BA (Hons) Theatre Studies - E-Brochure

Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance

By Online Distance Learning

A University Sector Institution – Principal & Chief Executive: Professor Michael Earley A company Limited by Guarantee – Registered in England No 508 616 – Registered Charity No 307907

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Welcome

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The College

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The Theatre Studies Programme

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The Virtual Learning Environment

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Portfolio of Modules

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Level 4

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Level 5

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Level 6

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Course Information

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Fees

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Teaching

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Permanent Academic Staff

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Module Tutors

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Administrative Staff

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Contacts

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From our Students

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Next Steps

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Dear Enquirer, May I take this opportunity to introduce you to Rose Bruford College and in particular to the online Theatre Studies programme. I hope that the information contained in this e-brochure will answer any questions that you may have and encourage you to apply for the Theatre Studies degree.

Rose Bruford College is a college of Higher Education within the British University Sector. It has an unequalled reputation in providing a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in theatre and related arts. The Distance Learning courses allow us to offer some of the best examples of our highest quality work to people wherever they live.

The BA (Hons) in Theatre Studies is the only full degree programme in the UK for those who wish to study theatre and performance by Distance Learning.

Furthermore, there is no comparable programme by Distance Learning elsewhere in the world. Our degrees are currently validated by the University of Manchester.

There are two entry points: September or January. Applications should be received a month in advance of your chosen start date.

The degree is intended for anyone who wishes to develop a thorough knowledge of theatre from its beginnings to contemporary performance. In delivering this programme we aim to be flexible by offering a range of areas for study around a central core of key topics. The programme is also designed in such a way that students can choose how much they undertake each year; and vary the rate at which they progress through the degree.

I hope that you will enjoy reading this document and that next year we will welcome you on to the programme.

Jayne Richards Programme Director: Theatre Studies Rose Bruford College

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In 1950, Rose Bruford founded a drama school and developed a unique course of actor training. By 1976 she had pioneered the first vocational degree in acting. The College has been building on that success ever since with a range of programmes across all the professions of theatre.

Rose Bruford College is one of the largest centres of theatre training and education in the UK. Situated in the peaceful surrounds of Lamorbey Park in Sidcup, the College combines the heritage listed Lamorbey House with the most up to date facilities in a new set of buildings completed in 2002. Our student body is diverse, especially on the Distance Learning Programmes, and our courses are designed for those who intend to pursue a professional career in the creative industries, either from the perspective of a specialist discipline or in the broader context of a genre or geographical area, are seeking to extend their knowledge to enhance their appreciation of theatre and performance, or wish to undertake a practice-based research programme to enhance their professional standing.

The College embraces the broadest range of performing arts and skills and seeks to provide an educational experience that offers all students the breadth of knowledge required to be successful in a rapidly changing world. In establishing the Distance Learning degrees in 1996, the College broke new ground in the delivery of performance-based programmes to students worldwide. Our BA programmes are distinctive, innovative and unique.

Our teaching and administrative staff are of the highest quality and again reflect the balance of expertise in education and professional practice. The College is home to a thriving research culture and in addition to our academic staff, practitioners drawn from theatre, film and television teach and lead projects on all programmes and provide a direct link to the creative industries.

Our undergraduate and post-graduate programmes are validated by the University of Manchester and, where appropriate Drama UK.

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The programme offers you a unique opportunity to study theatre whilst balancing work and family commitments. You are able to study from wherever you are in the world provided you have access to the internet. We aim to equip you with a thorough knowledge of performance approaches and theories of practice ranging from the social, historical and aesthetic contexts in which they flourish to the practitioners, directors and actors who create it and the theatre buildings, sites and spaces in which it is made.

The programme is divided into three levels. Each level is equivalent to one year of a full-time degree although Distance Learning students regularly spread their work over a longer period of time. You may study purely for your own interest and pleasure or for vocational purposes and the programme has a range of exit points: Completion of Level 4 (120 credits)

will qualify you for a Higher Education Certificate in Theatre Studies Completion of Levels 4 and 5 (240 credits) will qualify you for a Higher Education Diploma in Theatre Studies Completion of Level 4 and 5 plus 60 credits at Level 6 (300 credits) will qualify you for a BA degree in Theatre Studies Completion of Levels 4 and 5 plus 120 credits at Level 6 (360) credits will qualify you for a BA Honours degree in Theatre Studies Within each level, the programme of study is divided into modules or pairs of module (co-requisites), each focusing on a specific topic. Some modules are obligatory, as they are essential to the study of theatre, but there is also a wide choice of elective modules to enable you to pursue your particular areas of interest.

The modules comprise a series of units, a Module Reader containing materials referenced throughout the module and all the other information you will need to get started. Each unit is designed to provide enough material for you to study in a month. A unit might include notes, exercises, documents and illustrations – all of which are designed to give you the same information as if you were face-to-face with your tutor. Regular online seminars will also form part of your study routine.

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Since Summer 2010, the programme has been delivered through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) using Moodle software. Your VLE login details will be provided after you have registered. In addition to the module(s) which you have enrolled for, you will also have access to the online aspects of the LRC and College study support services. Your module materials and further reading can be studied online and you can also link to other useful resources and websites. In addition to being a data repository, the VLE is also your primary means of interacting with the College, your tutors and your fellow students. You will find a variety of study forums, e-tutorials, ´chat rooms´ and other social networking tools within the VLE. You

are not expected to have any prior experience of VLEs or Moodle. User guides and video tutorials are provided to introduce you to the basics of the site. You

will be expected to log on to the VLE every week and answer emails from your RBC account promptly.

Technical requirements: You

will require access to a computer, an internet connection (preferably broadband), a webcam and headset. You

will also need to open, edit and create files compatible with Microsoft Office. If you do not have a copy of Microsoft Office, you should download Open Office ◦ Guidance for Mac-users and other aspects of technical support are available on the VLE. Moodle

User System Requirements are distributed with the initial programme information pack and students will be alerted to subsequent updates. Please

note that he College will provide support on the use of the VLE, College webmail and other in-house platforms; but this support does not extend to third-party software or devices, e.g. the student’s own computer.

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Level 4: 120 credits Obligatory co-requisite modules (2 x 20 credits) Theatres at Work Elements of the Performance Obligatory – standalone modules (20 credits) Reading a Play Ways of Talking About Theatre Level 5 : 120 Credits Obligatory (20 credits) Naturalism Shakespeare

Elective – co-requisite modules (2 x 20 credits) Post-war British and Irish Playwrights American Theatre and Drama The Director The Actor and the Realist Tradition Musical Theatre: The American Golden Age Elective – standalone modules (20 credits) Caribbean Theatre Reflective Case Study

Level 6: 120 Credits Obligatory (20 credits) Topics in Contemporary Theatre Obligatory for honours (40 credits) Independent Research Project

Elective – co-requisite modules (2 x 20 credits) Elizabethan, Jacobean and Caroline Theatre The Empire Acts Back Ancient Greek Tragedy: History and Reception Beyond the Stage Brecht & the Epic Tradition in German Theatre Elective – standalone modules (20 credits) Shakespeare in Performance Theatre of the Absurd Theatre Criticism The Director’s Story

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TS401 & TS402 Theatres at Work (obligatory - co-requisite) These modules identify and explore the techniques and challenges of presenting theatre today. They include an in-depth study of how a professional theatre company functions in terms of its artistic policies, marketing strategies and funding initiatives. Much of your work will be based on the study of a professional theatre company through special arrangements negotiated by the College.

