Production Lighting, BA

at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Year 1: Introduction to professional lighting practice
 

• Through sessions and workshops in Central’s studio and theatre spaces, you will build your confidence and ability to plan, rig, focus and programme lighting.

• Develop a solid foundation in health and safety management, safe working with electricity and working at height.

• Collaborative exercises and individual 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 key roles 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 specific industry sectors that interest you, and build on your experience through taking on senior roles in larger projects at Central, and/or through 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 you will benefit from Central’s unrivalled relationships with the lighting industry, including numerous alumni and other practitioners working in the theatre, live event and concert touring/festival sectors.

Our standard academic entry requirements range between 120 and 64 UCAS tariff points. You can see how many tariff points your qualifications would gain on the UCAS Tariff Calculator. International qualifications and others not covered within the UCAS tariff can also be accepted. Please email us if you need further clarification.
 

Please note that we make lower offers (including unconditional) to exceptional candidates and those who have alternative or prior experience to offer. All candidates invited to interview are asked to bring a portfolio. Interview and portfolio are key factors in determining which applicants are accepted on to the course.

English Language Requirements

Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to prove their English language proficiency by gaining an overall score of 7.0 in an IELTS test. We do accept equivalent English language qualifications. Applicants are advised to gain this certification as early as possible and more information can be found

The fees for Production Lighting, BA  may vary from £20,000 to £35,000 annually for tuition fees. The fee's prices may get higher for International Students.

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.