ADVANCED PRODUCTION ROLES - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module is designed to enable students to undertake experiential learning through practical production work on a range of GSA productions in named roles. The productions provide a professional simulation experience which will challenge students to develop their knowledge, understanding, technical skills and transferable skills. Students will be expected to work in team management and leadership roles. As part of this module, students may also undertake an external placement within an appropriate professional context, which may take place at any time during the module. Students will also reflect on their practical work in the context of relevant theory and identify further learning and development goals after graduation.

Module provider

Guildford School of Acting

Module Leader

SMALLEY Michael (GSA)

Number of Credits: 45

ECTS Credits: 22.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Students will work within production teams in allocated roles across Teaching Blocks 1 & 2. Students will follow a production role brief to contribute to the pre-production, production and post-production phases in technical and managerial roles.

Students may work variously with freelance professionals, other students and technical staff on a range of GSA presentations, which may be performed to a live audience or recorded. Students may also undertake an optional placement within an appropriate professional context.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate an advanced level of competence and confidence both technical and transferable skills in theatre production, to reflect on personal and professional development during Level 6, and to further develop knowledge and understanding of production processes and relevant frameworks and guidance applicable to the entertainment industry, contextualised with appropriate theory.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Practical based assessment, Assessment of practical achievement across production activity (addresses learning outcomes 1, 2, 3) 


• Coursework, Reflective production notebook (3000 words) evidencing and reflecting on practical activity (addresses learning outcomes 4, 5, 6)

• Group debrief for each production project


• Individual tutorials


• Mid-point group feedback seminar


• Active and engaged participation in public production process

• Peer feedback in group debrief


• Verbal tutor feedback in tutorials


• Presentation of group feedback in seminar


• Informal verbal feedback throughout production process from tutors, technical staff and production creatives.


• Written tutor feedback will be given for the summative assessment

Module aims

• Enable students to further develop skills learnt at Level 5 through application to a range of production contexts, both within GSA and externally
• Further increase students confidence and competence at an advanced level in technical and managerial skills relevant to their chosen professional pathway
• Lead and innovate in embedding safe, resilient and sustainable production practices
• Support students to reflect on their professional practice and identify future goals
• Encourage students to collaborate and lead effectively, so engaging in the teamwork required to realise theatre production across all departments.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to enable students to undertake immersive, experiential learning as part of practical productions. This is central to the programme's learning and teaching strategy which aims to create confident, multi-skilled employable professionals as each production will have unique creative challenges for students to encounter in a real time situation. Students will also be encouraged to reflect on learning through individual and group tutorials, to develop a proactive and self-motivated approach to learning

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: PRO3024

Other information

Guildford School of Acting trains students, within their chosen fields, to have an understanding and appreciation of Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow Theatre Production students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:

Digital capabilities

Students will be expected to use digital methodologies/platforms for project planning and information sharing throughout public production processes. They will also use current industry software and technical equipment appropriate to their role(s).

Global and cultural capabilities

Production titles (plays, musicals, plays with music, devised work) are selected to represent a wide range of global perspectives and traditions. Students will participate in at least two contrasting productions. They may also undertake an optional placement in any appropriate global context.

Employability

The activity within this module comprises of professional simulation of production practice and so will inherently support increasing employability. Transferable skills such as self-motivation, teamwork, communication and organisation are also embedded within this and each production provides a professional credit to add to their portfolio of work. Optional placements will contribute to significantly to employability in adding credits, building professional networks and business awareness.

Resourcefulness and resilience

As this module primarily consists of independent learning during production work, students will be challenged to build proactivity and self-management and to develop as resourceful and reflective practitioners. As project and team leaders, they will also need to innovate and problem solve, hence building resourcefulness in real world scenarios.

Sustainability

Throughout this module students will be expected to manage and innovate in sustainable practices within production, following GSA policies and practices and informed by current creative industry guidance. These will be evidenced in the written assessment.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.