Our ethos is really important to us; we are here as artists and practitioners, creators, thinkers and learners, here to encourage your development, understanding and appreciation of theatre and drama as powerful tools in the examination of human interaction, and to help you respond in a personal and creative way. We are a department of collaboration, creation and innovation and you will be involved in the lively artistic life of the College as a ClassAction practitioner. Everyone will always be encouraged to find their own unique artistic voice as a practitioner.

The course demands practical, creative and communication skills in equal measures. You will be expected to extend your ability to create drama and theatre, either in a performing or a production role. You will write about drama and develop your powers of analysis to become an informed critic. The course will involve taking part in productions as well as studying plays, playwrights and theatre practitioners.

The teaching is done using a variety of approaches designed to suit different abilities and learning styles. Our staff work closely together and operate a team-teaching approach for practical units to encourage the widest range of creativity.

We want to ensure you become who you want to be musically and can make your living working with music, whether performing, creating or producing or a combination of these.
The course helps you develop your skills in popular, contemporary and commercial music and equips you with the essential business skills to succeed. You’ll develop a broad range of skills across performance, composition, song writing and production.

You get your music in front of an audience through frequent gig nights, regular festivals and industry showcases. Aside from the business, you also learn how to match your music with an audience. You can collaborate with students from other courses, for example: recorded and live sound, lighting design and management students.

This intensive, full-time course focuses on combining the three disciplines of acting, dance and singing in order to create the all-round performer.

You will be continually supported as you extend your technique in a range of styles and will be given the opportunity to take part in a number of public performances, some that you may audition for and others that you will automatically be cast in as part of your course.

You will also be taught the skills you need to pass auditions so that you can continue your training at one of the top conservatoires or universities in the UK.

We take the best young performers in the North West and help them to develop the skills that allow them to progress on to the most prestigious conservatoires and universities in the UK.

This intensive, full-time course focuses primarily on acting and drama, along with additional classes in dance and singing technique

You will be continually supported as you extend your performance skills in a range of styles and will be given the opportunity to take part in a number of public shows, some that you may audition for and others that you will automatically be cast in as part of your course. We often take some of these shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

You will also be taught the skills you need to pass auditions so that you can continue your training at one of the top drama schools or universities in the UK.

91% of students who apply, gain places at accredited dance and drama schools.

We take the best young performers in the North West and help them to develop the skills that allow them to progress on to the most prestigious drama schools and universities in the UK.

Entertainment is one of the largest industries in the UK with a wide range of careers spanning:

This varied industry includes a wide range of specialities including sound work, lighting design and programming, AV design, stage management, set design and prop making.

Production Arts is the ideal course if you are looking for an exciting creative and technical career working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.

You will be taught by industry professionals and will benefit from our outstanding facilities, gaining hands-on experience in our state-of-the-art hub theatre as well as external venues. The course is designed for students of all ages and abilities – we just ask you have a passion for the industry.

This two-year course has a 100% pass rate, is equivalent to three A Levels and successful completion will provide you with the same UCAS points to enter university.

UCAS Tariff – Earn up to 168 UCAS points for university entry Spotlight on Production Arts booklet cover 1st Choice College in the area logo. Source: Vector Rankings 2022

On this course, you will explore an exciting range of styles including tap, ballet, jazz, street and contemporary (including Graham, Cunningham and Limon technique). Dancers will also discover their creative voice through choreography and improvisation workshops.

We have exciting opportunities for dancers to participate in including:

HSDC is proud to be working in partnership with the University of Winchester to support our Performing Arts students with masterclasses, audition preparation, collaboration projects and progression opportunities.

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