Course screening

BA (Hons) Acting – Leeds Conservatoire

The re-named Leeds Conservatoire (formerly Leeds College of Music) is offering a new three-year full-time BA (Hons) in Acting in its purpose-built city centre building. Students will be studying in the cultural quarter that is also home to Leeds Playhouse, Leeds City College Creative campus, Northern Ballet, Phoenix Dance, and the BBC.

The website outlines an impressive course, including some familiar practical and theory-based actor training modules, alongside more contemporary and vocational aspects too. There is promise of close collaboration with local organisations, such as Red Ladder Theatre Co., Freedom Studios Bradford, and Leeds Playhouse, particularly in the final year, involving a series of public performances, mock auditions, creating a show-reel, and learning business management.

Particularly interesting are the ‘Artistic Development’ modules, where students can explore their potential as an artist, examining artistic possibilities and identifying a self-development plan, before they turn their focus towards understanding the arts industry more broadly. Students attend seminars and workshops in current industry practices, examining the infrastructure of theatre in the UK. This includes financial models and fundraising, artists, theatre companies, and venues inside the industry that they are looking to engage with.

The course has been in the planning for several years, with BA Musical Theatre beginning in September 2019 and BA Acting and BA Actor Musician courses launched just this September.

Vice principal and director of the School of Performance, Patsy Gilbert, said: ‘We launched these programmes knowing that we have something unique to offer to the world of performing arts. These things are more vital than ever right now – we need emerging artists to know that there is a world for theatre beyond this challenging time, and that they have the power to influence what it will be.

‘We have over 50 years of experience in successfully training artists in this region, and throughout this time we have constantly adapted and evolved our programmes to ensure that they are suited to what the industry holds upon graduation. We have always believed in the importance of training artists to be innovative and adaptable – and this is just as important now, if not more so than ever before.’

For more information and detailed description of the course visit www.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk and search ‘BA Acting’ in the search bar.

Key information

• Academic entry requirements 96 UCAS tariff points from Level 3 studies or equivalent, which normally include an A Level or a BTEC Extended Diploma in an Acting-related subject. A minimum of three GCSEs including English Language at Grade C or above or equivalent Applicants will also take part in an audition process
• Course overview Year 1 – