BA Technical and Production Arts

BA Technical and Production Arts (TPA) is a three year undergraduate degreewhich provides you with the knowledge, skills and practical understanding required to realise your potential as an independent artist, designer, stage manager or technician. The industry-led curriculum ensures that the quality, values and standards of training remain current and competitive.

What you can expect

Practical hands-on training in Design, Applied Arts and Construction, or Management and Technology.
Access to high quality learning and teaching and masterclasses with distinguished industry professionals.
Small class sizes ensuring you are supported to fully develop your skills and specialisms.
Opportunities to make industry contacts and develop your professional practice skills.
Substantial involvement in performance situations across a variety of art forms including theatre, musical performance, opera, film and television.
Opportunities to collaborate with students from other degree programmes at the Royal Conservatoire and high profile Scottish theatre companies.
A final year graduation show for invited industry professionals and potential employers.

What you will learn

Studying on the BA TPA course you will:

Follow a specialist pathway: Design (set and costume, stage lighting), Applied Arts and Construction (set, costume and prop construction, scenic art), or Management and Technology (stage management, stage technology, lighting and sound).
Develop practical abilities, technical competence and conceptualisation skills with a focus on problem solving and teamwork.
Learn to work effectively and creatively as an individual artist and in collaboration with others.
Develop critical and analytical skills in research, reflection and evaluation.
Understand your profession in its historical and contemporary contexts.
Become an employable and entrepreneurial self-managing artist in an increasingly demanding profession.

How you will learn

At point of interview you must chose your area of specialism. You will work with highly experienced teaching staff, and take part in masterclasses with distinguished industry professionals which are integrated into the curriculum.

The usual working week is Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, though it is usual for production and student generated work to continue in the evenings and over weekends.

Key Features

Excellent facilities, with brand new high specification workshop, wardrobe and props spaces at Speirs Locks Studios, the Royal Conservatoire's recently opened additional city centre campus.
Regular collaborations with the National Theatre of Scotland, Scottish Opera, Scottish Ballet, Citizens Theatre, Festival Theatre Edinburgh and the National Review of Live Art.
Training rooted in industry-led professional practice, ensuring you have the broadest range of career opportunities on graduation

Graduate Destinations

Students are prepared for a wide range of diverse careers. Graduates are working all over the world as professional technical and production arts practitioners. Over 90% of our students are in employment or further training within six months of graduation.

Summer Schools

You may also be intersted in our intensive Technical Production Arts Summer Schools which are a great opportunity to experience the excellent learning and teaching at the Royal Conservatoire.

Ros Maddison
Head of Production
r.maddison@rcs.ac.uk

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