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A group of dance students practicing a routine in an immersive virtual reality pod, fully engaged in their environment.

Immersive Performance Practice - Certificate of Higher Education

Summary

The Certificate of Higher Education in Immersive Performance Practice is a one-year course intended to provide a foundation in performance to prepare you for further studies, advanced performer training and a career in the performance industry. This includes providing you with a forum to develop practical skills, knowledge, confidence, and experience.

Fusing the worlds of performance, audience participation and digital technology, this Certificate of Higher Education offers performing arts students the opportunity to explore the developing world of immersive performance and looks to explore creative responses to a range of media, including immersive and digital theatre, interactive performance, digital storytelling, podcasts and more.

Expect to refine your performance skills, experiment with interactive elements and push the boundaries of traditional theatrical practice. We will also encourage you to develop an awareness of what is needed in the industry and underpin your practice with critical thinking and analysis.

  • Course code DA1HE012
  • UCAS code W441
  • Duration 1 Year
  • Day/s of week Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday
  • Time 09:45 - 16:30

Next course dates

Start date Location Duration
08 Sep 2025
University Centre
1 Year
  • £33,100 average annual salary in this sector
  • Access to state-of-the-art equipment, theatre space and recording studios
  • 3,788 annual job openings in the North West

What Uni Reviews

Love it, best decision I've ever made. The course, tutors, and peers have all helped to make the experience enjoyable. I'm really enjoying the creative freedom on the course and how freely I am able to express my own ideas, but also enjoy taking inspiration from my peers. *****
Anonymous
Excellent facilities and tutors. *****
Leanne Booth
It felt like a place I could fit in and the people there were helpful in my experience at the university. ****
David Cleasby

Black and white logo for Lancashire & Cumbria Institute of Technology.

Where can this subject lead?

Career progression

The combination of a higher education qualification with an industry focus, delivered by BSoA will enable you to develop as creative practitioners and performers who are embarking on an entry-level career in the industry or have the ability to progress on to further studies.

The Level 4 Certificate of Higher Education Immersive Performance Practice provides a solid grounding in the subject discipline and developed to lead onto a corresponding programme at B&FC or apply to other HE providers (subject to meeting their requirements for admissions and/or RPL).

The Certificate of HE Immersive Performance Practice also provides a strong platform to secure industry-based work as holiday reps, cruise ship entertainers, theatre in education, producing, and theatre makers.

Key information

Entry Requirements

The course is designed for FE students currently taking acting, drama or musical theatre courses, adults with a performance background who wish to re-enter education or industry looking to upskill in this area of performance.

You require:  

  • A minimum of 64 UCAS points in an appropriate discipline
  • Mathematics and English Language GCSEs at a minimum grade of C/4 or equivalent
  • Successful performance-based audition at Blackpool and The Fylde College Theatre or the forwarding of an electronic portfolio

We will also review your creative work to assess your previous experience and will be available to talk through any questions you may have.

Qualification obtained

CertHE Immersive Performance Practice

Fees and funding

Please click here to find out more about tuition fees for this course.

Extra costs and equipment

All resources such as rehearsal space and library facilities are included in the programme cost itself. As a performance course that specialises in performance we do recommend – but do not require – that you have the following items available to wear when necessary:

  • A set of loose-fitting black casual clothing suitable for movement work
  • At least one pair of soft dark shoes
  • At least one formal or semi-formal shirt
  • At least one pair of formal dark shoes If anticipating playing female roles, character shoes
  • A vocal steamer
  • A yoga mat

Students may wish to purchase a laptop to facilitate their work at home, however, computers are available in the LRC and college laptops are accessible through the library loan system.

At the beginning of the term, you will be asked to pay a £40 deposit to the Old Electric Theatre. This automatically signs you up for a “Season Pass” that allows you to attend 8 shows of your choice throughout the academic year.

Regulation and Accreditation

Accrediting Institution: N/A

Awarding Body: N/A

Regulatory Body: Office for Students (OfS)

Terms and conditions

Read our full terms and conditions for more information.

What will I learn?

Industry placement, field trips and guest speakers

The programme has strong partnerships with arts organisations based in the North West which have led to the creation of exciting collaborative projects with, Blackpool Winter Gardens, Blackpool Tower Ballroom, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Blackpool Grand Theatre and The Old Electric Theatre. These relationships provide fantastic performance opportunities for our students to work with innovative and current practitioners providing incredible performance opportunities outside of the programme.

You can expect guest lectures and workshops in person and via zoom/teams from current industry professionals. Our graduates are working out in the industry and many of them are keen to return to the campus to share their expertise and experiences.

There are several field trip opportunities to theatres in Blackpool and throughout the North West. These trips are organised at ongoing intervals within your programme. These trips intend to assist or facilitate and consolidate your learning.

  • Modules at level 4

    Module title Code Credits Optional
    Introduction to Immersive Performance Practice DA4MD032 30 No
    The Thinking Practitioner DA4MD033 30 No
    Theatre Sports for Immersive Performance DA4MD034 30 No
    Interactive Theatre Maker DA4MD035 30 No

Study Support - at a glance

We offer a range of services to support you across all areas of student life, with specialist support available for students with disabilities.

  • Higher Education Learning Mentors (HELMs)
  • One-to-one and group study support sessions
  • Pre-degree preparation workshops
  • IT Support

How will I learn?

You will study basic performance skills such as vocal practices and physical practices and create a personalised training score for your own goals. You will explore the foundations of Stanislavski’s naturalistic performance techniques and their modern interpretations, and you will be exposed to a range of contemporary theatre makers and contemporary technologies.

You will be introduced to professional codes of rehearsal and performance and experience a thorough rehearsal process and develop your own working methodological approach to improvisation based work.

Learning Methods

Learning Method Level 4 Level 5 Level 6
Scheduled 520 0 0
Independent 680 0 0
Placement 0 0 0
Total 1200 0 0
Ready to take the next step? Navigate to the top of the page and click Apply Now to continue your degree-level journey.

Not the course for you?

Take a look at some of our other degree-level study options and see what sparks your imagination.

How will I be assessed?

How will I be assessed?

We want you to produce creative work that follows professional practices. To do this, you will undertake a range of activities and roles associated with the conception, production, presentation creation and evaluation of performance work within the context of acting and performance.

During the course you will be assessed formatively (does not count towards the final grade) and summatively (counts towards the final grade) in different ways.

These include:

  • Written Work (Essays and Reflections and Installations)
  • Performance Portfolios (which will be delivered in conditions that the module tutor will make clear, but will usually involve practical exams)
  • Reflective submissions (such as online Canvas posts and annotated scripts)
  • Presentations Performance Projects Online multimedia submission Process (which may involve the above, but also considers your practical and verbal contributions towards projects, as well as your overall code of practice and discipline)

The reason we use these methods is because they represent, as close to possible, the kind of things that will be expected of you in formal professional environments and the activities that will grant you the ability to have a sustained career. These formats allow you to demonstrate work and self-presentation, written and spoken comprehension and communication, interpersonal skills, team-working and creative problem-solving.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment Method Level 4 Level 5 Level 6
Coursework 13% 0% 0%
Exam 0% 0% 0%
Practical 0% 0% 0%