Design and Production at the VCA encompasses graphic design, performance design, production design for screen and technical production for live performance, offering set and props construction, costume construction, sound, light, digital media and stage management as specialist areas.
Our bachelor programs support designers, technicians, makers, and managers for live performance, film, and interdisciplinary environments. Our graphic design curriculum, guided by the principle 'thought into form,' encourages experimentation and play alongside technical mastery. Performance design students delve into the principles of light, sound, figure, and form in space. In live performance production, we develop practical skills in stage design, scenery and props construction, costume creation, sound design and system set-up, lighting design and application, digital media creation and stage management.
Our master programs, focusing on design for stage, screen or graphic industries, are tailored to each student's background. We strive to transfer and further develop expertise, building on previous experience in fields such as architecture, design, construction, film, performing arts, visual art or related disciplines.
Collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange are at our core. Students have the opportunity to work across disciplines, accessing Music, Music Theatre, Theatre, Acting, Dance, Visual Art, Animation and Film and Television bachelor programs and work with peers on their respective productions, projects or exhibitions. The diverse portfolios our students develop throughout their studies prepare them to step confidently into creative arts careers.
Design and Production Courses
Our Design and Production staff
As designers we build the visual world to engage the audience and enrich the storytelling. We help the audience to understand what’s happening, set the mood and tone, build the backstory of the characters and help the audience see and understand who, where and why we are in this place and time.
Jo BriscoeLecturer in Design
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Get information on the courses you’re interested in, or ask our team a question.
Showcase
News
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VCA events
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Australian Wind Quintet perform Gounod, Klughardt and Coleman
Tuesday 25 August 2026 7:30pm - 8:40pmCelebrate an exciting moment in Melbourne’s musical community with the Australian Wind Quintet in a vibrant concert marking the commencement of new flute lecturer Catherine Gregory at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. The program features Gounod’s charming Petite Symphonie, performed alo... -
Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Concert Band #3 2026
Wednesday 26 August 2026 7:00pm - 9:00pmThe Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Concert Band returns to the Kenneth Myer Auditorium for its third concert of the year with a program highlighting contemporary wind band music and Australian composers. The ensemble continues its consortium premiere project with Holly Harrison’s latest wo... -
The bride revisited
Thursday 27 August 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pmJoin us for a semi-staged recital interweaving Robert Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben with Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s One Life Stand. Placing two women in dialogue across nearly two centuries, the performance reimagines a familiar song cycle through contemporary perspectives on love, memory, loss, re...