Performance: Design And Practice

Performance design and practice is a discipline concerned with the creation of the physical and visual world in which live performance takes place. Scenography, set design, costume, lighting, projection, spatial installation and the properties of materials all fall within its domain, and practitioners in this field work at the intersection of visual art, craft, architecture and theatrical imagination. Design is not decoration in this context: it is one of the primary means through which performance makes meaning, creates atmosphere and communicates with audiences.

At the University of the Arts London, this three-year full-time programme develops your practice through experimentation, making and collaboration. You will explore the full range of performance design disciplines, from spatial and environmental design to costume and prop construction, working in studio environments that support both individual exploration and collaborative production. The programme includes a sandwich year with embedded work placement, giving you extended professional experience in theatre, live events, installation or a related context before your final year.

UAL's position within a network of world-leading arts institutions and its London base provide access to a unique range of cultural resources, professional contacts and performance venues. A typical entry tariff of 136 points reflects the competitive and practice-focused character of the programme.

Graduates of performance design and practice programmes work as set and costume designers, scenographers, production designers, lighting designers, props makers, art directors, installation artists and visual artists in theatre, opera, dance, film, television, events and gallery contexts. The sandwich placement year provides professional experience and industry contacts that significantly strengthen graduate employment prospects in a competitive field. Others move into teaching, arts administration or design management.

Postgraduate study in performance design, scenography, theatre design or fine art is an option for those who want to develop their practice or pursue research in the theoretical and historical dimensions of the field.