Technical Stage Management student on some mixing decks, blue overlay

Production Arts (Technical Theatre & Stage Management)

Foundation Degree

Study Production Arts (Technical Theatre & Stage Management) at University Centre Leeds

Launch your backstage career with our Production Arts Foundation Degree specialising in Technical Theatre and Stage Management. This course will train you in all aspects of lighting, sound, video, and stage management.

AC Entertainment Logo

 

Our amazing facilities are sponsored by AC Entertainment Technologies ensuring you will be trained on the latest equipment with brands such as ETC, Allen & Heath, Chroma-Q, and Martin Audio installed in our 200 capacity venue.

 

An exciting partnership with Leeds Heritage Theatres means you will be trained by industry professionals during lessons in venues such as City Varieties Music Hall and Leeds Grand Theatre getting hands on with lighting, sound and flying systems.

Leeds Heritage Theatres

 

You will work alongside professionals and other students from The School of Creative Arts and Leeds Conservatoire collaborating on a variety of events and productions.

Launch your backstage career with our Production Arts Foundation Degree specialising in Technical Theatre and Stage Management. This course will train you in all aspects of lighting, sound, video and stage management.

Our amazing facilities are sponsored by AC Entertainment Technologies ensuring you will be trained on the latest equipment with brands such as ETC, Allen & Heath, Chroma-Q and Martin Audio installed in our 200 capacity venue.

An exciting partnership with Leeds Heritage Theatres means you will be trained by industry professionals during lessons in venues such as City Varieties Music Hall and Leeds Grand Theatre getting hands on with lighting, sound and flying systems.

You will work alongside professionals and other students from The School of Creative Arts and Leeds Conservatoire collaborating on a variety of events and productions.

  • Starts:
  • Duration: 2 Years Full Time
  • Venue: Quarry Hill Campus
  • Fee: £9,250 full-time (per academic year for UK students)
  • UCAS Course Code(s): W453
  • UCAS Institution Code: L21
  • Study Mode: Full Time
  • Validated By: Luminate Education Group

Entry Requirements: 48 UCAS Tariff Points

TYPICAL OFFER

UCAS Tariff Points: 48 UCAS tariff points from two A-levels (or equivalent qualifications), one of which must be in a relevant subject

A Levels: 2 x D grades one of which to be 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 

T Levels: Acceptable in a relevant subject

GCSE English: English Language grade 4 or above. Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Literacy are accepted in place of GCSEs.

GCSE Maths: Maths grade 4 or equivalent. Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Numeracy are accepted in place of GCSEs.

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)

Interviews / Audition: A successful interview is required

References: An appropriate reference required either UCAS or internal Luminate Education Group reference.

production student in front of mixing screen

Production Arts (Technical Theatre & Stage Management)

The course is designed for enthusiastic, hands-on, creative people who are looking to start a successful career in technical theatre and events and stage management.

The course has been designed alongside our active industry partners to provide an extensive range of production skills to ensure you are highly employable by the time you graduate.

You will have full access to our state-of-the-art sponsored facilities in Leeds’ cultural quarter and spend significant time on industry placements. You will apply your skills and knowledge on collaborative projects gaining professional experience whilst also developing a varied portfolio of work and in-depth knowledge of the production arts industry.

Students will attend lessons in the Quarry Hill Campus and in Leeds Heritage Theatres (City Varieties Music Hall and Leeds Grand Theatre. Additional sessions will also be delivered at Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Conservatoire’s The Venue, Prime Studios and EPH Creative’s base at Thorpe Arch.

This course is validated by Luminate Education Group

Luminate Logo

How To Apply

If you would like to apply for to study full time, please do so via UCAS.

The institution code for University Centre Leeds is L21.

The application fee for applying through UCAS is £27.50.

Apply via UCAS

If you are a student currently studying at Leeds City College, Keighley College or Harrogate College and if all of the following applies:

  • you do not already have an application with UCAS
  • you only wish to study your full time undergraduate course with University Centre Leeds
  • should you be successful in your application and enrol onto this course, you agree to us submitting a record of prior acceptance (RPA) application to UCAS on your behalf 

Then you can make a direct application via the following link: 

Internal Students - Direct Application Form

For further information in regards to this please email admissions@ucleeds.ac.uk

Course Information

Year 1 (Level 4)

You will work toward 120 credits over 5 practical modules that will allow you to develop a range of skills. The modules include:>

  • Industry Certificates (15 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.
  • Technical Theatre or Stage Management Role (40 credits)This collaborative module requires you to undertake technical production duties on at least two major projects in the lighting, sound, video or Stage Management department.
  • The Production Professional (15 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.
  • Installation Realisation (20 credits) – This module provides an opportunity to collaborate with our Design Realisation students to create an exciting interactive installation working safely and developing good risk management paperwork.
  • Sustainability Investigation (30 credits)This contemporary module provides you with the knowledge to improve production practices and the confidence to suggest changes to wider industry.

Year 2

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

  • Extended Industry Placement (20 credits)To ensure you are exposed to contemporary production practices and professional working relations you will undertake an extended placement with a professional company.
  • Personnel Project (20 credits)An opportunity for you to explore a theme or develop very specific production skills on a project of your own choosing.
  • Project Management (20 credits) Refine your skills in working safely and leading a team by taking responsibility for an event or project.
  • Production Realisation (60 credits)
    This module requires you to undertake significant production duties on at least two major projects. You will apply the skills, knowledge and personal attributes needed to ensure the success of a collaborative project.

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.

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

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.

TYPICAL OFFER

UCAS Tariff Points: 48 UCAS tariff points from two A-levels (or equivalent qualifications), one of which must be in a relevant subject

A Levels: 2 x D grades one of which to be 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 

T Levels: Acceptable in a relevant subject

GCSE English: English Language grade 4 or above. Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Literacy are accepted in place of GCSEs.

GCSE Maths: Maths grade 4 or equivalent. Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Numeracy are accepted in place of GCSEs.

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)

Interviews / Audition: A successful interview is required

References: An appropriate reference required either UCAS or internal Luminate Education Group reference.

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

For the latest version of the programme specifications for this course please click here.

For the latest version of the course handbook for this course please click here.

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.

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Book your place

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