Master of Design for Performance (MC-DSNPERF)

The Master of Design for Performance provides a substantial professional development opportunity for designers, visual artists and theatre makers to further develop their creative, conceptual and technical abilities in design for live performance specialising in Set/Props, Costume or Lighting. This structured coursework program provides an enriched and comprehensive pathway into the profession encompassing formal classes, workshops, studio-based learning as well as placements on actual stage productions professionally produced in the industry and those mounted within VCA. Students are able to gain experience in a variety of live performance forms.

A core principle of the program is that collaboration is at the heart of design for performance. In developing this skill, students will continually be interacting with other performance makers, in particular Directors, Choreographers, and other Designers. As such this course also provides a unique opportunity to develop creative partnerships that can lead to future collaborations in the profession. Students are provided with the tuition and facilities to develop advanced skills in a range of 2D and 3D visualisation techniques both by hand and using new technologies. These skills are employed to not only document and communicate ideas but also to produce graphic props and projected image on stage. In small studio-based classes students explore the role of design in performance and are led through theoretical projects with one-to-one feedback from lecturers and industry professionals to assist in developing their own unique approach to the design for performance process.