Levelling up

Lewisham College recently announced a new partnership with Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, and their doing so is just one example of exciting initiatives being established between educational and Arts organisations nationally. These collaborations bring about new Performing Arts provision, including a range of courses for 16- to 19-year-olds designed to nurture young creatives to develop skills in performance, production, art, and design.

The close collaboration between the colleges allows for exciting opportunities. Lighting, sound, acting, and singing masterclasses from Rose Bruford's professionals bring Lewisham students close access to their courses, as well as the opportunity to apply for a Higher Education degree or foundation course there. With Lewisham representing London's Borough of Culture in 2022, this is an exciting time for the district to celebrate diversity, inclusivity, and minority groups, alongside a new generation able to access Further Education and the chance to explore a whole host of creative career opportunities.

The programme is built around University of the Arts London's (UAL's) Level 3 Diploma in Production Arts and its Extended Diploma in Performing Arts. UAL's qualification puts student experience at the forefront. It is also a breath of long-awaited fresh air for teachers, providing them with a creative framework within which to cater their teaching to the needs of learners. As Curriculum Leader on the UAL Level 4 Professional Diploma in Performance at Gower College in Swansea, I am a great advocate of their qualifications.

UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma

The Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing and Production Arts has been developed collaboratively with representatives from universities and Further Education colleges. Such expert authorship means the course has been designed by people with first-hand knowledge of what a young person needs to be skilled in on entering the world of Performing and Production Arts.

Generally delivered over two years, the Diploma ensures that learners are able to develop a portfolio of work that can support progression into a range of Higher Education courses. The course itself has been designed to give those leading the qualification flexibility in how they provide learners with appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding needed within the Performing and Production Arts.

The qualification enables a learner to:

• have a critical and contextual awareness of different perspectives and approaches within Performing and Production Arts, or related subjects of study or work
• research, analyse and evaluate relevant information and ideas in order to develop creative solutions
• understand, adapt and safely use appropriate and practical methods and skills for creative production
• solve complex problems through the application of practical, theoretical and technical understanding
• critically review the effectiveness and appropriateness of methods, actions and results
• use evaluative and reflective skills in order to take responsibility for own learning, development and decision-making
• take responsibility for the research, planning, time management and actions to access progression opportunities
• effectively present themselves and their work to appropriate audiences

UAL Level 4 Professional Diploma

The rigours of A-Levels and post-16 Level 3 Performing Arts diplomas mean that, sometimes, students don't have sufficient time to prepare for the requirements of specialist college auditions. Current first-round Acting auditions requiring submission of a self-tape, filming a classical and contemporary monologue within a certain time limit, and to a good enough standard, take time. Add to this the fact that some courses also require the filming of a self-penned devised piece, with lots of Drama schools also preferring applicants to have some life experience, a ‘year out’ is often favoured by institutions. With gap years, renowned as a time for young people to go travelling and for contemplating their next step, UAL's Level 4 qualification does exactly that.

Marc Mollica, UAL's Chief Examiner for Performing and Production Arts, outlines, ‘UAL were constantly being asked by Centres to create an alternative Level 4 qualification that extended out from their existing Level 3 portfolio. There was a gap in the market for a Level 4 qualification that provided time and space for students to really explore an idea, a hunch, an ambition, and to help start defining their own artistic signature.

As a teacher, I got frustrated when a qualification got in the way of an idea. That tended to be with overly prescriptive content, and having to do stuff just for the sake of the awarding body. The qualification then became more important than the student experience. On a personal note, I was keen to help create a qualification that turned the dial back towards a time when education was far more about exploring rather than chasing outcomes. What became clear very early on in the development is that we wanted to encourage students to learn by doing, by failing, and to be bold with their artistic choices. I hope that ambition is echoed in the units.’

A qualification was written in collaboration with a qualification development team consisting of academics and industry practitioners, but with the student voice brought into the mix, too.

UAL's Level 4 Professional Diploma in Performance is an intensive practical course much suited to students who intend to pursue a career in the creative arts. An ideal course for students aged 18+ looking to take a gap year, it develops and enhances their performance skills in readiness for industry or higher-level training.

Like the Level 3 course, it allows course leaders freedom in creating a bespoke course for their students to gain the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to progress seamlessly into higher education or conservatoire training. It also allows the student to define their own personal interests and area of expertise.

The qualification is also appropriate for students wishing to continue their education through applied learning. By locating learning within a professional context, course leaders have the opportunity to structure aspects alongside industry experts, in order for learners to gain first-hand experience

As well as providing students with a nationally recognised Level 4 qualification, the Level 4 course enables students to:

• develop performance skills appropriate for entry into the creative industries
• define artistic ambitions and professional progression opportunities
• build up their professional practice and apply professional standards while working on creative projects

The three mandatory units are:

• Unit 1: Applied Professional Practice
• Unit 2: Specialist Performance Practice
• Unit 3: Specialist Performance Project

The former units are internally assessed and verified (and are graded Pass only), and subject to quality assurance by UAL while the third, the culmination of the course, is marked by the Centre and externally moderated by UAL. Students must achieve a minimum grade of a Pass to be awarded the Diploma. The overall qualification is graded based on Unit 3 and is graded as Fail, Pass, Merit or Distinction.

