Get on course for a future in theatre
HNDs/ HNCs
Many of the most respected theatre courses are not degrees. After a performing arts BTEC, Rachel Hartland, stage manager at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter, did a two year stage management course at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. “I came away with an HND in technical theatre,” she said “but it was the course that was important, not the qualification”.
Shorter than a degree course, taking a full-time HND will probably mean studying for two years. A part-time HND takes longer, as your studies will be more spread out. An HNC will take one-year full-time, or longer on a part-time basis.
In common with foundation degrees, once you have passed your HND, you will be able to enter a relevant degree in the third year if you so wish. An HNC may allow entry onto the second year of a degree course.
You can get more information on HNDs and HNCs on Edexcel and can search for courses on UCAS.
Arts Award
The Arts Award is a national qualification for ages 11-25 that you can do at a recognised Arts Award centre. Levels 1 and 2 are at the same standard as GCSEs, whilst level 3 is at A-level standard. Whilst not counting as a formal qualification, it will certainly make your CV look better.
By subject
The Society of British Theatre Designers website has links to non-degree based courses in make-up, lighting, scenic construction, prop-making, scene painting, stage management and stage electrics.
ABTT lists courses in design, costume, carpentry, lighting, sound and stage management on its website, but the content is quite out of date.
Independent Theatre Council’s (ITC) Fast Track programme has offered black and Asian people a chance to train in arts and theatre management since 1997 and a course for deaf and disable people ran for the first time in 2007.
Training information from Association of Lighting Designers
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Postgraduate study
A postgraduate degree can be a good way to get into theatre.
Many students aren’t ready to specialise at 17 when they are filling in their UCAS forms and initially opt to study non-vocational subjects in arts or sciences.
Postgraduate courses are available in many subjects including directing, theatre design, acting, playwrighting, technical theatre and arts management.
Theatre designer Corina Bona, 25, gained a first degree in media studies before going on to enrole for a postgraduate degree in theatre design at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Sara Lock (pictured above), marketing officer for Lighthouse, Poole’s centre for the arts, followed her degree in English literature with a postgraduate diploma in arts management from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She said: "My postgraduate course was run by professionals working in the arts industry and it taught me everything I needed to know to make the move to working in theatre.
“It also meant I was able to skip up the career ladder slightly quicker and get straight into managing marketing campaigns”.
Postgraduate degrees are listed on various websites including:
Support for training in the south east
The Creative Graduate into Companies Initiative (CGCI) is a European Social Fund (ESF) seeking to assist creative industry graduates and small businesses in the south east of England.
Training support of up to £250 per graduate is currently offered for unemployed or under-employed graduates.
Eligible items include training courses and attendance at conferences/workshops.
