Case study

Putting students centre stage - University of West Scotland

13 May 2016

BA (Hons) Technical Theatre

The course, unique in Scotland, is delivered in partnership with long-established arts organisation the Gaiety Theatre in Ayr, one of the UWS’s campus towns. Collaboration with the theatre saw the creation of Scotland’s first learning theatre in 2014, giving students the opportunity to work in a real theatre setting as part of their studies.
The degree, launched in 2014, provides vocational training in stage management and theatre production. It builds on qualifications in a range of theatre, performance, production and related HND qualifications, enabling students to obtain a degree award in Technical Theatre.

The partnership with the Gaiety Theatre means students are able to work on live shows as part of their studies, and also hone their craft in the labs, studios and performance spaces at the University’s state-of-the-art Ayr Campus.

“This partnership is an exciting step forward for young people and audiences throughout Ayrshire and beyond. It brings a greater diversity of performances for our audiences and showcases new talent on the Gaiety stage. More than that, we will be working with UWS to provide new types of support for our local community and more opportunities across the creative industries. The Gaiety team will be involved in teaching on the Technical Theatre degree and UWS students will be working alongside our team in the community as well as in the theatre.”
- Jeremy Wyatt, Director of the Gaiety Theatre

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