Creative Producing, MA/MFA

Course information

Duration
MA, one year, full-time / MFA, two years, full-time.
Course start
October
Award
Master of Arts in Creative Producing (180 credits); Master of Fine Art in Creative Producing (240 credits)

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About this course

As a student on the MA/MFA Creative Producing programme at Central, you will:

  • Real-world creative producing opportunities to develop knowledge and skills
  • Networking through placements with leading theatre and arts organisations, masterclasses and industry mentors
  • Student-led collaboration with writers, actors and designers on other Central MA/MFA courses

What is a Creative Producer?

The entrepreneurially skilled and culturally literate producer works in dialogue with artists to create performances and festivals, run venues and companies, manage projects, raise funds and investment, and negotiate commissions.

Central graduates have become successful producers, among them Sir Cameron Mackintosh, a name synonymous with Britain’s global pre-eminence in musical theatre, and David Jubb, whose pioneering work at Battersea Arts Centre characterises the vibrancy and originality of London’s contemporary fringe, or ‘off West End’ scene.

Opportunities on the course

The courses offer real-world creative producing opportunities within Central’s production calendar and with extensive industry partners, enabling you to build on your existing practice. These skills are in ever-increasing demand in a competitive production environment.

You will undertake masterclasses in producing with key industry leaders and innovators and take an active role in the organisation of events, productions and projects, underpinned by a solid critical understanding of the cultural industries and creative producing skills, relevant theory and current research in the performance field.

While learning, you will also gain a career head start by building a vital network of industry and peer contacts.

Who is the course suitable for?

These courses are suitable for:

  • experienced stage managers or production managers who wish to develop as creative producers
  • those already engaged in creative producing activities who wish to extend their knowledge in the field
  • business graduates with an interest in performance arts applications
  • experienced theatre or performance artists or graduates who wish to produce their own work and gain entrepreneurial skills
  • arts graduates who wish to instigate or curate the work of others.

The MA is for those with existing arts practice who wish to develop relevant knowledge and expertise, creative entrepreneurial and project management skills and become part of Central’s extensive network of industry collaborators.

A vocational, industry focused course

The MA and MFA have been developed in consultation with leading industry partners to provide a vocational course where you can apply your learning through a diverse range of practical projects. Central is involved in many external collaborative projects, so in addition to its own production activity and commercial theatre connections, its pioneering work in circus and site-specific theatre means excellent connections to a wide range of alternative theatre forms.

Embracing the challenges of creating a sustainable business is a core part of the course and Central is proud to have been recognised by the prestigious London Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Education Trust (CET) for its entrepreneurial activity.

Accordion

  • Course Detail

    On the MA and MFA, you will engage with the same core subject matter. In the first year of the MFA, you will join MA colleagues for most of the year, undertaking professional creative producing projects to develop your understanding of:

    • publicity, marketing and fundraising
    • business modelling and innovation
    • authentic leadership and effective teamwork
    • audience development and engagement
    • theatre production and tour management
    • festival curation and organisation.

    In the fourth term of the MA, you undertake a Sustained Independent Project (SIP).

    The MFA extends into a second year to apply and interrogate further specialist subject skills. You have the opportunity to develop sustained experience in the field, working closely with members of the related industry to establish yourself as a professional practitioner. You are encouraged to specialise in one or more directions building on the learning of the first year.

    The MFA second year widens the opportunities to practise knowledge within a context and framework where pertinent questions can be asked, protocols tested and new structures suggested. You will undertake tutorials and seminars. These can be via Skype or virtual seminar facilities if your attachment is outside the UK.

    You will gain a range of experiences both through Central’s extensive professional contacts and personal networks developed in the first year. In negotiation with the course team, you may use your own work-based learning on attachment, or with organisations in the field.

    In negotiation with the course team, you may use your own work-based learning on attachment, or with organisations in the field. An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.

