On Course: ALRA MA in Directing

Course Director Chris Hill (Technical Theatre BA Guildhall, MA in Directing at Birkbeck) has a background in both Opera scenography and dance and worked at West Yorkshire Playhouse before drawing on all his interests and talents in the design of this course. He is proud of its cultural diversity and its bespoke qualities that will allow the director's creative voice to flourish. The theatre world is increasingly seeing the blurring of dramatic forms where new play texts use digital technology in innovative ways. ALRA North embraces this wholeheartedly with much emphasis on recorded film, television and radio work. Chris Hill is very excited about the alternative approach to text based direction and he strongly advocates a ‘pragmatic awareness of technical theatre which feeds the creative whole’ and helps make ALRA graduates so employable.

The course jigsaws with both the Acting BA and MA courses where students work on projects together at some points on the course. The directing MA students have their own office space and dedicated rooms to work. As the living costs are cheaper in Wigan, students create their own very focused artistic community that has strong links with Manchester Royal Exchange and Bolton Octagon theatre as well as the BBC in Salford. Chris Hill feels passionately that ‘this is a really exciting time to be in the North.’ There is no real house style at ALRA; although their emphasis on all three types of recorded media sets them apart and this unique course is not available on the south campus in London. The course currently accepts around six students each year from a variety of backgrounds – which are largely irrelevant, as the course leaders feel that where young artists are heading is far more important.

Course content

During the first year, students are given the skills to direct with modules such as The Performer, The Performance Environment and The Role of the Producer. How characters are created via the imagination, body and voice is explored alongside the acting students and there is much jigsawing with the BA and MA actors in productions and workshops.

ALRA North also explore the Philosophy of Directing, and Culture, Perception and Directing. In 2019 they have planned an exciting international placement in Nagoya, Japan, with outreach work in a regional theatre and schools, and culminating in a four-day theatre camp and skills share. The final two terms see students develop their own directorial style and practice by working with an industry mentor and creating a final production. The course is assessed through digital environments and viva voce and there is no formal written coursework and examinations. The only written work on the course is the creation of a producer's bid for Arts Council funding for a real project which could get made after graduation.

Career options

ALRA graduates have both traditional stage-craft and awareness of new technologies and hybrid art forms which are the future of theatre and the performing arts industry. Once the directing course reaches its second cohort it will be able to become even more resourceful and elastic in its approach to acting and directing. The impact of recorded media in theatre is only going to increase, and acting and directing graduates will have both production sides to draw upon. With these skills comes the ability to make informed choices about the creation of a total experience to reflect the complexity of the modern world and the integrated nature of contemporary performance.

Application

Application is made by interview and a directing workshop audition over two days. There is no formal entry requirement but applicants are expected to have a BA Hons 2:2 in a cognate subject and recognition of prior learning is gathered through references. If English is not the candidate's first language, they have to fulfil the language criteria set out on the college's website. The course is validated by Queen Mary's University, London. As course leader Chris Hill emphatically states ‘We are looking for a diverse set of theatre makers who will develop their own vision to make tomorrow's theatre that creatively combines text with new technologies.’

Notes for teachers

• ALRA was founded in 1979 and was the first drama school to offer identical Drama training at opposite ends of the country and the first to train graduates in Theatre, Television, Film and Radio
• The new Directing MA is only available at ALRA North
• The Mill at the Pier has strong links with BBC Manchester and Granada TV and has several TV studios and theatres in the old Victorian building
• Acting alumni include Denise Gough, Jimmy Akingbola, Sarah Parish, Miranda Hart.