BA Production Arts and Design
Studying Production Arts and Design at RCS, you’ll learn in a high-level conservatoire environment, preparing you for a career as a scenic artist, prop maker, stage carpenter, costume maker, or set/costume designer.
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Overview
Production consists of both the BA Production Arts and Design and the BA Production Technology and Management programmes. Production students work closely with each other both in the classroom and on RCS productions.
The Production Arts and Design programme creates a high-level learning environment for aspiring scenic artists, prop makers, stage carpenters, costume makers, and set and costume designers. You will be learning in an environment where your creativity and individuality is as important as your technical skill.
You will be accepted based on your profile in one particular area, taken from the five subjects on offer. You will follow an individual pathway based on a major and minor study to ensure a quality learning experience and will have the unique opportunity to engage with the diverse range of performance programmes.
The facilities available to our Production students are second to none. The Wallace Studios at Speirs Locks has purpose-built production workshops and design studios. The Renfrew Street building has five public performance spaces including a fully-equipped proscenium arch theatre and a black box studio theatre. The combination of professional venues, extensive workshops, construction spaces, design studios and the latest stage and workshop technologies provides a fantastic learning environment.
Our standards are based on professional practice and we have strong links with industry partners from across the UK and beyond. We have close relationships with the national performing arts organisations in Scotland as well as many of the regional theatres. We work closely with these partners to ensure the education you receive is current, competitive and of the highest professional standard.
If you have an employment opportunity you would like to share with our production students or graduates please contact Ros Maddison with full details and she will be happy to share this information as appropriate.
The important details
UK Applicant Deadline:
31 March 2025
International (including EU) Applicant Deadline:
31 March 2025
Institution Code:
R58
Programme Code:
203F
Audition Fee:
£35
Application Fee:
£28.50
Why Study Production Arts & Design at RCS?
A Unique Opportunity
This is the only degree programme of its kind in Scotland, allowing you to learn and practice production arts and design in a multi-disciplinary conservatoire.
Professional Partnerships
Our curriculum design is rooted in industry standards, and our invaluable partnerships include National Theatre of Scotland, National Theatre, Royal Opera House, Scottish Ballet, Disney Cruise Lines, Society of British Theatre Designers and Scottish Opera
Work Experience & Industry Showcase
As part of your studies, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake an industry placement with one of our many partners. Alongside this, in your final year, you’ll take part in an industry showcase, demonstrating your work to employers and building connections.
World-class Facilities
Learn and create in world-class facilities, including purpose-built production workshops, design studios and five public performance spaces.
Workshops & Masterclasses
You’ll take part in workshops and masterclasses with distinguished visiting professionals, making contacts and reaping the benefits of advice straight from the industry.
Study Abroad
You can study abroad as part of your programme, with opportunities in Europe, Australia, USA or Hong Kong.
Employability
90% of BA Production Arts & Design respondents to the HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20 were in work or further study.
Graduate Destinations
Our graduates have a strong track record of success, for example on major: TV shows such as Peaky Blinders, Game of Thrones, Outlander, Downton Abbey and The Crown; films such as The Outlaw King; and with artists such as Beyoncé.
Meet the Staff
Edward Howat
Teaching Artist (Props)
Production Technology & Management Lecturers
The BA Production Technology and Management Programme team deliver a range of sessions on your programme, especially throughout year one. Also led by the Head of Production, the team consists of six dedicated teaching staff:
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Lecturer in Stage Technology
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Lecturer in Stage Management
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Lecturer in Lighting
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Lecturer in Sound Technology
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Stage Management Tutor
Sam Burt
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Interim Lighting Tutor
Jazz Hutsby
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Sound Tutor
Barry McCall
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Stage Supervisor (Tutor)
Rebecca Coull
Central Production Unit Staff
The Central Production unit base at Wallace studios was built in 2011. The department encompasses 5 specialisms Set Construction, Scenic Art, Costume, Props and Production Management. The CPU staff are tutors who will mentor and supervise students in the production workshops, including tuition and tutorial support. Production Managers in the CPU will be your line managers on production work and are there to support your learning. At the heart of the unit is our large construction workshop in which a designers’ vision comes to life. The CPU department are responsible for creating almost all our staged productions.
