Elevate is a practical, skills-building programme from acta Community Theatre for socially engaged theatre-makers and artists. Selected workshops are also open to people working across creative and community disciplines.
This workshop will explore:
The workshop is suitable for anyone who works with groups to develop stories, not just theatre practitioners. Writers and other storytellers may also find it useful.
The workshop takes place at acta’s theatre, accessed via five steps, with a lift available. An accessible toilet is also provided.
acta can offer a range of access adjustments, including on-site wheelchairs and walkers, accessible parking, free tickets for carers or companions, sighted guiding and large-print materials.
For access requests, including anything not listed above, please contact rosa@acta-bristol.com.
If cost is a barrier, acta may be able to help with attendance. Contact rosa@acta-bristol.com to discuss options.
Young Creatives is a friendly place for people ages 13 – 17 to explore all things ‘behind the scenes’ at a theatre! This is an opportunity to try new things, make new friends, and see shows together.
Workshops are entry-level and will be a mix of creative and social sessions with fun crafts, games and activities. There will also be workshops in some of the following areas:
The Northern Stage team and guest artists will give you a basic introduction to each of these areas, with an opportunity to try an activity in each discipline.
Applications are open throughout the term but may close if spaces are filled.
Young Technicians is aimed at young people aged 15-19-years-old who are interested in getting to grips with lighting, sound and stage management in a variety of indoor and outdoor settings. The course runs over a twelve-week period in the Autumn here at Lighthouse Poole.
Led by James Smith, Technical Manager of Lighthouse Poole and Production Designer & Technical Director of our pantomime, you will be given the chance to see what goes on behind the scenes of this year’s show, Jack and the Beanstalk, working alongside all technical departments during the run-up to opening night.
You will have the opportunity to take part in masterclasses led by industry-leading professionals with hands on sessions covering all elements required to deliver world class live entertainment.
Takes place November 2026 - February 2027
Creative Steps funds the professional, business and organisational development of artists who have experienced barriers to careers within the arts.
Creative Steps for Individuals is for supporting career development, and NOT for creating new work or project delivery. For example, creating artwork to sell online would not be applicable but working with a mentor to develop your painting skills would be.
We want artists to identify exactly what they need to progress and professionalise their artistic career, and to remain open to exploring different ways of doing this with our support.
We recognise that everybody’s needs are different and that professional development varies from individual to individual. However, these are some of the things that your application could include:
When completing the budget, you should include the following:
We expect all applicants to pay freelancers the standard industry rates as a minimum. If people are providing their time in-kind, we would need to know why and have this confirmed in a letter of support from them.
The Open Fund for Individuals is one of Creative Scotland’s key funding programmes, supporting the wide range of activity initiated by artists, writers, producers and other creative practitioners in Scotland. The overall annual budget for this fund is £5 million.
The fund is intended to support periods of research, development and/or delivery of creative activity, such as specific projects and productions for up to 24 months. It can support an individual’s time where this is related to specific creative outcomes.
We will ask you to tell us the start and end date for this activity and to describe the outcomes, benefits and impacts that you wish to achieve.
Freelance and self-employed artists and creative practitioners living in Scotland who are at least 18 years old are eligible to apply. You must have a UK bank account in your name.
If you are not a self-employed individual or a sole trader, you may be eligible for the National Lottery Open Fund for Organisations.
Please read the guidance for full information on eligibility.
You can apply for between £500 and £50,000.
As standard, if your application request is between £500 and £20,000 you will hear the outcome in 10 weeks. If your application request is between £20,001 and £50,000 you will hear the outcome in 14 weeks.
Please see above for details of our 25/26 Christmas closure and the effects it will have on our processing timelines.
Mountview’s one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Stage and Production Management is designed for those looking to enter the profession with limited theatre experience, consolidate existing training, or progress to the next stage of their career.
The course particularly welcomes career-changers and graduates from a wide range of academic backgrounds who have developed an interest in stage and production management through university drama societies, amateur theatre, or other practical performance-making experiences. It is also well-suited to applicants who have already undertaken relevant training or built-up industry experience and are seeking further professional practice, a recognised postgraduate qualification, or the opportunity to strengthen and refine their skills within a conservatoire-style environment.
Students work in a fast‑paced, professional production setting, engaging with a broad range of productions while developing essential practical, creative, organisational and critical thinking skills. The programme balances hands-on production work with theoretical and professional development, preparing students for a sustainable career in the creative arts.
The Diploma offers a clear route to increased employability and professional progression. For those already working in the industry, it provides the opportunity to deepen expertise, expand professional networks, and move forward with confidence into more advanced roles.
COURSE CONTENT AND DELIVERY
This is a one-year full-time vocational course and is ideal for students who wish to develop their experience and skills in management, theatre production arts or technical theatre through practical work in professional theatre environments.
The course is delivered through:
The course is taught by Mountview’s resident team of tutors, alongside industry professionals who work alongside the students on productions. Previous guest tutors have included professionals from Punchdrunk, Hamilton, The Globe and National Theatre.
This 2-year, part-time MA is a creative and challenging exploration into the power of socially engaged arts. We aim to develop the next generation of cultural leaders and interdisciplinary theatre practitioners. Graduates will lead the way in providing meaningful, inclusive arts experiences that address social, political and educational issues in a broad range of settings.
The course offers a holistic programme that invites creative reflection on the power of storytelling for social transformation. Students address complex issues in critical and creative ways, considering the role of arts in education, migration and exile, health and building communities. You’ll engage with course learning through practical exploration, collaboration, group discussion, independent study and reflective practice.
Delivered part-time, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, including professionals working in youth, community and/or education settings as well as performers looking to develop and diversify their practice.
VISITING AND GUEST PRACTITIONERS
In addition to the core Mountview team, students work with visiting lecturers and practitioners from a range world-class organisations. These include Turtle Key Arts, Punchdrunk Enrichment, Complicité, Clod Ensemble, Unicorn Theatre, Clean Break, Theatre Peckham, Candoco Dance Company, Brixton House, Wales Millenium Centre, Tate Modern, Glasshouse Theatre and Access All Areas.
Topics covered by visiting lecturers are varied and include:
Students are supported to discover placements for their independent research projects based on their specific interests and emerging ideas and practice. Recent partnerships include Newham Children In Care Council, Little Fish Theatre Company and Tropical Pressure Festival, among others.
COURSE CONTENT AND DELIVERY
There is one day of in-person teaching each week, with one additional Friday and Saturday each term.
Throughout the course students develop skills in critical thinking, facilitating, devising, leading, producing, discussing and teaching creatively and imaginatively. Study involves workshops, lectures and seminars as well as independent collaborative and solo practice/research. Students are assigned weekly reading materials to digest course themes and engage in learning through independent study.
Reciprocal and collaborative learning is embedded into course practice. Students are provided with opportunities to design and lead practical workshops for one another, to bring topics for facilitated discussion with their Course Leader and to choose areas of focus for specific assessments, based on their interests and experiences.
Practical areas of study include collaborative and ensemble techniques, forum theatre, arts for wellbeing, devised theatre, inclusive and trauma informed practices, arts and money, decolonial feminist approaches, facilitating in multilingual and multifaith spaces, and ethics in artistic practice.
Students gain practical experience running workshops in schools, both in Peckham and further afield – previous locations include Spain and Nigeria.
Students engage in a wide range of texts such as Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks and Theatre for Living: The Art and Science of Community-Based Dialogue by David Diamond.
Assessments are varied and include essays, talks, education packs, presentations, and workshop samples.
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.
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.
