Welcome to Classical and Contemporary Text and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland!
Each of you begins this year in a different place creative and professionally, but you are united by having each already achieved a great deal. You now come to us to take your creative and professional practice further – to broaden and deepen it with rigour, commitment and daring.
An exciting and challenging year lies ahead.
It will be busy. You will work intensively on classical text (with an emphasis on drama of the English Renaissance), contemporary text, new writing and original work. On this programme, we are actively engaged in a process of de-hierarchizing actor and director training. Traditionally, text-based performance operates hierarchically, with the text and authorial intent situated as paramount and actors and directors operating as interpreters. By contrast, we encourage you to approach text-based performance as a process of encounter in which you will meet text – in whatever form it takes – on equal footing. You will collaborate with it, bringing your own views, experiences, and artistic vision to the work. You will also have substantial opportunity to make your own work and to explore the art you want to make.
We want to support your agency actively and fully as learners and artists. This agency will be the axis of your studies. It will demand that you take substantial responsibility for your learning and development but accompanying that demand will be the opportunity to explore and develop your creative identity – to move in the direction you want to go. In this way, we hope that you will develop a practice that is flexible, vital, and sustainable, empowering you as an artist both during and beyond your studies.
You are joining us at an unprecedented time. We are all going to be challenged to work, create and think in new ways. There will be periods of creative joy, and periods of uncertainty and doubt. Ultimately, however, we all have the exciting opportunity to actively shape the future of the theatre and performing arts nationally and indeed, globally. We look forward to seeing the part you will play.
Please ensure you read the following materials:
- MA MFA CCT Welcome and Induction Schedule 2023
- Contemporary Text Programme Costs 2023-24
- Extract from The Purpose of Playing
- Important Programme Information 2023-24
Please note, the 2023-24 programme handbook will be available once you have matriculated.
There are a number of events organised during the intensive week which will help you prepare for your studies and give you an introduction to the Conservatoire. You will also have the opportunity to meet your Head of Programme, your Head of Department and other key members of staff. These events are compulsory and it is important that you look carefully through the schedule and identify those that apply to you. You will matriculate (register on your programme) on Monday 25 September. More information about this process can be found here: https://portal.rcs.ac.uk/matriculation/.
We look forward to you joining the Conservatoire and the Classical and Contemporary Text programme, and to the contribution you will make to this unique learning environment.
The CCT Staff Team