MA Theatre and Performance Design

at University of the Arts London

Unit 1: Methods    

You will investigate and form a distinctive view of the discipline by using creative research skills.    
 

• Research skills will be supported by seminars setting out the field and parameters of research in this area to develop a critical awareness of the landscapes of cultural production  

• You will create speculative design proposals using established industry tools to convey design ideas   

• The project will be structured to emulate a professional commission and require you to apply and test your research interests  

• You may also take part in a collaborative project with your peer group. This will end in a short, realised performance (live or virtual)  

• Opportunities to explore technical software to promote idea-generation, problem solving, communication and dissemination  

 Unit 2: Practice    

You will develop practical research methods to facilitate design proposal ideas.  
 

• Research methods will assist you in identifying the practical means necessary for bringing a proposal to completion through collaboration with other theatre professionals     

• You will focus on the relationships between different theatre skills when addressing a specific narrative     

• Creative research skills will help you focus on specific areas of enquiry that challenge the discourses identified in the field of practice   

Unit 3: Collaboration    

This unit will develop your collaborative practice. You will build ideas, proposals and events with other theatre and performance makers and produce an ensemble design with peers.   

The unit will extend the scale, scope and ambition of your practice and ideas.  
 

• Outcomes will be presented in the form of drawings, sketches, an optional 3D scale model and/or any appropriate digital form, prototype models and/or any appropriate form of evidence  

• You will focus on the critical scope of your practice to identify an area of personal research and interest. This research focus will be the foundation for a Final Design Project in unit 4. It may also inform the subject for a final creative research skill project in the form of a dissertation  

• You will be encouraged to investigate and, where possible, establish a partnership with an appropriate professional mentor   

• Crits, peer review and active dialogue will help the development of your practice and research 

Unit 4: Realisation    

You will complete a self-directed Final Design Project which has been explored through research during previous units.
 

• You  will refine a principal area of exploration that motivates the final design project and then construct appropriate ways to present it   

• The final project will be  realised  and exhibited in an agreed  professional  format,  that may also include any other work produced throughout the year  

• You  will produce an advanced,  scholarly piece of research as a dissertation   

• If established,  your  professional mentor may assist and critique the ideas for  your  Final Design Project, monitor  your  progress at a mid-stage, locate its significance within the wider research field and provide an industry-based reaction  on  its effectiveness 

• Your Final Design Project may be realised using an appropriate practical  experiment. Documented  evidence of this and any other preparatory work will be a key component  in t he presentation  of  your Final  Design Project 

Note: 120 credits must be passed before the final unit is undertaken.

The standard minimum entry requirements for this course are: 
 

• BA (Hons) degree or equivalent academic qualifications 

• Alternative qualifications and experience will also be taken into consideration 

• Personal statement 

• Portfolio of work 

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

APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning 

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

• Related academic or work experience 

• The quality of the personal statement 

• A strong academic or other professional reference 

• A combination of these factors 

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

English language requirements 

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

• IELTS level 6.5 or above, with at least 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking

Home fee
£11,550

International fee
£23,610