TS403 Reading a Play Work (obligatory) This module explores ways of analysing dramatic writing in terms of its potential impact and meaning in the theatre. You will examine dramaturgy from the perspective of a director and focus on ways in which a text becomes a blueprint for performance. Plays currently studied include: Spring Awakening, Speed-the-Plow, Three Sisters, A Doll’s House, and Accidental Death of an Anarchist. The module simultaneously explores key principles and theories about dramaturgy while encouraging you to recognise how it is repositioned by performance contexts.

TS404 Ways of Talking About Theatre Work (obligatory) This module examines the relationship between meaning and “text” by examining a range of approaches to performance. You will investigate how conventions of genre, acting styles, direction and design signify in different ways. By taking the role of “the critical audience” you will explore how contemporary productions are shaped by their historical, cultural and artistic conditions and discover ways of reframing them within contemporary critical perspectives. You will watch recordings of a range of plays and devised material and are guided through ways of analysing action and production choices and articulating their experiences.

TS405 & TS406 Elements of the Performance Work (obligatory - co-requisite) These modules introduce key traditions or “elements” of theatre-making. You will explore the means by which the performing body is codified through visual elements such as costume, make-up and mask and examine the relationship between text, space and action, the changing social and political functions of performance and the role of context in meaning-making. These modules introduce students to the evolution of various theatrical forms and traces the fusion of styles and conventions.

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Obligatory Modules: Core Studies TS501 Naturalism (obligatory) This module interrogates Naturalism in its historical context. The module looks at the impact of science and technology and the new perspectives of sociology and psychology. The works of important writers including Zola, Ibsen, Strindberg and Chekhov are studied alongside practitioners such as Stanislavski and Antoine.

Particular attention is given to the comparative analysis of play-texts and the ways in which, within Naturalism, they embody different aesthetic preoccupations and generate different experiences in the theatre.

TS502 Shakespeare (obligatory) This module approaches Shakespeare both through his historical context and contemporary performances. Two plays are studied in each unit, from across the full span of this playwright’s work: Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, Richard II, Henry IV part one, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. In addition to focusing on the texts, there is a parallel study of Shakespeare’s society, ideas, language, theatres and stage conventions.

You are introduced to contemporary critical perspectives and encouraged to analyse performances from a range of angles.

TS503 & TS504 Post-War British and Irish Playwriting (elective - co-requisite) These modules provide an in-depth study of British and Irish playwriting over the past seventy years. A wide selection of plays is examined and compared, including key twentieth century works by Churchill, Osborne, Behan and Wesker. The module focuses on the work of the dramatist and introduces systematic ways of reading and analysing modern playwriting.

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TS505 & TS506 American Theatre and Drama (elective - co-requisite) These modules provide an overview of post-war American Theatre and examine some pre-war movements and writers in detail. Amongst the dramatists studied are Williams, Miller, Shepard, Mamet, Wilson and Wasserstein. Placing American Drama within its wider social, political, theatrical and theoretical frameworks, the modules investigate the ways in which cultural difference, nationhood, the “American Dream,� frontier myths and sexual politics are engaged and negotiated in American playwriting.

TS507 & TS508 The Director (elective - co-requisite) These modules trace the ascendancy of the director in European theatre. You will examine the work of major practitioners in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in terms of their treatment of classical and contemporary plays, their theoretical writing and their historical and cultural context. In looking at major figures and their contribution to theatre practice, the modules consider the developing role of the director in contemporary theatre and the ways in which the contribution of the director to the theatre event might be critically identified and examined.

TS509 &TS510 The Actor and the Realist Tradition (elective - co-requisite) These modules provide an historical overview of the changing social role and economic status of the actor. You will be introduced to the dominant approach to acting of the last hundred years, namely that developed by Stanislavski, and guided through the process of the actor’s own preparatory work for rehearsal through a series of exercises and tasks. This gives you a personal basis for an introductory reading of Stanislavski and the contrasting theoretical perspectives of two other key figures: Michael Chekhov and Bertolt Brecht.

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TS511 & TS512 Musical Theatre: The American “Golden Age” (elective co-requisite) These modules investigates the world of musical theatre from a twentieth-century American perspective (focusing on productions spanning from 1920s-1970s). You will explore the theatrical forms that influenced the musical as it is widely known. For example, Minstrelsy, Vaudeville, Burlesque, Revue, Comic Opera and Operetta. Each unit will focus on those writers and composers and the productions that contributed to the development of American Musical Theatre: Jerome Kern, Showboat; Rodgers and Hammerstein, Oklahoma! and Carousel; Lerner and Loewe My Fair Lady, Jule Styne and Arthur Larents, Gypsy, Stephen Sondheim, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and A Little Night Music, respectively.

TS513 Caribbean Theatre Arts (elective) This module will begin with a consideration of the importance of Storytelling, Masquerade, Carnival and the Caribbean Wake in Caribbean performance history. It will discuss the dual tracks of the dominant theatre of the “Great House” and the other performative traditions of the “Slave plot” and “indentured logie” in the context of the development of a cultural identity. You will be required to study three Caribbean plays which represent how the dramaturgy of the region has developed from traditional performative modes. You will consider the historical significance of the texts and how the individual playwrights have addressed memories of slavery, violence and racial conflict alongside the postcolonial issues of nationhood, identity, language validation, creolization and the significance of folk culture.

TS514 Reflective Case Study (elective) This module will allow you to revisit an area of study encountered at Levels 4 or 5 of the Theatre Studies programme and develop a short case study based on an area of particular interest, or one which resonates with your current work or future interests.

In this module, you will be introduced to a range of different types and approaches to research and be required to select methods which best suit your own area of enquiry.

You will be required to demonstrate skills in planning, organising, devising and selecting material as well as critically evaluating your discoveries and presenting your findings. You will choose from a range of project types which allow for case studies across a range of theatre and performance topics: acting and performance; theatre arts and industry; youth and community theatre; writing and documenting.

Throughout the case study you will gather and organise material, manage a timetable and keep a reflective journal.

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TS601 Independent Research Project -(obligatory for Honours Degree only) In this double module, you will undertake an extended research project on a subject identified and defined through discussion with the Programme Director. The choice of research topic might derive from earlier work on the programme or in certain circumstances it might take the form of an extended study based on a practical project.

The independent research project is supported by tutorial supervision and replaces the traditional units.

TS602 Topics in Contemporary Theatre (obligatory) This module addresses a range of contemporary material, including various moments and movements, playwrights and other practitioners. You are encouraged to carry out more intensive study on particular topics of interest. Specific aspects of recent and contemporary theatre practice are introduced, including feminist and gay theatre aesthetics, black theatre, political theatre of the 1970s and 1980s, physical performance and new playwriting.

