Theatre and Performance with Enterprise BA

Course overview

Taught by the School of Performance and Cultural Industries (PCI), in collaboration with Leeds University Business School, this course will develop your knowledge and understanding of theatre, performance, cultural industries and entrepreneurship.

You'll also explore theatre's historical and cultural contexts, innovations in practice, performance design, arts management, cultural theory, performance technologies, composition and devising, and the broader impact of the creative and cultural industries. 

At the same time, you'll study modules in planning, managing innovation in business, development, creativity and social enterprise with the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies at Leeds University Business School. 

Our graduates have progressed to a wide variety of career destinations, including professional theatre and media, teaching, writing, event management, marketing and business, and further academic study. 

The course offers a unique blend of study across performance and the cultural industries. The Leeds University Business School provides opportunities that set it apart from similar courses both in the UK and internationally. Studying these areas in conjunction with each other allows you to develop:

• The creativity of the artist

• The insight of the cultural activist

• The dynamism of the entrepreneur

These attributes prepare our graduates for a wide variety of employment destinations across the creative and cultural industries and beyond. 

Enterprise opportunities

Opportunities to connect with industry and professional practitioners are embedded within the course. The inclusion of enterprise modules delivered in conjunction with the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies provides a distinctive flavour to this course by developing specific creativity, business development, and finance skills. 

There is a strong appetite amongst the student community for enterprise education opportunities. As many as one in three undergraduates at the University aspires to run their own business at some point in their careers. 

Having access to enterprise opportunities is an increasingly crucial deciding factor for students in their choice of course. The University has seen many students applying because of a strong enterprise offering. 

The course emphasises a conceptual, process-driven approach while foregrounding real-world experience through enterprise and sector engagement. It is delivered in a realistic environment that’ll enable you to take advantage of formal industry partnerships, such as Opera North and the Leeds Playhouse. It also offers the opportunity to get involved with the running and programming of stage@leeds. 

Other initiatives, such as the School of PCI’s Industry Advisory Panel, make the context in which to study a dynamic and exciting one for students with entrepreneurial aspirations. 

Collaboration with the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies, part of the prestigious Leeds University Business School, provides a unique offer that ensures you have access to the best educational experience and support. 

You’ll study modules from the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies portfolio. Your studies may include two compulsory modules that have been created especially for 'with Enterprise' degree courses across the institution, where you’ll work with students from different disciplines who are also engaged in enterprising activities. 

Also, you’ll choose to take further optional modules from Leeds University Business School. Opportunities to connect with industry and professional practitioners are embedded in the course, and every student collaborates with external agencies and organisations as an integral part of their studies. 

A distinctive feature is engagement with the social impact agenda. You're invited to interrogate and practice how performance can make a difference to society and consider themes such as sustainability, ethics, responsibility, and inclusivity. 

The quality and diversity of these partnerships provide rich learning experiences that’ll enhance your future employability and an understanding of the impact that performance can make both within and beyond the theatre building. Modules taught in the School of Performance & Cultural Industries focus on C20th and C21st practices and core studies. The module will introduce key conceptual frameworks and methods for further theoretical and creative investigation. 

These are complemented by an exciting range of options and Discovery modules rooted in staff specialisms and research activity. 

After experiencing a range of different approaches to theatre and performance in the first year of study, you'll be able to choose specialist modules to define your learning journey towards the final year of study. You also have the option to broaden your experience and to strengthen global and cultural insights through choosing to study abroad at a partner institution or to opt for an Industry or Enterprise year.

Teaching specialisms

Your Lecturers offer a wide variety of disciplinary specialisms from across the fields of performance and the cultural industries, including:

• Performer training

• Applied performance

• Movement and physical theatre

• Arts management

• Performance design

• Arts and cultural education

• Enterprise and cultural policy

• History and dramaturgy

• Musical theatre and immersive performance

• Writing and textual analysis

• Devising and directing

• Interactive and digital performance 

External partnerships

The School has a wide range of external links with leading arts and cultural organisations and there are many opportunities for you to be involved with the public licensed theatre or student societies.

These opportunities offer the unique experience of working in a professional theatre environment within a university context.

Specialist Facilities

The School of Performance and Cultural Industries is based in stage@leeds, a purpose-built, landmark building located at the heart of the campus. We have three publicly licensed theatres.

Stage One, our largest indoor space, seats up to 180 and is equipped with the latest technologies. It hosts a wide range of work by students and visiting professional theatre companies. Our smaller theatre, 'The Alec Clegg Studio' provides a technically advanced performance research facility.

We also have a flexible licensed outdoor theatre space. The stage@leeds building also contains a dance studio, dressing rooms, meeting rooms, box office, foyer and bar. Other facilities in the School include:

• Rehearsal rooms

• Two fully-equipped black-box studios

• Costume construction and wardrobe stores

• A scenic workshop

• Fully equipped A/V suites for video editing and sound recording

Specialist equipment also includes; media servers, digital projectors and screens, VR headsets, binaural audio recorders, microphones and 360-degree video cameras and a range of specialist software. Our experienced technical team will support you in using these facilities.

Course details

You'll develop your creative practice in small groups in our specialist studio, situated in our on-campus professional theatre, stage@leeds. You can enjoy full access to our digital technologies, whilst also having the opportunity to work with external partners and community groups. 

