This course may lead to direct employment or to a course in Higher Education, in a university or dance or drama school, where you could receive further training in your chosen field.
Good information and guidance on progression and careers is offered on the course by your own personal tutor and through the support of Connexions.
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Q3: Could this course lead to careers other than those in the Creative Media Industries?
Answer: The course offers a whole range of transferrable skills that could, with hard work and further training, lead you to other careers that require team-work, self management, independent enquiry, creative thinking, effective participation and reflective analysis.
Good information and guidance on progression and careers is offered on the course by your own personal tutor and through the support of Connexions.
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Q4: What will the course be like?
Answer: The course is for post-16 students who wish to take the Extended Diploma at Level 3. This is a performance-based course that takes place in a newly built state-of-the-art theatre and dance complex. Learning will include all aspects of the performing arts industry working through projects from conception to realisation. Students will plan, develop and run their own events in The SPACE auditorium and at the nearby Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre and get the chance to work with a range of professional organisations related to the Performing Arts Industry.
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Q5: Is the whole course performance based?
Answer: The unique nature of the delivery of this qualification at The SPACE means that the learning that happens here is hands-on, experiential, exciting and relevant to the creative and related industries. The course allows students to experience all aspects of production including dance, drama, physical theatre, musical theatre and song, technical theatre and stage management and film production. These experiences happen in a very real way, with The SPACE Company collectively creating and showing over 15 public productions per year. They will also be responsible for and assessed on business elements of the production process including marketing strategies such as graphic design for posters and programmes, street theatre and social networking.
The course is structured to allow students to gain a wide breadth of experiences across art forms and creative disciplines, but also to specialise in areas where they find most success and enjoyment. The opportunity is therefore given to allow them to opt for practical units of study in areas such as acting and dance.
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Q6: What is the timetable like?
Answer: The course is full time and learning happens from 9.15am – 3.30pm from Monday to Friday, with evening rehearsals and performances on a few occasions through the calendar. Performance Practical sessions involve work towards the main productions in The SPACE programme and Additional Learning at The SPACE involves technique-based training in dance or drama for the BTEC element of the course. There is time set aside for production tasks, such as health and safety, budgeting and marketing (poster design, programme design, viral marketing and using the internet). Sometimes students spend time reflecting on their performances and evidencing their understanding, through written work on the Apple Mac computers or in videoed discussions. There are also windows in the timetable for health and fitness based activity, technique in dance and drama and creative extension projects.
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Q7: Are there opportunities for extra-curricular activities?
Answer: Optional Extra-curricular activities take place at The SPACE every evening from Monday-Thursday. These include SPACE_D (a dance group to build technique), Paper Surgery (an opportunity to receive one on one support with evidencing, functional skills or applications for progression) and SPACE_S (an a cappella vocal harmony signing group.) There is also the opportunity to receive work experience with performance groups with younger students (Zoom Youth Theatre and Fun Feet dance group) or to take advantage of opportunities offered by the Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre Community classes – such as Move Youth Theatre (theatre training for 15-21 year olds) and Taunton Youth Dance Company (a contemporary dance class for 15-21 year olds).
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Q8: Would we get to go abroad?
Answer: We aim to offer the students a study experience in New York, experiencing performing arts workshops and performances on Broadway, biennially.
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Q9: Will universities accept this course if I choose to go onto Higher Education?
Answer: The Universities have been involved in the consultation and development of the Extended Diploma. This includes Exeter University and University of West of England (Bristol) as well as Universities throughout the UK. The course is equal to 3.5 ‘A’ Levels and carries equivalent UCAS points tariff, which is a maximum of 420 points. We have forged partnerships with Bath Spa and Falmouth universities.
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Q10: What if I want to keep my options open and later decide I do not want to go into the Creative and Media industry. Will this be a problem?
Answer: Universities see the Extended Diploma as a route to Higher Education. You will learn skills that are generic to all employment e.g. creativity, time-management, being a finisher as well as a starter, handling uncertainty, flexibility, risk-taking, team-work, leadership, entrepreneurship, economic capability etc.
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Q11: Who is the course for?
Answer: The typical student will be bright, energetic, enthusiastic and have a genuine interest in the Performing Arts, be keen to work in a practical environment with tutors and professionals within the industry and will enjoy an active, performance-led course with plenty of variety as well as opportunities to follow individual interests.
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Q12: What qualification will I get?
Answer: You will be awarded a Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma. This is equivalent to 3.5 ‘A’ Levels, comprisng 18 units in dance, drama, musical theatre and song, technical theatre and stage management and film production. You will have been able to sepcialise in dance, drama and / or technical theatre and completed an Extended Project in a chosen area of interest.
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Q13: Will I be disadvantaged if I have not taken a Performing Arts subject at GCSE or BTEC during years 10 and 11?
Answer: As long as you have an interest in the Performing Arts, plenty of enthusiasm and willingness to learn then you have as much chance as any other student in meeting the entry requirement.
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Q14: What facilities will I have access to?
Answer: The SPACE is a state-of-the-art Performing Arts facility designed in order to prepare students for a 21st Century dynamic workforce. You will have on-site access to an intimate 80-seat theatre, high-tech dance and drama studios, Apple Mac design suite, film and television facilities, technical control room, scene dock/set-building space and an atrium coffee bar. Some SPACE productions will take place in the 250-seat auditorium at the nearby Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre.
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Q15: What are transport links like?
Answer: Students attend The SPACE from all over the county and beyond. There are buses running from Taunton town centre that stop just two minutes walk from The SPACE. Many students purchase a county bus ticket, for more information click on this link:
http://www.somerset.gov.uk/irj/public/services/directory/service?rid=/guid/a0402c3c-8e74-2c10-dea0-ef2680139697
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For any further questions you have regarding 'The SPACE', please contact us by email or telephone: (01823) 414 173.
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