TS603 & TS604 Elizabethan, Jacobean and Caroline Theatre (elective - co-requisite) These modules focus on the thriving age that gave rise to the theatre of Shakespeare and introduces the study of other key dramatists such as Kyd, Marlowe, Chapman, Heywood, Dekker, Jonson, Marston, Webster, Tourneur, Middleton, Ford, Massinger, Beaumont and Fletcher. The module looks at the composition of audiences, the organisation of the theatre, and its dependence on patronage; and the physical structure of the playhouse.

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TS605 & TS606 The Empire Acts Back (elective - co-requisite) These modules place particular emphasis on performance and theatricality in postcolonial contexts. They adopt an intercultural perspective on performance and emphasise the significance of historical (social, political and economic) contexts in the creation of meaning through performance. Rather than presenting a general history of post-colonial theatre or an exhaustive analysis of all black theatre forms, the modules select specific aspects of the subject to demonstrate the relationship between text, performer, and space.

S607 & TS608 Ancient Greek Tragedy: History and Reception (elective - co-requisite) These modules explores Greek plays in their ancient socio-political and performance contexts and in the contexts of their transformations in subsequent theatre spaces, manifestations and cultures. You will analyse tragedies by Aeschylus (Oresteia), Sophocles (Philoctetes) and Euripides (Medea), as well as consider the nature and purpose of the satyr play (Euripides’ Cyclops). Versions of these dramas by contemporary playwrights and film-makers (including Yael Farber, Neil LaBute, Seamus Heaney, Liz Lochhead and Tony Harrison) will also be examined in order to introduce and interrogate the theory and practice of classical performance reception.

Each modules offers a specific and distinct perspective upon the evolving field of classical performance reception. Issues of politics, gender and post-colonialism, as well as theatre history, historiography and appropriate practitioner theories, will all be considered within this context.

TS609 & TS610 Beyond the Stage (elective - co-requisite) These modules investigate attempts to rediscover theatre outside of theatre buildings and provide an opportunity to study and analyse the interaction of theatre and community. Indicative examples are: Total theatre, Brecht’s Lehrstücke, Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, Odin Teatret’s “barters”, performance art, street theatre and experiments with ritual and celebration.

TS611 & TS612 requisite)

Brecht and the Epic Tradition in German Theatre (elective – co-

This module provides an introduction to one of the most influential dramatists and theorists of the twentieth century. It also studies German traditions from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries. Particular attention will be paid to the staging and music of Brecht’s plays including The Threepenny Opera, The Exception and The Rule, The Mother and Mother Courage.

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TS613 Theatre of the Absurd (elective) This module focuses on a number of plays written in English and French (the latter studied in translation) in the 1950s and 1960s which have been characterised by the term “Theatre of the Absurd.” Beckett, Ionesco and Pinter receive the closest attention but related dramatists such as Genet, Adamov, Albee, Simpson and Stoppard are also considered. The work of all these dramatists is contextualised in terms of the cultural and historical conditions in which it was made.

TS614 Shakespeare in Performance (elective) This module, taking Shakespeare as its subject, encourages you to think practically about how a play text on the page becomes a script for performance. It asks what effect the director’s shaping of the text through cutting or re-ordering has on interpretation; and how trends in the stage history of the plays reflect the preoccupations of the society in which they are performed. As well as looking at the performance history of four plays, students are asked to undertake a practical exercise in preparing part of a text as if for performance.

TS615 The Director’s Story (elective) This module will investigate the work of four contemporary theatre directors exploring the different ways in which they make stories for the theatre. You will examine specific productions directed by Peter Brook, Simon McBurney, Roxanna Silbert and Dominic Dromgoole. Each unit will focus on different approaches to theatre making so that you can develop a heightened understanding of each director’s approach. This module will enable you to develop and enrich your understanding of the director’s craft, examine new directions in making theatre for our contemporary contexts.

This module requires you to engage in practical research into the work of a local director and to develop their own unique collection of primary sources. It is an exciting “handson” approach to study which allows individuals to investigate theatre practice and practitioners first hand.

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TS617 Theatre Criticism (elective) This module is a practical and theoretical introduction to theatre criticism. It discusses the role of the theatre critic in contemporary society and assesses the impact of theatre criticism on performance practices. The unit also explores the techniques and approaches to analysing live performance from the particular perspectives and agendas of the arts critic. Each unit focuses on different aspects of reviewing, which will enable you to develop practical skills in performance-critical writing and foster their own reviewing style. The module analyses genuine examples of theatre reviews from different sources, such as broadsheet newspapers, listing magazines and literary supplements. Along with these sources, you will examine interviews with contemporary critics, plus a select bibliography.

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Entry requirements.

The Distance Learning degree is open access and has no formal entry requirements.

For this reason, many students who do not possess standard University entry qualifications apply for this degree. However, places are limited and every application is considered on its individual merits. Applicants will be asked to submit an interview task and attend an interview which will take place by telephone or video conferencing. If you are subsequently offered a place for the next academic year you will be given access to an Induction Module which will guide you through the programme. Extra advice and guidance on study skills is available to all students whether they arrive directly from another educational institution or have not studied for many years.

Study time.

Although the programme is designed to be flexible we suggest that on average you will need to allow 10 to 12 hours per week per module, and that a module should take four months to complete (two co-requisite modules will take 8 months). You may study more than one module at a time subject to discussions on your available study time. Modules run consecutively from September to January and January to May. How we teach.

After you enrol, you will be assigned to a personal tutor who will guide and assist you throughout the course of your studies. In addition, for each module that you study, you will be allocated a module tutor who will focus solely on supporting you through the work contained in that module. Throughout your period of study, your tutors are on hand to answer your academic queries, advise you on planning your work and to provide feedback on your assignments. Your tutors will contact you by email and phone at various points throughout the year and will always be there to help if you need them. The Programme Director and Programme Administrator, supported by the Distance Learning team, are also available to provide advice and guidance. The College also organises various study events where you can receive face-to-face tuition and meet your fellow students.

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Current module fees are included as an attachment. These fees cover both study materials and tutorial support. Students are advised to take only as many modules as they can successfully complete in one year. By accepting a place on the programme you are committing to paying your fees for the academic year even if you subsequently decide to defer or withdraw.

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Teaching materials.

The Induction Module and Programme Document, which you will receive after you enrol, provide a useful guide to the Theatre Studies programme, module choices, tutorial staff, administration, library access and study events. We will also provide you with the bibliographies for your first modules. These will allow you to familiarise yourself with the course materials and begin to source the books you will need. In August each year you will be able to access your Module Materials via our VLE .

Library access.

The College's Learning Resources Centre (LRC) offers a range of services to Distance Learning students. The LRC is open to all Distance Learning students who live within travelling distance, for personal use and for borrowing. Photocopies of chapters from books or articles may be requested by email or over the phone. The LRC also provides information about useful web resources and students can access information by logging on to the college website. Of particular importance is the College's membership of the SCONUL Access scheme. This reciprocal arrangement between colleges and universities in the UK allows our students access and borrowing rights at the library of their nearest participating Higher Education Institution. You will be expected to read widely during your studies and access to books and other resources will be very important.

