Dame Pippa Harris DBE Independent Professor Gavin Henderson CBE Principal/CEO Ella Howe Students’ Union President 2016/17 Menna McGregor Deputy Chair of Governors Independent Professor Simon McVeigh Independent Anne Mensah Independent Jodi Myers Independent Charles Perrin CBE Honorary Fellow, University of London Chair of Finance and Employment Committee and Investment Committee Co-opted University of London Laura Pirret Students’ Union Vice-President (Postgraduate) 2016/17

Peter Roberts Independent Geoffrey Rowe Independent Dominic Tulett Head of Admissions and Student Recruitment Deborah Scully Deputy Principal/Deputy CEO Clerk to Governors Karen Burnell Deputy Clerk to Governors

Patron HRH Princess Alexandra The Honourable Lady Ogilvy KG, GCVO

President Michael Grandage CBE

Vice-Presidents Cicely Berry CBE Zoë Wanamaker

Former Presidents Lord Olivier, 1983 † Dame Peggy Ashcroft DBE, 1989 † Dame Judi Dench DBE, 1992-1997 The Right Honourable, Lord Mandelson PC, 2001-2008 Harold Pinter CH, CBE, Nobel Laureate, 2008 †

Honorary Fellows Dame Jenny Abramsky DBE Joss Ackland CBE Steven Berkoff Claire Bloom CBE Bette Bourne Jo Brand David Collison Paule Constable Diana Cooper Marcus Davey OBE Dame Judi Dench DBE Declan Donnellan Carrie Fisher † Penny Francis MBE

Martin Freeman Maria Friedman Sonia Friedman Gareth Fry William Gaskill † Heiner Goebbels Nickolas Grace Michael Grandage CBE George Hall Laurence Harbottle † Sir Ronald Harwood CBE, FRSL Jocelyn Herbert † Ann Jellicoe David Jubb Jude Kelly CBE Helen Lannaghan Rebecca Lenkiewicz Simon McBurney OBE Dame Helen Mirren DBE Richard Pilbrow Harold Pinter CH, CBE, Nobel Laureate † Dame Joan Plowright DBE Stephen Poliakoff CBE Vanessa Redgrave CBE Professor Sir Ken Robinson Julian Rudd Professor Richard Schechner Jenny Sealey MBE Joseph Seelig OBE Sir Donald Sinden CBE † Rae Smith Catherine Tate Kully Thiarai Christopher Wade † Sir Arnold Wesker † Kevin Whately Richard Wilson OBE Dame Barbara Windsor DBE † deceased

Professor Emeritus Simon Shepherd

Honorary PhDS Cicely Berry CBE Yvonne Brewster OBE Lee Hall

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Central receives funding and grants from a number of public and private sources, including the following organisations:

Central is reviewed by the UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and is also an elected member of Conservatoires UK.

The North Block Development Central is committed to promoting robust mental health policies and practices that contribute to positive mental health and help remove the stigma of mental illness and psychological distress.

Important information This prospectus was printed in February 2017 for the purposes of the October 2018 onwards intake. It has therefore been printed in advance of course starting dates. For this reason, course information (including, for example, in relation to course content, module availability, etc.) may be amended prior to you applying for a place on a course of study. There are a number of reasons why changes to course information and/or published term dates may need to be made prior to you applying for a place on a course. These may include, but are not limited to, the following: > the need to make reasonable changes to the content and teaching offered in relation to any course for operational and/or academic reasons > a course not receiving the relevant accreditation required

> degree programmes at Central require a minimum cohort size to run effectively and provide the optimum learning experience for those enrolled. In the event that a programme cannot run effectively, successful applicants will be notified a minimum of 16 weeks before the course is due to commence, at which point they will be offered the opportunity to switch to another course or to turn down their offer of study > and/or interruption or loss of key services due to circumstances beyond our control, including fire, flood or other operational issues. Prospective students are therefore reminded that they are responsible for ensuring, prior to applying to study on a course at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (“Central�), that they review up-to-date course information, including short courses,

which is available on Central’s website www.cssd.ac.uk or by contacting us by telephone on +44 (0)20 7722 8183. Further documents describing the teaching, examination, assessment and other educational, pastoral and student support services offered by Central are available, see Terms and Conditions www. cssd.ac.uk/terms-and-conditions. These documents contain important contractual information. Prospective students should therefore fully familiarise themselves with these documents prior to applying to study on a course at Central.


Acknowledgements Photography: Marian Alonso, Patrick Baldwin, Peter Cook, Alex Eisenberg, Victoria Gibbs, James Hewett, Sarah Lam, Mon Frère Ltd, Holly Revell, Jemima Yong, p.31 Hannah John-Kamen photo by Tony Barson, ©Getty Images. Design: nimbuscreative.co.uk. Print: printingideas.co.uk. © 2017 The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama is registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee, with exempt charitable status, in England and Wales under Company No. 203645. Registered office: Eton Avenue, London NW3 3HY. VAT No. GB 135 6002 46.

8 Printed on 100% recycled paper


The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama University of London Eton Avenue, London NW3 3HY, UK Central Bankside Emerson Street, London SE1 9DU, UK Telephone: +44 (0)20 7722 8183 Email: enquiries@cssd.ac.uk www.cssd.ac.uk CSSDLondon


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