Site-specific theatre engages with the history, atmosphere and architecture of a location to inspire performances which are unique to that specific place.

The first course of its kind in the UK, Mountview’s MA in Site-Specific Theatre is created and led by Geraldine Pilgrim, a leading practitioner in the creation of site-specific theatre.

Aimed at practitioners with a fine art or theatre and performance background, this one-year practical course encourages artists to diversify their skills and explore their creative limits.

A maximum of six students are accepted each year.

GRADUATE DESTINATIONS

Previous students have gone on to devise their own performances and create their own companies since graduating, and have also worked with companies and artists including Dante or Die, Dash Arts and Dream Think Speak.

COURSE LEADER AND GUEST PRACTITIONERS

The course is led by Geraldine Pilgrim, a leading practitioner in the creation of site-specific theatre, who has been making site-specific performances and installations for over 20 years. Her work has utilised sites including empty office blocks, schools, hotels, swimming pools, factories, hospitals, stately homes and public parks.

Students also benefit from sessions with professional practitioners from an eclectic range of theatre and performance backgrounds. In the past this has included specialists in Commedia, lighting, sound, movement in space, ASMR, animating objects, immersive game theatre, writing for performance, design, AR/VR, and creative producing.

The course structure includes:

• Salons, seminars and masterclasses

• Site visits

• Practical realised projects

• A UK or international site residency

With a strong emphasis on learning through practice, the training covers practical skills and creative realisation as well as theoretical and methodological investigation.

All modules are compulsory and there is continuous assessment as well as submitted essays, journals, presentations, realised exercises and performances.

Each student undertakes a work-based learning placement with an artist or company and is matched with a professional practitioner to provide mentorship on their final performance.

SHOWCASE

A major focus of the course is for students to create and realise site-specific performances throughout the year, with technical support supplied by Mountview.

There are four creative opportunities throughout the year:

• In the first term, the students jointly create a collaborative site-specific performance

• A Directing Exercise in which each student creates and directs their own site-specific work performed by fellow students.

• A week-long residency in either the UK or Italy, at the end of which students collaborate on a performance responding to the residency site.

• Practical dissertations and final show. Students are supported with a budget and full production team to conceive, direct and design a fully-realised site-specific performance.

Previous locations for work have included HMP Holloway, Alexandra Palace, Aylesbury Learning Centre, Rye Lane and Archway Whittington Hospital.