Props and Costume Making for 15 - 17 Year Olds
- Level(s) of Study: Short course
- Course Fee:
£525
- Start Date(s): 28 July 2025
- Duration: Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, one week
- Study Mode(s): Part-time
- Campus: City Campus
- Entry Requirements: More information
Introduction:
Course dates:
28 July - 1 August 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
Get hands-on experience of designing, casting, mould making and using paint effects to fabricate realistic props and costumes for theatre performances and TV.
This practical and fun course is ideal if you’re interested in finding out what it’s like to work behind the scenes on a theatre or TV project to bring characters to life.
It’s also ideal if you are considering further studies and wish to start your portfolio with a unique and creative project.
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You’ll be part of a design community in our creative studio culture; one that promotes discussion and collaboration, and encourages experimentation and the constant swapping of ideas. -
With a limited class size you'll have the one-to-one attention you need to ensure you leave with the skills to continue developing your portfolio. -
Benefit from learning with an experienced tutor who has established links to the profession and significant experience working in varied practices. -
On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance.
Doing your Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award?
This course can count as your Gold DofE Residential Award and is an amazing opportunity to make new friends and memories. It will be fun and gently challenging, allowing you to follow your passion and discover talents you never knew you had.
DofE participants must book both the course and accommodation on campus for this to count towards your Gold Award.
You must also attend the social events that are planned on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and you must plan and attend your own social activities with other participants on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
What you’ll study
On this course you’ll design and create a character, producing a prop and a piece for a costume that could be used in a scene on stage or screen.
You’ll create a leather belt for your character, whether it’s for a medieval knight or a gun slinging cowboy, considering the costume breakdown realism of the piece, giving it a history and aiding in the character development.
You’ll also delve into making a sculptural headpiece, whether for fantasy characters, zombies, or creatures, developing the features of the piece based on your character.
Working from an industry style brief, you’ll design a character to create your pieces for and provide them with a backstory.
Observing professional prop and costume maker’s work, you'll learn about the process they go through in the development of a character, from initial sketches to a finished piece.
What will you gain?
By the end of the course you'll have imaginative pieces that demonstrate character development, aging and realism for theatre and TV projects.
You’ll also leave with experience of working with various industry materials using a variety of different tools and techniques, with lots of images to add to your portfolio.
Social events
We appoint NTU Student Ambassadors who host social events on Monday and Wednesday evening to help you make friends across the whole of our summer school programme for 15 – 17 year olds, which are free to attend.
- practice using hand tools for leatherworking, carved foam and latex
- add surface decoration techniques to the pieces through dyeing, stamping, and aging
- make a leather belt using raw vegetable tanned leather with distressed and aged elements
- create a model headdress to make into a mould that reflects your individual interests
- turn your 2D designs into a model and a 3D structure to understand the design process
- work in 3D to create a model, mould and cast replica with paint effects for a realistic finish
- consider how to create a believable costume or prop, whether based in reality or fantasy.
Student Work
How you’re taught
This course will be delivered in person on Nottingham Trent University city campus.
96% of previous course attendees were satisfied with the course, received the attention they needed and would consider doing another short course at NTU.
Contact hours
You will receive 25 contact hours of quality tuition with an experienced tutor.
Careers and employability
The course is designed to give you a real experience of university life, make new friends who share similar interests and develop your portfolio so that ultimately, you can make an informed decision about your future.
On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance, which will further enhance your CV.
Campus and facilities
You will be based in the School of Art and Design on the City Campus.
You'll find bright studio and workshop spaces to develop your ideas and create exciting work.
You’ll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.
Entry requirements
Level: Open to all.
Entry requirement: You should have an enthusiasm for props, costumes and special effects and an interest in developing your creative and technical skills.
You must be 15, 16 or 17 years old at the time of the course in order to attend.
Fees and funding
The fee for this course is £525.
Payment is due at the time of booking.
Secure your place with a deposit - If you're booking more than two months before the course starts, we can accept a £200 deposit to secure your place, and the balance is due one month before the course starts.
Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.
Please bring with you on the first day:
- any natural materials you would like to use such as twigs or stones
All other materials will be provided.
Read our booking terms and conditions.
Need accommodation?
Accommodation can be booked separately to the course; the rooms are only a few minutes’ walk from our studios and classrooms, and cost £259 per week, which is ideal if you're looking to be based in Nottingham's lively city centre and want an economical place to stay.
These are single rooms with a private bathroom in shared apartments in Nottingham Trent University’s city campus accommodation.
If you're aged 16 or 17 then you can stay unaccompanied with agreement from a parent/guardian (to support safeguarding, all guests aged 16 and 17 will be accommodated together in the same halls of residence and there is a dedicated Warden available).
If you're aged 15 then you can stay as long as you are accompanied by a parent/guardian (you must book two separate rooms and let us know so we can place you in rooms next to each other).
This option is particularly popular with students completing their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award.
Find out more and book your accommodation here.
Looking to turn your one-week course into a two-week experience?
If you can match this with any second course, you’ll receive a 10% refund on your course fees (email the short course team with your order number to claim the refund).
How to apply
You can book this course for the following dates via the NTU online store:
28 July - 1 August 2025, Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm
Browse all our summer courses for 15 – 17 year olds.
Any questions?
Contact the short course team:
Email: creativeshortcourses@ntu.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2813
