The School of Liberal and Creative Arts at St Mary's Partners with West Thames College

The School of Liberal and Creative Arts at St Mary's University, Twickenham (SMU) is pleased to announce a new partnership with West Thames College, which will see staff from the Drama team working closely with performing Arts students on BTEC courses to prepare them for transition to Higher education.

As part of the arrangement St Mary's will offer audition preparation support, Pre-UCAS guidance, expert delivery in support of components of the BTEC curriculum, and a bespoke open day on campus which will enable West Thames students to experience a day in the life of a university drama student.

In return, the college whose creative alumni include Film Director Simba Masaku and Actor and Comedian Asim Chaudhry will be hosting touring student productions of St Mary's shows, offering a base in Hounslow from which to promote University work.

SMU's Mark Griffin, Subject Lead for Partnerships in the School, ran the first of these workshop sessions at the college last week. Mark said, "I was really impressed by the focus and creativity of the students I met. It was a brilliant first session. The students were so engaged and really keen to invest in the work. We're really looking forward to welcoming back at St Mary's for a further session in our theatre next month."

This year will see 16 West Thames students take part in the partnership, and they have been afforded the title of 'associate artists' to the School of Liberal and Creative Arts at SMU in recognition of the collaborative work.