What I learned from collaborating at Falmouth
26 January 2026
This article was written by Theatre & Performance BA(Hons) student Kat.
One of the most valuable parts of my experience studying at Falmouth University has been the opportunity to collaborate with students from a wide range of creative courses. While my degree focuses on Theatre & Performance, working alongside students with different skills, perspectives and creative processes has deeply shaped my learning, confidence and professional development.
Falmouth places a strong emphasis on collaboration, and throughout my time at university I’ve been encouraged to step beyond my own course and work with students from disciplines such as Film, Costume Design for Film & Television, Fashion Design, Photography, Technical Theatre Arts and Esports & Livestreaming. These opportunities reflect how the creative industries operate in the real world, where projects are rarely developed in isolation and instead rely on teamwork across different specialisms.
One of my most valuable collaborative experiences has been working with Photography students. Through various photoshoots, I gained insight into a real-world creative working environment beyond performance spaces. These collaborations helped me overcome a fear I didn’t realise I had: asking for opportunities. Reaching out to photographers, proposing ideas and putting myself forward was a big step in building my confidence, and it showed me just how essential initiative is within the creative industries.
Working in front of the camera also pushed me to embody characters in a new way. Unlike live performance, photography requires stillness, focus and an awareness of how small physical choices communicate meaning. Over time, I became more comfortable being photographed and more confident in my ability to adapt my performance style to different mediums. These experiences also taught me professionalism, from arriving prepared and being open to direction, to understanding the collaborative relationship between performer and photographer.
Collaboration at Falmouth has helped prepare me for the realities of the creative industries, where teamwork, initiative and mutual trust are essential.
Another key collaborative experience was working with students from the Technical Theatre Arts course during the creation of our immersive show last term. This collaboration completely transformed how the production came together. In the previous year, our course handled much of the technical side ourselves, which was a useful learning experience. However, having a dedicated technical team this time elevated the production to a far more professional standard.
Collaborating with Technical Theatre Arts students allowed us to focus more deeply on performance and storytelling, while knowing that lighting, sound and staging were being thoughtfully designed and delivered by specialists. This experience highlighted how essential technical elements are to immersive theatre. Sound, lighting and scenography are not just supporting features, they actively tell the story. Every design choice and technical decision carry meaning and contributes to the story being told.
What stood out most was seeing ideas that once only existed in our imagination or on a script come to life through collaboration. Having a team that could translate our thoughts into a fully realised environment reinforced the idea that theatre is never the work of discipline alone. It also improved how we planned the show, encouraging clearer communication and stronger organisation.
Through these collaborative experiences, I have gained practical skills such as communication, confidence, adaptability and creative problem solving. I have also developed a deeper respect for other disciplines and an understanding of how different roles come together to create meaningful work. Most importantly, collaboration at Falmouth has helped prepare me for the realities of the creative industries, where teamwork, initiative and mutual trust are essential.
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