Your course will be delivered at Derby Theatre, a fully equipped, professional theatre and major live performance venue, allowing you to gain valuable industry experience and contacts as you learn.
This contemporary theatre and performance programme will develop your theatre and performance skills such as acting, directing and devising for your career as a professional theatre artist. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to showcase your work and you may be involved in performances regionally, nationally and internationally.
This dynamic and exciting theatre arts programme is taught by practising professional artists with expertise in their own fields. Built around process, experimentation and risk taking you will encounter a range of practices to explore and develop theatre making and performance skills. An exciting part of your studies will be the professional work experience within Derby Theatre or partner organisations which will contribute to the development of your professional portfolio. You will take part in a number of public performances across your years of study and in a variety of venues, including main house and studio theatre spaces, off-site in the community, schools, and art centres.
This two-year course provides a broad foundation for those wanting to work in the performing arts and related industries. It includes training in audition skills for those wishing to progress to drama school or performing arts courses in higher education.
The course is run as a theatre company, providing you with hands-on opportunities to develop a wide range of performance skills and experience of industry working conditions. The theatre company performs in a variety of venues including Strode Theatre, our Studio Theatre, Dance Studio and local community venues.
University and career progression
You could progress to a range of performing arts degree level courses.
Former students have progressed to drama schools and other higher education institutions including:
This course can be combined with other courses to make a full programme. It goes well with any subject but particularly works well with Art or Media based subjects and English and Humanities courses. In the first year you will complete an AS level.
This courses allow you to combine practical performance with theoretical work, based on studying set plays and their stage history. The course has a practical feel and will be largely taught in studio spaces. It is delivered over two years and combines the study of one set play, alongside the performance of one scripted piece and one reinterpretation of an existing text, plus two further performance pieces, one scripted and one devised, and the study of two set texts.
Assessment is by practical performance and written coursework (60%) and written examination (40%).
What topics will I study?
You will:
We offer a wide range of theatre trips to a variety of venues across the year. We ask that students have an open mind and attitude and learn to appreciate theatre and performance in a range of forms, styles and genres. We also invite professional theatre practitioners to come into College and provide both practical and theoretical workshops in order to enhance the learning experience.
This course offers extensive training in contemporary and jazz dance techniques, acting and singing. We also teach you about the performance industry and the opportunities that are available.
You will take part in five assessed performances over the year in front of an external audience, as well as having the exciting opportunity to audition for a full length musical, with students previously performing Les Misérables and Sweeney Todd.
Our teachers are industry professionals who are passionate about the subject and will continually push you to be the best performer you can be. If you are looking for a lively, engaging and creative course, Performing Arts is the perfect choice for you!
This course is available as:
Drama & Theatre combines the study of practical performance with the history and social context of theatre. It is the study of a range of practitioners and acting styles, as well as reading and analysing plays. It also includes learning about stage-craft and stage management skills in set design, lighting and sound.
Studying this subject will enable you to explore the history and social context of theatre and play texts. It will challenge you practically and academically and you will develop your own performance skills, which can be transferred to a variety of career paths and opportunities.
Join us for this challenging and rewarding A-Level that combines academic and practical skills, while developing your performance, analysis and critique of theatre. You’ll develop and perform classical and contemporary text extracts and create your own original devised piece of theatre.
On this course you will explore your textual and performance analysis abilities and practical performance skills to increase your understanding of how theatre works, and to develop you as a performer and director.
In the first year of the course we explore different styles of theatre and you will have the opportunity to develop both your analytical and research skills as you study the contexts and themes behind key dramatic texts. You will explore these through practical workshops, leading to your own written reports and performance presentations, which demonstrate your practical ideas and ability.
In your second year you will create and perform your own piece of devised theatre, and perform your final chosen text extract to an external examiner. Both of these projects will be supported by a 3000 word piece of coursework. You will watch and evaluate live theatre and analyse two set texts in preparation for your final examination at the end of year 2
The course will help you develop your subject specific skills related to performance and the theatre, as well as various transferrable academic and personal skills.
On this course you will have the opportunity to go on a number of trips. In the past we have seen productions in Brighton, Chichester and London and had tours of Shakespeare’s Globe and the National Theatre. Students have also done workshops at the Globe as well as with Frantic Assembly.
Are you passionate about theatre? See yourself as a future director, performer, playwright, deviser, stage manager, scenographer, workshop leader or producer? Our exciting and innovative mix of theoretical and practical modules will enable you to try out all of these roles and then focus on your career aspirations.
Visit the theatre in Scotland and you will probably see the work of a QMU graduate. Whether you see them performing, hear the words of their script or view their artistry as director, scenographer or producer, they are building a successful and exciting career in drama thanks to their time at QMU.
