Applied and Contemporary Theatre BA (Hons) - 2026/7
Awarding body
University of Surrey
Teaching institute
University of Surrey
Framework
FHEQ Level 6
Final award and programme/pathway title
BA (Hons) Applied and Contemporary Theatre
Subsidiary award(s)
| Award | Title |
|---|---|
| Ord | Applied and Contemporary Theatre |
| DipHE | Applied and Contemporary Theatre |
| CertHE | Applied and Contemporary Theatre |
Modes of study
| Route code | Credits and ECTS Credits | |
| Full-time | URC13019 | 360 credits and 180 ECTS credits |
| Full-time with PTY | URC13020 | 480 credits and 240 ECTS credits |
QAA Subject benchmark statement (if applicable)
Other internal and / or external reference points
N/A
Faculty and Department / School
Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences - Guildford School of Acting
Programme Leader
BOWERS Georgia (GSA)
Date of production/revision of spec
18/12/2024
Educational aims of the programme
- To enable the student to demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge, research and independent practice
- To support students to contribute creatively, innovatively and intelligently to their chosen professional field
- To enable engagement with and critical understanding of context, style, genre and idiom in the practice of applied and contemporary theatre
- To enable the students understanding of theatre and drama, adding to it a level of critical awareness and analytical ability which will enrich practice and extend potential, as interpreters, facilitators and creators.
- To facilitate the acquisition and development of vocal and physical techniques, skills and universal vocabularies inherent within the creative industries.
- To train and develop practitioners with high order creative skills in a broad range of artistic situations.
- To facilitate students' independent learning, self-management and create entrepreneurship.
- To provide training in Applied and Contemporary Theatre practice, for the development of professional skills based on practical understanding and self-reflection within creative contexts.
Programme learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | Awards | Ref. | |
| Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of safe and integrated performance practice | KC | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Employability, Sustainability |
| Evidence knowledge and understanding of key historical, political, social and ethical developments in theatre | KCPT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Global + Cultural, Sustainability, Employability |
| Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the logistics of creating theatre as a collaborative enterprise | KCP | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Resourcefulness + Resilience, Employability, Sustainability |
| Evidence knowledge and understanding of technical and professional support required for self and others to sustain a career | KPT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Employability, Sustainability, Resourcefulness + Resilience |
| Critically and practically develop technically skilled creative outcomes within diverse contexts and scenarios | CPT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Employability, Resourcefulness + Resilience, Sustainability |
| Apply critical thought and understanding to key historical, political, social and ethical developments in theatre | KCPT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Global + Cultural, Employability, Sustainability |
| Draw from the working practice of established practitioners and companies and apply to personal creative practice | KCP | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Sustainability, Employability |
| Critically analyse and evaluate personal professional practice within the collaborative creative process | KCP | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Resourcefulness + Resilience |
| Apply technical skills required in the creative collaborative process | PT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Digital, Resourcefulness + Resilience |
| Engage creatively with the skills and processes by which performance is created, and have an ability to select, evaluate, refine and present outcomes through performance to diverse audiences | CPT | DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Digital, Global + Cultural, Sustainability, Employability |
| Evaluate, select and create appropriate material for performance to a specific audience with a clearly established and communicated purpose | KCP | DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Global + Cultural, Employability |
| Demonstrate discipline and consistency in a professional context | KPT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Resourcefulness + Resilience, Employability |
| Integrate an embodied understanding of creative risk taking within personal practice | KT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BA (Hons) | Resourcefulness + Resilience, Employability |
| Knowledge and understanding of how to problem solve and project manage within a professional creative context | KCT | Ord, BA (Hons) | Digital, Resourcefulness + Resilience, Employability |
| Establish a clear personal professional identity and practice | KPT | Ord, BA (Hons) | Employability |
| Work with autonomy and confidence in professional creative contexts | KCPT | Ord, BA (Hons) | Employability, Resourcefulness + Resilience, Sustainability |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Programme structure
Full-time
This Bachelor's Degree (Honours) programme is studied full-time over three academic years, consisting of 360 credits (120 credits at FHEQ levels 4, 5 and 6). All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Bachelor's Degree (Ordinary) (300 credits)
- Diploma of Higher Education (240 credits)
- Certificate of Higher Education (120 credits)
Full-time with PTY
This Bachelor's Degree (Honours) programme is studied full-time over four academic years, consisting of 480 credits (120 credits at FHEQ levels 4, 5, 6 and the optional professional training year). All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Bachelor's Degree (Ordinary) (300 credits)
