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Courses by Type > Theatre (Stage) Design > Motley Theatre Design Course (1 year)

Motley Theatre Design Course (1 year) - Certificate

Course Description:

Validating Body: Independent
The Course. This is an intensive one year course which runs annually from September to July with breaks at Christmas and Easter. The course caters for students of postgraduate level who wish to specialise in theatre design. Led by Alison Chitty, the instructors on the course are all practising professionals. The teaching is based on a philosophy of respect for the text and a belief in the integrity of the performance and the design. Students are encouraged to develop skills which combine practicality and imagination with a view to joining the profession on completion of the course. Recognised nationally and internationally for the quality of its graduates the course has, over the years, provided the theatre, film and television industries with many talented designers and technicians. We do not offer any degree or diploma but the end of year exhibition is widely regarded as a showcase for the profession.

The Training: Work on the Course is project based. Five or six projects are covered each year, of which four or five are plays and one an opera. Every project is lead by a different professional director and focuses on the development and presentation of designs for both scenery and costumes.
Students are encouraged not to accept the easy and conventional solution but through rigorous research develop their own interpretation. At the end of each project an experienced professional is invited to review the work. Each student presents their model and costume drawings to the group, the project director and the regular staff, which gives plenty of opportunity for informal discussion and assessment. Parallel with the major projects are regular classes in: The history and cut of period costume, character and costume drawing, the history of theatre, observational and life drawing, model making and technical drawing.
There are additional short intensive courses on textile printing and dyeing, scenic painting, lighting and mask making, Informal discussion and regular theatre and exhibition visits form an important part of the programme and occasional sessions with a wide range of theatre and theatre-related professionals provide a further practical introduction to working in the profession. The course culminates in an high profile exhibition of the students' work in July.

Application and Selection: Applicants must be 21 or over and although postgraduate standard is demanded we do not require any degree of diploma as qualification for entry. .  A maximum of twelve students is selected annually by interview and portfolio. The majority of successful applicants will have an art school, academic or theatre background. We are always interested in applicants from other disciplines but they must be able to express themselves visually and applicants whose previous experience has not included theatre work may be asked to prepare a special project. We welcome applicants from abroad given adequate notice. We look of course for talent, but also take great account of temperament and attitude and an ability to work independently and as a member of the group.
Applications should be submitted between January 1st and April 30th 

The fees are £4,750 for the year with a registration fee of £150 payable on acceptance of a place on the course.

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