The course will introduce you to a range of devising, creative, organisational and management techniques. 

Your first year will provide you with knowledge and understanding of fundamental theories and approaches in theatre and performance and explore them through different modes of practice. You'll also choose from optional modules that focus on various aspects of business and social enterprise and explore further aspects of the cultural and creative industries. In the following year, you'll continue developing your creative practice and theoretical understandings across a wide variety of creative industries and enterprise contexts. 

You’ll create performances and workshops for an external organisation, and will also learn to apply different research methods and think about performance practices' political, historical, technological, social, and cultural contexts. 

Compulsory study of enterprise includes modules focused on entrepreneurship theory and practice and organisational planning. You'll also choose from a range of optional modules to explore your particular interests, from directing and performance design to arts marketing, digital performance or cultural history. 

By your third year, you'll have developed independence in both your practice and research, producing a self-directed independent project and choosing how you'll be assessed. 

With support from your tutor, you'll negotiate and undertake a major enterprise project, which may provide a springboard to a future career. 

Other modules will allow you to explore and focus on important issues relating to the contemporary arts and cultural sector and enterprise, consultancy and business development strategies. 

The course will allow you to reflect on the impact of performance on societies to develop a range of skills so that you can become an advocate of the creative arts and an entrepreneurial global citizen. 

Year 1 compulsory modules

Semester 1  

Performance Perspectives (20 credits) 

Performance Perspectives is a lecture and seminar-based course that introduces you to a wide range of theatre and performance practices, concepts, and practitioners by focusing on key perspectives such as; body, space, time, and technology.

You'll closely examine selected texts, performances, events, and cultural organisations within your production's appropriate historical, political, and cultural contexts. Seminars allow you and your peers to debate concepts and help you understand the range of performance practices introduced in the lectures.

Studying Theatre & Performance (20 credits) 

Studying Theatre & Performance is an introduction to the foundational skills you'll need as a Theatre & Performance student to help you make the most of your time as a new member of the School. It'll introduce you to the practice of research and scholarship at the University of Leeds. 

This module will feature a combination of online materials, lectures and workshop sessions designed to prepare you for practical work in our theatre spaces, including health and safety procedures, use of lighting and audio-visual equipment, as well as core digital literacy skills and ways of collaborative working. 

You'll also develop foundational skills in sourcing and critiquing materials, ethics, presentation skills, critical thinking and writing.

Studio Practices (20 credits) 

Through practical workshop exploration, a programme of individual reading, viewing and research, as well as self-directed group work and rehearsals, this module will introduce you to a range of creative and practical skills. 

Primarily studio-based, the module will introduce you to key concepts and techniques and encourage you to develop critical and practical tools, shared languages and working processes. These will form the foundations to underpin your future creative practice across all levels of study on the course. 

Semester 2 

Choose 2 of the following

LUBS Level 1 optional modules (at least 20 credits) 

Introduction to Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (10 credits) 

It begins by considering what enterprise and entrepreneurship are, providing you with creative techniques to deal with innovation within enterprises.  

The module then extends the exploration of different types of entrepreneurs and how external context can facilitate or demotivate the flourish of an entrepreneurial business. 

The creation part covers discussions on incubators and start-up programmes for entrepreneurship growth. Finally, the module explores different enterprises sectors such as the Creative Industries and Family Businesses. 

The module is suitable for students from any discipline interested in learning more about entrepreneurship. It provides a helpful introduction to both those who wish to become entrepreneurs and those interested in this topic more generally. 

Understanding Social Enterprises (10 credits) 

This module considers social enterprises at their broadest level: as 'for-purpose' enterprises that aims to tackle a wide range of social and environmental issues at all scales.

They have primarily social objectives with surpluses reinvested in the business or their beneficiary community, or they may take some limited profit as hybrids. We also consider the emergence of other forms of social business, such as B-Corps. 

These organisations place their social and environmental goals at the heart of their business mission and model. They respond to many issues that face society, such as poverty, inequality, lack of healthcare, financial exclusion, lack of educational opportunities, inadequate sanitation and global problems such as climate change. 

In particular, we explore how context influences these organisations, reflecting the normative and institutional environments in which they are set and the specific issues they seek to address. This course will use lectures, workshops, real-life case studies, and group exercises to gain an in-depth understanding of the significant issues addressed by these enterprises, the different models used in differing contexts, and the specific challenges they confront. 

Starting your own business (10 credits) 

This module offers a blended theoretical and practical experience in setting up and running a business. Its interactive sessions allow you to delve into the issues of creativity, idea generation, opportunity recognition and feasibility analysis, thus, enabling you to understand how to set the foundations of an entrepreneurial business model. 

Through various activities, you’ll explore business opportunities, which allows you to learn about businesses, make decisions about multiple aspects of those businesses, and be entrepreneurial. 

Performance Matters (20 credits)   

Performance Matters features a lecture series and seminar-based learning that asks you to consider the role of performance in the broader global context of cultural studies, sociology and selected theoretical perspectives. 

Using a wide range of case studies, you’ll explore the potential of performance to make a difference in society and how it can be used as a positive force and an agent of change. 

Examples of case studies may include:

• political resistance

• environmental activism

• community-making

• feminist performance

• sustainability

• indigenous place-making

With the support of your seminar tutor, you'll be encouraged to investigate key concepts, undertake research and develop independent thinking, interpretation and presentation skills.

