Performance Design MA

Course overview

The MA Performance Design course explores scenography and performance-making from various perspectives informed by current research and innovative practices including immersive and participatory forms of performance design, design-led performance, audience experience and contemporary spectatorship.

On this course, you'll experiment with the creative application of design elements, including space, light, sound, costume and digital media, discovering how to shape live performance and generate meaning for contemporary audiences.

This course allows you to extend your own creative practice through developing an understanding of the theories and concepts of scenography and designing for live performance.

You’ll use our specialist facilities to explore the performance experiences that can be created with space, light, objects, costume, sound, projection and other digital technologies like virtual and mixed reality, creating original performance work that is design-led.

You’ll work collaboratively to create dynamic cutting-edge work and you’ll develop skills in documentation and reflection so that you can develop your individual creative practice. 

You’ll devise and carry out an independent research project into an aspect of performance design that interests you. You’ll also examine contemporary performance practices, from immersive and participatory experiences to site-specific work staged outside of traditional theatre spaces and locate these within their wider social and cultural contexts. 

Additional highlights

Leeds has a thriving cultural scene, and is home to contemporary performance events like Light Night, Compass Festival and Transform Festival. Our industry connections allow you to work closely with local organisations such as Leeds Playhouse, Opera North, IOU and innovative artists in the field of performance design. Recently, students have worked with; Imitating the Dog, ZU-UK, Quarantine, Louise Ann Wilson, David Shearing, Julie Rose Bower, Freddie Wulf, Lucy Thornett, Rosie Elnile, Max Johns and Naomi Kuyck-Cohen.  

Explore some of our students' previous projects, follow the MA Performance Design Instagram.

The staff on this course are at the forefront of the study of scenography, especially at postgraduate levels (Masters and PhD). They have researched and published on how scenography makes a distinct contribution to performance both on and off the stage. Their books such as The Cambridge Introduction to Scenography (2009), Light (2013), and Scenography Expanded (2017) are used widely by educators, researchers and creative professionals around the world.  

Read the course staff profiles: 

Professor Joslin McKinney, Professor of Scenography 
Dr Scott Palmer, Associate Professor in Performance Design
Dr Yaron Shyldkrot, Lecturer in Scenography and Design-led Performance 

Specialist facilities

Our School is based in stage@leeds, a purpose-built landmark building that sits at the heart of campus. As our student, you’ll have access to its two professional standard, publicly licensed theatres: the main space seats 180 and is equipped with the latest technologies, and the theatre studio provides a technically advanced performance research facility.

stage@leeds hosts a range of work by students and visiting theatre companies all year round. Within the building you’ll also find rehearsal rooms, two black-box studios, costume construction and wardrobe stores, a design studio, a scenic workshop, computer aided design facilities and video-editing and sound recording.

In addition to stage@Leeds, Leeds University Library is one of the UK’s major academic research libraries, and has extensive holdings to support your studies including Special Collections offering a huge range of rare books, manuscripts and art. You’ll have access to materials relating to Red Ladder, Leeds Playhouse, Phoenix Dance Theatre, and more.

Course details

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Performance Design MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Performance Design MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Year 1 compulsory modules

Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Learning and teaching

We use a range of different teaching and learning methods to help you develop your skills.  

There will be weekly practical sessions in our specialist theatre spaces. Some of the practical sessions are led by staff and/or visiting artists and researchers. For some of the sessions you will be working independently in a self-directed capacity. We’ll encourage you to take creative risks and push the boundaries of what design can do. We’ll support you in documenting and reflecting on your work so that you can develop depth and quality in your creative work. Throughout practical sessions, you’ll be supported by specialist theatre technicians.  

We use lectures to present some of the key concepts and practices in contemporary performance design practice and research. In seminars, you will learn in small groups and take an active role in discussion and critical evaluation of ideas. You’ll usually be asked to prepare for seminars by reading and viewing material. Reading widely and critically and developing your own opinions through essays and presentations and proposals is an important part of your learning and in addition to the module sessions, students can benefit from working with staff to develop their academic skills. If you are returning to study after a period of work or you are studying for the first time in the UK this can be especially helpful. 

