Widening Access to the Creative Industries – affectionately known as WACI – is run by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is part of their Fair Access provision. It is funded by the Scottish Funding Council. We offer a wide variety of funded opportunities for young people in Scotland. We support young people in their journey to study the performing and production arts at college, university or conservatoire level.
Who Can Take Part
Young people don’t have to be taking part in performance or production classes at school to take part. Sometimes schools don’t have the resources to offer classes such as Drama. And a love for woodwork, art or costume making is just as at home in the production arts. We provide a space for young people to try things out and learn about areas that they might never have known existed. All you need is enthusiasm and to be either one or more of the following:
- Living in a SIMD20 postcode and/or
- Care experienced and/or
- Estranged from parents or carers and/or
- Black, Indigenous and/or a Person of Colour (BIPOC) and living in a SIMD20 or SIMD40 postcode
If you live in a rural or remote area or if you are an asylum seeker or refugee, please get in touch and we can let you know if you are eligible.
What are the performing and production arts?
- Music: performance, teaching, sound production and business
- Dance: contemporary, street, jazz, ballet, hip hop
- Drama: performance making, acting, stage, screen and musical theatre
- Filmmaking: writing, editing, producing, directing, camera, sound operation
- Theatre Production: lighting, sound, set, props, costume, make-up artistry, stage management
What We Offer
We have three main programmes of activity:
- Get Ready: for those looking to apply to Higher Education on a performing or production arts course
- Get Into: for those looking to begin their journey into the performing and production arts
- Come and Try: for those who would like to try out different aspects of the creative industries to see if it’s for them.
We also offer CLPL for secondary school teachers.
How to get involved
If you would like to get in touch with us to discuss a project, ask about what opportunities we have available or to simply learn more about the programme please email us: waci@rcs.ac.uk
You can find out more about our activities on our calendar page, by visiting our booking page or by signing up to our mailing list. Here you will be sent activities and opportunities that you can get involved with. There is information throughout this website with information regarding all of our activities, areas of study in the performance and production arts, information on routes of progression alongside career options and other valuable information.
If you are a teacher, lecturer or working in the industry you can also subscribe to our Fair Access mailing list.
Additional Offers
Eligible young people are entitled to a 50% discount off the cost of any course in the Short Courses department at the Royal Conservatoire. Teachers are also eligible to a 25% discount for any short courses taken as part of their CPD.
Contact Us
We are always happy to hear about your experiences, feedback and to answer any questions you may have so please don’t hesitate to contact us at:
Follow Us
You can also follow us and like our pages on social media to keep up to date with our latest opportunities.
