BA

Creating Performance

BA Creating Performance Code W470 Attend an Open Day Attend an Open Day

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You are viewing this course for September start 2024

Please note that this is a Welsh-medium degree that does not have an equivalent in English. The information that follows is a translation of the Welsh course profile.

By choosing to study BA Creating Performance at Aberystwyth University you will receive an unrivalled creative experience. You will study in a modern building that has excellent facilities, and enthusiastic staff who will inspire you. You will connect with partners such as the BBC, S4C, Boom, Fiction Factory, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, Cwmni Theatr Arad Goch and many more. The course is designed to ensure a balance between critical and creative experience, and it will allow you to develop your intellectual, performance and technical skills.

Course Overview

Why study Creating Performance at Aberystwyth?

  • A dynamic and creative department where drama and theatre, film and the media, and scenography and theatre design come together.
  • A unique combination of creative and critical methods of approaching the subject.
  • Excellent teaching staff with a wide range of expertise in research and professional theatre making.
  • Connections with key partners in the industry, such as National Theatre Wales, Music Theatre Wales, Cwmni Theatr Quarantine and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.
  • Excellent facilities and resources for practical work: three practice studios, each with versatile technical resources; two large studios with professional standard equipment and digital lighting rigs that are operated through ETC Congo and Strand Lighting management panels, Yamaha and Soundcraft PA equipment, Sanyo audiovisual and Strand lighting systems, and two NXAMP; as well as costume and wardrobe facilities.
  • Close ties with the Arts Centre on the campus - one of the largest arts centres in Wales which puts on national and international theatre and dance performance regularly.
  • Lively Aberystwyth University student drama societies.
  • A unique geographical location.
  • Exciting opportunities for European and International exchanges.
Our Staff

All academic staff at the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies are research active and/or involved in Knowledge Transfer projects and have either relevant academic qualifications at doctoral level or equivalent professional experience and expertise.

Careers

What can I do with a degree in Creating Performance?

Many of our graduates have found work in the following fields:

  • acting and performing
  • directing
  • designing
  • scripting
  • teaching and education
  • arts administration
  • marketing
  • management
  • public relations

Which skills will I learn on the course?

Employability is an integral part of all our activities.

Creating Performance students learn valuable skills that are in demand by employers. These include:

  • working effectively in a group to develop, practise and produce live events
  • using creative, inventive and problem solving skills in various situations
  • researching, evaluating and organising information
  • constructing and expressing ideas effectively in various situation and in a variety of ways
  • working independently with others
  • organising your time and using your skills effectively
  • listening to critical advice and acting on it
  • motivating yourself and practising self-discipline
  • using a variety of IT skills and resources
  • demonstrating entrepreneurship when producing cultural projects.

Teaching & Learning

What will I learn?

The summary below gives you an indication of what you may study during this three-year degree scheme.

In your first year, you will discover:

  • performance principles by means of weekly practical classes
  • contemporary methods of producing live theatre in a multi-media atmosphere
  • contemporary work conditions and challenges for the creative industries in Wales and beyond
  • how to create a creative company for presenting ensemble work.

In your second year, you will explore:

  • contemporary methods of creating and presenting video essays
  • production work on a full scale under the supervision of members of staff
  • acting, directing, inventing, and designing for contemporary theatre
  • aspects of the history of theatre and performance
  • aspects of the relationship between contemporary theatre and performance
  • new media and writing for performance.

In your final year, you will have an opportunity to:

  • create independent creative work
  • complete a large research project and higher theoretical studies
  • refine your skills in individual and group production projects
  • produce entrepreneurship skills through exploring the contemporary conditions of the creative industries
  • sgript for full performances and productions
  • prepare and plan for a creative career.

How will I be taught?

You will be taught through practical workshops, small-group seminars, lectures, production projects and group based project work

Our teaching is frequently mixed-mode, interrogating theory through practical investigation and practice through the lens of various theoretical perspectives

You will be assessed through formal and performed essays, written and practical examinations, critical and creative portfolios, practical productions, seminar presentations and group activities

You will be assigned a personal tutor throughout your degree scheme, who will help you with any problems or queries, whether these are academic-related or personal issues. You are free to contact them at any time for help and advice.

Student Testimonials

With the help of the supportive tutors in the department I succeeded in developing as an actor, especially on the performance modules at the end of the second and third years, and this helped me to get a place on a postgraduate acting course at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. I have now completed the course and am working as a professional actor.

Gwawr Loader

When I started my degree at Aberystwyth I wasn't sure which aspects of drama and theatre I wanted to choose as a career. The opportunity to choose a variety of modules, eg acting, scripting, scenography, and a good balance of theory and practice played a big part in developing my understanding of drama and theatre. I got my first taste of directing during my second year while studying the directing module. In my third year, I co-directed, designed and toured a piece of theatre in education. With these invaluable experiences, I received care and support from my lecturers and discovered my enthusiasm for directing.

After I graduated, I felt ready to step out into the 'real world' and continue with my learning journey. I completed a one-year course to train as a theatre director with Living Pictures and Sherman Cymru. Since then I have been working with a number of different organisations as a freelance director, eg Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, Sherman Cymru and Mess Up the Mess. I received an Artist in Development Prize from Theatr Iolo and I returned to Aberystwyth to work as Director in Development for National Theatre Wales and Rimini Protokoll from Germany. I am currently working as a Literary Assistant and Tutor for Sherman Cymru Youth Theatre, and I'm also working as a tutor for Glamorgan University and as a drama promoter in schools.

Sarah Bickerton

Typical Entry Requirements

UCAS Tariff 120 - 96

A Levels BBB-CCC

GCSE requirements (minimum grade C/4):
English or Welsh

BTEC National Diploma:
DDM-MMM

International Baccalaureate:
30-26

European Baccalaureate:
75%-65% overall

English Language Requirements:
See our Undergraduate English Language Requirements for this course. Pre-sessional English Programmes are also available for students who do not meet our English Language Requirements.

Country Specific Entry Requirements:
International students whose qualification is not listed on this page, can check our Country Specific Entry Requirements for further information.

The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma or T-level qualifications, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas or T-levels as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
Our inclusive admissions policy values breadth as well as depth of study. Applicants are selected on their own individual merits and offers can vary. If you would like to check the eligibility of your qualifications before submitting an application, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for advice and guidance.

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