Our concern is not only with the performance itself but with the role performance plays in society, and how it both reflects and challenges culture. The staff have cutting edge research, professional and teaching expertise from the art of the practitioner, be that a performer, dramaturg, scenographer, writer, manager, or arts educator, to the cultural and creative industry strategist and policy maker and the cultural entrepreneur.
The integration of theory and practices lies at the core of all our activities and is manifest in our programmes, our research projects and in our externally facing ethos with industry, the community and academic collaborators. It has strong relationships with a wide range of high profile cultural organisations regionally, nationally and internationally. The School is active in promoting enterprise as part of both the research and learning experience.
On 1st August 2007 the School of Performance and Cultural Industries moved into a new building at the heart of the campus which houses the University’s new state of the art public licensed theatre complex, as well as the School's staff and meeting rooms. The theatre complex comprises Stage One, a 180 seat main auditorium, the Alec Clegg Studio, an 80 seat black box, a dance studio and all the facilities – dressing rooms, box office etc – associated with a public licensed venue.