BA (Hons) in Technical Theatre and Stage Management (progression year)
Is this course right for me?
Are you looking to deepen your specialist knowledge to a BA (Hons) degree level within the production arts? Our BA is only available to those who have completed our FdA in Technical Theatre and Stage Management or equivalent course elsewhere.
Course overview
This one-year course is ideal for those who want further prepare themselves for a highly successful specialist career.
Join our Technical Theatre Arts online open day on Tuesday 24 October 2023. Book your free ticket here.
Find out more about life as a student at RADA here.
This course is vocational and practice-based, using our state-of-the-art workshops, studios and theatres, and making use of the extensive opportunities to work on our many public productions and showcases.
Choosing from one or two areas of technical theatre or stage management, you will build on your skills and experience from your foundation degree to gain specialist knowledge and replicate working at high-level industry standards. Alongside our experienced teaching faculty, you will be introduced to practitioners from across the industry who provide additional insights into the variety of careers open to you and the skills and experience your future employers will be looking for.
You will graduate from the course ready to take on a range of roles across theatre, film, television, radio and live events.
You will also benefit from a professional development programme, as well as the RADA Buddy mentoring scheme, which supports your transition from student to professional with graduate ‘buddies’ providing professional advice, feedback and networking opportunities.
Students who successfully passed our FdA in Technical Theatre and Stage Management will now be considered for the BA (Hons) progression year. We also welcome applicants with a foundation degree or equivalent from elsewhere to apply for this course.
Places are available in a number of subject areas:
- Costume supervision
- Lighting (design and/or production lighting)
- Production management
- Sound (design and/or production sound)
- Property making
- Scenic art
- Scenic construction
- Stage management
- Technical management
Combinations of subjects may also be considered, for example:
- Property making and stage management
- Technical and production management
- Scenic construction and technical management
- Scenic art and property making
Timetable and workload
Hours will fluctuate between 35 hours per week during pre-production (mostly production work and self-directed study) and up to a maximum of 60 hours per week during production and technical rehearsal (senior production roles, classroom and self-directed study).
You can find our term dates up to summer 2025 here.
Assessment
Assessments are practical and take place twice per term. For each assessment period, you will receive formal written feedback from tutors and a numerical mark. The staff assessment forms part of the ongoing conversation about your progress.
Alongside the staff process, you will complete your own self-assessment (before seeing the staff’s thoughts) which forms part of your own reflection on your learning.
You may be assessed on a production role, a personal project or a work placement depending on the course being followed. Placements are not marked, but you must be deemed to have passed that assessment based on a satisfactory report from the employer.
The course consists of 120 credits. Students must enter with 240 credits from a foundation degree. Credits from a previous BA degrees are unable to be transferred.
Students will complete six modules in the year, five of which are credit bearing at either 30 or 15 credits. The sixth module does not contribute to the student’s credit, but will be assessed and contribute to their final mark and degree classification so is compulsory. The student must take a minimum of three out of five credit-bearing modules in their chosen area of specialisation.
The remaining non-credit bearing module may be in this specialisation or another area. Students have a minimum and maximum number of production, project and placement options.
Teaching staff
Visit our theatre production staff list to read about our faculty.
We encourage the opportunity for training regardless of age, gender, disability, ethnicity, marital status, nationality, sexual orientation, parental status, socio economic status, religion or belief. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity, to pursuing non-discriminatory policies and practice and eliminating unfair discrimination.
How to apply
Apply by submitting our online application form, which will be followed by an interview and practical workshop. See our applying section below for further information.
It is free to apply to this course.
Please note: students who pass RADA's FdA in Technical Theatre and Stage Management (TTSM) will be considered for the BA (Hons) progression year. Due to the highly specialist nature of our training, there will be limited places available in some specialisms.
RADA welcomes applicants with a foundation degree or equivalent from elsewhere to apply for this course.
A guide to our online application form
- Applications are online – you can fill out the form on a desktop, mobile or any other device.
- If you find that the form doesn't work, try using a different browser. We recommend Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.
- We ask questions about you including your address, school address, qualifications and household income.
- We ask for a passport-style photo of you. This can be a selfie or any other photo that clearly shows you from the shoulders up in portrait orientation up to 2MB in size and should be in JPG or PNG format. This is for our records only.
- The information we collect is confidential. Some of it is shared with our audition panel, but we mark this clearly on the form.
