The Level 2 Performing Arts course is a practical qualification assessed on work created for performance projects and supported by developing a knowledge of the industry and career routes.
You will begin your journey with our theatre company by developing your performance skills culminating in a live performance to a public audience in November of dance and dramatic pieces. You will develop performance skills as you continue your journey working towards a solo showcase and begin exploring progression routes within application materials, reflecting industry practice.
You will then explore crucial styles, terminology and approaches within dance. Alongside this you will also continue developing acting and performance skills by staging an adaptation of a classical text which reimagines the work for a modern audience. You will complete your work with our theatre company by creating an original piece of performance for inclusion in the end of year week-long Festival celebrating performing arts.
Throughout your studies you will explore the wider industry, employment opportunities, progression options, including wider job opportunities in backstage, production and theatre management. You will also have the opportunity to widen your skills working front of house and backstage on performances and events to further improve your experience.
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.
Are you thinking about going to drama school? Want to be an actor? Maybe you have ambitions to work in production or set up your own theatre company one day. If this sounds like you, then dont miss this opportunity to forge ahead with your ambitions. This course develops your talent, extending existing skills in order to prepare you for a career in a variety of media, including theatre, screen and creative technologies.
You will take part in skills classes in acting, voice and physical theatre as well as drama workshops, rehearsals and productions. There will be many opportunities to perform a range of scripted plays on stage in a variety of theatre styles. Youll also develop skills and techniques in acting for the camera by creating short films that will be screened in front of a public audience.
You will be involved in devised and scripted drama ranging from the varied realms of contemporary theatre to classical texts. You will create performance work in a range of styles and contexts and reflect upon your developments and learning in a digital portfolio. You will work collaboratively, creatively and reflectively throughout the course.
In addition you'll benefit from trips to Shakespeare's Globe, the West End and regional theatres to see examples of theatre practice and benefit from tours, talks and professional workshops. 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.
This course provides an exciting opportunity to study and perform a wide range of theatrical styles, practitioners and texts, from Ibsen’s ‘Hedda Gabler’ to contemporary plays such as ‘That Face’.
You will work in specialist facilities to understand how playwrights are influenced by contextual factors such as society, economics, culture and politics. Design and staging techniques are also studied to gain the essential theatrical skills required to create your own dramatic work for an audience. Devising within your first year is student-generated and collaboratively directed, with teaching to support you creating a vibrant and original piece of theatre.
You will be practically assessed on group and monologue or duologue scripted work, carefully selected by your teacher. You will experience live theatre and learn the essential skills to analyse and evaluate the techniques employed by professional theatre companies. Ultimately, you will assume the role of director and generate an overall concept for a modern production of a classical text.
The Extended Diploma in Performing Arts allows you to choose a unique pathway which is tailored to your existing skills and those you wish to develop further. This course will appeal to talented and versatile performers who wish to study on a flexible study programme to suit their own individual requirements.
This is a highly practical programme which allows for study over a variety of disciplines.
The course includes:
Acting units will focus on works by different practitioners, including Brecht, Stanislavski, Berkoff, and Shakespeare, as well as the application of techniques such as physical theatre, voice-over acting, devising and interpreting texts, commedia dellÕarte, and character development. You will also train in directing performances, for those who wish to create their own company.