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

You will select 20 credits of optional modules in your second semester. There is a large selection offered across the University. 

Performance Project: From Text to Performance (20 credits) 

This module brings together learning across the first year of the course and provides an opportunity for a realised 'public' performance that emerges from staff-led research interest. As part of a production team, you'll respond to a specific brief and text(s) to devise and stage a performance. 

Working under the close guidance of a tutor and in tandem with technical, design and production support, your performance project will introduce you to the processes necessary for creating work for a public audience. This experience will provide a model of working methods and techniques which will underpin creative work at levels 2 and 3 and beyond.

Managing Festivals and Events (20 credits)

The module provides an exploration of the principles and practices required to manage events and festivals. You'll explore the fundamentals of customer expectations, customer care, event and project structure, and quality enhancement through case studies and detailed analysis of contemporary events/festivals. 

You'll understand the essential managerial elements required for festival and event management and explore decision-making processes and techniques to aid creative and lateral thinking in generating new ideas for events and festivals. 

The module concludes with several detailed case studies which will require you to synthesise the appropriate management structures and frameworks to ensure quality delivery, with your creative ambition to generate new and exciting proposals for an event.

Exploring the Performing Arts (20 credits) 

The module challenges traditional attitudes towards the analysis of the performing arts. The arts are often examined in isolation, yet rarely how they're conceived or performed today. 

Therefore, this module presents a range of contextualised case studies drawn from Dance, Drama, Music (Classical and Pop), Film and Musicals drawn from iconic performances from the turn of the twentieth century to the present day. 

The purpose is to question:

• What reflected specific performances at the time of their creation?

• How did the world around them influence the artists? 

• How does the socio-political context of the time manifest itself in the work? 

• How do they speak to the audience of today?

• How do meanings change over time? 

Introduction to Musical Theatre (20 credits)

This module provides a guide to the history and development of the Hollywood, Broadway and West End musical. You'll study examples of musicals from a range of twentieth-century composers and explore the relationship between cinematic and theatrical narratives and musical structures. 

Stage Management (20 credits)

Stage Management is an introduction to the theory and practice of stage management and technical theatre, with a concentration on the role of the deputy stage manager and the preparation of a prompt copy for a live performance of a classic text. 

Through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, and practical workshops, this module provides an understanding of the hidden vital skills, organisation, and methods essential in underpinning 'backstage' work and creative processes in the theatre.

Introduction to Interactivity, Immersive Performance and Co-Creation (20 credits) 

This module introduces contemporary developments in participatory performance where traditional divisions between stage and auditorium, performer and audience member have dissolved. 

Concentrating on influential practitioners will demonstrate why this type of work is increasingly relevant and understand key concepts and theories that underpin work that offers a creative role for the audience. 

Introduction to Digital Culture and Technology (20 credits) 

Through a combination of theory and practice, you’ll explore contemporary developments in the cultural industries that have taken advantage of developments in digital technologies. 

From Pokemon Go to the work of performance companies such as Blast Theory, you'll explore new developments in AR, VR and mobile devices and the potential of the digital to create new kinds of experiences for audiences.

Year 2 compulsory modules

Semester 1

New Enterprise Planning (20 credits) 

This module provides the opportunity to examine how a new enterprise proposal is developed from the initial idea by considering the key processes in developing and analysing new business ideas.  

This process also enables you to develop and reflect on your enterprise proposal through this process.   

Relevant in either a new or existing enterprise context, this module will introduce you to the day-to-day activities involved in developing a new enterprise idea. 

The module covers elements from the initial idea to identifying a market, developing a financial plan, conducting market research, pitching and reporting an enterprise proposal.  

Through formative group work and a final individual assessment, you’ll demonstrate your understanding of key concepts and learn how to use these effectively in developing, analysing and appraising your enterprise proposal. 

You’ll be expected to contribute to the discussion and develop new enterprise ideas actively. 

This module is delivered by the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies and is designed to be accessible for all students, regardless of subject discipline. 

This module supports and encourages you to experiment with and learn from enterprising action through an interactive online learning approach. 

Creative Practices (20 credits) 

This studio-based module offers a pivotal opportunity to develop particular aspects of contemporary performance practice. Areas of focus may include; comedy, physical performance, site-specific performance, audio, walking performance, relational work with audiences, musical theatre, immersive performance, socially-engaged performance, design-led performance, technologically-mediated performance. You'll be encouraged to experiment and to situate your creative practice within the context of contemporary performance. 

You will study selected practitioners and consider the social, political, and cultural impact of the methods they are engaging with. 

Also, you'll use relevant concepts, theories and techniques to interrogate practice and articulate your growing capacity as a practitioner through performance, presentations, documentation and reflection on your developing practice.

1 Optional Module (20 Credits) see below

Semester 2

Entrepreneurship in theory and practice (10 credits) 

This module introduces the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and small business theory and practice. 

The module presents a wide-ranging overview of entrepreneurship in academic theory, focusing on how the decision to become an entrepreneur is impacted both by internal and external factors. 

You’ll understand the types and characteristics of small firms, how entrepreneurs approach opportunities and the outcomes of this activity. The module also examines entrepreneurship within larger firms and small firms with an explicit focus on social outcomes. 

