BA Production Arts and Design

Applications are made through UCAS Conservatoires website. The UCAS Conservatoires application system is separate from the main UCAS undergraduate application system. If you wish to apply to conservatoires and universities within UCAS, you will need to register for both services.

There is a UCAS application fee of £26.50 to register to use UCAS Conservatoires.

To begin a new UCAS Conservatoires application, you will need to register. You can read the UCAS Conservatoires’ advice on completing the UCAS Conservatoires application.

If you need assistance with your application, you can contact UCAS Conservatoires team by telephoning (Monday to Friday, 8.30 — 18.00). Phone 0371 468 0470 from within the UK or +44 330 3330 232 if you are calling from overseas.

Application deadline date

The closing date for all on time undergraduate applications from Scotland and the rest of the UK is 31 January 2022. If you submit your application after this date, we cannot guarantee that you will be invited to audition.

The closing date for EU and International applications is 31 March 2022. If you do consider to submit a late application, please contact admissions@rcs.ac.uk in the first instance to check we are accepting late applications. Late applications will be considered on a case by case basis.

We do not offer deferred entry. If you wish to commence in 2023, you must apply next year.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland institution code is R58.

You will also require the following programme code to apply:

BA Production Arts and Design: 203F 

There is a UCAS Conservatoires application fee of £26.50. In addition to the application fee, each conservatoire charges an audition/interview assessment administration fee. For RCS, the audition/interview assessment administration fee is £35 per programme applied for. Fees are not refundable. The fees are paid via the UCAS Conservatoires website and not directly to RCS.

Audition/Interview Assessment Administration fee

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland charges an audition/interview assessment administration fee of £35 per course.

We recognise that auditioning and interviewing for conservatoires, drama and ballet schools can be costly. The audition assessment administration fee charge allows us to offer a thorough and positive experience to all applicants and we encourage you to get in touch to ask the panel questions and find out more about the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to see if it is the best place for you.

We are committed to ensuring fair access to a conservatoire education for students who have the talent and potential to benefit from it, regardless of their background. In support of this, audition fee waivers are offered to applicants whom financial hardship may be a barrier to auditioning. Please see the audition fee waivers document for more information

It is your responsibility to ask two separate referees to write references and ensure that these are sent to RCS.

The references must be written by two different people and we will not accept references from family, other relatives or close friends.

You can submit your UCAS Conservatoires application form and send your references at a later date, but they must be received prior to your audition date.

UCAS Conservatoires provides reference forms for you to download and send to your referees for completion.

Applicants who apply on time (Scottish and rest of UK (RUK) – 31 March 2022, EU and International – 31 March 2022) are invited to an interview by email, approximately three weeks before. For September 2022 entry, we are currently planning for in-person interviews to take place in Glasgow as well as continuing to offer interviews in an online format for those who are not able to travel to an in-person event. We have many years of experience of conducting online interviews and have a well-established format and process in place, so no applicant will be disadvantaged by being assessed in this manner. We will continue to respond to ongoing governmental guidance as to how we can hold in-person interviews in a way that is safe for our applicants as well as staff, and these will be subject to change dependent on alterations in governmental advice.

Please note that RCS is only obliged to offer one audition/interview date per application. Alternative dates will only be provided (subject to availability) in exceptional circumstances. If you are unable to make your allocated interview date, you should email us immediately stating the reason.

BA Production Arts and Design interviews will take place from December to May.

You will be required to identify your chosen major study subject at the point of application and your interview experience will be tailored to this choice. The five major subjects are:

Props Construction

Scenic Art

Costume Construction

Scenery Construction

Set & Costume Design

 As well as an interview with two members of programme staff (approx. 30/40 minutes), you will also be offer a short tour of the Production Arts and Design facilities with a current student (15/20 mins)

At your interview, the panel will ask you a number of questions about your academic record, previous experiences and your interests and hobbies but they will focus on your response to the tasks (below) and your portfolio.

If you have not completed the tasks they will not be able to proceed with the interview.

