Category: Production

Come and Try Festival 2023

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Come & Try Festival 2023 

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 4 April – 12 April

A group of young people posing in their disciplines

Widening Access to the Creative Industries (WACI) is delighted to announce that applications for our Come and Try Festival are now open!

Whether you’ve got loads of experience already or you want to try something for the first time, the Come and Try Festival is for you! It’s a great way to get your creativity flowing, work with experienced artists and meet other people with the same interests as you.

Throughout the Easter holidays the festival takes place at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – and best of all, it’s all free to attend! 

Festival Programme:

Setting the Scene:
An Introduction to Production Arts and Design 
Tuesday 4 April, 10am-5pm

Explore Your Artform
Wednesday 5 April, 10am-4pm

Woodwind Performance Techniques
Thursday 6 April, 10am-4pm

Let’s Get Technical
Friday 7 April, 10am-4pm

Let’s Get Acting
Tuesday 11 April, 10am-4pm

Storytelling Through Sound and Screen
Wednesday 12 April, 10am-4pm

Who is it for?

The festival is open to all secondary school-age pupils. Priority places will be given to pupils who:  

  • attend a FOCUS West School  
  • live in an SiMD1 postcode  
  • Care Experienced or Estranged  
  • Black, Indigenous, or a Person Of Colour 
  • Seeking Asylum or Refugee  

The festival is also open to: Transitions students, Aspire North Students, Leaps Students, Lift Off Students 

Contact Us

If you require any information or have any questions about any of our activities and events, contact the team at: waci@rcs.ac.uk

48-Hour Visual Storytelling Challenge

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 48-Hour Visual Storytelling Challenge 

Fair Access x Beacon Arts Centre x Megahertz Theatre Company

Two people in darkened room with light behind them creating large shadows on a wall

We were delighted to partner with the Beacon Arts Centre for the 48-Hour Visual Storytelling project, delivered by RCS and Megahertz Theatre Company. 

The weekend was aimed at young people from across Inverclyde. The group of young people who joined us were imaginative, creative and very brave. What they achieved in a short time was impressive and a testament to their artistic ability as well as the skills of Megahertz who worked with them.

Young woman wearing a costume

Megahertz brings a unique skill set, vision and creative process, which is the sum of the many parts of the company. The company is comprised of artists with different specialisms, and this meant the learning experience for participating young people was particularly rich. So, over the weekend we improvised, devised, explored lighting and shadow work, built incredible costumes and characters and created images suitable for a movie poster, which were then shot using the Beacon as a set. Themes included sci fi, gothic, alien life, horror and post apolcalyptic scenarios! Here are some comments showing what people enjoyed:

“I enjoyed creating our own character for the photoshoot. It was so unique, personalised and interesting!”

“I learned how to world-build with single images/movements”

“I enjoyed developing a costume and character together – this wasn’t like normal drama where you get given a character and then decide what they wear. It was interesting to develop a character around costume”

“I liked meeting new people and doing stuff I never thought I’d be comfortable doing.”

We loved working at the Beacon, which was really inspiring and exciting! The staff were great and helped Megahertz to shoot photographs in a range of atmospheric locations not accessible to the public. This included basement corridors, control rooms full of switches and by the huge loading dock doors.

Get In Touch!

If you’d like to find out more about how Fair Access can help you, get in touch by our email at: fairaccesshello@rca.ac.uk

Get Into: Production (Greenock)

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Get Into: Production (Greenock) 

RCS x Fair Access x Beacon Arts Centre

A group of young people being shown technical equipment in a theatre

Fair Access was delighted to run our most recent Get Into: Production session in partnership with the RCS Production staff and Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock.

Over the day, pupils, students, and teachers from Inverclyde Academy, Clydeview Academy, Notre Dame High School and West College Scotland worked with RCS Production staff and technicians from the Beacon. Young people operated lighting and sound equipment, completed a scenic art team building task (involving spaghetti and marshmallows) and got to explore the fly floor of the main auditorium, thanks to the wonderful Beacon tech team! They also got to find out about the range of careers in production arts and technology and how Fair Access can support them. Here are some of the things people said:

“There’s a lot of choices and opportunities at the Conservatoire; lighting, sound etc as well as art, production, design. I’m really interested in the Production Arts and Design course, and I’ve applied this year. The things I saw today have made me enthusiastic about possibly gaining a place on this course!”

“It was good to hear that there are different opportunities outwith further education which RCS helps with. Also seeing the lighting and sound desks as this is the pathway I wish to follow.”

“What was most interesting was finding out how much things go on back-stage and how much time and effort it takes to make a show come to life!”

Get In Touch!

If you’d like to find out more about our Get Into: Production sessions or to find out more about how Fair Access can help you, get in touch by our email at: fairaccesshello@rca.ac.uk

Get Into: Production (Greenock)

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Get Into: Production Arts and Technology (Greenock) 

Open Day for 15+ and Twilight Tour for Teachers

Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock

A group of people in a studio painting and making stage scenes

Think the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is just about acting and music? Think again! Come to the Beacon Arts Centre and find out about RCS’s Production Arts and Technology BA degrees, which lead to a wide range of careers.

Did you know that:

  • Woodwork can lead to a career in Set Construction
  • Art & Design can lead to working as a Scenic Artist or Prop Maker
  • Fashion and Textiles can lead to being a Costume Designer
  • Physics and Computing can lead to careers in Lighting, Sound and Theatre Technology

Find out the pathways from school and college to RCS. Explore our training, take part in taster workshops and meet our staff and students.

Twilight Tour for Teachers,
Lecturers, DYW
Beacon Arts Centre
Mon 16 Jan
4:30 – 6:30pm
Open Day for
those aged 15+
Beacon Arts Centre
Wed 1 Feb
9:30 – 2:30pm

Click here to visit the booking form to reserve your place

 Get In Touch 

If you have any questions or queries, email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

Mentoring Week

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Mentoring Week 

3 – 7 October, 5pm

Two young people listening

Are you interested in studying Drama, Musical Theatre, Music, Production or Filmmaking? Not sure where to start or where to study? Unclear about what career opportunities are out there in that art form?

Come along to one of our group mentoring sessions in the art form that interests you. Here you’ll speak with a professional working in the industry, learn about where they studied and have the opportunity to ask about their journey.

Sessions are all online and take place over the 1st week in October from 5pm:

Monday 3rd: Drama

Tuesday 4th: Music 

Wednesday 5th: Musical Theatre 

Thursday 6th: Production

Friday 7th: Filmmaking 

These are a great opportunity for any pupil in S4 or above looking for support and advice in art forms and for those applying to a college, university or conservatoire.

Register Your Interest

You can register your interest for these sessions by clicking the button below to take you to an online form:

Get in touch

If you require any further information get in touch at: waci@rcs.ac.uk

Focus on Applications: DDPF

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 FOCUS ON APPLICATIONS: DDPF 

Tuesday 27 and Thursday 29 September, 6-8pm

Young woman sitting with some sound equipment

Who it is for: S5 & S6 Pupils interested in studying a course in further or higher education for dance, drama, production and film.
When: Tuesday 27 and Thursday 29 September, 6-8pm
Where: Online (Zoom)

Come along and find out how we can help you figure out which course might be the right course for you! We’ll also help you with your application and get you started on your personal statement.

These sessions focus on applying via UCAS and UCAS Conservatoires, as well as applying for a creative course at any college and/or university.

Register your interest by clicking the button below:

 Get In Touch 

If you require any further information or have any questions, email: waci@rcs.ac.uk

Get Into: Production (Ayr)

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 GET INTO: PRODUCTION (AYR) 

Open Day for 16+ and Twilight Session for Teachers

Girl holding a stick with glue dripping from it into pots.

Think the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is just about acting and music? Think again!

Come and find out about our incredibly versatile and hands-on undergraduate Production Programmes. There are two available streams: Production Arts and Design and Production Technology and Management.

Production is a vital part of any live event. Our aim is to train young people for a wide range of careers across theatre, TV, film, music concerts, live events and beyond.

Did you know? 

  • Woodwork can lead to a career in Set Construction
  • Art & Design can lead to working as a Scenic Artist or Prop Maker
  • Fashion and Textiles can lead to being a Costume Maker
  • Physics and Computing can lead to careers in Lighting, Sound and Theatre Technology

Find out the pathways from school and college to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Explore our training. Take part in taster workshops. Meet our staff and students.

Event information:

Twilight Tour for
Teachers, Lecturers, DYW
Venue: The Gaiety, Ayr
Wednesday 14 September
4.30pm – 6.30pm

 Open Day for those
aged 16+
Venue: The Gaiety, Ayr
Wednesday 5 October
9:45am – 11:45am

Register your interest by clicking the button below:

 Get In Touch 

If you require any further information or have any questions, email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

Apply Now To Become A Fair Access Ambassador!

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 FAIR ACCESS AMBASSADOR PROGRAMME 

September 2022 through to Summer 2023

⭐️ Applications are now open for our Fair Access Ambassador programme ⭐️

Young people sitting chatting in student area

 What is Fair Access? 

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is an inclusive and diverse environment. We want to encourage as many people as possible, regardless of their background, to get involved with the performing and production arts. The Fair Access department at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland run two programmes – Transitions and WACI – alongside our Fair Access Outreach and Partnership programme. 📽 Watch more here.

 The work of Fair Access Ambassadors 

Our Ambassadors work alongside our staff to help promote and provide information on opportunities around entering into the performing and production arts and our Fair Access activities and events within their local schools and communities. In return, our Ambassadors gain experience within the arts sector, working with people, and developing teamwork and communication skills alongside bespoke training opportunities.

 About you! 

The Ambassador programme is aimed at those aged 16+ who are passionate about the performing and production arts. You will meet the WACI eligibility criteria or be a current Transitions student. Checking your emails regularly, having good knowledge in social media, clear communication skills and being comfortable in social situations are an advantage.

 When will I need to be available? 

Aside from normal Ambassador activities, you will be available to attend our Ambassador meetings either at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland or via Zoom:

▪️ Residential Weekend: 2 – 4 September
▪️ Meetings: 20 Nov 22, 18 Feb 23 and 17 Jun 23.

 Sounds good, where / how do I sign up? 

Our application form will ask you to fill in your personal details and write a short response to the following questions:

▪️ Why are the arts important?
▪️ How would you promote the arts within your community to young people?
▪️ Why and how would you commit to being a Fair Access Ambassador?

*Alternatively, you can attach a short video (2-3 mins) that answers the questions above.

 Completing you application 

To complete your application we ask that you provide a reference from someone you know who is involved in the arts. This can be a teacher, tutor, community practitioner etc.

Get in touch 

If you require further information or have any questions, get in touch with the team at: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

Bridging Programme: Scenic Art

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 BRIDGING PROGRAMME: SCENIC ART 

Start Date: September 2022

Do you enjoy art but think it’s not a proper job – think again! If you’re interested in art and in studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, join our Fair Access Bridging Programme in Scenic Art. 

For those with skills in art/design, either from school, or as a hobby or as part of a community project, this is a practical part-time course that will teach you all about scenic art. There will be a mixture of 1:1 sessions, group work and practical hands-on RCS Production workshops.

This course is aimed at those aged 16+, with a passion for art who are either living in an SIMD1 postcode area or are care experienced or estranged or black, indigenous or person of colour. 

Register your interest by clicking the button below:

 Get In Touch 

If you require any further information or have any questions, email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

WACI x RCS Summer School Scholarships

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 SUMMER SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS 

Now Open for Application

WACI are delighted to announce that our scholarships for RCS Summer Schools are now open for applications. 

Young people playing strings in an orchestra

Each WACI pupil can now apply for a fully-funded place on an RCS Summer School of their choice (subject to availability). Taking place throughout the summer holidays, these courses offer you the chance to try something new or develop your existing experience within your chosen art form.

Summer School Availability

There are a whole variety of summer schools to choose from in Dance, Drama, Music, Film and Production. Visit the RCS Summer Schools website here to see the selection of courses you can choose from. Some of the courses are very popular where spaces fill up quickly. We’ll be assessing applications as and when they come in, so get your application in as soon as you can to avoid being disappointed!

How to apply

1. If you haven’t already, firstly register with the WACI programme

2. Then, fill out the application form to let us know:

  • a little bit about you
  • why you would like to do the course you have chosen

If it would be easier, you can provide a voice recording or video statement in support of your application.

Deadline for applications

Monday 6 June 

 Get In Touch 

If you require some help filling in your application or have any questions, get in touch with the team at: waci@rcs.ac.uk