In addition, you’ll be expected to actively contribute to the discussion, considering real examples and developments in research to support your participation. 

This module is delivered by the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies and is designed to be accessible for all students, regardless of subject discipline. It supports and encourages you to consider and learn from entrepreneurial practice. 

And either: 

Leading and Managing Small Businesses (10 credits) 

This module is suitable for students from any discipline interested in learning more about leading and managing small and family businesses. 

It also gives you the knowledge and skills to explore growth strategies in small and family businesses and understand their skills and attributes in leading and managing these businesses. 

The module is interactive in delivery and uses discursive workshops for smaller groups (5 sessions) and introductory topic lectures (10 sessions). 

The module is delivered with a one hour lecture each week and a 2-hour interactive workshop once a fortnight. You can also attend one evening panel session linked to the Discovery theme, where all students can hear and participate in themed discussions. 

Or

Managing Innovation in Business (10 credits) 

Organisations that successfully manage innovation consistently outperform their peers, both in growth and financial performance. However, driving innovation is not easy and can disturb the stability of an enterprise. 

It requires skills, knowledge and attitudes that often don't conform to standard business procedures. 'Managing Innovation in Business' encompasses more than any one single aspect; instead, it looks at innovation as an integrated approach to dealing with organisational change. 

This module is about more than having good ideas. It's about managing new ideas, improving old ideas and understanding how to implement them successfully. This module is designed to be accessible for all students, regardless of subject discipline. 

It supports and encourages you to experiment with, and learn from, innovative action both generally and within their subject discipline. 

Reflection and research (20 credits)   

This module explores research methods in theatre and performance within the cultural industries and will introduce you to a range of contemporary case studies. 

You'll engage with a broad range of disciplinary perspectives, theories and research methods representing traditional and innovative practice. 

You'll be required to reflect on your development as a researcher/practitioner and undertake detailed plans to define your final year of study. 

Collaborative Performance Project (20 credits)  

The Collaborative Performance Project is an externally-facing module that combines practice and theory to explore performance modes, partnership engagement, and audience development and interaction.   

You'll work in a group, under close tutor guidance, to devise work in response to a specific brief from an external organisation. You may, for example, work in partnership with the Prisons and Probation Service or a museum or art gallery.

In recent years, students have created museum theatre, site-specific work and applied and digitally-augmented performances responding to concerns such as; climate change, social injustice, sustainability, homelessness, youth criminal justice, 'forgotten' female contributions to history. 

Students have also chosen to collaborate with the educational wing of organisations such as Leeds Playhouse or Opera North to explore arts engagement with local school children. The module is composed of a dynamic mixture of lectures, workshops and tutorials, in addition to studio-based self-directed rehearsal and study time. 

Year 2 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Re-thinking Theatre & Performance Histories (20 credits) 

This module asks some key questions about:

• How we understand the past

• What voices and practices are championed

• Why it is crucial to recognise what has been ignored or overlooked. 

You'll be introduced to important intersections between the arts and theatre, from the emergence of modernism to the present.

Approaches will acknowledge the importance of performance as a space for activism and address aspects including decolonialism, feminist performance, black theatre, queer performance.

Weekly sessions will examine innovations in performance, theatre, design, dance and live art, including the influences of philosophical, social and technological developments during this period. 

A series of readings, lectures and seminars will highlight the work of selected practitioners acknowledged for their contribution to the radical reinterpretations of the 20th and 21st centuries. 

Teaching will be structured around the close study of particular reactions to and departures from early Naturalism and Realism in the late 19th century. The leading artistic movements that gave these reactions expression in the 20th and 21st Centuries, (e.g. Symbolism, Expressionism, Dada, Surrealism, Theatre of the Absurd, Epic Theatre, Happenings, Live Art, Post-dramatic performance, etc.)

Theatre Directing (20 credits)

The module explores the role of the director through different responses to the text concerning aspects such as dramaturgy, space, design and collaborative working. 

It offers the opportunity to explore a range of directorial approaches to working with actors using the work of theatre directors such as Katie Mitchell and Eugenio Barba as key reference points. 

You’ll experiment with rehearsal techniques in a studio environment, analyse the work of contemporary directors (such as Ivo Van Hove, Emma Rice, Robert Lepage) and explore ways of presenting your directorial vision, both in a portfolio and a studio setting.

Cultural Flashpoints in the Performing Arts (20 credits)

This lecture-based module examines case studies across the performing arts disciplines; theatre, dance, music theatre, film, and popular music taking specific examples that may originate from creative, cultural and political flashpoints in the 20th and 21st Centuries. 

You'll examine the works within the socio-political framework they developed and related to a specific time and place. We will assess their influence and lasting legacy. 

Arts Marketing (20 credits)

This module aims to enable you to understand and critique core marketing theories and principles and apply them with discernment to the arts sector. 

We will draw on a range of real-world examples in the dynamic field of arts marketing and explore the key drivers and impacts of the arts on audiences. You’ll review different delivery methods for marketing and communication, understand how arts organisations build a brand, connect with their audiences and the importance of digital and online strategies such as podcasting and social media. 

This approach will give you an insight into arts marketing as it is currently practised in the arts sector. It'll also enhance future employability opportunities by exploring how marketing theory is applied in practice and provide you with an appreciation for the opportunities and challenges faced by professionals in the cultural sector. 