- Lynfryn Mackenzie – Head of Technical Production & Interim Deputy Director of DPF
- Christopher McDougall – Central Production Unit Manager
- Simon Cook – Central Production Unit Workshop Manager
- Jacqui Howard – Production Manager
- Colin Bell – Production Manager
- Rhonda Barclay – Production Support Assistant
- Megumi McKillop – Scenic Art Tutor
- Gillian Ferguson – Costume Tutor
- Anna Antczak – Costume Tutor
- Lynne McGinley – Costume Tutor
- Nicola Russell – Costume Tutor
- Fiona Larkin – Costume Tutor
- Merlin Currie – Props Tutor
- Danny Main – Scenic Carpentry Tutor
- Matt Doolan – Scenic Carpentry Tutor
- Olivia Mears Young – Administrator
Venues Team Technicians
The Venues Team manage and maintains the technical equipment in the venues and provides technical support where appropriate. They work independently with the School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film and have responsibility for all RCS internal venues. The team is led by:
- Kevin Robertson – Receiving Stage Manager
Programme Support Administrators
- Grace Dunn – Programme Support Administrator (Production & Film)
Visiting Staff and Practitioners
Design students are sometimes mentored by a professional designer as well as full-time staff to make contacts and reap the benefit of advice straight from the industry. In addition to this, the department works with a range of professional practitioners to support RCS productions. These include; designers, scenic artists, prop makers, costume makers and carpenters.
Professional Partners
As our standards are rooted in industry practice, we have strong links with a broad range of professional partners. Through these relationships you will have the opportunity to work in a professional workplace environment on placement and will have access to a variety of networking opportunities such as dress rehearsals and showcase events. You will also get access to work opportunities and job vacancies through our extensive network of successful graduates.
We have close relationships with key Scottish national companies, such as:
As well as companies across Scotland, the UK and internationally such as:
Graduate Destinations
Recent destinations of BA Production Arts & Design graduates include:
- National Theatre of Scotland
- Royal Lyceum
- Citizens Theatre
- Pitlochry Festival Theatre
- Royal Opera House
- Tron Theatre
- BBC
- Traverse Theatre
- Pretty Scenic
- Scottish Opera
- Outlander
- Vanishing Point
- Cirque du Soleil
Hear from some of our graduates:
Alumni
Alumni of the BA Production Arts and Design programme include:
- Rachel Light (Class of 2021) Royal Television Society Student Awards winner, Craft Award for Production Design – Sizzle
- Nicole Green (Class of 2018) Props Assistant Scottish Opera
- Siiri Korhonen (Class of 2017), Royal Television Society Scotland, Student Television Craft Award for Production Design 2018. Outlander, Season 5, Costume Trainee Programme. BBC World productions, Vigil mini-series, Costume Trainee
- Basia Binkowska (Class of 2016) Linbury Design winner
- Jade McNaughton (Class of 2015) Principal Costumes, Game of Thrones
- Kenneth MacLeod (Class of 2015) Guest Designer: Eden Court Theatre, Cunard Line, Dundee Rep, National Youth Ballet, MacRobert Arts Centre
- Connor Gallagher (Class of 2015) Carpenter, Scottish Opera
- Cara Roxburgh (Class of 2014), BAFTA Scotland New Talent Design Award 2016, Gilly Slater (Class of 2017) The Bayreuth Scholarship, Richard Wagner Stipendienstiftung 2017
- Sophie Martin (Class of 2013) Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre, Wardrobe Assistant; Opera Holland Park, Wardrobe Deputy
- Marian Colquhoun (Class of 2005) Head of Props, Scottish Opera
- Lyndsay Sinnamon (Class of 2006) Head Scenic Artist, Outlander, Supervisor Painter Indiana Jones
Production Arts and Design Photo Gallery
Programme Structure
You will experience all areas of the production arts and design process as well as building initial skills and knowledge in your major subject.
You will receive a broad introduction to the production environment and the standard practices in Production Arts and Design.
The design process is examined through a range of projects, workshop rotations and collaborative projects culminating in the choice of a minor subject to study alongside your major pathway.
