East 15 Acting School’s BA Stage and Production Management course is a practical-based professional training that prepares you for careers in a range of production and technical roles in theatre, events and related creative industries.
We emphasise learning through practice and you are part of a creative production team from early in the course. Based at our picturesque Loughton Campus, our proximity to London means you will be able to keep up-to-date with the latest technical innovations in one of the world’s greatest theatre capitals. Our specially equipped Unit Four building is complete with workshops, an IT suite and seminar rooms – the perfect environment for learning your craft!
We want you to learn, grow and succeed as managers in the music, theatre and entertainment industries.
In your first year, you develop a deep understanding of business, management, marketing and how to apply these skills in the theatre, entertainment and music industries. During second year, you start to specialise by taking on work which reflects your own personal career ambitions. You produce and deliver significant commercial events and products. You also gain experience of managing people and projects. We teach you how the contemporary global entertainment industry works and enhance your understanding of how digital software enables theatre, music and events managers to succeed. In your third year, you go on an industry placement and experience the front-line realities of business. Then, in your final term, we help you to bring all of this learning together so that you are fully prepared for the start of the rest of your entertainment, music and theatre industry career.
We want you to be able to create meaningful drama and theatre for, with and by different communities.
Recognising that theatre can be more than entertainment, you focus on the potential of drama to educate and bring about social change. You develop core skills as a theatre practitioner, while gaining practical experience of working with people from diverse backgrounds and understanding the social issues that affect them. You leave as a confident and innovative facilitator and director with the knowledge and skills to work across the spectrum of applied theatre and community drama.
The Post-Graduate Certificate (PGCert) in Performance Teaching is a Masters-level course designed to support professional musicians, actors, production artists and dancers who teach as part of their practice, either as their main employment or as part of a portfolio career.
In association with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
This Masters programme allows composers and writers to focus on how new opera is created, developed and performed. Part of an exciting partnership between Guildhall School and the Royal Opera House, the programme centres around the creation of a 25-minute chamber opera which is fully staged in Milton Court Studio Theatre.
The programme admits three composers and three writers each year. During an initial induction module, students pair up into composer-writer teams. Each team develops a short opera scene, before going on to create full chamber operas. Two smaller projects allow you to follow your own creative pathway: in poetry, prose, dramatic or film script (writers), and in vocal or instrumental/ electronic works (composers).
The programme focuses on the collaborative nature of opera making, and each composerwriter team is supported by collaborative mentoring. Students also take part in one-to-one tutorials, production seminars and creative development workshops.
Led by Julian Philips, Head of Composition, Stephen Plaice, Writer-in-Residence, and Laura Bowler, composition professor, teaching is enriched through regular seminars with visiting professionals from the opera world including conductors and directors, singers and instrumentalists, designers and stage managers.
The programme collaborates closely with Guildhall’s award-winning Opera Department, led by Dominic Wheeler, with Guildhall opera singers forming the cast for the chamber operas created by composer-writer teams.
Practical experience of opera during the year is hugely augmented by the programme’s association with the Royal Opera House, which provides opportunities to see productions in rehearsal and performance, and to meet and network with key resident and visiting practitioners.
The Masters in Music Therapy aims to develop students’ musicianship and personal potential, and equip them with the knowledge and skills to work as a registered music therapist.
On this programme, students gain experience working with adults and children alongside qualified music therapists on placements in a variety of settings including special and mainstream schools, and with people who experience:
- Mental health problems
- Dementia
- Learning disabilities
- School exclusion
- Communication delay
- Autism
- Acquired brain injury or stroke
- Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties
During the programme, students must undertake a minimum of 40 hours of individual personal therapy as a requirement from the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). This is an additional cost not covered by the tuition fees (funding support is available - see our Postgraduate Funding page for more information).
Mountview produces around 26 plays and musicals in theatres across London, the UK and internationally each year, giving Stage Management students a vast array of learning experiences.
We offer three training levels: a two-year Foundation Degree (FdA) which provides a fast-track training and a three-year BA (Hons) with greater experience. For students with previous experience who are looking to formalise their skills and develop industry contacts we also offers a one-year Diploma specialising in stage management.
Our vocational, hands-on course has seen graduates go on to work with many diverse companies including National Theatre,
London Olympics/Paralympics and Matilda The Musical.
Our practical training runs with a minimum of 30 hours per week, 36 weeks per year. It begins with workshops covering core skills in all areas of production arts with training from experienced industry professionals. Students then move quickly on to practical show roles in stage management.
Stage Management training covers:
Prompt book and show calling
Creative research including period-specific work
Working with pyrotechnics and blank firing weapons
Co-ordination and project management
Cueing to music
Prop making and sourcing
Stage managing musicals, classics and new writing
Working at some of London’s leading theatres
Designed for professional performers from all genres of dance looking to transition in their careers, the programme envisions the dance producer as a driving force to develop and shape the performing arts industry.
Learning from industry professionals, small and select cohorts will be equipped to take advantage of commercial and artistic opportunities and tackle complex challenges. Placements within dance and theatre organisations will develop their knowledge and skills in creating, producing, engaging audiences, marketing, business, finance and management. A strong emphasis on work-based learning through placements and projects will enable students to put their knowledge and skills into practice while building networks in the industry.
The programme was developed in collaboration with 25 industry partners, who represent the best of the artistic vibrancy of dance today, which has resulted in an ever growing pool of prospective placement providers from all areas of the field. This includes dance companies, independent dance artists, producers, and choreographers who work in a range of genres including ballet, contemporary dance, hip hop, music theatre, film and television. Based in artsdepot, students have access to two professional theatre spaces in which they can produce and stage work.