E-Resources The College is developing its range of e-learning resources and the Theatre Studies has a dedicated Forum where students can log in to chat or exchange ideas. Students are expected to have regular access to email and the world-wide web. We have our own Facebook page for students who enjoy social networking. ď ˝

To visit our Theatre Studies Facebook page.

ď ˝

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Theatre attachments.

As part of the Theatres at Work module (TS401 and TS402) students are offered a unique opportunity to study a theatre which they are keen to learn more about. This is usually within easy reach of the student's home. It is not a placement, requiring students to visit every day, but required research can be achieved with a few focused trips. We arrange for all Theatres at Work students to be "attached" to a venue and/or company for the course of the academic year. As well as focusing closely on the productions offered - and devising a season of their own for Assignment 1 - students are invited to interview key members of staff within the organisation. We have built up a huge range of venues and companies (large and small) with whom we have a close working relationship but where such a project is not possible we can arrange alternatives. Recent destinations include: the Old Vic, the Donmar Warehouse, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Citz Glasgow, Nuffield Southampton, Manchester Royal Exchange, Sheffield Theatres and many international venues, too. The opportunity to study the day-to-day work of a theatre proves hugely rewarding and offers lasting insights which only such close focus can achieve.

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Programme Director

Jayne Richards

Jayne Richards trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and studied both education and phonetics (IPA) with the University of London. She completed her MA in Theatre and Performance Studies with the University of Manchester before moving on to PhD research into performance practice at the University of Middlesex. Her current research interests centre on theatre and philosophy, in particular the concept of process in teaching and performance. Before joining Rose Bruford in 2000, Jayne worked as a tutor and lecturer on Central's PGCE programme, as workshop leader and director of a young writers’ group for the Warehouse Theatre, and as an examiner in theatre practices. Jayne has worked extensively in teaching and teacher-training and has wide experience in directing and production management.

In addition to her role as Programme Director for the BA (Hons) in Theatre Studies by Distance Learning, Jayne has contributed to a wide range of programmes across the College including the MA Distance Learning (Theatre Traditions and Contemporary Perspectives) and MA Theatre Practices (Postmodern Performance). Jayne was jointly awarded RBC Research Fellowship (with David Matthews) to investigate the role of employability as a development theme in Theatre and Performance teaching. Jayne is an external examiner for Canterbury Christchurch University and a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Lecturer in Theatre Studies David Matthews David joined Rose Bruford as a Lecturer in Theatre Studies (Distance Learning) in 2008.

He completed a BA in Drama and Theatre Studies at Goldsmiths College and an MPhil at Royal Holloway, which focused on the reception of polyphonic sound in verse performance. In 2007, he was awarded a Thomas Holloway Scholarship. His current research has diversified into e-learning - he has given papers at JISC, ULCC and MUGGL events; and is a member of the Association for Learning Technology and the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists.

David is the College's VLE Development Manager, responsible for launching the site in Summer 2010 and continues to support and train a large online community. In addition to Theatre Studies, he teaches on the ETA, ATA and PGCLTHE programmes and is part of the team currently developing a suite of Open Educational Resources. David has taught at Central School of Speech and Drama and Royal Holloway and was awarded a post-graduate teaching certificate in 2004. He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy

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Dr Walter Anderson Walter is the educational head of The Conservatory, Baltimore Actors' Theatre, which has a college preparatory division and a college division where students have successfully worked towards their Trinity/Guildhall graded qualifications and diploma qualifications. College level students are also enrolled in the Rose Bruford College distance learning theatre studies BA. Walter holds a bachelors degree in music, a Master of Drama Studies and a Master of Liberal Arts from the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; a Licentiate in Applied Drama and a Fellowship in Education Studies Musical Theatre from Trinity College, London. Walter has served as musical director for the Baltimore Actors' Theatre since 1970. In that capacity he has been show accompanist and conductor; and he has composed numerous musical scores for the company's children’s theatre which has won several awards for its artistic achievements. He has also composed the score for an original adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera which BAT toured Great Britain through the Apollo Leisure Group to its flagship theatre in Oxford, The Hippodrome in Bristol, and the Edinburgh Festival in 1990. This show also toured to Australia in 1991.

Matthieu Bellon Matthieu Bellon-Leloup is an actor, director and workshop leader. He is Module Coordinator on the BA (Hons) Directing Programme at Rose Bruford College and has taught acting and directing on various other programme at the College and in other London schools, as well as in Spain, Switzerland and Poland. After completing a BA in History and Political Science at Sorbonne and Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, Matthieu was awarded a Diploma in Fine Arts at the Florence Academia in Italy before joining Peter Brook’s actor Zaddredhin Zahed for his first training in acting in Paris. In addition to working extensively as a professional actor in France, Spain, Poland and the UK, he also trained in Classical British Theatre at CDS Cygnet (patron Peter Brook), Lecoq International School of Theatre in Paris and movement with Master Prapto in Solo, Indonesia. Matthieu joined the award winning Polish avant-garde company Song of the Goat in 2002 devising and touring their productions and started his own company Bred-in-the-Bone Theatre in 2007, producing work as a director and actor.

He is currently PHD candidate and holds his own training in "Emotion Actions" giving workshops and rehearsing new work throughout Europe.

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Philippa Burt Philippa is currently finishing her doctorate studies at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she completed an MA in Culture and Performance in 2008 under Professor Maria Shevtsova. Her thesis focuses on the attempts to establish ensemble theatre companies in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century, analysing the various social, ideological and economic forces underlying the field of theatre in Britain. Her research is highly interdisciplinary and is rooted in the sociology of the theatre, drawing on theories of anthropology, sociology and politics. Her specialised areas of interest are directors and directing, ensemble theatre practice, British theatre, political and socialist theatre, audience-performer relationships, theories of space, installation art and environmental performance. She has taught undergraduate students at Goldsmiths, and has experience of teaching on a wide range of subjects, including Marxist theory, structuralism and poststructuralism and feminist theory.

David Chadderton David is Head of Education for Mainstream Theatre Arts in Manchester and editor of the British Theatre Guide, the UK's leading independent web site on British theatre. He presents The Theatre Show, broadcast weekly on Canalside Community Radio and also available as a podcast. He was a member of the panel for the Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards and, when MEN dropped the awards after 30 years, was instrumental in setting up its independent replacement, the Manchester Theatre Awards, for which he is a panellist and webmaster.

David was one of the first ever distance learning students at Rose Bruford College and also has an MA in scriptwriting from University of Glamorgan. He has worked in the field of theatre education for more than two decades, and has written and directed many plays for young people to perform and for young audiences, including theatre-in-education.

David has written two books on theatre, Practical Drama (2002 and 2006) and The Theatre Makers (2008), and has written and spoken as a theatre writer, teacher and critic for a number of publications and programmes including City Life, Scriptwriter Magazine, Teaching Drama Magazine, BBC Radio 3’s Night Waves and BBC TV's This Morning. David is a full member of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain.

