Theatre and Performance teaching staff

Our Performance courses are taught by a range of visiting professional practitioners in addition to lectures and technical demonstrators. These can include BBC TV presenters, high-calibre stand-up comedians, sound and lighting designers, comedy improvisation specialists and physical comedy practitioners, screen actors and directors.

We also run an Employability Masterclass Programme throughout the year where invited guests facilitate workshops and talk to students about their practice and journey into the industry. These include, Lekan Lawal - theatre director, Claire Symonds – Senior Producer at The Lowry Theatre, Sarah Emmott – Co-Artistic Director of Art with Heart, Lee Houghton - Careers and Enterprise Development, Ash Cox - Digital Engagement and Audience Development, Rosie Archer – Equity.

For our undergraduate programmes, during your 3-year degree, you’ll have the chance to hear from Casting Directors, Comedy Producers, Technical Directors, Agents, Self-Taping Specialists, Artist Network Agencies, such as Mandy.Com and casting platform Spotlight.

Our students have been extremely fortunate to have worked with Writer and Director Jim Cartwright, Theatre and TV Actor Julie Hesmondhalgh, comedians Peter Kay, Jason Manford and Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, Actor Jane Horrocks, Actor and TV Presenter Denise Welch, amongst many more household names.

We have close connections with The Lowry through David Clare the Technical Manager who works closely with Technical Theatre students to ensure valuable and up-to-date industry links.  Celia Perkins and Katie Scott are both established and successful theatre designers who are regular visiting tutors on the Technical Theatre programme.  There are close links to the eight-time Tony & Olivier Award-winning/nominated sound designer Gareth Owen.

Our Theatre and Performance degrees allow for exploration of areas such as acting, theatre, events, film, social media, live streaming, radio & TV, depending on which course you choose. When you study with us, you could be exploring live studio production, experimental theatre acting, Renaissance theatre, comedy performance, scriptwriting, theatre directing, stage lighting and sound or acting for radio or TV. Our extensive range of module options means that you can choose what you want to specialise in and where your career is focused. 

Our lecturers and technical demonstrators were inspired to start teaching at the University of Salford to use their professional experiences - of working in the performing arts industry - to provide industry-standard skills to the next generation of performance professionals.

Our performing arts staff are still actively engaged in the industry, which enables our team to keep your learning experience fresh and up-to-date. We also gain great satisfaction from seeing our students graduate each year, knowing they are taking the knowledge they learnt from studying a performance degree at Salford into the industry.

Our performing arts lecturers each have their own teaching style, which will make your experience with us richer. Our performance teaching staff at the University of Salford are approachable and are invested in helping you thrive and excel in your chosen area. 

You’ll learn through a variety of lectures, seminars, workshops, and projects. Our classes are often practical so a ‘hands on’ approach makes learning enjoyable as well enabling you to gain real experience which you can use effectively in the industry.

Our performing arts modules have been carefully crafted to allow all learners to access information through a range of varied teaching methods. These also include the use of the University’s virtual learning platform Blackboard; where additional information, examples, videos, links to articles or websites for each class can be found. This allows you to learn at your own pace, supporting you as an independent learner.

You’ll also have a tailored Academic Progress review, which will provide you with an opportunity to create goals each year. When you study for a performing arts degree at the University of Salford, you’ll have tutorials with your academic tutors. They’ll work with you to encourage you to increase your skill set and work towards the completion of your individual goals and career pathway.

You’ll also have access to our library, which holds many academic workshops for any student who wishes to gain more skills in academic research and writing. Our technicians are also on hand for demonstrations, technical support and troubleshooting.