The Best of Both Worlds
World-class performance training on an exciting university campus
GSA is situated on the University of Surrey’s beautiful campus, offering students state-of-the-art purpose-built facilities within a lively university environment, just ten minutes’ walk from Guildford town centre and only 34 minutes from central London by train.
As part of the University of Surrey, you gain access to all that the University has to offer. Visit the University of Surrey website to discover more about accommodation, life at Surrey and all that the University has to offer.
Teaching spaces
Students at GSA have access to purpose-built studios and tutorial rooms within the GSA building and across the University campus. The fully-equipped studio spaces are fitted with sprung floors and ballet bars.
Students will have the opportunity to train and practice in the 190-seat Bellairs Theatre, 80-seat Rex Doyle Studio and 128-seat PATS building. Founders Studio - 128 capacity studio space - 15 Dance and Rehearsal studios (facilities include sound system, ballet barres, sprung floors, keyboard/piano) 10 tutorial/practice rooms and a foyer area with café.
Performance spaces
Productions are predominantly staged in the Ivy Arts Centre on campus, which consists of the Bellairs Theatre - 190 seat fully equipped theatre, the Rex Doyle Studio Theatre - 80 capacity black box studio theatre, 2 Dance studios, 2 Meeting Rooms and a Foyer area with bar. Performing Arts Technology Studios (PATS Studio Theatre) is a 128 seat fully equipped theatre.
GSA productions are also presented in theatres and venues in and around Guildford and London. These venues include the renowned Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, The Mill Studio and The Electric Theatre in Guildford, and various venues in London’s West End including the Shaftesbury Theatre, Leicester Square Theatre and the Soho Theatre.
Production facilities
Production facilities at GSA include three studio theatres (Bellairs Theatre, PATS Studio Theatre and Rex Doyle Studio Theatre), a technical workshop and stage management production office, extensive costume stores and workrooms, and a dedicated MacLab consisting of 20 workstations with current industry software. There is a fully automated flying system in the Bellairs Theatre and GDS prompt desk with both wired and wireless communications. Production students work alongside performance students to facilitate rehearsals in our excellent rehearsal studios with dance floors and integrated sound systems. Professional lighting, sound, video, set and costume designers regularly design our shows alongside student teams.
In lighting, sound and video, GSA emulates professional production values. Our sound stock includes a wide variety of industry-standard equipment including Yamaha and Digico sound desks, Sennheiser and Shure radio equipment and a range of high-end PA systems. In addition, we hire up-to-date kits for our productions. Lighting equipment includes ETC and MA consoles on site, as well as close links to other console brands to explore and learn. We have a range of in-house stock and also hire a wide variety of intelligent lighting fixtures on a show-by-show basis. Video equipment includes cutting-edge robotic cameras and professional-grade video production equipment for live streaming, as well as several production-quality projectors.
In the dedicated GSA Scenic Studios, we have facilities for students to learn construction and scenic art techniques with both woodworking and metalworking (including welding), CNC machine, 3D printing, painting and prop making as well as a PC suite with current software.
Everything in one place
GSA is situated on the University of Surrey Stag Hill campus which is home to a wide range of amenities, including a laundrette, a post office, a bookshop, a health centre and our recently refurbished convenience store, SimplyFresh. There’s also a large supermarket nearby, and a weekly food market is held on the Stag Hill campus.
University services
As part of the University of Surrey, you gain access to all that the University has to offer. Visit the University of Surrey website to discover more about accommodation, life at Surrey and all that the University has to offer.