Twenty-first Century Degrees at a Twenty-first Century Campus
Two innovative new degree schemes, aimed at students interested in careers in the performing arts, media studies, arts management, and/or digital technology are being offered by East 15 Acting School in Southend-on-Sea. Interested students and parents are invited to find out more by attending the Southend Campus Open Day on Saturday 27 October.
East 15, one of the UK's most innovative acting schools, has been providing professional training for those wishing to work in theatre, film, TV, radio and other related fields for more than 40 years. It has a campus in Loughton but, since becoming part of the University of Essex in September 2000, a strategy has developed to expand its provision to the University's Southend Campus.
Dr Steven Quinn, Head of Performance Studies and Popular Culture said: 'Our new programmes provide students with an exciting range of career and study options. All have a strong focus on the development of transferable practical skills which will be vital to all students and their future ability to work in the performing arts and creative industries.'
The BA Performance Studies and Popular Culture has been introduced as performance studies are no longer simply about training actors, dancers or musicians. Instead, knowledge of performance and how it relates to popular culture is now highly relevant to film-makers, photographers, bloggers, website developers, critics, event organisers, arts administrators and producers. This means the new degree is suited to these challenges of the twenty-first century, allowing students to develop skills in all these areas and pursue careers in the creative industries.
Alongside this, the BA World Performance takes a strong, practice-based international approach to the study of theatre and performance. Through a combination of practical work, involving acting/movement/voice, and music and contextual courses exploring historical and modern approaches, students will acquire the skills to allow them to develop careers in international theatre, broadcasting and publishing.
As a new purpose-built campus, the facilities at Southend are state-of-the-art, comprising rehearsal rooms, studios, seminar rooms, performance spaces, computer labs and media production resources. The Southend Campus is a vital part of the regeneration of the south east Essex area and fully supported by the Thames Gateway Project, in partnership with East 15 and the University. Students, parents and teachers are invited to find out more by attending the Southend Campus Open Day on Saturday 27 October, from 11am to 2pm.