    Assessment

    This is through formats used in the relevant industries and in academia, e.g. individual and group pitches to industry panels, business plans, online presentations, conference presentations, productions, case studies, reflective essays, reports, reviews and written submissions, and a substantial personal portfolio or dissertation.

  • Entry Requirements and Admissions

    You should normally have an undergraduate degree in a relevant field, (drama, theatre or performance studies, for example, but other areas such as economics, politics or business studies are also relevant); applications from students of other disciplines will be considered. All applicants will be expected to have had practical experience in theatre related areas and/or arts management. Applications for the accreditation of prior experience in lieu of academic entry qualification will also be considered where appropriate. An offer will normally only be made after interview/audition.

    An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA or PGDip in this subject is also available.

    We particularly encourage applications from groups currently under-represented in higher education, such as students with disabilities and members of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups. Find out more information on Central’s commitment to equality and diversity.

    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 through the English Language Requirements page. 

    Interviews

    If you are selected for an interview for a place on the Creative Producing, MA/MFA course, you can expect the following:

    Prior to your actual interview, applicants will be required to submit two things:

    • a 3 minute video (created on your phone is fine) which tells us all about you and what’s led to your interest in producing and about your influences, both artistic and entrepreneurial. They don’t need to be from theatre, they are whatever inspires you!
    • a document (PDF preferred) with images of just two or three highlights of your work to date.

    The interview process will be online and will normally start with a small group task for the first 30 minutes which models the way in which we learn on the course. It’s a chance for you to get to see if you like the way we work too. After this, the course leader will meet with each of the applicants individually, for this you might find it useful to have examples of previous work available to talk about.

    Please be aware that there are a limited amount of places so apply early

    The interview process will also give you an opportunity to find out more about the course and the School.

    For further information see the How to Apply section.

    International Applicants

    Central regularly welcomes students from all over the world – and we are proud to have a large network of alumni working internationally.

    Visit our International Students pages for advice and information on studying at Central and living in London, if you’re not a home applicant.

    There is no formal application deadline for our MA courses. Applications are assessed, and places offered on courses, on a rolling basis, and applications are closed when a course becomes full. Therefore, you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

  • Industry Links & Opportunities

    • Southbank Centre
    • London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT)
    • Prague Quadrennial
    • Roundhouse
    • Battersea Arts Centre
    • Hampstead Theatre
    • Artsadmin.

    It shares good practice internationally with Amsterdam Theatre School, Utrecht Theatre Faculty and Theatre Faculty Prague, as well as working closely with Stage One, the registered charity working with the commercial theatre industry to develop new theatre producers.

    Producing Roles

    Recently students have undertaken producing roles at:

    • Southbank Centre
    • LIFT
    • Les Enfants Terribles
    • Neil Eckersley Productions
    • Headlong
    • The Vaults
    • National Theatre
    • English National Opera
    • Orange Tree Theatre
    • Royal Opera House
    • Paines Plough
    • Roundhouse
    • Camden People’s Theatre
    • Secret Garden Party
    • Block9
    • Glastonbury Festival
    • Kate Morley PR
    • AKA
    • Mobius Industries
    • Soho Theatre.

    New industry links are constantly being forged through our growing alumni, e.g. Sarah McBriar (graduated 2014) was Central’s first CET award winner, who created the AVA Festival, an electronic music festival in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter with audiences of over 4,000 in 2016.

    • Recent Graduate Employment

      Graduate employment and career pathways include:

      Corporate Development, Old Vic Theatre, Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

      Producing Assistant, Headlong, Donmar Warehouse, Playful Productions.

      Production, National Concert Hall Dublin, Theatre Glastonbury.

      Manager, Jersey Boys.

      General Manager, Neil Eckersley Productions.

      Producers, The Old Vic New Voices at Finborough Theatre, Southwark Playhouse, Theatre Royal Windsor, InTransit Festival, London.

      Publications Coordinator, Pleasance Theatre.

      Marketing, Kenny Wax, AKA, Farnham Maltings, Paines Plough, Chats Palace.

      Establishing production companies including two Stage One Bursary Winners, Crow and Elk productions, Robert Bradish Productions, Szpiezak Productions and award winners Papatango and Sew theatre companies.

      Producers for companies including Engineer, Rhum and Clay.

      Management of venues including The Garage Norwich, Marlowe Studio, Marlowe Theatre and Stone Nest in London’s West End.

    • Notable Graduates

      Notable graduates of this course include:

      Chris Foxon (2012) Producer of the Papatango Theatre Company, who won the National Theatre Foundation Playwright Award and received a BBC Theatre Fellowship.

      Hilary Elk (2013) Producer, Formed Crow and Elk Productions with Skype Crawford in 2013 and in 2014 awarded Stage One Bursary.

      Sarah McBriar (2014) is the Creative Producer and Founder of both AVA Festival and Up Productions Ltd. In 2014 she won the CET Entrepreneurs Award.

    • Recent Visiting Professionals

      • Sunita Pandya (Deputy Director of Producing and Presentation, Southbank Centre)
      • Julius Green (author, West End Producer)
      • James Pidgeon (Deputy Director Shoreditch Town Hall)
      • Tim Jones (Head of Strategy, Future City)
      • James Bierman (producer)
      • Rafe Beckley (Open Book Theatre Management)
      • Steve King (Social Business)
      • Jo Danvers (Jo Danvers Co)
      • Marcus Davey (CEO, Roundhouse)
      • Katie Harper (SOLT/Stage One)
      • Eva Liparova (Brand Strategist and Theatre Maker)
      • Georgina Bednar (Producer, No Ordinary Experience)
      • Neil Adleman (Theatre Lawyer/ Partner, Harbottle & Lewis)
      • Greg Ripley-Duggan (Producer and CEO, Ripley-Duggan Partnership)
      • Sarah Nicholson (Executive Director, Orange Tree).

      Project Mentors

      • David Jubb (Director, BAC)
      • Tamsin Ace (Head of Festival programme, Southbank Centre)
      • Fran du Pille (Producer, Headlong)
      • Jodi Myers (Jodi Myers Projects)
      • James Seabright (author, West End Producer).
    • Tuition Fees, Bursaries and Scholarships

      Tuition Fees for 2024 Entry

      MA/MFA Year 1 Fee

      UK (Home) students: £11,550*
      Overseas students: £22,050

      Please note that there may be additional costs that you need to incur as part of the training for the course.

      Full information is available on the Tuition Fees and Additional Costs page.


      Bursaries and Scholarships

      Central offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. If you are holding an offer for a place on a course then you will be invited to apply for a bursary or scholarship.

      *If you are a UK student but already hold a qualification at the equivalent or higher level to the one that you are applying for, then you may be classed as an ELQ student and be required to pay the same fee as an overseas student.

    Student Feedback

    “Gaining access to industry professionals, showed me the ever-growing importance of a producer in the industry today and how it stretches beyond budgets and spreadsheets alone. My time at Central opened my mind, heart and soul to infinite possibilities surrounding my practice that I could never have imagined before – best decision ever.”

    Mohamad Shaifulbahri

    Graduated 2016, Founder and Artistic Director of Bhumi Collective, which produces work in the UK and Singapore.

    “The course provides the time and space to develop a unique producing identity through research and practice. It facilitates collaboration and relationship building; I met renowned industry professionals at the forefront of the field, and equally important, developed relationships with my creative producing peers.”

    Robert F. Brandish

    Graduated 2013, winner of Stage One Bursary in 2014, Independent Producer and Development Director for Orchestra Vitae.

    Staff On The Course

    Jessica Bowles is an academic and knowledge exchange practitioner, currently RCSSD’s Project Lead for ‘StART Enterprise’ (2020-2022)

    Jessica Bowles

    Course Video

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