About the course

As a student on the MA/MFA Creative Producing programme at Central, you will:

Real-world creative producing opportunities to develop knowledge and skills
Networking through placements with leading theatre and arts organisations, masterclasses and industry mentors
Student-led collaboration with writers, actors and designers on other Central MA/MFA courses

What is a Creative Producer?

The entrepreneurially skilled and culturally literate producer works in dialogue with artists to create performances and festivals, run venues and companies, manage projects, raise funds and investment, and negotiate commissions.

Central graduates have become successful producers, among them Sir Cameron Mackintosh, a name synonymous with Britain’s global pre-eminence in musical theatre, and David Jubb, whose pioneering work at Battersea Arts Centre characterises the vibrancy and originality of London’s contemporary fringe, or ‘off West End’ scene.

Opportunities on the course

The courses offer real-world creative producing opportunities within Central’s production calendar and with extensive industry partners, enabling you to build on your existing practice. These skills are in ever-increasing demand in a competitive production environment.

You will undertake masterclasses in producing with key industry leaders and innovators and take an active role in the organisation of events, productions and projects, underpinned by a solid critical understanding of the cultural industries and creative producing skills, relevant theory and current research in the performance field.

While learning, you will also gain a career head start by building a vital network of industry and peer contacts.

Who is the course suitable for?

These courses are suitable for:

experienced stage managers or production managers who wish to develop as creative producers
those already engaged in creative producing activities who wish to extend their knowledge in the field
business graduates with an interest in performance arts applications
experienced theatre or performance artists or graduates who wish to produce their own work and gain entrepreneurial skills
arts graduates who wish to instigate or curate the work of others.

The MA is for those with existing arts practice who wish to develop relevant knowledge and expertise, creative entrepreneurial and project management skills and become part of Central’s extensive network of industry collaborators.

A vocational, industry focused course

The MA and MFA have been developed in consultation with leading industry partners to provide a vocational course where you can apply your learning through a diverse range of practical projects. Central is involved in many external collaborative projects, so in addition to its own production activity and commercial theatre connections, its pioneering work in circus and site-specific theatre means excellent connections to a wide range of alternative theatre forms.

Embracing the challenges of creating a sustainable business is a core part of the course and Central is proud to have been recognised by the prestigious London Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Education Trust (CET) for its entrepreneurial activity.