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Sally Pomme Clayton Sally Pomme Clayton is a writer and performance storyteller. She founded The Company of Storytellers with Ben Haggarty and Hugh Lupton in 1985, spearheading storytelling in the UK. Recent performances have been at: The BT River of Music; The National Gallery; Beyond the Border Storytelling Festival; Soho Theatre; Cheltenham Literature Festival; Wapping Project; and in Greece. She is currently Artist in Residence at The Swedenborg Society creating a daring new performance for adults - Night Visit - funded by Arts Council England. During 2012 she wrote Prince Zal and the Simorgh for composer David Bruce which she performed with The London Philharmonic Orchestra at The Royal Festival Hall and created A year in the forest for The Unicorn Theatre. During winter 2012 she will be touring with The Company of Storytellers performing The Three Snake Leaves. She has published nine children's books. Her next comes out in October 2012 - Sun, Stone and Sea the World of Greek Mythology illustrated by Jane Ray. (Frances Lincoln). She was a Royal Literary Fellow from 2010 - 2012.

Dr Harry Derbyshire Harry’s PhD is from King’s College, London for a thesis examining the reception of Harold Pinter’s later plays. He is a Lecturer in English and Drama at the University of Greenwich, where he is also Programme Leader for English Literature. He has been a contributor to the Rose Bruford Theatre Studies degree since 2001, teaching across a range of modules; he has supervised research projects on J.M. Synge, Sarah Kane, Harold Pinter and on C.P. Taylor. Between 2000 and 2005 he was company writer and dramaturg for Sob Theatre Company and his work as director includes Out, Damned Spot (Camden Fringe, 2011); Not Stalking David Tennant (Edinburgh Fringe, 2008) and Hurt Me (Ideally by Punching Me in the Face (Edinburgh Fringe, 1996). Harry's publications include ‘Pinter as Celebrity’ in The Cambridge Companion to Harold Pinter (second edition, 2009); ‘Performing Injustice: Human Rights and Verbatim Theatre’ (with Dr Loveday Hodson) in Law and Humanities vol. 2, no. 2 (December 2008); and ‘The Culture of New Writing’ in the back pages of Contemporary Theatre Review vol. 18, no. 1 (February 2008). He wil be presenting a paper at a symposium on the work of Edward Bond at the University of Warwick in November 2012.

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Colin Ellwood Colin Ellwood teaches on the Acting, Theatre Design, Lighting Design and European Theatre Arts programmes. After studying English Literature at Glasgow University, Colin became Artistic Director of Opening Acts, a Scottish Arts Council funded theatre-ineducation company touring throughout Scotland. This was followed by four years as an Assistant Director at the RSC, working with, for example, Adrian Noble, David Thacker, Michael Bogdanov, Sam Mendes, John Caird, Kenneth Branagh and Steven Pimlott. As Director of the RSC Festival, Colin directed Beckett’s Waiting for Godot with Linda Bassett, Finbar Lynch, Denys Hawthorn and Jonathan Cullen. Other RSC productions include Hamlet for a TIE tour and the premiere in the Barbican Pit of Peter Whelan’s stage version of Disraeli’s novel Sybil. As Artistic Director of Strangers’ Gallery he directed the UK premiere of Lope De Vega’s Jewess of Toledo at the Bridewell and the world premiere of the newly discovered original version of Rattigan’s Separate Tables at the King’s Head with Barbara Jefford, Lucy Whybrow, Mark Eden and Diane Hardcastle. Freelance work has ranged from new plays at the Traverse Edinburgh to a devised piece using the writings of the Fourteenth Century mystic Julian of Norwich with The Dufay Collective in Norwich Cathedral. He has also taught and directed at most of the major UK drama schools, including Guildhall, Webber Douglas, Central and ALRA, and has given a range of workshops and talks at universities (Oxford, Tours, Newcastle, Reading, Warwick etc) and at the London Theatre Museum and Actors’ Centre. Research interests include work on the ‘primary creativity of the performer’ and related projects have included an ongoing exploration of dreams/primary consciousness/pre-gendered impulses in performance of which several accounts have been published.

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Dr. Stephe Harrop Stephe Harrop completed her practice-based PhD, exploring the physical performance of Greek choruses, in 2008 (Royal Holloway, University of London). The performance reception of ancient tragedy is one of her major research interests, with recent publications including Theorising Performance: Greek Drama, Cultural History and Critical Practice (co-edited with Edith Hall, Duckworth, 2010) and An Introduction to the Tragic Body (APGRD website, 2012). She is also a post-doctoral associate of the Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (University of Oxford). As well as tutoring at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, Stephe teaches Greek drama and theatre history at Goldsmiths College (University of London), The Central School of Speech and Drama and Millikin University (Decatur, Illinois). Her other main research interest is contemporary performance storytelling, and in particular the challenges of creating oral storytelling performances from historical materials and narratives (a process arguably comparable to that which shaped the ancient epics of Homer). Stephe is currently collaborating with the Cambridge School Classics Project to develop a new re-telling of Sophocles’ Theban plays.

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Julian Jones Julian trained at RADA from 1984-1986 and has worked as an actor in Theatre, Television and Film for the past twenty-six years. Acting credits include Slim in Of Mice and Men (Birmingham Rep; The Savoy and The Old Vic), Dan in Closer (Manchester Library Theatre), Caliban in The Tempest (The RNT), Dray In The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek (Manchester Royal Exchange), Jimmy Porter in Look Back In Anger (Lancaster Dukes Theatre), Valmont in Les Liasons Dangereuses (Cheltenham Everyman Theatre) and Chris Keller in All My Sons (Chester Gateway Theatre). He is a Senior Lecturer in Acting at Rose Bruford College where he both teaches and directs. His work with first year actors is focused on the teachings of Stanislavski and Meisner. With second year actors he works on Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. He also teaches Dramaturgy and is Contextual Studies co-ordinator across all three years of the Acting and Actor Musician Programmes at Rose Bruford. For several years he taught Acting for Camera at Webber Douglas Drama School and, along with a colleague from Rose Bruford, delivers an annual workshop on Brecht for the MA Directing course at Birkbeck College.

Julian is Artistic Director of his own theatre company: Burning Oak. He directed a new play Body of Water for Made From Scratch Theatre Company which was shortlisted for Best Ensemble at the Edinburgh Festival in 2011. Other plays he has directed include Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Macbeth and The Winter’s Tale; Chekhov’s The Seagull and Three Sisters; Simon Stephens’ Punk Rock and Herons; Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County; and, most recently, Royal Court young writer Tom Clancy’s new play Novemberunderground which was performed at the Soho Theatre Upstairs in July 2012.

Over the past year Julian has been working with The Royal Shakespeare Company delivering acting workshops as part of their Open Stages initiative across the country. Also in 2011 Julian and a group of Rose Bruford graduates ran several workshops with the aim of developing a series of exercises intended to help the actor when approaching Brecht.

These exercises constitute the final chapter of Stephen Unwin’s forthcoming book The Complete Brecht Toolkit, to be published by Nick Hern in October 2012. Julian’s particular interest in Greek Theatre has led to a BA in History and Archaeology, a Masters in Classical Studies and a diploma from the Epidauros Summer School run by the University of Athens.