Mollica believes this three-unit model works because ‘from an Arts/academic perspective, the structure of the qualification is very carefully crafted and, without wanting to sound too pretentious, I believe a thing of great beauty. Students shouldn't be aware they are studying a qualification. Instead, they should be in an exciting, creative space, safe in communion with other people, with a desire to start making sense of the world around them.’

UAL qualifications have formative units that are exactly that – formative. It's a time for ideas to take shape, to take hold and they therefore promote freedom in creation – students should find themselves free from the constraints and pressures of achieving grades. The Pass-only function in the formative stages is important as it releases that pressure and instead creates a space of possibilities.

‘The three-unit model creates a stabiliser structure – with the two formative units supporting the student up until their final project where the stabilisers are taken off and they are then confident to take flight into the unknown. The two stabilising formative units also have an equal distribution of academic and practical work that provides perfect balance and harmony.

© ROSE BRUFORD COLLEGE OF THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE

Gower College, Swansea

When I left school, I went to my local Technical College to study Drama, and those two years were the happiest of my life. This was back in the ‘80s, so we were in every day, for full days, and each day was an adventure. I don't remember getting a single grade the whole time I was there – I couldn't even tell you what the qualification was – I think it was just the College Diploma, but that didn't matter. I just learnt so much but, more importantly, I wanted to learn more, and I started to forge my own identity as an artist. The Professional Diplomas are built with the spirit of the ‘80s Technical College in mind.

As a host of the UAL diploma, Gower College Swansea's ‘Acting Company’ is suitable for students who have completed a three A-level programme, which includes Drama, or an Extended Diploma in Performing Arts. The underpinning knowledge of drama theorists, devising and improvisation gained on these courses is essential to engage fully with this one-year course.

The flexibility within the units allows the teaching of areas valuable for progression onto specialist colleges, with the students having the opportunity to, among other things, further develop a range of acting, voice and movement skills, be assisted in their preparation for auditions, and engage in a variety of performance projects in professional venues. The Acting Company has forged a successful working relationship with local theatres, with their final major projects staged in a professional theatre space. This valuable opportunity immerses the students into a working theatrical environment, allowing them to rub shoulders with other creatives resident at the venue.

The course explores, develops and tests learners’ creativity within a qualification structure which is stimulating and demanding, providing a supportive transition into higher-level training or employment. Graduates of this course have progressed onto a number of nationally acclaimed colleges including Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Arts Educational School, East 15, LIPA and Rose Bruford, as well as various universities. They comment on the course as being ‘a great way to help me prepare for drama school… the course is an intelligent one for students who want another year's training…’

Dorset School of Acting

UAL is not the only qualifying body whose courses are being used with great success in FE institutions, however. The internationally recognised Dorset School of Acting has established itself as an inspirational and unique Drama school in the Bournemouth and Poole area of the South coast. With a team of experienced and attentive professionals, its reputation, success rate, and standards continue to go from strength to strength.

Developed by James Bowden, the school's founder, the ‘Process’ lies at the heart of the training, a method established following years of committed research into finding a simple yet effective way to create performance truth.

From a one-year Level 4 Diploma in Acting and Musical Theatre, a two-year course in Acting, and part-time courses for adults, to numerous classes for young people in Acting and Musical Theatre, the school is proud of its commitment to the future of performing arts. With acting at its core, the school also works with seasoned industry professionals, providing its students with first-hand insight into the world of stage and screen.

Last year the school established its fully funded two-year course in Acting, an intense 30-week, three-day programme suitable for students considering a professional career in the industry. Partnered with a local Performing Arts school, and equivalent to an extended BTEC/3 A Levels, this Oxford, Cambridge, and RSA (OCR) vocational qualification provides those aged 16–19 with a Level 3 award. The school's base at Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts, puts students in the hub of a professional and artistic venue. Over their nine-year residency, students are involved in professional productions, projects, and workshops, as well as being recipients of free show tickets.

Bowden outlines the course rigour: ‘The intensity of our three-day training means that the students have the opportunity to do other things, for example, one of our students this year is also studying A Level Art so, at the end of this year, she will end up with four A Levels.’

‘We are very lucky to be based at Lighthouse, the largest Arts Centre outside of London; they are incredibly supportive,’ comments Bowden. ‘Certain Arts administration elements of the course can be seen “in action” at Lighthouse, and the students can discover how a theatre is run. It also means that we have a theatre to hand, with a very varied programme. Our one-year students also perform their May showcase at the venue's studio space. It adds to the student experience as they get to see what goes on in a real theatre.’

Many successful Performing Arts courses are now reaching out to their artistic communities in this way, providing a means for a new generation of creatives to immerse themselves within the performance world they aspire to, eventually, be a part of.

Lewisham College www.lewisham.ac.uk Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance www.bruford.ac.uk Gower College, Swansea www.gcs.ac.uk; www.lighthousepoole.co.uk Dorset School of Acting www.dorsetschoolofacting.co.uk