This course draws on the influential theories and techniques of the great French acting teacher Michel Saint-Denis, training the expressive body, voice and imagination. Working with some of the greatest dramatic texts ever written students are asked to consider what they mean now.
Four key periods of innovation and transition in Western theatre are examined: Greek Tragedy, Chorus and the Neutral Mask. Clowning and Commedia dell’arte. Shakespeare and the English Renaissance. Stanislavski, the Method and ‘Realist’ Theatre.
Students are encouraged to understand the demands of both art and craft, as participants in, and practitioners of, these theatrical traditions.
This course integrates acting, dance, movement, singing and spoken voice within a framework of relevant theory and research, in order to train students to a professional level. Specialist lecturers and professional artists deliver classes and workshops that complement Central’s experienced teaching staff. Emphasis is placed on acquiring and practising skills through creativity, collaboration and performance within all aspects of music theatre. Imagination and creativity are valued, and are explored from many different perspectives.
Where students demonstrate skill and interest, there are opportunities to create original work and to pursue related activities, such as composing, writing, choreography and acting with instruments.
These courses offer specialist, vocational teaching in the field of movement for actors and production practice for movement directors. Bespoke movement placements at Central and in other professional theatre settings, such as other conservatoires, or theatre, opera or film organisations (both in Britain and internationally), are a key part of the course.
There are opportunities for the development of individual movement specialisms and their application to the work of actors. Tradition, experience, eclecticism and innovation epitomise Central’s understanding of movement training for the theatre, and these unique courses have been created in that spirit.
This course combines intensive movement-based studio practice, collaborative facilitations, seminars, and a shared research unit with other MA students which creates a learning environment that encourages personal exploration, collaboration and critical reflection.
The Sesame approach is underpinned by Jungian psychology and draws together Laban movement, play theory, Billy Lindkvist’s work with movement with touch and sound, and a mythopoetic approach to the psyche.
There is also the opportunity for immersive practice in the key subject areas of Laban movement, myth, movement with touch and sound, and drama. This is allied with studies in developmental and analytical psychology, specifically the work of Jung.
The group process is central to the student experience and supported by a weekly session across the first three terms that explores interpersonal dynamics between members and draws from group analytic theory.
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.
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.
This course provides an opportunity to explore applied theatre via one of two specialist pathways: Drama in the Community and Drama Education or Drama and the Criminal Justice System. Each pathway is designed to support current practice at work, or a particular field of interest in applied theatre and drama.
Students will develop their own practice and scholarship, learn key practices in applied theatre, engage with new ideas in the field, undertake project-based study examining specific professional work with a range of client groups, or specialise in working with people whose lives have been affected by the criminal justice system.
The course receives substantial support from The Leverhulme Trust. This unique funding of over £138,000 a year for the next three years (from 2019) is specifically to enable both MA and BA applied theatre students to undertake projects and placements in the UK and abroad.
As an active participant in the MA or MFA Advanced Theatre Practice, you will:
Participate in workshops with leading professionals;
Learn to research and extend your own practice;
Launch a company, make new work, and take this to an audience beyond Central;
Extend the roles of performer, director, writer, designer, dramaturg, puppeteer, musician, artist, or creative thinker in new and unexpected ways;
Build on the tradition of theatre-making as a communicative medium of exchange, i.e. through working with digital media.
This course does not train actors, but develops a practical understanding of what it is to act, enabling graduates to work as actor trainers and coaches, drama and theatre practitioners, and directors of actors. Students are introduced to the principles and practices behind the training, education and support of actors and performers developing their practice.
Teaching methods include tutorials, group seminars and workshops. Practical sessions are designed to enhance understanding of acting processes and skills in pedagogy, together with associated study of contemporary issues of performance including theatre, film and television.
These courses provide the opportunity for students to develop the core competencies and skills of the dramatist and scriptwriter, to explore their own ‘voice’ and develop their confidence as dramatists and scriptwriters, and to appreciate the specific media contexts within which professional writers work.
Key features are:
• Practice-based enquiry into techniques and processes for writing for stage and screen
• A series of scriptwriting projects to engage with different styles and formats of production
• Associated study of writing techniques and issues of performance in relation to theatre, cinema, television and other relevant contexts.
The Voice courses at Central are nationally and internationally renowned, giving a specialised education in the study and practice of the spoken voice. These courses are for graduates of appropriate disciplines who wish to follow a career in voice teaching and who seek specialised study and practice in voice and speech.
• Study with internationally renowned voice tutors and professionals
• Learn pedagogical skills for the teaching of voice on this world-leading course
• Network with actors, accent coaches, speech therapists and singers and undertake education and industry placements.
