Advance your performance-making skills in this year-long module. Through project-based explorations of how theatre can inspire audiences and the wider society, you will learn to think beyond the stage.

To begin this module, you will undertake skills-based workshops on aspects of socially engaged theatre making, resulting in a group practical ‘pitch’ for a proposed performance project. As you progress, you will be allocated to a project group based on shared interests, working together to engage with specific demographic groups in the local area and produce a piece of theatre that showcases the viewpoints of an under-represented community.

Collaborating to devise an original performance in a style and genre of your choosing, you could create a staged theatre production or an alternative form of performance such as site-specific theatre, audio performance or an applied theatre workshop.

Take the opportunity to explore a specific area of theatre practice from both practical and theoretical perspectives as you dive into this exciting module.

In part 2 of this module, you will select one of two specialist topics to study. Topics will vary each year; however, these might be:

• Text-based acting
• Playwriting
• Applied theatre
• Underrepresented theatre histories
• Political theatre

Beginning with a series of practical workshops and the development of small group performance projects, you will go on to share your practical work with other groups and critically reflect on your projects in theoretically informed lectures and seminar discussions.

By the end of this module (part 1 and part 2) you will have studied two specialist topics across the year.

Building on the relationship between theoretical understanding and artistic practice, this module will introduce you to a broad range of theories and ideas relevant to contemporary art practice and thinking. You will explore ideas such as:

• New materialism
• Fourth and fifth-wave feminisms
• Object-oriented philosophy
• Posthumanism
• The Anthropocene
• Hauntology
• The relations that exist between art and science

Join us as we combine intellectual rigour and curiosity with the freedom to confidently explore your creativity from an increasingly informed position. You will be encouraged to explore different forms of writing that enable you to develop ideas and express yourself in a range of appropriate formats.

Imagination, experimentation, creative risk-taking, and transformation are at the heart of this module and fundamental to your development as a practicing artist.

You will engage creatively with workshops that encourage experimentation and risk-taking, exploring ideas and processes that extend beyond traditional studio practice including collaborative, site-specific, socially engaged, and curatorial projects.

Exploring diverse themes such as the environment and sustainability, global connections and local place, you will dive into the transformative role of art in the wider world. Developing digital skills relevant to these contexts will equip you to create innovative and forward-thinking approaches to contemporary art.

Refine your practical skills as you develop and present a professional body of practical work appropriate for a Fine Art degree show.

Over the course of this year-long module, your growth as an artist will be supported through lectures, workshops, tutorials, and peer reviews, all guided by tutors who are practicing artists and writers. You will also build a strong foundation in professional practices and transferable skills essential for a successful career in the arts.

Through deepening your understanding of your own practice, the art world, curation, and the transformative power of creativity, you will be prepared to contribute meaningfully to local, national, and global artistic discourses and practices.

You can also choose to take additional credits in either Advanced Art Practice or Writing for Artists, enabling you to build on your strengths, interests, and career aspirations.

Develop a fully realised theatrical production in a style and genre of your choice, as your reach the pinnacle of your practical theatre making studies.

Guided by staff with professional theatre-making skills, your work will be supported by advanced skills-based workshops in the areas of theatre you choose to pursue (e.g., acting, directing, scenography, etc). Through engaging in exploratory studio-based work, you will collaborate in groups to develop a coherent and theatrically compelling production concept, with a staff mentor who will provide feedback and guidance on a weekly basis.

Supported by professional technicians and staff, you will undertake independent project development and rehearsal sessions in our dedicated studio spaces, as you produce a show to be performed as part of the end-of-year degree festival.

Explore the role of writing in contemporary art, from journals and magazines to online platforms, exhibition catalogues and independent publishing.

You will examine the types of writing that thrive in these contexts and learn how to move beyond the traditional academic essay. Approached as both a research tool and a creative practice, this module will enable you to shape your ideas in ways that connect with contemporary art discourse.

Engaging with methods such as auto-fiction, figural writing, fiction as method, and allegory, you will gain a deeper understanding of these formats through workshops and tutorials before selecting one to further develop your skills in.

The final submission will be chosen from a range of writing forms for contemporary art contexts. It may take the form of a written journal article, a combination of text and visual elements, a website, zine, or other formats, allowing you to integrate writing into your broader artistic practice.

You can also choose to take additional credits in either Advanced Art Practice or Writing for Artists, enabling you to build on your strengths, interests, and career aspirations.

In this practical module you will conceptualise, design, and prototype innovative festival experiences that respond to emerging cultural, societal, technological, and environmental trends. Working in a team, you will develop festival concepts that explore innovations in audience engagement, sustainability, accessibility and digital innovation. In collaboration, you will undertake phases of concept development that may include:

• Researching and ideating a future-facing festival concept
• Design and branding
• Creation of visual identities and marketing materials
• Audience development strategies
• Understanding market audiences through use of data
• Technological integration
• Experimenting with innovative digital technologies
• Interactive installations
• Sustainability and accessibility
• Developing sustainable festive models with a focus on inclusivity

You will produce a festival proposal that will be pitched to industry professionals, who will provide feedback. The final project will be presented at the School of Arts Festival/Degree show, and your work will also make a contribution to the design and delivery of the event.