Exploring Musical Theatre (20 credits) 

This module explores the development of musical theatre on stage and screen in the twentieth-first century. 

You’ll study the relationship between theatrical narratives and musical structures and consider the impact of economic, political, social and technological factors on the stage-musical form. Achieved, by listening to examples of musical theatre from a range of twentieth-first century genres (e.g. verbatim, autobiographical, jukebox musicals), including West End, Broadway, and Hollywood musicals.

 We will also examine the latest works and innovations of recent musical theatre practitioners and, through contextual study, investigate, question and challenge some of the conventions and assumptions of the genre.

Performance Design (20 credits)

This module investigates the spatial, technological and material aspects of contemporary performance. Through a combination of practical workshops and examples of contemporary international performance design practice that uses structures, objects, costume, lighting and other material elements as a central focus, you’ll gain an understanding of the possibilities of performance design. 

Practical experimentation in studio work will allow you to develop an e-portfolio that documents your development and communicate a proposal for a design-led performance.

FOAH2020 Towards the Future: Skills in Context (20 credits) 

This module aims to provide you with an opportunity to think about how you can apply your knowledge and expertise beyond your university studies. 

To participate in the module, you’ll need to secure an opportunity to volunteer or work in an external context (such as school education, third sector, or with community groups, or you could use experiences you’re gaining through engagement with LUU).

You’ll be encouraged to consider the relevance of your academic studies and skills beyond Higher Education and to reflect on how framing your studies within an external context can inform your learning and academic practice.

The module will support you to reflect on your personal skills development and the ethical implications of working with external partners.

CESR 2207 Students into Schools (20 credits) 

Do you have an interest in teaching or education as a career? Would you like to develop your skills and expertise in supporting young people in the classroom while building up your understanding of critical issues in current UK education? 

If so, the Students into Schools module may be for you. Throughout the module, you’ll spend a minimum of 40 hours in a local school, contributing to the teaching and learning of your specialist subject. 

A series of seminars delivered by a range of educational professionals will help you contextualise your placement experience and assist you in becoming a more effective classroom practitioner. 

You’ll gain greater self-awareness and confidence in your ability to communicate with a range of audiences, take individual responsibility for the planning and managing of your work, and appreciate how your subject knowledge can be transferred and applied in a school setting.

CESR 2206 Developing Your Professional Identity: Preparing for a Career in the Arts, Heritage and Creative industries (20 credits) 

Are you interested in working in Arts, Culture, Heritage or Creative Industries? Want to know how to develop and prepare yourself for each stage of the recruitment process? 

This module aims to prepare you for this growing and competitive sector in the following key areas:  

• Identity: develop your self-awareness and enterprise, and consider how this relates to your course.

• Workplace: understand how you fit within the workplace.

• Professional image: how to articulate your professional image.

• Digital literacy: develop confidence in expressing yourself digitally. 

There will be the opportunity to work with an external organisation to make a difference, create change and have a positive impact. This module is practical and interactive, delivered by specialist career consultants and professionals, including Alumni. 

They work in the sector, giving a 'real' view of working and thriving. There is no exam as assessment is through coursework. You’ll undertake various written and practical activities, including a project with an organisation.

Opera North: Opera in Practice (20 credits)

Taught in partnership with Opera North, England's national opera company of the north, based in Leeds, you’ll have the unique opportunity to observe the operatic production process and study opera in practice through several critical perspectives. 

Opera North will be introduced in its artistic, regional and historical contexts. Under the guidance of tutors, you’ll observe the production process at Opera North (when possible attending rehearsals and performances at Opera North and The Grand Theatre in Leeds) – from model showings through rehearsals to final performances.  

The module will also introduce a broad choice of critical angles and perspectives in studying these operas in seminars and lectures. 

These typically include approaches such as: 

• Musicological

• Ethnomusicological

• Dramaturgical

• Contextual

• Historiographical

• Cultural

• Conceptual

• Semiotic

They all work with literary, dramatic, musical and cultural policy (re)sources. The University's newly acquired Opera North archive (held in the Special Collections) will also support students' investigations of operatic practice. You’re expected to choose one of the operas from Opera North's winter season as a research topic for your final project.

Performer Training in the C20th and C21st (20 credits)

This studio-based module promotes an in-depth understanding of various performer training systems and methodologies. It concentrates on the last and this century, the key period during which acting and performing became theorised and systematised. 

The module examines how training passes down and what factors play a part in this transmission. It’ll outline how training systems work and debate the extent to which they adapt to specific cultural contexts and pressures.

Politics, Identity and Performance (20 credits)

The module will explore theoretical engagement with politically-oriented 21st-century performance practice texts. 

It’ll offer the opportunity to reflect on how identity is constructed and experienced through the intersections of gender, sexuality, class, disability, race, and ethnicity. 

The module maps key texts, practitioners, and practices onto contemporary political discourse by considering performance as an example of political protest and an exploration of identity.

Interactive and Immersive Performance (20 credits)

This workshop-based module explores vital issues and concepts associated with producing work with and for specific audiences. 

The module will explore notions of interactivity and immersion and how these relate to contemporary performance examples from game-based scenarios escape rooms to site-based, site-responsive and digital practices. 

