Drama and Performing Arts staff at QMU
are a mix of arts practitioners and
academic researchers. Award-winning
staff have produced work for a variety of
commercial, cultural, educational and
local government clients, and have
exhibited and performed their work at
festivals in the UK and internationally.
As the home of numerous international
theatre, film and television festivals,
Edinburgh is the ideal place to study
these creative arts. There are five
purpose-built theatres showing
everything from major West End hits to
innovative, risk-taking new writing. For
film, it boasts two art-house cinemas,
five multiplexes and two smaller cinemas,
and the city is frequently used as a
location for film and television shoots.
Approach to learning and teaching
All of our Drama and Performing Arts
courses combine academic enquiry with
opportunities for practical production,
and the balance between theory and
practice will vary depending on the
degree that you undertake. However,
alongside traditional lectures and
tutorials, all of our courses includes
creative workshops, opportunities to
work on live performances in a variety of
roles and invaluable industry-based
learning opportunities. There are core
modules at the heart of each of the
courses complemented by electives and
options that let you specialise in areas
relevant to your future career path. No
matter what options you choose you will
be encouraged to examine the creative
process closely, find your own style,
develop your critical consciousness and
think for yourself both creatively and as
an entrepreneur.
Our approach to learning fosters
collaboration, with students from different
courses often working together on
productions and creative projects. For
example, the work of Costume Design
undergraduates can come in very handy
for those on the Acting for Stage and
Screen course. It’s a natural and creative
way to prepare for real-life team work
after graduation. For performance
activity, the University has a fully
equipped and licensed studio theatre
and five rehearsal studios, two of which
have sprung floors to facilitate movement
work. We also have a costume design
and construction workshop, and a green
screen studio. The division also has
digital editing suites and post-production
facilities where students have access to
Adobe creative editing software including
Adobe Premiere, After Effects,
Photoshop and Audition.
Through our wide range of industry
connections, students also have regular
opportunities to hear directly from those
working across the creative and cultural
industries and a number of modules offer
students the chance to undertake
industry-based learning through going on
placement or undertaking real-world
client projects. Starting in their first year,
students are encouraged to see
themselves as future contributors to the
creative sector in Scotland, the UK and
internationally. At every level, students
have the opportunity to develop vital
creative enterprise skills including
collaborative working, new business
development, company formation,
budgeting, pitching and presenting,
fundraising, design thinking, idea
formation and social media
management. We design our
assessments to put these skills into
practice so that our graduates are well
prepared for the work needed to develop
a sustainable career in the creative and
cultural industries.
Many of our students also snap up the
opportunity to study a semester abroad
during their course and we have
university partners in Australia, Canada
and the USA (subject to availability).
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Research
Creativity is in your bones forever, and
our staff are active as both creators and
researchers. Current staff research topics
include fascinating work on intercultural
theatre training, collaborative devising
practices, contemporary Scottish
dramaturgy, film adaptation, place-based
performance, cultural participation,
theatre anthropology, fandom,
community festivals and art in healthcare.
Career prospects
At QMU we recognise the phenomenal
potential that exists within the creative
and cultural industries in Scotland and
our courses open up a multitude of
career opportunities, ranging from
creative practice to arts and festival
management, producing, teaching,
directing, fundraising and marketing.
However, we also know that establishing
a sustainable career in this sector
requires adaptable and resilient
graduates who have a diverse range of
knowledge and skills. Creative workers
are far more likely to be self-employed or
working for SMEs and need to be as
skilled in managing a business as they
are in developing their creative practice.
As such, we also provide support and
mentorship for setting up new
businesses through the Business
Gateway office located on campus and
QMU’s Business Development Team.
Since 2016, students have been able to
establish start-up companies within our
Business Innovation Zone, and our
Performing Arts graduates have been
some of the most prolific in launching
new business ventures, many of them
social enterprises.
Get ready for the performance of your
life.