Courses

Central’s BA Acting (Collaborative and Devised Theatre) is in creative partnership with international touring theatre company, Complicite. This innovative and rigorous actor training, emphasises the creation of new theatre that embraces a multicultural and multidisciplinary methodology with diverse student groups and celebrates the creative potential of collaborative processes alongside development of the individual actor.

Technically skilled and creatively inventive ‘makers’ are an essential part of any production team, sensitive to the stylistic intentions of the designer and director. The training will principally be in theatre, but these skills are widely transferable to different environments, including television, film and major live events.

The course develops practitioners with a strong sense of direction and identity, and an ability to think conceptually. From the first year you undertake speculative design projects that will challenge and test ideas in a broad range of performance contexts, from text-based drama to opera, dance, site-specific performance and installations, under the guidance of professional directors, designers and choreographers.

On the Drama, Applied Theatre and Education (DATE) course, you can:
Perform in, direct and devise theatre, explore performance that takes place outside traditional theatre environments. Make theatre to change lives and inspire change in communities. Build industry contacts worldwide through placements and outreach projects. Develop skills in areas such as facilitating, devising, directing, performing, playwriting and filmmaking.

Studying on the Experimental Arts and Performance course, you will:
Experiment, explore and create new forms of performance.
Develop critical skills to investigate, theorise and make new performance.
Produce work in professional environments.
Undertake projects with national and international arts organisations and practitioners.

Our joint emphasis on practical as well as aesthetic development gives you the opportunity to create highly innovative lighting design. The training includes practical projects in Central’s well-equipped studio and performance spaces, alongside a rigorous investigation of the design process and visual communication.

As a student on the Production Lighting Course, you will learn to plan, rig, focus, plot and maintain lighting and video rigs for theatre and other live shows. You will also have opportunities to develop management skills that (along with your practical skills) will help you position yourself at the forefront of the industry on graduation.

The Prop Maker will work with designers and directors to produce bespoke items for individual requirements. It is rare to make the same thing twice, so the Prop Maker has to be ingenious, quick-thinking, explorative, dexterous, enjoy problem solving and have a love of materials and all things three-dimensional.

The role of scenic artist requires excellent artistic skills, combined with the ability to work independently, or as part of a team, accurately and to deadlines, meeting design specifications agreed with the set designer or art director. On the Scenic Art specialism you will gain experience of working in a wide range of materials, textures, scenic finishes and effects enabling you to interpret the design to the level of finish expected by contemporary audiences.

The Set Construction for Stage and Screen course is ideal for students seeking a creative arts-based career, including an interest in building with wood and metal.

Explore the possibilities of one of the most rapidly evolving of specialist theatre disciplines, working with tutors who are active professionals, and state-of-the-art equipment.

You will learn hands-on skills and techniques that will prepare you for a career in theatre production; whether you are aspiring to become a multi-skilled theatre maker, or build specialist abilities such as rigging, prop sourcing, technical drawing or show-calling.

On the course you will work with a variety of high profile writers, arts practitioners and directors, encountering a diverse range of innovative performance practices that use writing for performance in different ways.