There will be opportunities to explore the work of key practitioners and to explore specific techniques and ethical considerations in working with audiences as co-creators.

Digital Performance Practices (20 credits)

Digital Performance Practices is a workshop-based module that explores practices and concepts inherent in realising performance works mediated through the digital. 

You’ll explore strategies for performance-making that will allow you to create your performance in response to a specific brief. Or, more specifically, where there is an intersection between the live body and digital tools (such as mobile phones, projectors, headsets, 360-degree cameras, binaural microphones, media servers, programmable devices).

Digital Culture and Technology (20 credits)

Digital Culture and Technology is a lecture and seminar-based module investigating essential theoretical concepts and contemporary developments in digital culture. 

By focusing on a wide range of practices and the work of key practitioners, you’ll consider the potential of new intersections between digital technologies and performance to create unique experiences for a wide range of audiences and create impact beyond the theatre space.

Year 3 compulsory modules

Semester 1  & 2
Final Year Project (40 credits) 

This module brings together all of your learning on the course into a single negotiated project. You can choose from a group performance project for a public audience, an enterprise project or an extended independent research project. 

You'll be required to define, develop, practice and demonstrate skills relevant to the chosen project outcome. 

Taught primarily through seminar and tutorial supervision responding to the demands of your brief, each option will culminate in a live presentation of your work. 

Semester 1 

Negotiated project (20 credits) 

The Negotiated Project is an independent assignment that responds to your specific needs and will be negotiated and agreed upon in advance of the final year of study and concerning choices made for the final year project. It allows you to focus on a specific area of interest and undertake study in a complementary area, focused on investigating a defined practice or answering a particular research question:

• Smaller-scale performance work

• Solo-work

• Work in an applied context

• Independent project 

Semester 2 Performance Futures (20 credits) 

Performance Futures is a lecture-based module that focuses on fundamental issues in the contemporary performance world and the wider cultural industries. 

It'll allow you to reflect on your development as a performance scholar and practitioner and assist you in charting your future after graduation, whether setting up your own company, working as a freelance artist or going on to further study. 

The module will outline current debates in the arts, seek to imagine possible futures and help you reflect on surfacing your skills in considering your future professional and career development and as a future Leeds graduate and global citizen. 

Either

Enterprise Consultancy (20 credits)  

Semester 1  

During this module, you’ll learn about delivering consultancy (including social and other 3rd sector organisations). Working directly with enterprises, you (as part of a student team) will deliver a project to a consultancy brief over a 6-8 week period within the module.  

This project will develop your team-working skills, your ability to project manage and at the same time gain an in-depth understanding of how these organisations are managed.  

You’ll be expected to contribute to the discussion actively and develop new ideas as part of a student consultancy team that provides advice on entrepreneurship and business development strategies.  

Or  

Critical Perspective in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (20 credits)  

Semester 2  

Critical Perspective in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship is a final year module that allows you to apply your learning in a discursive and interactive manner. It helps you to develop a critical awareness and understanding of key enterprise and entrepreneurship topics.  

This module explores cutting edge topics and practices in the Enterprise and Entrepreneurship field. It is suitable for final year students who wish to consider entrepreneurship through a critical and discursive lens. It is taught through an interactive workshop block every week.  

Year 3 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Opera North Opera in Practice (20 credits)  

Taught in partnership with Opera North, England's national opera company of the north, based in Leeds, you'll have the unique opportunity to observe the operatic production process and study opera in practice through several critical perspectives.  

Opera North will be introduced in its artistic, regional and historical contexts. Under the guidance of tutors, you'll observe the production process at Opera North (when possible attending rehearsals and performances at Opera North and The Grand Theatre in Leeds) – from model showings through rehearsals to final performances.  

The module will also introduce a broad choice of critical angles and perspectives in studying these operas in seminars and lectures.  

These typically include approaches such as:  

• Musicological 

• Ethnomusicological 

• Dramaturgical 

• Contextual 

• Historiographical 

• Cultural  

• Conceptual 

• Semiotic 

They all work with literary, dramatic, musical and cultural policy (re)sources. The University's newly acquired Opera North archive (held in the Special Collections) will also support your' investigations of operatic practice. You're expected to choose one of the operas from Opera North's winter season as a research topic for their final project. 

Arts and Cultural Management (20 credits) 

This module will be of particular interest if you are currently studying or interested in learning more about:  

• the Creative, Performing and Visual Arts 

• Theatre, Music and Design  

• Museum Studies 

• Cultural Studies 

• English Literature 

• Management and Business Studies.  

The module aims to enhance participants' employability and cultural insight by exploring the benefits and challenges of applying business and management theory to the arts and culture. It is tailored towards students seeking to acquire a deeper understanding of Arts and Cultural Management and explore the essential practices and theoretical debates in this dynamic and growing field. 

Performance Design and Space (20 credits) 

This module explores recent trends in performance that use spatial, temporal, aural, visual and material means to intervene in particular places and sites.  

The module looks at site-responsive and site-specific performance and street, environmental, immersive, and interactive performance.  

In this module, you'll investigate the key characteristics of this work, its aesthetic, social and political dimensions and develop your creative ideas for original performance events. 

Contemporary Theatre Makers (20 credits) 

The module focuses on world-renowned international theatre-makers and provides an in-depth critical investigation of their work.  

The lectures will use a range of case studies to help you understand the working methods, aesthetic decisions, strategies and visions of the selected theatre-makers and how this work speaks to a contemporary audience. 

Intercultural Shakespeare (20 credits) 

The intercultural encounter is a dynamic, active encounter between different cultural groups, involving the exchange of ideas and practices relating to Shakespeare.  

Inter/Intra and transcultural practices consider how elements of culture are absorbed, translated and transmitted across stagecrafts. It requires an ability to look deeply at both originating and target societies with an awareness of history and an attitude of tolerance and openness.  

You'll be encouraged to use your own cultural identity and understanding of specific theatre genres as a starting point to move towards an understanding and appreciation of the values of other individuals, groups, and societies and the role of Shakespearean drama in cultural representation.  

What you learn will be explored in practice working towards a realised group performance. 

Performer Training in the C20th and C21st * (20 credits) 

This studio-based module promotes an in-depth understanding of various performer training systems and methodologies. It concentrates on the last and this century, the key period during which acting and performing became theorised and systematised.  

The module examines how training passes down and what factors play a part in this transmission. It'll outline how training systems work and debate the extent to which they adapt to specific cultural contexts and pressures. 

Politics, Identity and Performance * (20 credits) 

The module will explore theoretical engagement with politically-oriented 21st-century performance practise texts.  

It'll offer the opportunity to reflect on how identity is constructed and experienced through the intersections of gender, sexuality, class, disability, race, and ethnicity.  

The module maps key texts, practitioners, and practices onto contemporary political discourse by considering performance as an example of political protest and an exploration of identity. 

Interactive and Immersive Performance *(20 credits) 

This workshop-based module explores vital issues and concepts associated with producing work with and for specific audiences.  

The module will explore notions of interactivity and immersion and how these relate to contemporary performance examples from game-based scenarios escape rooms to site-based, site-responsive and digital practices.  

There’ll be opportunities to explore the work of key practitioners and to explore specific techniques and ethical considerations in working with audiences as co-creators. 

Digital Performance Practices *(20 credits) 

Digital Performance Practices is a workshop-based module that explores practices and concepts inherent in realising performance works mediated through the digital.  

You'll explore strategies for performance-making that will allow you to create your performance in response to a specific brief. Or, more specifically, where there is an intersection between the live body and digital tools (such as mobile phones, projectors, headsets, 360-degree cameras, binaural microphones, media servers, programmable devices). 

Digital Culture and Technology *(20 credits) 

Digital Culture and Technology is a lecture and seminar-based module investigating essential theoretical concepts and contemporary developments in digital culture.  

By focusing on a wide range of practices and the work of key practitioners, you'll consider the potential of new intersections between digital technologies and performance to create unique experiences for a wide range of audiences and create impact beyond the theatre space.  

Discovery modules

Throughout your degree you will benefit from a range of opportunities to expand your intellectual horizons outside or within your subject area.

This course gives you the opportunity to choose from a range of discovery modules. They’re a great way to tailor your study around your interests or career aspirations and help you stand out from the crowd when you graduate. Find out more about discovery modules on our Broadening webpages.

Learning and teaching

Your tutors will have a wide range of performance and research expertise that informs their teaching. We use a comprehensive variety of innovative teaching and learning methods to help you develop your creative skills and expand your knowledge, including studio practice and workshops in practice-based modules, lectures, seminars and self-directed experimentation, tutorials and group learning. 

Collaboration is a vital skill in the creative arts. The course fosters an inclusive and active approach to learning, with reflective knowledge instilled as an essential skill from the beginning of your studies.  

Independent study is an integral part of the degree; this is where you develop your critical and research skills, whether this is in a library, specialist studio, or working with specific digital technologies, for example, depending on each module. 

Learning is supported through Minerva, our virtual learning environment, our expert technical staff and your Academic Personal Tutor.

The University Library is one of the country's very best and offers full training to help you make the most of our excellent resources. On this course, you'll be taught by expert academics across two schools, from you'll be guided by our expert academics, from lecturers to professors who are known internationally for their sector-leading research. Visiting specialists and industry professionals, and entrepreneurs with years of experience may also guide you, with years of experience as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus. 

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

We use various assessment methods, depending on the type of modules studied and the specified learning outcomes. We use a mixture of live, digital and online performances, presentations, essays, reports and portfolios with reflective writing, depending on each module's theoretical and practical elements. 

Each mode of assessment underpins specific transferable skills and relates to likely future modes of work and career needs. Assessments will often require you to synthesise evidence from various sources (e.g. lectures, seminars, own research, practical experimentation and wider reading) and apply the knowledge gained in new contexts. 

For presentations and performances, you'll often be required to work collaboratively with peers within a small group, often responding to a brief to produce work for a specific audience. 

In creative work, we encourage experimentation and risk-taking and expect you to reflect critically on your skills development. 

Assessments are designed to be fair, meaningful and inclusive, often relating directly to professional and industry practice and with a significant amount of choice and flexibility built in. 

In the final year of study, you'll negotiate how you'll study, what you'll create and produce, and how you wish to be assessed.

Entry requirements

A-level: ABB

We would normally expect at least one essay/discursive subject within the range of A level subjects taken.

GCSE: usually 5 at 4-9, including English at grade 4 or above.

