Mountview is currently the only UK drama school to offer Directing, Dramatic Writing and Producing as three distinct, specialised pathways within a single, unified Creative Practice MA framework. The course is designed for multi-hyphenate practitioners who are excited by collaboration and meeting the demands of the twenty-first century creative industries.
By bringing directors, writers and producers into one ecosystem, the course mirrors the professional world by fostering creative partnerships through shared engagement with modes of collaboration, creative enterprise, dramatic structures and critical contexts.
Students on the Dramatic Writing pathway develop an in-depth knowledge of dramatic structures and the core competencies for writing across different forms and styles. The course develops an understanding and critical awareness of current practice through engagement with industry practitioners and academics. You will be mentored by award-winning playwright Roy Williams OBE (Death of England National Theatre, Sucker Punch Royal Court), who oversees aspects of the course as Distinguished Visiting Artist.
The course concludes with the opportunity to put your learning into practice through the staging of a public facing, fully-realised festival of new work. VIEW Festival allows students to develop their pathway specific skills while also collaborating closely with the Producing, Directing and Performance students.
Our MA Creative Practice graduates leave with an established network of industry contacts and prepared for high-impact careers as Playwrights, Screenwriters, Dramaturgs, Directors, Creative Leaders, Theatre Makers, Artistic Directors, Commercial and Independent Producers and Venue Leaders.
STAFF AND PRACTITIONERS
The Creative Practice teaching team is led by Hamish Pirie and Dawn Ingleson as Joint Course Leaders, alongside Roy Williams as Distinguished Visiting Artist. Dawn worked extensively at the National Theatre as a creative producer and has also taught at LSBU, while Hamish’s directing credits include work at the Royal Court, Donmar Warehouse, Paines Plough and Traverse Theatre. Roy is a multi-award winning writer whose credits include Death of England: The Plays (National Theatre), The Lonely Londoners (Kiln and Jermyn Street Theatre) and Sucker Punch (Royal Court, Olivier Award nomination).
In addition to working alongside the core teaching team, MA Creative Practice students also benefit from industry masterclasses specific to their pathway, led by the world’s most prestigious creative powerhouses. Recent MA Creative Practice sessions have featured:
Illuminate Drama Teacher CPD Day is back for its fifth year on the South Coast!
Join us in person for a full day of inspiring workshops, featuring exciting opportunities to meet and talk with theatre education specialists, industry professionals, and fellow drama teachers.
This year we will have three workshops throughout the day that will each take a deep dive into different practices over the course of two hours. You will get to partake in all the following workshops:
Workshops will take place across both of our venues: Mayflower Theatre and Mayflower Studios.
There will also be the exclusive opportunity to see Blood Brothers at Mayflower Theatre for an additional £20 to round off a theatrical and inspiring day!
Please note spaces are limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis. Payment must be made before Friday 19 December 2026 otherwise your place will be released.
Join In Good Company for this one-off online workshop on embedding creative access for performance, led by Stopgap.
This session puts access at the heart of artistic practice and invites artists, producers and creatives to explore how access can enrich the creative process from the very beginning, expanding practice and breaking down barriers for audiences.
Drawing on Stopgap’s experience developing the award-winning production Lived Fiction. Whether you’re just beginning or looking to deepen your work, this session offers fresh perspectives and approaches to access and making performance work.
This event will be BSL interpreted.
Please email In Good Company if you have any access requirements they can accommodate at: igc@derby.ac.uk
Date: 8 July
Time: 11.00 - 13.00
Location: Online Zoom
Mountview produces over 25 in-house productions each year in our state-of-the-art theatres, giving students on the FdA Stage Management course a vast array of learning experiences.
Stage managers are the glue that holds a production together. Their many responsibilities include running communication across all creative and technical departments, acting as a right hand to the director, overseeing sets, props, lights, and sound, and calling all technical cues during performances.
Mountview is internationally recognised for the quality of its Musical Theatre training and produces at least 8 large-scale musicals in-house every year, providing Stage Management students with extensive experience of the musical format.
Mountview also offers a 1-year BA (Hons) Top-Up in Stage Management, which offers a greater depth of study to those with previous experience.
COURSE CONTENT AND DELIVERY
The Stage Management Foundation Degree is a full-time, two-year course designed to equip students with the core skills and professional experience needed to launch a successful career.
With 30 contact hours per week over 36 weeks each year, the course offers a blend of practical training, real-world experience, and industry engagement. Students are taught by Mountview’s resident team of tutors, alongside visiting professionals. Previous guest tutors have included professionals from Punchdrunk, Hamilton, The Globe, the Royal Opera House and the National Theatre.
From the second term of the first year, students begin working on Mountview’s public productions in our main theatre spaces. These productions are delivered to professional standards, providing students with the opportunity to collaborate closely with professional directors, choreographers, designers and technical teams from across the industry.
Throughout the course, students receive in-depth skills training and take part in practical projects and specialist masterclasses designed to consolidate their learning. Career guidance and individual support are embedded in the programme to ensure that graduates are well-prepared to enter the industry with confidence.
In addition to in-house productions, students will undertake work placements with external organisations, gaining valuable hands-on experience and building a strong network of professional contacts. Previous placements have included Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Shakespeare’s Globe, Wilton’s Music Hall, the National Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Cabaret and the Barbican.
Please note that involvement in Mountview’s productions includes evening and weekend work, reflecting the schedule and demands of a professional theatre environment.
The BA (Hons) Top-Up is open to Mountview students currently studying on the FdA course, as well as non-Mountview graduates with relevant qualifications and experience from another technical training provider.
