MA Scenic Arts & Construction

From day one of your training, you’ll be given access to our state-of-the art production workshops, enhancing your abilities and homing in on your specialist field of study in a series of skills-based projects.

You can follow routes into construction, scenic arts or prop design and making, while also developing the skills and knowledge to become a project manager. Whichever route you choose, you'll have many opportunities to put your learning into practice, working with our scenic construction departments to create all sorts of materials for our College productions.

The latest technology is embedded into the training, with digital design and the use of 3D printers, CNC machines and laser cutters forming a core part of your skill set. 

The course ends with a public exhibition of your cohort’s work in Cardiff and for four days on London’s South Bank, which includes an industry night for an invited audience of potential employers. 

Training in a lively and supportive working environment that mirrors industry, you’ll enter the world of work with complete confidence in your skills and abilities. Our recent graduates have gone on to careers in theatre, dance, opera, film and television, working as construction managers, prop makers and scenic artists

• In this course with hands-on training at its core, you’ll develop and apply your existing knowledge and skills to an advanced specialist field of study at a professional level.
  

• You’ll gain, through the breadth of projects and classwork, a comprehensive understanding of the theoretical and practical principles of designing and realising designs for theatre, film and TV – making you highly desirable to employers.
  

• You’ll be guided by full-time staff and visiting lecturers who are leading practitioners with national and international profiles. Still working in industry, they bring the most current best practices to your learning. 
  

• Collaboration is at the heart of your training. In your RWCMD placements or on those with our industry partners, you’ll learn about different creative disciplines and get a real feel for what it’s like to be a member of a production support team – all in readiness for life after graduation.

• Opportunities to gain real-world experience run throughout this course. As part of our in-house theatre company, you’ll create sets, props or backdrops for up to three public events, giving you a deep understanding of what working in a live performance environment is really like. 
  

• You’ll also have the chance to secure placements with some of the leading production companies, such as Bad Wolf, BBC Wales, WNO Bay Productions and Cardiff Theatrical Services. Our production and design department also offers placements with leading theatre and opera companies across the UK. 
  

• We’re leading the way in state-of-the-art theatre technology, and you’ll have access to all of our facilities, such as our design studio spaces, prop workshops/paint shop, designated CAD studio, editing suites and large-scale construction and scenic art workshops.
  

• A small cohort (usually fewer than eight) and a high level of staff support means you can learn in a safe and nurturing environment.

• Masterclass presentations run throughout the course, delivered by leading international practitioners. Designed to complement individual specialist study needs, these classes allow you to develop a comprehensive appreciation of excellence, multidisciplinary practice and performance collaboration.
  

• You’ll take part in scheduled visits to local theatre companies, offering additional insight into the industry at work. When major productions visit Cardiff, we’ll try to arrange visits and organise a tour or talk for your cohort.