- The application will automatically save as you progress, if you want to take a break or come back to the form at a later date, you can simply close the browser and log back in later
- To ensure you don't accidentally delete your own responses, avoid going back and changing answers.
- Once you have pressed 'Submit' on the application form you can no longer edit, so please make sure you have filled out everything correctly.
- You will receive a confirmation email to say your form has been submitted.
Entry requirements
Applicants must:
- have passed our FdA in Technical Theatre and Stage Management (or similar level qualification from elsewhere, which must be worth 240 credits)
Admissions process
Once you have submitted your application online, we will get in touch with you to arrange an interview date and practical workshop.
For entry in September 2024, the practical workshop and interview will be scheduled in the same day. We expect these to be in-person, on-site, at RADA. Travel bursaries are available for applicants who live in the UK. If you live outside of the UK, and coming to RADA is not an option for you, we will offer a workshop and interview via a digital platform (likely to be Zoom). Workshop days are scheduled to take place in December 2023, January 2024 and April 2024. If you are successful, you may be offered a place immediately after the workshop day. Do note that, due to the volume of applicants we interview, we cannot provide feedback – please refer to the RADA Admissions Policy for more information
Applicants must demonstrate their suitability for conservatoire vocational training and show that they have read and understood the information sent concerning the course. Applicants are asked to show any work that may serve to support their application. We recommend that, where possible, you bring evidence of the processes you have used to complete work and the work itself – photographs, notes, sketches etc. and be prepared to speak about it.
Find more details in our Admissions Procedure Guide.
English is not my first language. How is fluency in English assessed?
Applicants should have excellent conversational English and be able to understand a variety of texts. As with all applicants, during the workshops, the panel will consider how you are able to interact and converse with them.
If English is not your first language, you may need to provide proof of your English language ability. For more information see our English Language Requirements guide or contact admissions@rada.ac.uk.
Information for disabled applicants
We welcome applications from disabled applicants and encourage them to disclose relevant information regarding any disability when completing their application form, to enable us to provide additional support during the admissions process. Find out more about the ways RADA support disabled applicants in our Student Life pages.
If you are a disabled applicant and would like further advice or guidance, please contact the admissions team directly on admissions@rada.ac.uk.
Admissions, appeals and complaints
For information about RADA’s admissions, appeals and complaints procedures for higher education courses, please download and read our Admissions, Appeals and Complaints document.
This process covers all of our Higher Education courses.
Policies, terms and conditions
If you would like to know more about RADA’s admissions policies for higher education courses, please download and read our Admissions Policy.
Please download the RADA Fees Policy for more information about fee levels and increases, deposits and payment.
Please see our Student Protection Plan for information about how we protect your rights.
You can read our terms and conditions for students.
Tuition fees
Undergraduate fees for the academic year 2024-25
Home (UK) students
£9,250
International students
£23,940
Your course is one year in length, so for Home (UK) students the total tuition will be £9,250. For international students, the total tuition will be £23,940.
See below for information on whether you are classed as a Home (UK) or International student. This also affects the financial support available.
For Home (UK) students, please note that our fees are regulated by the Office for Students.
Please see the fees policy for more information about how RADA calculates tuition fee increases for each year of a course and the fees summary for more information for 2024-25.
UK or International student?
There are strict regulations regarding residency which must be met in order to qualify for Home (UK) student status.
Home (UK) student
In order to be classed as a Home (UK) student you normally need to meet all of the following criteria on the first day of the first academic year of the course:
- You are settled in the UK (this means there is no immigration restriction on the length of your stay)
- You are ordinarily resident in the UK, and have been for the full three years before the first day of the academic year (ordinarily resident means that your main home is in the UK, and you are choosing to live in the UK)
- The main reason for you being in the UK is not to receive full-time education
Irish nationals who have been living in the Republic of Ireland or the UK can qualify for Home fees as long as they meet the residence requirements which can be found on the UK Council for International Students' (UKCISA) website.
International students
If you do not fall under the Home (UK) definitions, then you will be classed as an international student.
International students coming to RADA on a full-time course of more than six months will require a Student visa before coming to the UK to start your course. Without the visa you will not be allowed to enter the UK. Please visit the UK Visas & Immigration website for further details.
The definitions on this page are only a very brief summary and there are a number of exceptions to the conditions listed. For more detailed information, please refer to the UK Council for International Student Affairs guide.
