Welcome to BACKSTAGE ACADEMY®!

We are now accepting applications for our Foundation Degree in Live Events Production for November 2012. For further advice and assistance please contact us on 01977 659880 or click here for more information. Every day is an Open Day at BACKSTAGE ACADEMY®, if you would like to arrange a tour of the facilities and meet the team, please email enquiries@backstage-academy.co.uk.

"The facilities and equipment here have blown me away."
- Natasha Ferdinand, FdA Student, 2012 

"A great facility with a great team that REALLY make it work."
- Rick Smith, former Production Manager for Kasabian, commenting on LS-Live, the home of BACKSTAGE ACADEMY®, 2011

BACKSTAGE ACADEMY® is a training centre of excellence for the creative, performance and live event production industry, leading the way for skills development within this sector. We pride ourselves on working only with carefully selected lecturers, education consultants and industry tutors to ensure we are providing the very best training possible.

The ACADEMY benefits from its unique link to some of the world's leading productions and production personelle, through its location at the famous LS-Live rehearsal studio and is an Apple Authorised Training Centre. LS-Live is Europe's biggest studio rehearsal and production facility that services high profile artists like Kasabian, Lady Gaga, Kylie, Genesis and Dizzee Rascal; TV and film productions from ITV, BBC, MatteBlackFilms and Sitcom Soldiers; and pre-production for brands like Jaguar, Monster Energy and Formula One. The ACADEMY was born out of the rising need for a skilled, technical workforce for the growing behind-the-scenes world of creative production. It's an industry-led initiative working within the education sector, offering quality, relevant and practical training at the heart of where it happens.

Through engagement with industry across all disciplines, BACKSTAGE ACADEMY® aims to set the standard for skills development and is continually evolving in line with demand. We work closely with technology manufacturers, production companies, engineers, production managers, event organisers, industry associations and bodies to promote standards of practice and provide the best content available, ensuring students leave ready for the working world.

Behind each performer hundreds of people are needed to “get the show on the road”, from lighting engineers to pyrotechnicians, 3D designers to sound technicians, staging specialists to video editors – the roles are almost endless. BACKSTAGE ACADEMY® is a training resource for those looking to get into these disciplines and for those already working in these roles who are looking to re-train or gain a recognised qualification. We run a wide range of short courses in backstage skills, Apple based technologies and a Foundation Degree in Live Events Production (validated by the University of Bolton) one of a kind in the UK. Whether you're a student wanting to learn video editing techniques, or a professional rigger wanting to boost your CV with a professional qualification, BACKSTAGE ACADEMY® offers a variety of courses to suit individual career progression.

Short courses can also be delivered remotely - we are happy to discuss this with you. We can also write custom courses to suit your individual needs and tailor our existing courses to make them more relevant to your staff. If you want to discuss the possibilities of us coming to you or writing a custom course please give Robin Watkinson a call on 01977 659880.

We run the following training courses, please visit 'Our Courses' at the top of the page for more information, or search a course using the 'Course Finder' or 'Course Calendar' on the right.

Foundation Degree in Live Events Production

Apple Courses
Motion 101
Final Cut Pro X 101
Final Cut Pro X 200
Final Cut Pro X 300
iLife
Intro to Apple Macs
Logic 101
Logic 301

BACKSTAGE ACADEMY® Short Courses
Vivien Basic
Vivien Advanced
WYSIWYG
Introduction to Isadora
Equipment Suspension and Rigging
Event Safety Passport
Emergency First Aid
Manual Handling
Practical Fire Safety
Working With Electricity
Working at Height
Two-Day Rigging Course
An Introduction to Lasers
Laser Basics
Stage Pyrotechnics
Temporary Electrical Systems
(Understanding BS 7909)

Avid
Pro Tools 101
Pro Tools 110

Career Courses
Introduction to Working in Live Events Production
Concept Design & Presentation
Staging
Live Sound
Lighting
Live Visuals
Entertainment Networks & Show Control
3D Technology for Live Events
Contemporary Issues in Live Events Production
Event Planning