Taught course

Performance Design

Institution
University of Leeds · School of Performance and Cultural Industries
Qualifications
MA

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons). If you don’t have this qualification, we may consider your application if you can demonstrate significant relevant industry experience.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Explore the creative application of design elements, including light, space, and costume, discovering how to shape live performance and generate meaning for contemporary audiences.

This course allows you to gain an understanding of the theories and concepts of designing for performance while also expanding your own creative practice.

You’ll use our specialist facilities to explore the performance experiences that can be created with light, space, objects, costume, sound, and digital technologies like pervasive media.

You’ll also examine contemporary performance practices, from the immersive and participatory to those staged outside of the theatre, within their wider social, cultural and economic contexts.

Throughout, you’ll have the freedom to experiment in order to create innovative performance through the medium of design. You will also have opportunities to work collaboratively and with external partners.

Leeds has a thriving cultural scene, and is home to contemporary performance events like Light Night, Compass Festival, and Transform Festival. Our industry connections allow you to work closely with local organisations such as Leeds Playhouse, Red Ladder Theatre Company, and innovative artists in the field of performance design.

Explore some of the projects our students work on during their degrees on our gallery of student work.

Specialist facilities

Our School is based in stage@leeds, a purpose-built landmark building that sits at the heart of campus. As our student, you’ll have access to its two professional standard, publicly licensed theatres: the main space seats 180 and is equipped with the latest technologies, and the theatre studio provides a technically advanced performance research facility.

stage@leeds hosts a range of work by students and visiting theatre companies all year round. Within the building you’ll also find rehearsal rooms, two black-box studios, costume construction and wardrobe stores, a design studio, a scenic workshop, computer aided design facilities and video-editing and sound recording.

Explore our facilities.

Extensive resources

Leeds University Library is one of the UK’s major academic research libraries, and has extensive holdings to support your studies including Special Collections offering a huge range of rare books, manuscripts and art. You’ll have access to materials relating to Leeds Playhouse, Phoenix Dance Theatre, and more.

Many of the Library’s materials are available online, allowing you to access them from a distance. You’ll also have access to study services like one-to-one support and skills development workshops, which will help you to get the most out of your time with us.

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Information for international students

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.


Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).

If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.

Fees and funding

We have a generous range of funding available for postgraduate study. Find out more on the University of Leeds Postgraduate Scholarships database here.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

  • MA
    full time
    12 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
    part time
    24 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification

Course contact details

Name
Postgraduate Admissions Team
Email
pcipg@leeds.ac.uk
Phone
+44 (0)113 343 8710