- Diploma of Higher Education (240 credits)
- Certificate of Higher Education (120 credits)
Programme Adjustments (if applicable)
N/A
Modules
Year 1 - FHEQ Level 4
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP1001 | PERFORMANCE FUNDAMENTALS | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
| APP1002 | THE ACTOR AND THE ENSEMBLE | Compulsory | 60 | Year-long |
| APP1003 | THEATRE STUDIES | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Year 1 - FHEQ Level 4
N/A
Year 2 - FHEQ Level 5
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP2003 | PROFESSIONAL PLACEMENT | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
| APP2001 | SUSTAINING AND SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
| APP2002 | THEATRE MAKING | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
| APP2004 | THE ENSEMBLE AND THE AUDIENCE | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Year 2 - FHEQ Level 5
N/A
Year 3 - FHEQ Level 6
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP3001 | CREATING PERFORMANCE | Compulsory | 60 | Year-long |
| APP3002 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
| APP3003 | ADVANCED PERFORMANCE | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Year 3 - FHEQ Level 6
N/A
Year 1 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 4
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP1001 | PERFORMANCE FUNDAMENTALS | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
| APP1002 | THE ACTOR AND THE ENSEMBLE | Compulsory | 60 | Year-long |
| APP1003 | THEATRE STUDIES | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Year 1 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 4
N/A
Year 2 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 5
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP2003 | PROFESSIONAL PLACEMENT | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
| APP2001 | SUSTAINING AND SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
| APP2002 | THEATRE MAKING | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
| APP2004 | THE ENSEMBLE AND THE AUDIENCE | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Year 2 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 5
N/A
Year 3 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 6
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP3001 | CREATING PERFORMANCE | Compulsory | 60 | Year-long |
| APP3002 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
| APP3003 | ADVANCED PERFORMANCE | Compulsory | 30 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Year 3 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 6
N/A
Professional Training Year (PTY) -
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APPP001 | PROFESSIONAL TRAINING YEAR MODULE (FULL-YEAR WORK) | Core | 120 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Professional Training Year (PTY) -
N/A
Opportunities for placements / work related learning / collaborative activity
| Associate Tutor(s) / Guest Speakers / Visiting Academics | Y | |
| Professional Training Year (PTY) | Y | |
| Placement(s) (study or work that are not part of PTY) | Y | Yes |
| Clinical Placement(s) (that are not part of the PTY scheme) | N | |
| Study exchange (Level 5) | Y | |
| Dual degree | N |
Other information
Guildford School of Acting is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:
Digital Capabilities:
Students develop their digital skills and literacy throughout the programme. They are introduced to the virtual learning environment and required to make use of online resources including online research, creation and submission of digital work (video, written) for their formative and summative assessments.
Global and Cultural Capabilities:
Programme content encourages students to engage and work within a range of different social, economic and cultural contexts. They will examine their positionality in relation to a mixture of sites and settings through appropriate scholarship.
Programme content incorporates perspectives and practices from a range of cultures; through conversations around culture, appreciation, and appropriation students are encouraged to diversify their knowledge and reflect on different experiences; through critical engagement students are encouraged to examine and debate topics in relation to global and cultural capabilities, further developing students' sustainable performance practice.
Employability
Students directly gain skills and experience in theatre practice, through engagement with industry practitioners, and in the professional environment equipping them for careers in the creative field.
Resourcefulness and Resilience
Students are guided to develop the ability to reflect, evaluate, adapt, and respond effectively to new ideas, unforeseen circumstances and challenges throughout the programme and particularly in their development of community engagement skills, negotiation, and flexibility. They also develop their resilience through the continuous integration of self-reflective assessment.
Sustainability
Throughout the programme students are encouraged to consider how they can apply their in-class learning to the professional creative field. This includes the deconstructing established anglosphere framing of historical theatre practices, and the strengthening of key performance skills and reflective practice which supports resilience and wellbeing. This course promotes enterprise and entrepreneurship as well as collaborative thinking. These values help students to imagine their own models for social sustainability within the applied and contemporary theatre industry. Students will be nurtured as future leaders in sustainability thinking and supported to take informed decisions and responsible actions that promote the wellbeing of present and future generations.
Quality assurance
The Regulations and Codes of Practice for taught programmes can be found at:
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 2026/7 academic year.