The aim of the interview

The interview process is designed to ensure that you have every opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to and experience of theatre and the performing arts.  The interview also allows the panel to satisfy themselves that you have the potential to develop the relevant skills and qualities necessary to succeed both on a degree-level programme and ultimately in a highly competitive profession. This could include:

• Creative skills
• Technical skills
• Analytical and reflective skills
• Communication skills
• Collaborative skills
• An ability to work independently
• Professional standards

In order to assess these skills, the interview panel will invite you to discuss your response to a number of predefined tasks. Therefore, prior to attending the interview, you should ensure you have responded to these three exercises:

1. “About You” questionnaire (completed online via Acceptd) 

2. Creative Technical Response project (See below) 

3. Production / Performance presentation (See below) 

Please be aware that you MUST send us visual references (i.e. any images, drawings or written work you are providing as part of the tasks or as other evidence of suitability for the programme) A MINIMUM OF THREE WORKING DAYS in advance of the interview so that the panel can properly interrogate them. You will be required to digitise this work and upload to ‘Acceptd’.

Creative Technical Response Project

As part of the interview process we require you to choose one of the following plays.

1. Cloud 9 – Caryl Churchill
2. Fences – August Wilson
3. Leave Taking – Winsome Pinnock
4. A View from the Bridge – Arthur Miller
5. Nine Night – Natasha Gordon
6. Cost of Living – Martyna Majok
7. ‘Master Harold’….and the Boys – Athol Fugard
8. Translations – Brian Friel
9. Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off  –  Liz Lochhead
10. Topdog/Underdog – Suzan-Lori Parks

Source a copy of the script and study it with a view to communicating how you would address the production elements of this play relevant to your chosen major study subject (You do not necessarily need to cover the whole play).

Assessment of this project is based on your ability to apply yourself to a given task and your ability to discuss and demonstrate practical and creative solutions to the production challenges.

What you need to do:

You should consider this task in relation to your identified major study subject and the design and/or practical staging challenges raised by the script for that area.

• Set and Costume Design applicants should provide physical evidence of design solutions by means of a model box, costume designs and other related drawings. This should be accompanied by evidence of your ideas and the development of your designs.

Production Arts applicants are not required to design original pieces and may prefer to research previous productions to facilitate their task.

• Scenic construction applicants should consider the potential set building and possible methods / materials of construction.
• Scenic art applicants should consider the paint finishes they want to achieve and how they might do this.
• Props construction applicants should consider any potential for prop makes and how they might create these.
• Costume construction applicants should consider the potential costume designs and how they might be made.

Production/Performance Presentation

You are asked to attend a performance of a production of your choice and be able to discuss your observations of this production with the panel. Ideally this should be a live production but, if this is not possible, a recorded or streamed stage production can be used.

This should be a recent professional production if at all possible but must not be one you have worked on. This may be an opportunity to challenge yourself by choosing a type of performance or venue that you have not experienced before. Remember we want to hear you talk about this so feel free to use notes to help you but do not write an essay to read out.

You should endeavour to give a clear account of the production elements such as the overall set & costume design, staging, costume, props, lighting, sound and stage technology to the interview panel. Whilst an overview of the directing or performances is sometimes useful, this is not what we want you to focus on.

Remember that, as a member of the audience, your opinion is valid and should be used to comment on the overall effect of the production and whether there was any specific element that you personally liked or disliked. You may also be asked to comment on how you would have approached certain elements differently, given the chance.

It is often helpful to provide supplementary evidence of your visit such as publicity material or personal notes and sketches to illustrate a point.

Alongside these tasks, each candidate is seen as an individual and a holistic view is taken of your unique mix of qualities therefore the panel will be most interested to see any evidence of interests or experience to-date. Due to time restrictions, the panel will wish to see quality rather than quantity so pick examples of your work that best illustrate your suitability for the programme. As well as evidence of the set tasks your portfolio of work may take any form you feel is appropriate and could include:

• Prompt books, setting lists, props lists, scene breakdowns, running lists
• Cue sheets, colour calls, lighting plans, patch sheets
• Photographs of previous work
• Models (3D renderings, images etc)
• Technical drawings and ground plans
• Audio/video files
• Other relevant production documentation

No panel decision on the outcome of your interview will be offered at the end of the session.  You will be informed via UCAS Conservatoires as soon as possible afterwards, this can take up to six weeks.

