Why Sunderland for Performance

The main base for Performance is Priestman Building at City Campus, which provides a vibrant and collaborative learning space for our students. You'll find:

• Dance studios – these are predominantly used for rehearsals and feature sprung dance floors, ballet bars, and moveable mirrors. The larger studio can also be converted during assessments to utilise the winch stands and backstage area, allowing for costume changes, floor lighting, and stage entrances and exits.
• Drama studio – typically used for smaller, more intimate performances, the drama studio features retractable tiered seating, a raised technical area for sound and lighting control, and 360-degree blackout drapes.
• Multipurpose space – this is home to our Steinway piano, professional sound systems, theatre lighting, and raked seating. It’s generally used for traditional classroom teaching, band rehearsals, and ensemble singing and dancing.
• Rehearsal and breakout room – a standard classroom AV setup with a black floor and 360-degree blackout drapes, this space is for rehearsals and group work.

The David Puttnam Media Centre at the Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s is a thriving hub for all things media. It’s packed with specialist facilities for the use of our Performance students. Here’s what you’ll have access to:

• Virtual Production Studio – our 4K-UHD virtual studio features cutting edge technology where immersive virtual scenes are created for you to perform in. This £300k investment includes a Mo-Sys camera tracking unit, handheld Viewfinder, and fully refreshed Chroma Wall. We’ve also invested in new LED studio lights to make our studio more environmentally friendly.
• TV studio – also benefitting from recent investment, our TV studio has four cameras, a full lighting rig, separate video and sound galleries, and a 10m x 3.5m LED volume. With two practical sets available for recreating scenes, you’ll have access to industry-standard equipment from day one.
• Editing rooms – as a Performance student, you’ll also gain practical, post-production experience in our editing rooms. This includes the colour grading room where you can create the stylistic look for your project, and the sound production room where you can mix your soundtrack and audio dialogue in surround sound.

We’ve got a fantastic partnership with Live Theatre in Newcastle, giving you the chance to build your skills in acting, scriptwriting, facilitation, and staging. You’ll get to meet and learn from professional actors, playwrights, producers, and casting agents – it’s a great way to start building your network and get real advice on breaking into the industry.

Some of your classes will be held at Live Theatre, and you’ll even rehearse in their professional studio spaces. We’ll also take you to see their productions, so you can get involved and stay inspired outside the classroom too.

The Fire Station is Sunderland’s newest live music and performance venue, just a short walk from City Campus. If you're studying the BA (Hons) Performing Arts course, this is where your musical theatre production and final showcase will take place.

Our Modern Music courses are also based here, which are delivered by the Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME). You'll have access to specialist equipment including computers for recording, digital pianos, a grand piano, a Hammond organ, and a pump harmonium. There's also a post-production recording studio with analogue synthesisers and effects.

The Peacock is based near City Campus and is used for various parts of our Modern Music courses. It hosts a working music venue space with capacity for 220 people and a professional sound and lighting rig. Above the venue is Birdland Studios, which holds two recording studios, a drum teaching space, and three rehearsal rooms.