Julian is a Fellow of The Higher Education Academy.

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Patrick O’Kane Patrick took a Double Hons, B.A. in English and Drama at Manchester University and then trained as an actor at Central School of Speech and Drama, London where he received The Lilian Baylis Award. He has subsequently worked, as a leading actor in many of the major theatres in Ireland and Britain, including The Abbey Theatre, The National Theatre, The RSC, The Royal Court Theatre.

In 2005 Patrick received a NESTA Fellowship, a three-year research/practice grant, which he devoted to investigating the formal boundaries of performance, through an applied exploration of process and the promotion of the voice of the actor. As part of his research he trained with the award-winning Polish company, Theatr Piesn Kozla and the American avant-garde company Theater Mitu. Subsequently, he curated and edited an innovative book of conversations with a range of actors, which considers the position of the actor in the creative process, published by Oberon Press, 2012.

Patrick has been an Artistic Associate of Prime Cut Productions, Belfast, for whom he has directed the Irish Premiere of The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, for the Belfast Festival and initiated the design and delivery of a new strand of training for emerging artists in Northern Ireland. He has been an Associate Artist at Nottingham Playhouse, where he created the role of Wayne Hudson in Ben Elton’s Popcorn, prior to its lengthy run in London’s West End and has also taught and directed at Manchester Metropolitan University School of Theatre and The Arts University College Bournemouth Patrick has worked with some of the most exalted and exciting writers, directors and actors working in Irish, British and World Theatre, such as Peter brook, Deborah Warner, Garry Hynes, Peter Gill, Fiona Shaw and the Finnish director Casper Wrede.

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Tim Miles Tim did his first degree, in English, at Queen Mary, University of London, before going on to complete an MPhil in Playwriting at Birmingham University. He is a highly experienced teacher, having taught over 20 modules, at 5 UK universities. His teaching experience includes delivering modules on Post-war British Drama, American Drama, Theatre Research, and Theatre Practices. He has published in a number of areas including on contemporary theatre in Northern Ireland, the plays of Harold Pinter, and the plays of Gary Mitchell. His current main area of research are comedy and humour. He has published on the relationship between humour and the erotic, and is a member of the editorial board of Comedy Studies. He is currently completing his PhD, on stand-up comedy, at the University of Surrey, having been awarded a doctoral scholarship. A former comedy writer for the BBC, Tim also performs stand-up comedy, and is currently writing a comedy for the stage based on his experiences as a former fund-raiser for the Labour party. Before returning to education, Tim worked in theatre for many years, including at the Tricycle Theatre, the Orange Tree theatre, and the Young Vic. Rebecca Pollock Rebecca Pollock graduated from the BA (Hons) American Theatre Arts programme at Rose Bruford College and gained her MA in English and American Literature from Kent University. In 2004, she co-founded Shady Dolls Theatre Company who have produced a great variety of shows both nationally and internationally. Alongside her work with the company, Rebecca lectures on the American Theatre Arts Degree and the Acting – Part-time at Rose Bruford and is also an Associate Lecturer on the Drama and Theatre Studies Degree at Bath Spa University. Rebecca's specialist areas of interest lie in American Drama but also in Feminist and Queer Performance.

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Sophie Powell Sophie completed a BA (Hons) in Drama and French at Bristol. She trained in physical theatre and clown with Philippe Gaulier and in puppetry at The Little Angel Puppet Theatre. Her work combines professional experience as a performer with teaching for a variety of institutions including Central School of Speech and Drama and Rose Bruford. Her teaching work aims to combine practical and theoretical approaches. Recent workshops have been undertaken for Simply Theatre, Geneva and Big Foot Arts Education. As a performer, her personal practice has focused on devised physical performance, mask, clown and puppetry. Performance credits include Long Nose Puppets (Komedia brighton,The Hawth Crawley ,Tate Britain and extensive tour) Theatre Rotto (River House Arts centre The Courtyard Hereford) The Stephen Whinnery Company (I.C.A, Purcell Rooms, Northern Stage, Chisendale Dance Space, B.A.C, Nightingale Theatre), Face Pack Theatre (regional tour), Proteus Theatre Company (regional tour) Polka Theatre, Improbable theatre; and David Furnham Productions.

Professor Aleks Sierz (Visiting Lecturer) Aleks Sierz is Visiting Research Fellow at Rose Bruford College, and author of the bestselling account of 1990s new writing, In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today (Faber, 2001), as well as of The Theatre of Martin Crimp (Methuen Drama, 2006) and John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger (Continuum, 2008). He is an authority on contemporary British theatre, and co-editor of the Continuum Modern Theatre Guides and of the theatreVOICE website. He works as a journalist, broadcaster, lecturer and theatre critic at large.

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Professor Michael Walling Michael is the Artistic Director of Border Crossings, which he founded in 1995 – www.bordercrossings.org.uk. He has directed most of the company's work to date, including Re-Orientations (a major EU-funded project with artists from five countries, including China, where the piece was also performed), The Dilemma of a Ghost (coproduced with the National Theatre of Ghana), Dis-Orientations (co-produced with Shanghai Yue Opera) and Bullie's House (co-produced with Jiriki Management, Australia). Border Crossings is currently developing a new piece with Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre. Michael studied History at Oxford University. As a freelance director, he has worked all over the world, winning awards for Two Gentlemen of Verona in the US and Paul & Virginie in Mauritius. More recent productions include Handel's opera Xerxes for Houston and San Francisco Opera Companies, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival). Michael directed the ENO's acclaimed workshop productions of Wagner's Ring at the Coliseum and Barbican. He was Associate Director to Peter Sellars on Nixon in China, and to Phyllida Lloyd on The Handmaid's Tale (Canada). Alongside his work as a director, Michael teaches regularly at Rose Bruford College, where he is Visiting Professor, and Central School of Speech and Drama. He has published many books and articles on intercultural theatre and related topics, including editing Theatre and Slavery (Border Crossings 2007) and The Orientations Trilogy - Theatre and Gender: Asia and the West (Border Crossings 2010).

Michael is also the director of Origins: Festival of First Nations (www.originsfestival.com).  

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Mary Lynch

RBC Programme Administration Manager

Mary has worked across both the public and private sectors including: the Microbiology Unit at Lewisham Hospital, a global lift company, a firm of property developers and a higher education college in Clapham where she was Enrolment Manager for five years. Aiming to extend her career in management in higher education, she joined Rose Bruford College in 2008 as Programme Administrator for Theatre Studies. Mary is also the College’s Administrations Manager, with responsibilities for coordinating the administration teams for full and part-time programmes., and managing documentation returns for Registry. Her interests include theatre, cinema and keeping fit.

Sarah Harris Programme Administrator: Theatre Studies Having worked in various environments from police stations, schools and building sites, and undertaken roles in various fields from health and safety, procurement and facilities management, learning support, accounts and administration, Sarah has now joined the Theatre Studies Team at RBC bringing with her a wide range of skills and experience.