At the culmination of the interview day the panel will review all the candidates seen.  At this stage the panel will evaluate your suitability and would normally conclude and settle on one of the following courses of action:-

1. To accept you onto the programme (either conditional or unconditional).

2. To accept you onto the ‘reserve list’ which suggests your application is acceptable, but implies the panel would wish to complete other interview sessions prior to making a final decision about the offer of a place on the programme.

3. To decline your application on this occasion.

If you would like to discuss any matters relating to the programme or interview procedures please feel free to contact Ros Maddison, Head of Production, at r.maddison@rcs.ac.uk

We want you to do well so please try and relax during the interview process and do your best to show us just how good you are.

All decisions will be posted on UCAS Conservatoires following your interview via UCAS Conservatoires Track,  (you will need your username and password). You will also receive notification from UCAS Conservatoires when decisions on all your choices are available.

Please see below for an explanation of UCAS Conservatoires codes:

Guaranteed Unconditional (GU) RCS is satisfied from the information you have given, that you have already met the conditions for entry. Unless your application and/or qualification are subsequently shown to be fraudulent, a guaranteed unconditional offer is binding.

Guaranteed Conditional (GC) RCS has made the offer subject to you meeting certain conditions such as examination results. Conditions can be viewed via UCAS Conservatoires Track. Unless your application and/or qualifications are subsequently shown to be fraudulent, the offer is binding if you accept the offer and meet the conditions. You must meet the conditions of the offer by 31 August 2021, unless an earlier date is specified. If your conditions include obtaining IELTS (English Language test), you must meet this condition by 31 May 2021.

Reserve Unconditional (VU) RCS is satisfied from the information you have given, that you have already met the conditions for entry and you have been offered a place on our reserve pool.

Reserve Conditional (VC) RCS has offered a place on its reserve pool subject to you meeting certain conditions such as examination results. Conditions can be viewed via UCAS Conservatoires Track.

Unsuccessful (R) RCS does not wish to offer you any type of a place.

If you have received a ‘reserve’ outcome, it means that RCS is not able to offer you a guaranteed place at the time of making our decision. A ‘reserve’ outcome indicates that RCS would like the opportunity to review its outcome to you in the light of acceptances/declines to its guaranteed offers. You will become part of a ‘pool’ of ‘reserve’ candidates and RCS may choose to make you a guaranteed offer if a suitable place becomes available.  Reserve does not mean that a place has been ‘reserved’ for you. If RCS chooses not to make you a guaranteed offer, you will not have a place to start at RCS.

If you have been given a ‘reserve’ outcome, in order to be considered for a guaranteed place (should one become available) you will need to accept the outcome (and meet any conditions if applicable).

Reserve outcomes remain active until the end of August.  The decision to wait and see whether a guaranteed place becomes available, or to accept an offer at another conservatoire is entirely at your discretion. As soon as your situation changes, this is updated on UCAS Conservatoires.

As soon as a decision is made, UCAS Conservatoires will let you know. You must reply online via UCAS Conservatoires Track. Your reply date is displayed on Track. If you do not reply by the date given, your offers will be declined automatically. The reply date may be different to other applicants as it is based on when you receive your last decision.

Please see the UCAS Conservatoires website for more information on replying to offers. If you make an application through UCAS Conservatoires, UCAS or UCAS Teacher Training, you cannot hold more than one confirmed place. A confirmed place in UCAS Conservatoires is a guaranteed unconditional offer as your first choice (GU1) and in UCAS and UCAS Teacher Training it is an unconditional firm (UF) place. If you receive more than one confirmed place, UCAS will ask you to accept one offer and withdraw from any others.

We have a number of policies and statements which you should read when applying to study at the Royal Conservatoire.

Please select the links below to read each policy.

• Feedback policy
• Equality and diversity
• Applicants with disabilities
• Guidance for applicants with criminal convictions
• Admissions policy