Other costs
Other costs
Almost all materials and resources you require for your courses, including travel for any trips, are included in your tuition fees.
You will undertake a placement of up to six weeks as part of this course. For the majority of students, this will not mean any additional costs. You can apply for additional financial support from RADA if your placement means that you incur additional costs, such as travel.
Other materials costs: £300 + laptop
The things not covered include protective footwear, practice clothes, play texts and stationery. International students will have costs associated with the Student visa. Please visit the UK Visas & Immigration website for further details.
Laptops, phone/tablet devices and related equipment
To participate in this course, including online training, you will need to have the equipment see more information on the document here Prices for laptops may vary but costs are likely to be in the region of £550 and upwards. Educational discounts are available, so we advise that you wait until you are enrolled before buying any new equipment. We recognise that not all applicants/ students will own this equipment or be in a financial position to purchase it. RADA, therefore, has ways in which we can provide you with support to ensure that you can access the equipment you need.
Please note that a Laptop, phone/tablet devices and related equipment policy is being drawn up. More information is available from the admissions team by emailing admissions@rada.ac.uk.
Funding your training
It is important that you understand when you accept a place at RADA that you know how you will pay for it and whether you will need financial assistance. We do not take account of financial need when offering places, but we do reasonably assume that if you are applying to come to RADA, you will be able to pay the fees and support yourself.
Although applications are made directly to RADA, not through UCAS, RADA is a Registered Provider with the Office for Students. This means that our courses are eligible for student financial support.
RADA also offers a number of scholarships, the majority of which are awarded on the basis of income to undergraduate students studying in higher education for the first time.
Student loans
You can apply for a student loan for your tuition fees and living costs (maintenance) if you are:
- a Home (UK) student
- have not already completed a course at the same level (for example another BA degree)
Tuition fee loans are not means tested and this means that you do not have to pay any fees upfront for your course.
Depending on your home/residency country, you will also be able to take out a maintenance loan to support you in your studies. These loans are means tested and will depend on whether you are living at home or independently. Information about how much you can borrow and a student finance calculator are available on the student finance website.
Support for UK undergraduates taking a second degree
Second-degree students are not eligible for government-sponsored loans for a degree at the same or lower level.
RADA welcomes applications from UK students who already hold a degree from another institution or in a different subject and we hold a small number of places at the UK fee rate for such students.
You will need to finance yourself for both fees and living expenses. We have a very limited number of scholarships, which include full-fee and/or full-maintenance scholarships for students who are not eligible for student finance. Please read our scholarship section below for more information.
It is in your interest to provide us with information about how you intend to pay for your fees and support yourself through training, if you are not eligible for government-sponsored student finance. We will prioritise students from low-income backgrounds and from groups under-represented in the profession in allocating financial support.
International students are required to pay the full cost of their fees and living costs and are made an offer on the basis of paying privately. However, all funding issues are discussed individually with each student once an offer has been made.
Support for international students
International students are required to pay the full cost of fees and living expenses. Your offer is made on the basis that you can meet these expenses from your own funds. There are also financial requirements associated with the allocation of a Student visa. Please visit the UK Visas & Immigration website for further details.
RADA is not, at present, eligible for US Federal Loans.
Scholarships
RADA offers a number of scholarships. The majority of our scholarships will be awarded on the basis of income to undergraduate students studying in higher education for the first time.
We have a limited number of scholarships for second degree students. We do not usually offer scholarships to international students from outside the UK.
Means-tested scholarships
For UK student, new to higher education, starting an undergraduate course in September 2021, we offer the following awards:
Income under £45,000
Minimum award of £3,000 for each year of study
Care leavers
In accordance with our 2024-25 Access and Participation Plan, RADA offers an additional scholarship to care leavers (for living costs) of £3,000 per year for each year of study. This is for UK students on undergraduate courses.
Students are invited to apply for scholarship support once the offer of a place is made.
Graduates from RADA’s BA (Hons) in Technical Theatre and Stage Management can be found practising their professional skills across the industry.
For more information on recent graduate destinations, visit the Careers section of the FdA in Technical Theatre and Stage Management.
Right: Tank created by RADA graduate Kate Jewitt for Il Trovatore at the Royal Opera House, designed by Patrick Bannwart.
Candidates must be at least 18 on 1 September 2022 We offer other opportunities for young people under 18 including Access and Participation projects and Short Courses.
There is no upper age limit and all candidates over 18 who apply will be offered an interview.
RADA does not use the UCAS service for applications and we have an independent admissions process. Apply via the online application form at the top of this page.
We no longer produce a physical prospectus. All information on full-time courses can be found on the RADA website, including course content, costs and funding, graduate destinations, the application process, welfare support and where to live.
You can also download a RADA careers poster to display in your school, theatre or organisation here.
Due to the restrictions RADA has in place in response to Covid-19, we are unlikely to be able to hold in-person open days this year. We are planning to share digital events, if this changes we will let you know. Sign up to our mailing list here to receive information.
You will receive an automated email confirming receipt of your application when you have submitted it. We will then contact you with a date for your interview. Interviews are likely to start in January 2022.
If you are ill on the day, please email admissions@rada.ac.uk in advance of your interview time.
Where possible, we will try to provide an alternative date, but this may not be possible as it is dependent on where we are in the admissions process.
No. You should apply for a place in the year before the September you wish to begin your training.
There is an intake of around 20 students each year.
There are different fees for UK and international students. You must have lived in the UK for three consecutive years prior to starting the course in order to qualify for UK level tuition fees.
For example, if you were born in the UK but then moved to Australia for twenty years, you would be liable to pay the international rate.
Please read the 'Costs and funding' section above to know if you are an UK or international student.
If you are a UK student new to higher education, you can apply for a student loan for your tuition fees and living costs. If you are an international student, you are required to pay the full cost of your fees and living expenses. Your offer is made on the basis that you can meet these expenses from your own funds.
We do not usually offer scholarships to international students from outside the UK.
RADA is not, at present, eligible for US Federal Loans.
The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 and is now in a transition period. In June 2020, the UK government announced that EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for home fee status or financial support from Student Finance England for courses starting from the 2021-22 academic year onwards. This does not apply to Irish nationals, or anyone who benefits from Citizens’ Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement.
You can read the full government announcement here. Please see www.gov.uk for more details.
You can find our term dates up to summer 2023 here.
Generally, we do not accept student transfers into our higher education courses. For our higher education Theatre Production courses (FdA Technical Theatre and Stage Management, one-year BA (Hons) Technical Theatre and Stage Management progression year and PgDip Theatre Costume), we are unlikely to accept students part-way through the course. We take students from other institutions into the BA (Hons) TTSM top-up award, but not part-way through the year and they must apply and be interviewed as with all applicants.
We are not able to support students transferring between courses at RADA, particularly between acting and theatre production degrees as these are very different and vocational pathways. A student wishing to change direction would need to be interviewed or auditioned to join one of the other courses.
You can download our policy statement on transferring courses here.
The health and safety of everyone at RADA is our number one priority and we are proud to be See it Safely approved by Official London Theatre, so students, staff and visitors who visit and work inside our buildings can feel confident are always Covid-secure based on the latest UK Government and NHS guidelines.
Due to the restrictions in place in response to Covid-19, all initial interviews will now take place online. We expect to run a second round in-person workshop in London but this is subject to change according to Government health advice.
We are hoping to be able to welcome you to RADA before you accept your place but are currently planning to hold digital events so you can get an insight into our facilities and find out more about what it is like to come to RADA; sign up to our mailing list here to receive information including any changes to our plans.
Current RADA students are continuing their courses with a combination of in-person and online training. We will continue to adapt our training in light of changing government protocols and advice, but please note courses beginning in September 2022 may encompass some elements of online training.
As a Government regulated institution, sometimes our ability to open to the public and visitors is out of our control. We will always communicate clearly with applicants as circumstances change. Please read more about our Covid-19 protocols here.
Course hours will regularly include evenings and Saturdays, especially during production weeks so there would be little opportunity to work during term time.
It is important that students have a balance of study and rest throughout their time at RADA to enable them to complete their training satisfactorily.
Only in exceptional circumstances, on a case-by-case basis.
We hope so! We will do our best to give you a tour but there is no guarantee.
To participate in this course, including online training, you will need to have the equipment. We recognise that not all applicants/ students will be in a financial position to purchase this. Please see 'other costs' in the Costs and Funding section for more information and contact the admissions team by emailing admissions@rada.ac.uk. admissions@rada.ac.uk.
Read our regulations and policies relating to admissions and current students here.