Sarah's family keep her busy - she has two boys, two girls, four cats and a dog - but she still finds time for other interests including theatre, musical theatre, cinema, ancient history (Egyptology and Greek Mythology) travel and live music. Sarah professes a keen interest in education and has studied various subjects over the years including finance, ancient Greek, Spanish, belly dancing, DIY, carpentry and plumbing.

Lisa Knightsbridge

Programme Administrator: Materials and Copyright

Lisa is Programme Administrator responsible for the management, updating and delivery of course materials. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Biological Studies which, like many of our Distance Learning students, she studied for part-time. Over a number of years, Lisa has worked for a variety of organisations including corporate, charitable and higher education institutions. Her first introduction to Distance Learning was as a designer of computer-based training for a major UK bank. These courses were delivered via PCs in branches and offices throughout the UK. Lisa enjoys theatre and opera and is an amateur genealogist and understands the joy of keeping the mind stimulated and gaining a deeper knowledge of a subject that interests you.

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Applications

Mary Lynch

Tel. 02083082660

mary.lynch@bruford.ac.uk Programme Administrator Sarah Harris

Tel. 0208 308 2677 sarah.harris1@bruford.ac.uk

College Librarian

Frank Trew

Tel 0208 308 2635 frank.trew@bruford.ac.uk

Registrar

Ruth Bourne

Tel 0208 308 2612

Finance

Olivia Wong

Tel 0208 308 2603 olivia.wong@bruford.ac.uk

Student Adviser

TBA

Tel. 0208 308 2638

Disability Adviser

Ros Platton

Tel 0208 308 2610 ros.platton@bruford.ac.uk

Learning Support

Simon Hopper

simon.hopper@bruford.ac.uk

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“I am passionate about theatre, whether it is acting, directing, watching or just being in a theatre space. I had (and still have) dreams that taking a theatre course would allow me to make theatre an even bigger part of my life. I had been looking for a long time to find a distance learning course that would allow me to continue my day job and study at the same time... but with no success. A like-minded friend spotted Rose Bruford’s Theatre Studies course and having researched the details we both applied.

Even though I thought I had researched the course I have found that it is better than it ever looked on paper.

The modules and the units are interesting and challenging, well laid out and easy to follow. They are backed up by a friendly and supportive team of tutors to help you through any tough moments. The tutors are quick to respond and their goal seems to be to get the best out of you and, importantly, in a friendly manner. Regular contact through e-mails and even phone calls make you feel looked after. The attitude is certainly positive, helpful and encouraging.

This is a real degree course and the assignments are, like the rest of the course, challenging but well directed. The tutor marking is returned to you with a clear explanation of where the marks came from and more importantly suggestions on how to improve or to help consolidate. Everything is geared for support, success and improvement.

The study days or weekends are an extra bonus not only for the variety of course and theatre related activities but for also allowing you to meet face to face with other students and tutors. These have increased my ‘support network’ (along with the email list you can put yourself on so that you can contact other students) for the tough times and have also introduced me to so many wonderful theatre-loving people. I make every effort to attend these.

What is special about this course is that Rose Bruford sets a high value on its distance learning students and openly states this. Whatever it is they do they create a bond and I really feel part of Rose Bruford. Distance student? No, just ‘student’” Cal Campbell Actor/Teacher

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“Through my years in the Royal Navy, and later within industry and as a management consultant, I have always been in some way connected to theatre – whether as an avid theatre goer, performer or director. After my retirement I took the chance to add an intellectual base to that experience by signing on with Rose Bruford. At the age of seventy, studying for a BA was not exactly a means of forwarding my career but - being still involved with theatre as a hobby and in the habit of directing one major show a year in a professional space - the course looked likely to be a terrific stimulus to re-visit what I thought I already knew and a means of greatly adding to that knowledge.

And that is exactly what has happened. The skills and knowledge I already possessed have been immensely honed and enhanced but, more importantly, I have been able to learn so much more. My first year attachment at the Old Vic as part of the Theatres at Work module was, of course, a privilege, but one immensely enhanced by the content of the three other modules I have since completed or am in the process of completing.

Certainly there has been lots of theory, but I have been surprised both at how intellectually stimulating it has been and with its practical value. I have joyfully studied plays in depth - analysing their structure in text and their potential meaning in performance. I have even been taught to appreciate and enjoy opera. My knowledge base and enthusiasm grow with every assignment - in eighteen months I know so much more than I thought possible and have barely started on the journey!

Distance Learning is not the easiest path to take but it suited me and is the only possible way for some. It's the support that counts and I have found communications with tutors and administrators to be very easy. In fact, they are constantly e-mailing me to ensure I'm happy with how things are going. I have met them all during study days at the college - they're even more supportive face-to-face!

There still remains a few years to go but I'm determined to make that BA (Hons) if I can. Wouldn't have missed the experience for anything.�

David Mallet, Management Consultant

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“Taking a degree was a long-held ambition, especially after seeing my children through university. Now I am enjoying a fascinating, inspiring course in a subject I love. As well as widening my knowledge it has enriched my theatre-going – and my life! If you are feeling hesitant, here's my prediction: you will find fun, friendship and the support and expertise of dedicated staff. I don't want it to end!”

Joan Workman, retired teacher.

“I joined the course in its very early days. We were living in Cyprus, and I needed some intellectual exercise to keep up with my wife, an archaeologist who is here surrounded by her chosen subject. I chose theatre, which as an amateur actor /director has interested me all my life by a short head over political science, which would have taught me what (as a British diplomat) I had been doing most of my working life. I was lucky to have a marvellous theatre, the Watermill, near our English home, to study early on. I tried to do two modules a year to start with, but quickly decided that one was enough. There always, even in retirement, seemed to be too many other things going on!

I struggled with Michael Walling over The Social Stage - he is a great, and even inspirational teacher if you have the good fortune to meet him, and I really enjoyed disagreeing with him, as indeed I did with most of my tutors.

The high spots were the annual weekends where we met fellow students and spent hours on after-show discussions late into the night. There were really good lectures to keep us alert. And I made some really good and lasting friendships. …

Three students living here in Cyprus have just joined the course, so it will be great having someone to talk to and moan at. It's well worth finding others on the course to get together with, to go to a theatre together, but it's probably easier in England.”

Jolyon Kay , British Diplomat

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"There's no substitute to learning from the best really, is there?"

Michael Purdy: Teacher/Director

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“The course has allowed me to explore my curiosities, without sacrificing my commitments at home. At a young age I left University prematurely and now I have a full time job. I wanted to pick up where I left off with the studies and this course has allowed me to do that without sacrificing the progress I have since made in my career.

This long distance course challenges me intellectually at the same time as meeting my practical needs.

The modules and units help you stay focused and on track. The units provide the freedom for you to come away from them and carry out your own research if you stumble across a particular area of interest. The units provide solid preparation for the assignments. The modules are well varied and take you through your learning at a steady pace.

