Theatre Arts with Foundation Year

Your course will be delivered at Derby Theatre, a fully equipped, professional theatre and major live performance venue, allowing you to gain valuable industry experience and contacts as you learn. To find out more about the work that Derby Theatre do outside of the University, please visit their YouTube Channel.

This theatre arts programme will develop your theatre and performance skills such as acting, directing and devising for your career as a professional theatre artist. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to showcase your work and you may be involved in performances regionally, nationally and internationally.

This dynamic and exciting theatre arts programme is taught by practising professional artists with expertise in their own fields. Built around process, experimentation and risk taking you will encounter a range of practices to explore and develop theatre making and performance skills. An exciting part of your studies will be the professional work experience within Derby Theatre or partner organisations which will contribute to the development of your professional portfolio. You will take part in a number of public performances across your years of study and in a variety of venues, including main house and studio theatre spaces, off-site in the community, schools, and art centres.

Foundation Year - helping you to achieve more

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.

Our degrees with a foundation year are continuous, meaning that you won’t need to apply again once you have successfully completed the first year.

Derby Theatre
The UK's unique professional, producing and learning theatre 

As a Learning Theatre, Derby Theatre provides a unique opportunity for students to learn to their craft by working alongside both academics and theatre professionals in the heart of a professional producing theatre, to develop your skills in technical theatre or performance. 

Students, academics and artists work, create and learn side by side at Derby Theatre. All decisions about the development of both the art and the learning opportunities are made together. At every stage, there is huge potential in the crucible of the arts, learning and research combining to both underpin and inform our future work.  

Derby Theatre provides an extraordinary platform for real life learning to take place, not only through the exciting main stage and studio programmes, but also through the work that the Theatre does with young people, young people in care, emerging artists and the community. Graduates of the programme can also be supported by our Artist Development Programme, In Good Company, which is part of a large regional funding programme. 

#ThisIsDerby award winning project
Derby Theatre has won the Excellence in Arts Education Award at the UK Theatre Awards in 2019 and the Guardian University Award 2020 for Social and Community Impact in recognition and celebration of the #ThisIsDerby project. Delivered by Derby Theatre and other cultural and sports organisations in the city, including Derby County Community Trust, Cultural Campus: Derby's Cultural Education Partnership and the City's Sports Forum, the project provides opportunities for young people to take part in high-quality arts, sports and cultural activities across the city and aims to develop their essential life skills. 

Abby's experience as a Theatre student

Watch the video below to find out more about Abby's experience of studying Theatre at the University of Derby.

Boost your employability with a placement year

Take an optional placement year to put your skills into practice in a real-world setting. We’ll support you in finding a placement and throughout your time in industry. It’s a great way to gain valuable experience for your CV, build contacts, and explore career options before you graduate.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

This Theatre Arts programme involves a combination of practice-led, studio-based exercises and lecture or seminar activity. There will be major performance projects, study of devising strategies, case studies and analysis of movements and practices in the 20th and 21st centuries. You will learn through workshop presentations, rehearsal strategies, directing and dramaturgy, new theatre writing and contemporary performance practices. The work will be underpinned by research, academic criticism and the professional production programme of Derby Theatre. You will carry out coursework that will be subject to academic criticism both written and practical. 

Teaching is through a combination of practice-led, studio-based exercises, workshops, performances and lecture or seminar activity. You will learn from expert lecturers who are also practising artists, as well as from theatre professionals based at Derby Theatre and visiting companies and lecturers. There will also be the opportunity to take part in masterclass residencies and engage in a variety of field trips.  You will have the opportunity to learn by working within your own student-led theatre company with full professional technical support and mentoring. The work will be underpinned by the professional production programme of Derby Theatre. 

Assessment is through a range of methods including written coursework, presentations, creative portfolios, assessed rehearsals, practical workshops and public performance. 

Students from this discipline area regularly go on to successful careers in film, television and theatre industries for example as actors, directors, theatre crew, teachers, artistic directors of their own theatre companies and other arts professionals. Alternatively, many students go on to postgraduate study and employment in a wide variety of professions like marketing or public relations. 

Be inspired by Andy's journey to employment in the below video: 

Notable graduates

Please note these are graduates from the subject discipline, not the course, as it is new

Graduate Danny Hendrix stars in War Horse

Danny Hendrix graduated in 2014 in Theatre Arts and is currently in the National Theatre touring production of the iconic First World War drama, War Horse. His tour of War Horse will visit Hong Kong and New Zealand – and his 2019 will end with a month of performances in Paris.

Danny is playing Billy Narracott, Seargent Klebb and Heine in the National Theatre tour, which is also visiting a string of theatres in the UK and Ireland.

His acting career has previously taken him to Australia to perform in Sydney Opera House and seen him appear in the West End and touring production of David Walliams’s Gangsta Granny.

If you’re interested in studying theatre at Derby, Danny has some tips for you: “Get involved in any way you can, not just in performance but also backstage and in technical roles, because the industry demands it. Use your time wisely and give 100% but also enjoy every second – I had the time of my life."

“The University provided me with opportunities and stepping stones that enabled me to put myself out there into the theatre/performing business. My lecturers inspired me in many different ways by challenging my abilities and skills but also by having faith in my talent and abilities to undertake such large roles.” - Danny Hendrix

More notable graduates

• Simon Stephens: Director (Theatre) - Brit School
• Adam Buss: Chief Executive – Derby Quad
• Janthi Mills: Executive Director - Hull Truck Theatre
• Richard Gerver: Inspirational Business Speaker
• Rachel Delooze: Actress
• Angharad Jones & Laura Ford: Artistic Directors of Fifth Word Theatre Company
• Cara Nolan: Theatre director
• Ben Redfern: Actor/Choreographer
• Amber Taylor: Stage Manager
• Daniel David: Director/Actor

Andy Nairn was Head of Production and Premises at Derby Theatre. The Andy Nairn Bursaries in Technical Theatre is a fund set up across three Midlands Theatres to support, encourage and enable young people to pursue a career in Technical Theatre. 

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

Offers will be made initially based on your application, including predicted grades and/or grades you have already achieved. You may be given the opportunity, within your offer letter, to submit a portfolio. If you submit a strong portfolio we will make you an unconditional offer, to reflect the quality of your work and your potential.

Additional entry requirements

• Portfolio: Recommended - view portfolio details

*This is the fee for the Foundation Year. Subsequent UK fees are £9,535 per year. Subsequent International fees are £17,500 per year.

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to

Additional costs and optional extras

Additional information about your studies

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Course updates

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.