Alongside Production Technology and management students, you will investigate topics of relevance to production more broadly and you will also meet year one students from across RCS to discuss social priorities important to all creative arts disciplines.
You will be introduced to more advanced approaches and techniques including Personal and Professional Development skills.
Production Arts students engage with practice-based work on RCS productions as part of a collaborative team with students from third year. Processes, skills and techniques are gathered. You will have the opportunity to observe senior students in managerial positions.
Design students explore the design process from concept to final presentation through personal projects and begin the process of designing for a fully realised production.
You will negotiate an individual pathway in third year to take advantage of production or design roles, personal projects, options modules and work placement opportunities.
The placement ensures you are making contacts with industry practitioners and potential employers.
A showcase of work is exhibited at the end of the year and a range of potential employers are invited to view your work.
Work is assessed through staff observations of your practice. There is a strong emphasis on the assessment of process including working with others.
Reflective summaries and goal setting form a key component of assessment in Personal and Professional Development modules.
In levels two and three you will engage in portfolio building as an element of professional development planning. This is specifically designed to aid self-promotion, and the transition into the workplace.
How to Apply
Apply via UCAS Conservatoires
Applications are made through UCAS Conservatoires website. The UCAS Conservatoires application system is separate from the main UCAS undergraduate application system. You can read our guidance about using UCAS Conservatoires on our dedicated how to apply page.
Applicants will also be required to create an Acceptd account when they apply, which will be used for scheduling interviews. More information about this process will be available soon.
We do not offer deferred entry. If you wish to commence in 2026, you must apply next year.
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland institution code is R58. You will also require the following programme code to apply: 203F - Production Arts and Design (BA)
The closing date for all on-time BA Production Arts and Design applications 31 March 2025. If you submit your application after this date, we cannot guarantee that your application will be reviewed by the audition panel. If you do want to submit a late application, you must contact admissions@rcs.ac.uk in the first instance to check we are accepting late applications
Application/Audition fees
There is a UCAS Conservatoires application fee of £28.50. In addition to the application fee, each conservatoire charges an audition/interview assessment administration fee. The interview assessment administration fee is £35 for this programme. Fees are not refundable. The fees are paid via the UCAS Conservatoires website and not directly to RCS.
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 whose financial hardship may be a barrier to auditioning. Please note you can only apply for a fee waiver request once you have completed and submitted your UCAS application. Please see the audition fee waiver form for more information.
Pre-Interview Task
Prior to attending your interview (in-person or online), you are required to set up an Acceptd account and complete the tasks below:
It is important that you show us your previous work (portfolio) as well as your response to these tasks. Without this, we will not be able to proceed with the interview.
If you have not already done so, please set up an Acceptd account: https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs
- “About You” questionnaire (completed online via Acceptd)
- Upload a digitised version of your portfolio to Acceptd
- Production / Performance Presentation (See below)
- Creative Technical Response Project (See below)
These tasks must be completed A MINIMUM OF FIVE WORKING DAYS in advance of the interview so that the panel can properly interrogate them in advance of your interview. You will be required to digitise this work and upload it to ‘Acceptd’.
The interview will focus primarily on the evidence you provide of your suitability for the programme and so we will need to see the following:
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. Your portfolio of work should evidence your suitability for study in you chosen specialism and take any form you chose. As well as evidence of the set tasks noted below, this could include:
- Physical examples of work
- Photographs of previous work
- Models (3D renderings, images, etc.)
- Technical drawings and ground plans
- Audio/video files
- Other relevant production documentation
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 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 to the interview panel of the production elements such as the overall set & costume design, staging, costume, props, lighting, sound, and stage technology. 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.
Choose one of the following plays:
- Cloud 9 – Caryl Churchill
- Fences – August Wilson
- Leave Taking – Winsome Pinnock
- A View from the Bridge – Arthur Miller
- Nine Night – Natasha Gordon
- Cost of Living – Martyna Majok
- ‘Master Harold’….and the Boys – Athol Fugard
- Translations – Brian Friel
- Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off - Liz Lochhead
- 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.
