The 4-year degree programme provides a creative, professional and innovative tertiary level training programme for those talented and dedicated students who wish to pursue a selective and intensive education for Western and Chinese performance and related technical/entertainment arts. The wide range of programmes within the School and the Academy develop the creative, analytical and technical skills necessary to make original contributions to the society that students and graduates live in, and to have a visible influence on the performing and related technical/entertainment arts in Hong Kong and the surrounding region. Students undertaking the programme gain a professional grasp of theory and practical skills while at the same time develop a broad understanding of related areas, achieving professional competence in the practice of his/her chosen profession to the highest standards. Liberal arts, history, theory and language studies are there to impart an educational experience that broadens a student’s understanding of various aspects of the performing and related entertainment arts. Specialisations include: Audio Arts, Media Scenography, Stage & Event Management, Technical Direction, Costume Technology, Property Making, Scenic Art and Set and Costume Design.

Major Study Area - Department of Media Design and Technology

The Department of Media Design and Technology allows students to collaborate across disciplines in an integrated manner and explore production challenges from the traditional to the contemporary. With the aid of the latest technologies, the training supports production design in the digital age for visual, lighting, sound designers, digital artists and scenographers for performance.

The Department offers practical training in the School’s up-to-date laboratories to deliver Academy-wide productions, creative projects and experimental art. The curriculum features a blend of core production techniques, design aesthetics, as well as skills in the emerging fields of interactive programming, visualisation and media networking. 

Specialisation - Audio Arts

Evolved from the tradition of music production training, Audio Arts is highly focused in music composition, arrangement and digital production techniques. 

Embracing the latest digital music & sonic arts techniques, the new strategy extends from standard music album production to the creative domain of audio content generation for digital art, virtual design and immersive media. It also aims to develop digital music performance techniques, i.e. digital instruments (of gestural control, generative/ algorithmic design) as an addition to traditional music instruments or keyboard-based electronic music, which are seen as new and emergent among sound & music artists in the 21st century.

While the curriculum approach will take on a highly contemporary direction, the basic techniques of music recording and mixing will remain, in order to cater for the needs of those who desire to explore the music studio career in a traditional manner.

Specialisation - Media Scenography

Emphasized on aesthetics, emerging technologies, and novel art of storytelling, the Media Scenography specialisation boasts a holistic and integrated approach of using media (sound, lighting, video and digital technologies) to reinvent, through technologies and pre-visualisation techniques of contemporary production.

It maintains tightly connected peer-learning in the core learning platform while enabling the flexibility of proportional interests across the disciplines of sound, lighting, video and digital media. The courses in the new curriculum will capture the essence of collaborative creative practices and interdisciplinary artist-technologists. 

Emergent fields of digital technologies will be adopted, such as mixed reality, extended reality, virtual production and AI in contemporary theatre performance, media production, digital media art and entertainment events.

The newly branded Media Scenography specialisation will continue to deliver fundamental training in performance sound and lighting; students will acquire theories and techniques in typical theatre production and be competent as designers and operators in the current market while also being fully equipped to journey the disruptive future as an integrated artist-technologist.

Major Study Area - Department of Technical Production and Management

The goal of the Technical Production and Management programme is to train the next generation of Stage and Event Managers, Technical Directors and Production Management professionals who can apply their art and craft across various performing styles for theatre, dance, drama, opera and other multimedia disciplines.  The Department of Technical Production and Management comprises two units covering the specialisations of Stage and Event Management, Technical Direction.

Specialisation - Stage and Event Management

The Stage and Event Management programme develops technically competent and professional Stage Managers and Arts & Event Managers towards leadership positions in the entertainment industries. Undergraduate students are also given the opportunity to develop their interest in Production Management in this course of study alongside core competencies in Practical Cueing, Score Reading and Multimedia Arts Management. In their final year of study, students will undertake their Graduation Project and complete a professional internship.

Specialisation - Technical Direction

The aim of the Technical Direction programme is to provide students with both technical and artistic knowledge thus creating the next generation of collaborative, thinking, creative members of the production industry. The programme develops an appreciation of traditional theatre technology while focusing on new and emerging entertainment technologies such as show control, motion control and animatronics.  Graduates from this programme will posess the skills required to build and rig scenery for the stage, safely operate stage machinery and be familiar with workshop management practices and procedures. In their final year of study students will undertake their Graduation Project and complete a professional internship.

Set Construction Unit

Offers required and elective course on set construction and management to all TEA students, and supports Academy/School productions and projects in set construction and management.

Production Office

The Production Office facilitates all Academy/School production matters, and manages all Academy collaborative productions among Schools.

Major Study Area - Department of Theatre Design

This programme aims to provide students with the practical skills and competencies representing the very best of contemporary Production Design. Students are provided with unique opportunities to realise their work in a professional setting taught by industry-current lecturers and guest artists alike. Practical work is underscored by a strong contextual and theoretical understanding of design aesthetics allowing students to advance as emerging practitioners in the areas of set and costume design, scenic art, costume technology and property making.

Specialisation - Costume Technology

Costume Technology courses combine the interpretation of design and the training of costume-makers, providing them with the supervisory skills needed to work as a professional costume supervisor. Students develop an understanding of both Asian and Western costumes through the study of pattern drafting, tailoring, fabrication/dyeing, millinery and corsetry.  Students are exposed to hair/wig dressing, stage makeup and prosthetics through classes and participation in Academy productions.

Specialisation - Property Making

The Property Making course trains prop-makers to utilise elements drawn from sculpture, crafts, fine art and engineering to realise prop designs for the stage. In Year 1 and 2 of the programme, attention is focused on providing students with a solid grounding in the fundamentals of props making and associated technical knowledge, with an emphasis on safe practice.Year 3 and 4 expands skills with personal development through exploration and experimentation on projects, and practical experience on Academy productions.

Specialisation - Scenic Art

Scenic Art courses combine both traditional and contemporary methods of the making and painting of scenic elements for use on stage. Alongside the core subjects, such as drawing, scenic painting and scenic art techniques, students also learn to use computer applications to augment their skills. The Year 1 and 2 courses focus on giving students a solid grounding in material usage and workshop practice, while the Year 3 and 4 courses allow for more production experience and advanced techniques.

Specialisation - Set & Costume Design

The first year of the four-year degree provides students with an introduction to theatre and entertainment arts and the practice and process of the busy Design department. Students will explore basic terminology, creative research methodology and the tools and equipment supporting practitioners in production design.

The second year focuses on teaching basic artistic, technical and collaboration skills with students serving as assistant designers. The third year allows students to further develop their design skills ahead of the final year where students are normally expected to complete 2 production design assignments,  including their Graduation Project.