Tutors are extremely accessible and always helpful and friendly. Staff at Rose Bruford have supported me at particularly busy times when my home life has provided massive distractions from my studies. Their support has kept me motivated and interested in the course! The passion that the staff and tutors have are infectiouseven if you don't always agree with what they are saying, they are open to a great discussion. Tutor feedback has always been extensive and detailed, and very personalised- this level of feedback has been vital in my learning. Great value for money!”

Doreen Dove

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"The BA (Hons)Theatre Studies made me more aware of the range and variety of spaces in which Theatre can thrive. This allowed me, amongst other things, to convey to my pupils that the theatre experience begins from the moment the audience enters the building" Susan Hunt, Drama Teacher

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“I was looking for a course I could do for my own enjoyment but it had to be something Distance Learning so I could fit studying around working full time. I have always been interested in the theatre and have been involved for a number of years in a local amateur theatre company so enrolling on a course that allowed me to learn more about how it all works seemed ideal. I looked around for a while but Rose Bruford was the only college that offered a subject like Theatre Studies as a Distance Learning option as well as the chance to work towards a degree qualification.

The course itself offers a wide range of interesting modules which you study through a mixture of your own reading and research, exercises, responses from tutors and information provided by the tutors. You have to really engage with the material and be prepared to read around a subject to get the most out of it but if you do that it really is worth it and opens your eyes to the world of theatre in a way you don't get just by watching plays.”

Nicola Dent, Solicitor “The tutors are always there to support students and you should never be afraid to ask for help or to say if you are struggling. Rose Bruford College works hard to create a supportive learning environment for students studying a subject through Distance Learning and I don't think there is another college like it in the country. My experience of the course and what it has done for me already is incredible! I gave gained so much in terms of learning about the theatre, my enthusiasm and interest has turned into an in depth study at a higher level than I have done before. Being led through the structured courses which are so clearly put together is a delight. This has definitely improved my own teaching too. In addition, even though my school cannot help financially, my Head has been impressed with my self motivation and this has led to a promotion. The RBC staff/tutors are very friendly, helpful and supportive and the study days are just the best! There are no negatives, except I wish I'd known about it earlier.”

Heather Leech, Teacher.

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"I started the Theatre Studies Distance Learning (BA Hons) course with a view to becoming a drama teacher in the future but I have found that the interesting and inspiring modules I have studied so far have opened up new possibilities to me; a career in directing, writing or working in the creative department of a theatre now seem very appealing."

Jennifer Wooster

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"I work as an actor/director and have found that, after studying a very practical 3 year acting course, I still had elements of theatre practice that I wanted to study and learn from. Learning about different practitioners from the perspective of the audience as opposed to being on stage gave me new insights when directing. The fact that I can continue to study by distance learning and work to help support myself not only keeps me within the field creatively, but keeps reminding me of all the new areas I can learn from."

Angela Milton, Actor/Director

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"My studies are of course valuable to my career in teaching Theatre Studies. I have used work from my units to enrich KS5 students too."

Gill Garrard, Drama Teacher

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"Rose Bruford is giving me the right guidance that I need to flourish as a writer, inside and outside the theatre world."

Luciana Bajarunas-Veit, Playwright/Writer

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"I am confident that the degree has, and will continue to provide me with invaluable knowledge and skills that will benefit me in the long term. Above all I thoroughly enjoy the course and although challenging, ultimately it is rewarding. I would recommend the course to anyone looking to expand on their skills and knowledge. I will land that dream job one day and I know that I will owe a huge part of that to the course!"

Megan Anthony, Theatre Administrator

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"What I particularly valued was being able to apply my own knowledge and experience gained through my work as a theatre designer to the ideas, issues and assignments that arose throughout my degree. At the same time, my own knowledge and confidence was of course greatly enriched by the process of learning, getting to grips with, and thinking about completely new ideas." ◦ A.D. (Graduate) Theatre Designer

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"I am a much more informed teacher and find that I am teaching what I learn in a small way to children as young as eleven. I am more confident and have a real reason to go to the theatre, another area that influences what I do. I look forward to being able to share more with them as the course progresses."

Debbie Bird, Drama Teacher

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"Running a small children's amateur drama club, the course has made the entire process much more rewarding to myself and the children as I now have a better understanding of methods that can be used to improve enjoyment of performance and the theatre experience as a whole. The information I have gained from just studying 2 modules of the course has given me the confidence to be much more adventurous in the productions I choose for the children, rather than simply relying on my own experience as an amateur actor."

Julie McCarthy, Youth Theatre Director

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"The course has given me so many new skills and so much knowledge that my lecturing continues to be enhanced as I continue through the course. A great way of learning and working. Thank you."

Michele Larkin, Dance/Drama Teacher

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Q: Who do I contact if I have further questions?

If you have further questions concerning the programme and would like to discuss these before applying, please contact Jayne Richards, the Programme Director, on +44 (0) 208 308 2659 or at jayne.richards@bruford.ac.uk Q: Am I eligible for credit exemption?

Students with prior certificated or experiential learning in related areas may be eligible for credit exemption. Please see the forms sent with this e-brochure. To discuss whether you could be entitled to put in a claim, please contact the Programme Director who will advise you.

Q: How do I apply?

To enrol you must complete the application form enclosed with this pack and send it to the College. On receipt of your application, the Programme Administrator will contact you for an informal chat and to arrange a time for your interview which will can undertaken over the telephone. If you are offered a place you will be contacted to discuss your choice of module(s) for your first year of study.

Q: When will I receive access to my Study Materials?

On successful offer of a place, you will be sent a link to your Induction Module and Preparatory Units to allows you to begin work straight away. Applying early means you have additional time to organise your studies in readiness for the start of the new academic year. Your links to Module materials is available in in August/December (depending on your point of entry). Places will be allocated prior to this date. Students joining the programme late may be advised to take fewer modules.

Q: How do I pay my fees?

Fees are payable via the online shop. Please see the additional information sent this brochure regarding fees and payments. If you have any questions concerning methods of payment please contact Olivia Wong (Finance Department) on +44 (0) 208 308 2606 or at olivia.wong@bruford.ac.uk

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Q: Am I eligible for funding?

Some applicants will be eligible to apply for Government loans – please contact your Local Education Authority and ask about funding for part time higher education courses.

Q: Do I have to attend classes or events at the College?

There are no obligatory events but you will be required to participate in online seminars and some assessments involve online presentations. There is an Induction Day for all new Theatre Studies students in the autumn each year and a Study Weekend in the spring. You will also be able to attend the College’s annual Symposium, special guest lectures, master classes and performances, details of which will be sent to you. These events provide an ideal opportunity for you to make contact with your fellow students, meet tutors and staff, and to see the College.

For further information please contact: Programme Administrator: Theatre Studies, Rose Bruford College, Lamorbey Park, Burnt Oak Lane, Sidcup, Kent, DA15 9DF Tel: +44 (0) 20 8308 2660 Fax: +44 (0) 20 8308 2628 Or E-mail: sarah.harris1@bruford.ac.uk (Programme Administration) Website: www.bruford.ac.uk The information in this pack is correct as at October 2012

Rose Bruford College is a registered Charity Number 307907 and exists to provide training in theatre and related arts

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