Theatre and performance courses at Salford

Learning and assessment happen in many ways. You’ll be assessed practically around 60% of the time, but you’ll also write essays, deliver presentations, create journals or blogs and take part in vivas. Generally, practical work amounts to 60%, written 20% and presentations 20%. This means you have a varied set of assessment methods which give learners multiple ways to express themselves.

You can apply to be a Graduate Intern once you graduate with us. If your application is successful, you could work with the New Adelphi Theatre team or gain the necessary experience within the Performance Department helping schedule and support with managing productions. 

As a University, we also have internships across many different departments where you can enhance and learn new skills. You can also sign up with Uni Temps; this works like a temping agency, and you can work in a paid position as an usher in the New Adelphi Theatre or a student ambassador working with us on Open Days for example. 

We're proud of our graduates; they go on to do many things: acting for TV, theatre and film, casting directors, theatre directors, running their own small scale theatre companies, drama facilitators for young people and community groups, scriptwriters, playwrights, teachers, editors, voice-over artists etc.

For Technical Theatre, there is a work placement module where you spend 60 hours in a professional organisation such as The Royal Exchange or independent technical practitioners or designers. Technical theatre students are also encouraged to be involved with the professional technical staff in the running of shows at the New Adelphi Theatre, and they also are heavily involved with Almost Famous, the university drama society.  
  
Our postgraduate alumni have gone on to be supported artists at the Royal Exchange Theatre, as well as to secure funded PhD places at Salford and Lancaster Universities, and present work at HOME and the Manchester International Festival.

Yes. At 2nd year you’ll work under the direction of a theatre or film director and show your work to an external audience. 

At 3rd year you’ll be making your performances, films or developing your own scripts; these will be presented at the Debut Festival of Theatre and Comedy or part of our public screening festival at the New Adelphi Theatre and HOME cinema in Manchester.
  
As part of our postgraduate provision, there are a number of opportunities to connect with venues, agents, programmers, producers and artists in your area. The vibrant Arrival Festival showcases the work of postgraduate contemporary performance-makers in August/September every year. 

There are many ways for you to showcase your work: At TaPP Fest, a public performance festival for 2nd-year Theatre students, Video Projects and screenings for Media and Performance students, Debut Theatre and Comedy Festival and more film screenings at 3rd year. 

We also hold an 'agents showcase' which allows you to audition and present your acting skills in front of an invited audience of agents. So you'll have the opportunity to be signed by an agent, potentially.

Our performance courses have a  Facebook  account that you can follow. 

Coming to the University of Salford gives you the chance to explore new things and expand your skills and knowledge in a wide range of theatre, media, academia so you may end up finding new interests. 

Many of our students discover a passion for something new, but you can still specialise and develop your own work as you move through the degree. We hold one-to-one tutorials with students so we can work all of this out together.

This depends on your module or performance. Our Technical Theatre students often support our student performances, but you may take on some extra responsibility for the performance you’re in. For example, in lighting design, production management, costume, set, production elements including camera, edit and multi-media.

We encourage our students to get involved in all aspects of the performance; the more you actively get involved, the more transferable skills you'll gain during your degree.

We often review modules to ensure the content is aligned with media trends and industry practice. For some modules, you have to go and see the latest touring work in order to respond to this for your assessments. Or you may be watching new films, listening to radio plays, reading new plays/creative writing and responding to these in class or as part of your assessments. 

We’re researchers writing new books and academic papers that contribute to the national and international landscape of performance. We’re actors, voice over artists, theatre makers, filmmakers,
directors, radio presenters, writers, sound artists, lighting designers, physical theatre and clowning specialists, young people’s theatre facilitators, improv specialists and more.

Find out more about our Performance teaching staff.

I’m not sure if this sums me up, but I love the late Nigel Charnock in DV8’s 1992 physical theatre piece Strange Fish. Particularly the bar scene where his skilful yet awkward physicality and his sheer needy energy exhaust me just watching him!' Niki Woods, Senior Lecturer in Performance. Programme Leader Theatre and Performance Practice and Artistic Director New Adelphi Theatre 

There are so many quotes from my favourite film  Saturday Night and Sunday Morning that I could choose. It was adapted by Alan Sillitoe from his debut novel into a 1960 film starring Salford's very own Albert Finney, and was directed by Karel Reisz. I'm still so familiar with the script that I'm almost word perfect and love the energy and defiance of the character Arthur Seaton. There are so many lines that the character has that I could quote, however: 

'it's a hard life, if you don't weaken'  is a particular favourite. Michelle Morris:  Lecturer in Media and Performance 

Where a module requires technical skills, the content will include the training of these skills. There are technicians on hand who specialise in editing, camera, studio etc along with the tutor who will continue to support you once you have been trained. You are then able to hire various studios and equipment to work independently on your projects again with guidance from the technicians.

Essays are linked to a taught module, whether it be a more theory based class or to reflect and evaluate on some practical work undertaken. The two are designed to link and support your performances and practical work and to gain a better understanding of how you can improve or further your skills.

We're proud that Greater Manchester's performance scene is etched on the world map. Greater Manchester has produced iconic shows such as Coronation Street, The Voice, Queer as Folk, The Royle Family and Shameless. Our local alumni includes talents such as Peter Kay, Christopher Eccleston, Warren Brown and Jason Manford.  

Greater Manchester is also a fantastic place to build a career in making live performance, with many opportunities for emerging makers arising from the range of venues in the region, as well as the biannual Manchester International Festival and countless smaller events and spaces for making and presenting your work. 

Our BA (Hons) Theatre and Performance Practice is classed as professional training by Spotlight which enables you to join as a professional member.