Production Arts (Technical Theatre & Stage Management) Foundation Degree

Year 1 (Level 4)

You will work toward 120 credits from a mix of mandatory and optional modules that will allow you to choose your pathway through the course. The modules may include:>

Mandatory modules

The Production Professional (20 credits) – This module will introduce you to what it is to be a production professional by introducing you to the breadth of roles and career opportunities within the production arts, and then ask you to consider your own professional trajectory.
Professional Development Industry Certificates (20 credits) – This module is achieved by completing and reflecting upon a range of professional training activities to show competence in the workplace. You will identify courses that will enhance your CV, such as First Aid at Work, a H&S qualification, Mobile Elevated Work Platform training, Pyrotechnic Safety etc.

Optional pathway modules from which you would choose a total of 80 credits

Technical Stage Operations (40 credits)
This collaborative module requires you to undertake technical production duties on at least two major projects in the lighting, sound or video departments.
Stage Management Roles (40 credits)
This collaborative module requires you to undertake stage management duties on at least two major projects working as assistant stage manager or in the props department.
Stage Electrics (20 credits)
This module will give you a secure grounding in electrical principles, wiring, soldering techniques and electrical safety. You will apply your knowledge designing and managing electrical distribution for a live event. You will consider the regulatory processes impacting this work.
Touring Production (20 credits)
Through studying this module you can develop an understanding of touring operations, broadening your production skills.

Year 2

You will work toward 120 credits of mandatory modules that allow you to focus on an elected production specialism.

Sustainability Investigation (20 credits)
This module will ask you to carry out research into sustainable production practices and present a new model of working for the industry.
Extended Placement (30 credits)
To ensure you are exposed to contemporary production practices and professional working relations you will undertake an extended placement with a professional company.
Freelance Employability Skills (10 credits)
This module will introduce the legal, financial and contractual nuances of employment in the industry ensuring you have the knowledge needed to thrive as a freelance practitioner.
Production Realisation (60 credits)
This module requires you to undertake significant production duties on at least three major projects. You will apply the skills, knowledge and personal attributes needed to ensure the success of a collaborative project.

Benefits/ Skills you will develop

The focus of the course is producing highly employable graduates ready to step straight into an industry desperate for creative, practical staff with the right skills, knowledge and attitude.

We have consulted with local, national and international employers to discuss their requirements and the roles available to early career technicians and creatives; we have reflected on the input of contemporary freelance practitioners about the challenges of entering the workforce and designed your course with employability at the heart of everything you will do.

Other benefits include:

Study a range of practical, academic and industry-focused modules
Explore and develop a range of specialist skills
Build your confidence through assessments that mirror real industry practices
Experience working within professional environments
Delve into contemporary technical and design practices
Engage with local production companies, artists, venues and suppliers
Create a professional portfolio of work and training certificates
Build a strong network of contacts
Organise and carry out a live external collaborative projects with other students

The course is structured around live collaborative projects to ensure you understand the mechanics of the production arts sector and have the creative and transferable skills to navigate and operate within it.

Assessment

Our assessments draw on a range of skills to reflect the activities of a typical industry employee.
Ideas and research are assessed through a presentation as well as written and practical outcomes.
Creative practice and practical outcomes are the chief component of assessment on the course. The Production Realisations require practical bodies of work that demand creative stamina and technical accomplishment. Reflection and evaluation are important in self-directed learning and development, reflective journals feature in all the collaborative production modules and allow you to document your progress.

Assessment methods may include:

Portfolio
Reflective journal
Project observations
Interview
Research presentation
Live events
Live production

Entry requirements

Typical offer

A Levels:
2xD grades one of which to be in a relevant subject
T Levels:
Pass in a relevant subject
BTEC L3 Diploma or Extended Diploma:
MP, MPP grade in relevant subjects
Access to HE Diploma: Overall pass with 60 credits, with 24 credits to be at a Merit grade in a relevant subject

IELTS:

IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any component.

International qualifications:

International qualifications will be assessed against these criteria

Mature applicants:

University Centre Leeds welcomes applications from mature* applicants who may not have met the academic criteria, but who can demonstrate a wealth of experience in their chosen field. Candidates in this category and otherwise are likely to be interviewed to assess their suitability for the course and may be asked to provide a portfolio of evidence to support their application.
*21 years and over at the start of the course

RPL claims:

The course structure actively supports claims for Recognition of Prior Certified Learning (RPCL) or Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL)

DBS:

A DBS may be required depending on your placement setting.

What's next

The course prepares you for a range of roles in a variety of areas, dependent on your own areas of interest and career aspirations. It allows the development of a strong body of contemporary work which may lead to work in the industry or further study, as well as many freelance or community projects and directives.

Students may wish to progress internally on to planned BA (Hons) delivered in association with Leeds Conservatoire, onto a PGCE course, or externally on to other creative BA programmes or teaching qualifications.

Job opportunities may include:

Venue Technician
Touring Technician
Costume maker
ASM/DSM
Wardrobe manager
Prop maker
Scenic Artist
Set builder
Freelance creative
Arts Administrator
Creative Project Management

Where is the course delivered

Students will attend lessons in the Quarry Hill Campus.

The Quarry Hill Campus was completed in 2019 and houses the professionally equipped Chroma-Q Theatre, construction workshop, costume room, mac suite and recording studios. The BLANK_Gallery on the ground floor, HE library and technical services centre are all areas of support and enrichment for your course found at this campus.

Sessions will also be delivered at Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Conservatiore’s The Venue, Red Ladder’s Albion Works, Prime Studios and EPH Creative’s base at Thorpe Arch.

Additional costs

Students are expected to have their own safety boots. Additional costs may be required for creative materials as well as resources such as books, journals or memberships for personal research. Commuting to work placements may result in additional costs.

Local opportunities and trips are often subsidised, but optional national and international trips would require additional funds.

A DBS may be required depending on your placement setting.

Foundation Degree Production Arts (Technical Theatre & Stage Management)

Job opportunities may include: