Category: Theatre

FREE CLPL from Fair Access at RCS in March & April 2025

Posted on by Ellen McNeill

 Recharge Your Creative   Practice: CLPL Workshops for   Expressive Arts Secondary   Teachers 

 Energise your teaching with our spring series of free workshops led by professional practitioners

Two adults sitting at a desk designing

A man and woman working together designing a prop

Tuesday 29 April 4.30 – 6.30pm
Practical Prop Making led by Merlin Currie, RCS Props Tutor 

Join us to create a handheld prop for performance, using a practical step-by-step approach. Find out how to create simple but effective props and the best materials to have in your store cupboard. 

 

 

Two people working together at a piano

 

Tuesday 6 May 4 – 6.30pm
Ways into Composition led by Tom W. Green, RCS Lecturer in Composition  

Explore a range of compositional techniques including creative strategies for composing with pupils who have limited musical literacy, using digital and non-digital aids. 

 

 

 

A young person holding drum sticks

 

Wednesday 14 May 4.30 – 6.30pm
Accessible Music Making for BGE Learners led by Stephen Henderson, Drummer, Composer, Band leader and Educator 

Develop tools to build pupils’ confidence and musicality, without them needing to read music. Explore rhythm activities, games, simple melodies and improvisation to make BGE music lessons more engaging.

 

 

Two people standing at lighting desk in a theatre

 

Monday 19 May 4.30 – 5.45pm
Get to Know Your Lighting Desk led by Paige MacGillivray, RCS Lighting Production Student 

For teachers who have the FLX S24 desk and want a better understanding of it. Led by an RCS Lighting student, who can give an insight into BA Production Technology. 

 

 

A woman pointing with her fingers

 

Tuesday 27 May 4.30 – 6.30pm
Devising Towards Performance led by Robbie Gordon, Theatre Maker and Creative Engagement Specialist

Explore the devising and writing techniques Wonder Fools use to tell authentic stories with communities. Delve into practical ways of shaping narrative and performance and leave with tools to support your pupils’ creativity. 

 

 

Book Now button

Please Note: Fair Access prioritises those facing barriers in accessing the arts. Such as those who:

  • live in an SIMD1 Postcode 
  • are care experienced 
  • are estranged and receive no support from family or carers
  • live in an SIMD1 Postcode or SIMD2 Postcode and belong to one of the following groups:
    • living rurally with poor transport links
    • Black, Indigenous or People of Colour 
    • D/deaf or Hard of Hearing

Get in touch if you have any questions or need us to check a postcode for you.

For this reason, our CLPL sessions prioritise places for teachers whose schools have a high percentage of SIMD1 postcodes within their catchment area.

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about these activities please get in touch with us at: fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

Creative Conversations in the Classroom

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Careers Talks Across Scotland 

With Accompanying Teacher Resources

Are you, or the young people you teach, interested in applying to study in the performing and production arts? Are you not sure where to start or what careers there may be? Fair Access have produced a suite of films and resources that can help making those decisions.

What is ‘Creative Conversations in the Classroom’?

Creative Conversations is a series of short films and accompanying teachers’ resources. The aim is to give young people an insight into what it’s really like to work in the creative industries.

​Each film features three professionals who work in a specific area of the performing or production arts in conversation with each other, and with an audience of secondary school pupils. At the end of each film, young people from the audience describe the impact this conversation has had on them. The Teachers’ Resources provide questions to get your own conversations in the classroom started after watching the film. ​

The Creative Conversations series includes artists working in:

All the films can be viewed at home, on your mobile devices or as a group in your classrooms or community spaces. You can also access them via our Toolkits page.

Contact Us

We’d love to hear about how you use these resources in your classroom or if you’re a young person that has found them useful in learning more about career options. You can say hello on our social media or if you have any questions about these resources, please get in touch at: fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

Masterclass: Live Sound for Artists

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Masterclass: Live Sound for Artists 

For those interested in studying
sound production, music or live performance

Sound artist in a venue working on a sound desk

Join us for an evening masterclass with Sound Engineer Carla Feuerstein to de-mystify the skills behind live sound engineering.

This will be particularly useful for any student interested in sound production, music or live performances. We invite students with any interest in being on stage or behind the sound desk.

When: Friday 25 October
Times: 7pm – 9pm
Where: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Book Now button
Spaces are limited.
Completing the booking form doesn’t automatically guarantee your place.
We will notify successful candidates.

 About Carla 

Carla Feuerstein is a live sound and recording engineer based in Glasgow who has extensively toured the UK and Europe over the last 10 years. While she has worked with artists from a variety of backgrounds, her main focus lies with the Folk and Traditional Music Scene of Scotland, where she has the pleasure of working with outstanding artists such as Breabach, HEISK, The Paul McKenna Band, Seàn Gray and the crossover-theatre production Hebridean Treasure – Lost and Found. Her contribution to these artists’ sound has earned her two nominations as Sound Engineer of the Year at the MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards.

In 2021, Carla joined the team at GloWorm Recording Studios in the heart of Glasgow, where she works under producer-owners Iain Hutchison and Andrea Gobbi.

Having joined the Royal Conservatoire’s School of Music part-time teaching staff Carla is now regularly leading tutorials, helping students hone their recording skills.

 Who Can Take Part 

WACI prioritise those facing barriers in accessing the arts such as those who are:

Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about these activities please get in touch with us at: waci@rcs.ac.uk

National Schools Workshops

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 National Schools Workshops 

School workshops in the performing and production arts

WACI are delighted to be offering a new programme of National Schools Workshops. Aimed at S5-6 classes and delivered within schools across Scotland. The workshops in performing and production arts are interactive, high-quality and delivered by industry experts.

Places are strictly limited and can be requested via the information pages for each workshop and subsequent signup forms:

All workshops will: 

  • Require two periods or equivalent 
  • Be targeted toward S5-6 
  • Be offered on a first come first served basis 
  • Provide students with an insight into the fully funded access programmes at RCS, further and high education pathways and potential career options 
  • Serve as talking point on their personal statement 
  • Provide them with transferable skills for their SQA assessments 

To be an eligible school you must be listed on our wider schools list 

 How to Contact Us 

If you have an queries or questions about this activity, you can contact the team at: 📧waci@rcs.ac.uk

Get Into: Performing and Production Arts Update

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Get Into: Performing and Production Arts Update 

Musical Theatre, Filmmaking, Production, Singing and Guitar

Two people standing in a darkended room experimenting with lighting

This term, Fair Access has been running a fantastic programme of ‘Get Into’ courses designed as pathways towards further training in higher education.

Forty-five young people from across Scotland attend weekly workshops to develop their skills and confidence in either Production Arts and Technology, Guitar, Musical Theatre or Filmmaking (which focuses on either Script Writing or Post-production Sound).

Young woman showing a prop

We are especially delighted to be working in partnership with Eden Court Theatre in Inverness to host a further ‘Get Into: Production’ course, which focuses on prop making and includes a work experience placement at RCS.

Courses are led by RCS tutors and freelance artists, many of whom are RCS alumni, now working professionally. In January we are excited to offer ‘Get Into: Singing’ as part of this programme. 

 Want to know more about our ‘Get Into’ programmes? 

Look out for more Get Into programmes that you can sign up for next Spring. If you have any questions or queries, email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

Performance Making Taster Workshops

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 PERFORMANCE MAKING WORKSHOPS 

at the Traverse in Edinburgh and RCS in Glasgow

Two young people standingwith their back to each other, touching with a foot

In partnership with Dr Vania Gala, Head of the new Performance Making BA, Fair Access has been running taster workshops at the Traverse Theatre and at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. 

At both venues, we had a brilliant turnout of creative people, willing to move, collaborate and explore new ways of working together:


‘I loved being creative, moving and the energy in the room’ 


 ‘It felt so good to move’ 


 ‘I enjoyed the positive way we connected to each other and to our own bodies, and thinking about movement in a different way…I had a lot of fun!’ 


 ‘Learning that there are resources out there that encourage new theatre being created was so useful’ 


 Our session at RCS was run in partnership with Scottish Youth Theatre and Creative Director Rikki Payne brought a group of young artists from Dunoon to take part and also couldn’t resist joining in himself! The session was co-led by Lucy Cash who teaches on the new degree programme.