Alternative qualification

Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.

Alternative entry

We’re committed to identifying the best possible applicants, regardless of personal circumstances or background.

Access to Leeds is an alternative admissions scheme which accepts applications from individuals who might be from low income households, in the first generation of their immediate family to apply to higher education, or have had their studies disrupted.

Find out more about Access to Leeds and alternative admissions.

International

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. Contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office for more information

International Foundation Year

International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.

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
If you're an international student and you don't meet the English language requirements for this programme, you may be able to study our undergraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

Fees

UK: £9,250 (per year)

International: £23,500 (per year)

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2022/23
For UK full-time undergraduate students starting in 2022/23 the fee will be £9,250. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the government and may vary if policy changes.

Tuition fees for UK undergraduate students starting in 2023/24
Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students for 2023/24 have been agreed by the UK Government and will remain at the current fee level of £9,250. The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the government and may vary if policy changes.

Tuition fees for international undergraduate students starting in 2023/24
Tuition fees for international students for 2023/24 should be available on individual course pages from September 2022.

Tuition fees for a study abroad or work placement year
If you take a study abroad or work placement year, you’ll pay a reduced tuition fee during this period. For more information, see Study abroad and work placement tuition fees and loans.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

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 about additional costs.

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 is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.

Applying

Apply to this course through UCAS. Check the deadline for applications on the UCAS website.

Read our guidance about applying.

Next steps

We select applicants on the basis of your UCAS application and are looking for a strong personal statement and suitable grades.

International students apply through UCAS in the same way as UK students. Our network of international representatives can help you with your application. If you’re unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

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 Taught Admissions Policy 2023

This course is taught by

School of Performance and Cultural Industries
Leeds University Business School

Contact us

School of Performance and Cultural Industries Undergraduate Admissions

Email: pciug@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Career opportunities

A degree in Theatre and Performance with Enterprise equips you with valuable subject knowledge, cultural awareness, understanding of the performance and cultural industries, and core principles and practices of business and entrepreneurship. It also gives you transferable skills that are particularly attractive to employers, such as leadership, working as part of a creative team (collaboration), presentational and organisational skills, people and resources management, critical analysis, negotiation and conflict resolution, and digital creativity.

As well as your understanding of performance and the theories behind it, you'll develop strong research and analytical skills. You'll be a confident communicator who can clearly present and defend your point of view, either verbally or in writing. 

You'll be able to collaborate with others or work independently, and you'll understand how your experiences on the course and in co-curricular activities can translate to future employment opportunities.

The skills and knowledge you develop in enterprise will also give you the confidence to explore opportunities for self-employment, and you'll acquire the skillset to start up your own business. 

The cultural and creative industries offer a wide range of opportunities for our graduates, who have gone on to pursue a wide variety of careers in many different sectors, including: 

• Writing

• Performing

• Directing

• Production

• Teaching

• Events management

• Digital technologies

• Arts administration

• Marketing

• Media

• Cultural policy

• PR

• Community arts work and outreach

• Education

• Drama therapy

However, you'll also acquire the skills for professional roles outside of the sector such as human resources, health care, social work, finance, law and business. 

Many of our graduates progress to postgraduate study and research in related disciplines, including our wide range of MA degrees including Applied Theatre and Intervention; Performance Design; Global Performance and Cultural Industries; Engagement and Participation; and Culture, Creativity and Entrepreneurship.

Recent graduate job titles include: 

• Theatre director (RSC, West-End, Broadway, Regional, Touring)

• Museum interpreter

• Performer (film, television, theatre)

• Arts administrator

• Producer

• Marketing assistant

• Postgraduate researcher

• Drama therapist

• Theatre company director

• Arts festival assistant producer

• Teacher

• University lecturer

• Festival co-ordinator

• Arts outreach worker

• Recruitment officer

• Designer

• Casting agent

• Disability awareness trainer

• Corporate relations manager

• Marketing Leadership Development Graduate

• Freelance artist

• Theatre-maker

Careers support

The School has a solid commitment to enhancing student employability. We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one, and many modules focus on developing specific skills for future employment opportunities. 

That's one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers. As part of your studies, you'll also have access to many opportunities to help with your career prospects, including a range of industry talks, networking events and placement opportunities. 

You can also develop transferable skills by supporting your fellow students as a Peer Mentor, acting as a student course or School representative, or contributing to the school community through engagement in the student-staff partnership forum. 

Your own Academic Personal Tutor in tandem with Leeds for Life and 'My Career' offers a unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development and offering a wide range of co-curricular activities and opportunities. 

We benefit from close support from the specialist employability team within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures and the Careers Centre. They host regular events focused on working in the arts and the creative and cultural industries. They 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.

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.

Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.

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 at the Careers website.

Study abroad and work placements

Study abroad

In your 2nd year of study, you have the opportunity to apply to spend time abroad, usually as an extra academic year. 

We have over 300 University partnerships worldwide, and popular destinations for our students include Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, South Africa and Latin America. 

Work placements

Practical work experience can help you decide on your career and improve your employability. On this course, you have the option to choose to undertake a placement module during your second year of study and to apply to take a placement year with organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors in the UK or overseas. 

In recent years, students have worked with theatre and events companies, broadcasters, arts organisations and major international companies such as L'Oréal and Paramount Pictures.

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