Mountview also offers a two-year Foundation degree (FdA) which provides fast-track training,
Mountview produces over 25 in-house productions each year in our state-of-the-art theatres, giving Stage Management students a vast array of learning experiences.
Students take on practical show roles in Mountview’s in-house productions, with responsibilities including:
Stage managers are the glue that holds a production together. Their many responsibilities include running communication across all creative and technical departments, acting as a right hand to the director, overseeing sets, props, lights, and sound, and calling all technical cues during performances.
Mountview is internationally recognised for the quality of its Musical Theatre training and produces at least 8 large-scale musicals in-house every year, providing Stage Management students with extensive experience of the musical format.
COURSE CONTENT AND DELIVERY
The BA (Hons) Top-Up course is designed for students who have completed a foundation degree or equivalent in a technical production discipline. With at least 30 contact hours per week over 36 weeks, the course offers intensive, hands-on training in a professional environment.
From the start, students will take on senior technical roles in Mountview’s public productions, working closely with professional directors, choreographers, designers and technicians. Students will gain experience in senior Stage Management roles, while continuing to develop a broad range of technical skills. All learning is rooted in practical experience, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and adaptability.
Alongside production work, students complete an extended research project in their chosen area of interest, submitted at the end of the course.
Elevate is a free nine-month development programme for socially engaged theatre-makers and artists interested in working creatively with communities.
Designed for people with some experience of community-based creative practice, the programme brings together a cohort of ten participants for monthly workshops, practice exchanges and peer support sessions. Participants will explore participatory theatre methods, develop their own ideas, build professional networks and learn from experienced practitioners.
The programme also offers mentoring, access to creative space, social enterprise training and opportunities for future collaboration and employment.
Applicants can apply in writing, audio or video format, outlining their experience, what they hope to gain from the programme, and the communities or ideas they are interested in exploring.
Please send your application to oliver@acta-bristol.com by Monday 13th July 10am.
Please email any queries regarding the scheme or application process to oliver@acta-bristol.com
Join us for our annual roundtable Q&A with Stage Management professionals moderated by Lloyd Trott.
The panel will discuss their varied careers and different stage management pathways from film production, live events, West End stage management and more.
RADA hosts Stage Management Journeys in honour of RADA Technical Theatre & Stage Management graduate and long-standing National Theatre Stage Manager, Trish Montemuro.
Your ticket will include a networking reception where Stage Management items from the National Theatre archive items will be on display, including Stage Management bibles, show reports, prompt scripts and programmes highlighting the work of Trish Montemuro and Richard Eyre.
After the event you will also have the opportunity to see the amazing work of our current Technical Theatre Arts students in the annual Costume and Production Exhibition.
With special thanks to Satoko Yamaga Macdonald.
Work In Theatre is an opportunity to explore, hear more about and take part in workshops about the hidden areas of theatre that people often do not know exist.
Through a variety of workshops, guest talks and practical opportunities, the group will explore areas of theatre which may include:
From Page to Stage – Directing
Audience & Outreach – Marketing
Running the Show – Stage Management
Technical Stagecraft
Character through Dress
Production Design Workshop and more!
Attendees will also see Wicked the Musical during the week on Wednesday 12th August 2026 at 2:30pm.
Bursary spaces available for those who may find price a barrier to accessing this workshop. Please email kitmiles@atgentertainment.com for more info on bursary and discounted spaces. For any further questions please email WestEndINSPIRE@atgentertainment.com
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is the organisation that underpins the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Its core aims are to support participants, assist Fringe audiences and celebrate the Fringe and what it stands for all over the world.
As an open membership organisation, we're always looking for new and diverse voices to join the conversation and help shape the future of the Society.
Membership costs £5 a year to cover administration costs and members are responsible for electing the Board of Directors, adopting the accounts and appointing the auditors each year. By choosing to become a member of the Fringe Society, you play a significant role in one of the world’s most incredible arts festivals.
Membership to the Fringe Society is annual and runs for 12 months from the point at which you join. Before your membership expires we will remind you to renew your membership so you can continue to make a contribution to the Society.
The founding principle at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – to be an open-access arts event that welcomes anyone with a story to tell and a venue to host them – still guides the work of the Society today.
It’s our policy that no single individual or committee determines who can or cannot perform on the Fringe.
The Society was formed in 1958, in recognition of the fact that more and more performers were coming to Edinburgh despite not being included in the Edinburgh International Festival programme. Its earliest tasks included providing information to artists, publishing the Fringe Programme and creating a central box office. In 1969 the Society was incorporated as a limited company and its constitution published.
Unlike many other festivals, our constitution celebrates the fact that the Society does not vet the Fringe Programme. That means we have no artistic director and that the programme is shaped by the initiative and vision of performers willing to showcase their work here.
In this course, we look to the future. Theatre can take place in front of large audiences in dedicated performance venues, but it can also happen all around us – on the street, in community centres, in prisons and schools. When done well, theatre can have a transformative impact on individuals, communities and society. And you can be part of that.
Focussing on the emerging trends and innovations of 21st-century theatre and performance, we will teach you the building blocks of performance making, whilst supporting your ability to develop highly creative, challenging and impactful work.
You will engage in collaborative group performances throughout the course, allowing you to specialise in what you enjoy the most. You might choose to focus on acting, building your confidence on stage, perfecting your characterisation and portraying that character through performance. You could opt to work in pre-production, playwriting or script writing, or even scenography, designing sets and scenes that bring your production to life.
Head to the link to read more!
