Edinburgh's Telford College

offering last minute places in technical theatre courses

For students who love the world of live music and theatre; who are practical and talented but don't want to be centre stage, then considering studying technical theatre, which is the essential link between all branches of a theatre and music production, may be a well thought out consideration.

Edinburgh's Telford College has a number of places still available in its 2008/2009 Technical Theatre courses, which are tailored for those who want to develop a wider understanding of the drama and theatre process. The course content includes learning key skills in sound, lighting, assistant stage management, set construction and more.

Within just one year of study students will learn a variety of essential skills which can give them access to employment directly after qualifying.

Andrew Webster, 20, from Edinburgh has just completed an HNC in Technical Theatre and Production. He developed an interest in live events by working with amateur dramatic companies before starting at Telford College in 2007.

He is now a crew member for Diamond Event Services, one of Scotland's top crew companies and helps to deliver a wide range of corporate live events including, most recently, the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Andrew said: "The course at Telford College was great because it provided me with the practical skills that I needed to start my career in the industry. While I was studying, I also worked part time for Diamond Event Services which meant I could put the skills I was learning into practice with live corporate clients.

"A lot of the crew I work with have also qualified from the Technical Theatre courses. This means that when we approach employers, we already have an excellent grounding in the delivery of technical production on site."

Paul Diamond, co-founder of Diamond Event Services said: "We employ graduates from Telford because they come equipped with an excellent foundation in the live events industry, a set of practical skills and a good grounding in health and safety awareness on site. As a result, they stand out at interview. At Diamond Event Services, we employ both students and graduates of this course and invest in their training further by putting them through industry certificates such as the Safety Passport in Technical Live Event Production."

Students receive excellent work experience on a minimum of ten student productions throughout the year and can go on to work at music and theatre festivals and events across the UK.

The full-time NC Technical Theatre and HNC Technical Theatre courses commenced on 1st September 2008 however late entry places are available. To find out more information please call 0131 559 4000, or visit www.ed-coll.ac.uk

• Edinburgh's Telford College is one of the most popular colleges in Scotland, attracting more than 20,000 students from over 100 countries.

• At nearly 300,000 sq ft, Telford College is the largest purpose-built college Scotland has seen in over 30 years.

• Some of the College's unique features include learning ‘streets', interactive whiteboards and a fully wireless-enabled campus.