- Production Arts applicants should research previous productions and use existing designs to facilitate this task rather than spending unnecessary time on the design itself.
- Scenic construction applicants should consider the potential set building and possible methods / materials of construction.
- Scenic art applicants should consider the possible 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 makes and how they might create these.
- 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.
The Interview
Applicants who apply on time are invited to an interview by email, approximately three weeks before. Interviews will take place in person, however online interviews are available for those who are unable to travel to RCS. 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. If possible, we encourage candidates to select an in-person interview as this gives you the opportunity to view our facilities.
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.
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;
- Set Construction
- Scenic Art
- Props Construction
- Costume Construction
- Set & Costume Design
As well as an interview with two members of programme staff (approx. 30/40 minutes), you will also be offered 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 about your previous experiences and your interests and hobbies and they will also want to discuss your portfolio and your response to the tasks (detailed in the ‘pre-interview task’ section above)
It is important that you show us your previous work as well as your response to these tasks. Without this, we will not be able to proceed with the interview.
The interview process is designed to ensure that you have every opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to your specialist subject and evidence your experience of 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
Candidates should bring all relevant work to the interview including their portfolio and, where relevant, examples of work such as costumes, small props, painted samples etc.
References
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.
Policy
We have a number of policies and pages which you should read when applying to study at the Royal Conservatoire:
Entry Requirements
Academic Requirements
- Scottish Highers — 3 passes (grade C or above)
- A Levels — 2 passes
- International Baccalaureate — minimum score of 24 with 3 subjects at Higher Level
- Recognised equivalences (EU and International Entry Requirements)
We welcome the Scottish Baccalaureate and will accept combinations of Highers and Advanced Highers.
We offer a flexible approach to students taking Higher over more than one academic year and/or who achieve their qualifications in more than one sitting.
English language requirements
The language of study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) is English. All applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence that their English language level meets the entrance requirements.
The required IELTS level for this programme is 6.5 overall with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component.
Full details of the English language tests and equivalencies we accept can be found on our English Language Requirements page.
Direct entry
Applications for direct entry beyond Year 1 will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the Royal Conservatoire’s Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning policy. If you wish to apply for direct entry, please mark the point of entry on UCAS Conservatoires application as 2 or 3.
Fees & Funding
Tuition fees
For academic year 2025/26:
- Scottish full-time: £1,820 (for most full-time, Scottish-domiciled undergraduate students, this will be paid by SAAS)
- RUK (including ROI*) full-time: £9,535
- International (including EU) full-time: £28,919
Please note these fees are subject to change.
Funding & Scholarships
You can find out about the funding and scholarships available for studying at RCS by visiting our dedicated page:
Cost of Living & Programme Costs
In addition to tuition fees, it is estimated that you will need between £11,200 and £15,300 per year to live in Glasgow, plus programme costs. Much will depend on your lifestyle and whether your course runs for three or four terms.
Undergraduate Programmes within the School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film have a range of associated costs related to the specific activities required and advised by the programme team. To ensure fairness and parity of experience to certain core programme activities a one-off payment to cover a proportion of necessary costs is required of the student at matriculation. You can find these costs in the pdf below:
Production Access Course
Our brand-new Access Courses are designed to support people who intend to apply to study at RCS and offer 40 credits at SCQF Level 6. They provide high-quality training for students interested in certain RCS programmes, including BA Production Arts & Design.
On the course, you will develop practical skills to improve your artform, take part in regular training and audition and interview preparation, and receive expert advice which helps you navigate the UCAS system, personal statement writing and the audition/interview process. The courses are structured to sit alongside school, college or work and are delivered using a mixture of in person and online teaching.
More from the Production Department
Behind the Scenes with BA PAD Staff
Learn more about the BA Production Arts and Design programme from our teaching staff in our video which goes behind the scenes of this creative programme.
Behind the Street Scene
Discover what our Set Construction and Props students created for the ‘Street Scene’ opera we staged in 2018.
Student Spotlight
Read our Student Spotlight with Class of 2022 grad, Lu, who specialised in set design. We spoke to her during her third year when she was working on our production of The Pyjama Game, as well as being associate designer for British Youth Music Theatre’s Why the Whales Came.