In several modules, we’ll also use 1:1 tutorials so that we can focus exclusively on your work and your needs. This is especially useful as part of the Independent Research Project. 

Teaching on the course is predominantly through face-to-face activity, but we use a virtual learning environment to support and extend face-to-face learning. 

On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

The assessment methods you experience will vary depending on the particular module. To allow you to develop skills in a range of areas assessment methods will include essays, performances, visual documentation, verbal presentations and critical evaluations.

The assessments are devised to take account of the future careers of our students, for example, Critical Concepts in Performance Design culminates in a visual and verbal presentation that is modelled on a postgraduate research conference and Performance Design Praxis includes public performance alongside documentation, reflection and presentation on your development as a practitioner.

All assessments at Masters level will ask you to develop your own ideas through critically engaging with and evaluating contemporary debates and practices in the field.  

We’ll let you know at the start of each module, what you need to produce for assessment, how the work will be marked and how we will ensure fair and transparent processes of marking. 

Applying

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons).

Applications from a wide range of subject areas are considered, including:

• Theatre
• Dance
• Architecture
• Live art
• Design and Technology
• Arts and Humanities

Applicants may have industry experience of theatre or film set design and production, directing, costume-making, technical theatre, lighting, sound design, projection and digital design, art direction or working in associated areas of the creative and cultural industries.

Applicants without a degree may also be considered, if they can demonstrate significant relevant industry experience.

An offer of a place on this programme is subject to meeting our academic entry requirements and the submission of a satisfactory creative portfolio and personal statement.

Your portfolio will be considered based on its relevance to the programme and the quality of the work presented. You’ll need to provide digital documentation of your previous creative practice. This could include designs and realisations for live performance, or it could be designs that indicate your potential to develop ideas for live performance or it could be evidence of live performance that shows a clear interest in the innovative use of design.

International

Our admissions team are experienced in considering a wide range of international qualifications. If you wish to discuss whether your qualifications will meet the necessary entry criteria, contact the School’s admissions team.

You can also check the accepted qualifications for your country or region.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

How to apply

​​​​​​Please see our How to Apply page for information about application deadlines.

The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Documents and information you'll need

To support your application, you’ll need to provide digital documentation of your previous creative practice. This could include designs and realisations for live performance, or it could be designs that indicate your potential to develop ideas for live performance or it could be evidence of live performance that shows a clear interest in the innovative use of design.

You can send us still images or short video clips, but we recommend using formats such as .pdf or .ppt so they can be easily viewed and shared. Files below 10MB can be emailed directly to the admissions team, or larger files can be shared via Dropbox or WeTransfer. Whatever you choose to send, please provide a short explanation of your work. We’ll want to discuss your work when we interview you.

• A copy of your degree certificate and transcripts, or partial transcripts if you're still studying (please submit an official English translation if necessary)

• Evidence of your English language qualifications, if English is not your first language

• A full up-to-date CV.

Personal Statement Requirements

Please answer the following questions in separate numbered paragraphs. These questions provide us with important information on your suitability for the course, so please complete them carefully and in detail.

1. What is it about the Masters in Performance Design at the University of Leeds that attracts you? (Be specific about the aims and the content of the Performance Design programme and the compulsory modules and how that matches your interests and aspirations)
2. What are the skills and experiences that you bring with you that will prepare you for the Performance Design compulsory modules?
3. What work have you seen that make innovative use of performance design? Give specific examples, say what interests you particularly about the examples and how that relates to your own aspirations.
4. How do you intend to apply understanding about performance design after you have completed the programme?

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025

This course is taught by

School of Performance and Cultural Industries

Contact us

Postgraduate Admissions

Email: pcipg@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Fees

UK: £12,000 (Total)

International: £26,000 (Total)

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

You may also be eligible to apply for a scholarship to help support your studies.

Career opportunities

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support.