Get Into: Production (Inverness)

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Get Into: Production (Inverness) 

RCS & Fair Access at Eden Court Theatre

Man with long hair standing on a stage in an empty theatre 
‘Get Into: Production’ at Eden Court recently saw 30 young people try their hand at Lighting, Sound and Set and Costume Design. Working in performance spaces all over the theatre, led by RCS Production staff and the brilliant technical staff from Eden Court, those attending found out about careers they never knew existed and how Fair Access can create training pathways towards these careers. This is a great partnership with Eden Court which we hope to develop to reach more young people in the Highlands and Islands. 


 ‘Thanks for putting on such a fantastic workshop. My pupils absolutely loved it and we really hope that you come back!’ Catriona Rutherford Inverness Royal Academy 
 


 ‘A really super day for all and a nice variety of interests and favourite workshops. A real success!’ Morag Russell, Engagement Programme Coordinator Eden Court 
 

 Apply Now 

If you are interested in getting involved in production, register now for WACI, to gain access to a host of free workshops, short courses, performance trips and help in applying to FE/HE courses or apply for Transitions if you are intersted in studying Production at RCS and gain access to a suite of learning and support in getting you ready. What are you waiting for?

 Contact Us 

If you’d like to learn more about our ‘Get Into’ series’, contact: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

Stories and Spaces, Mull

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Stories and Spaces, Mull 

Fair Access x SYT x Mull Youth Theatre

Stories and Songs Mull with Fair Access x Scottish Youth Theatre

Last weekend Fair Access at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland worked with 20 young people from Mull Youth Theatre and Scottish Youth Theatre on a collaborative performance project.

We used storytelling, photography, lighting & sound design and contemporary performance to create a beautiful installation together at An Tobar. 50 people visited our installation on the first day. An Tobar were so impressed with our collaborative work they invited us to leave it up in the space for others to see.

We feel so lucky to have worked with young people on Mull. The spirit of the place was very present – we were made so welcome, the young people were mightily generous and we went on amazing creative adventures in such a short space of time.

In the words of the participants:

“It has been nice learning new things and meeting people that love doing their job. I have enjoyed this because we don’t get this opportunity a lot”.

“I enjoyed meeting new and experienced people. I enjoyed learning new skills, especially on the tech side of things”.

Thank you to Mull Youth Theatre for being brilliant hosts – we sincerely hope to visit and make something exciting together again soon.

You can view more photos from the weekend on our Flickr.

Stories and Spaces

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Stories and Spaces 

Isle of Mull, 28 – 30 Jan

School girls on stage reaching towards a superimposed map.

We are thrilled to announce a new project for 2023 – Stories & Spaces.  

Fair Access here at RCS are working in partnership with the Scottish Youth Theatre to reach young people in rural and island communities. At the end of the month, we’ll all be heading to the Isle of Mull for a two-day workshop, led by a team of artists and creative professionals.  

Stories & Spaces is a free opportunity for young people from Mull, aged 14-17, that are interested in growing their theatre and wider artistic skills. The programme will offer different approaches to performance-making through a series of workshops that creatively explore their own stories and spaces.    

The workshops will guide participants through installation-making, site-specific storytelling, photography and performance, culminating in a showcase that will be shared open to the public at An Tobar, Mull on Monday 30 January.

If you’re in the area, come check it out! If not, keep an eye on all our socials and websites for further announcements – including meeting the creative team and live updates from the project!  

 Get In Touch 

If you would like to know more about this, or any of our Fair Access projects email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

Performance Trip: Christmas at the Conservatoire

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Performance Trip: 

 Christmas at the Conservatoire 

Wed 14 Dec & Thu 15 Dec, 7:30pm

Group of performers in Christmas clothing

As we near the end of our Get Ready semester, we have one final exciting opportunity available for you before the winter break!

Join us at RCS for a free performance trip to see ‘Christmas at the Conservatoire.’ This will be such a great opportunity to visit RCS and to get to see conservatoires students in action as they present our annual winter concert. It will be a fantastic opportunity to see what it’s like to study at the conservatoire or in studying the arts in general. You’ll also get the chance to meet other students with similar interests (and to meet the WACI team)!

Both performances with take place at the Renfrew Street building for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and start at 7:30pm, finishing approx 9:20pm on:

Wednesday 14 of December
Thursday 15 of December

Who’s it for:

Any WACI eligible student who would like to join us on a (free!) festive performance trip. There are limited spaces so sign up now to avoid disappointment.

* Applications now closed *

We really hope you can make it! Any questions, please do get in touch.

 Get In Touch 

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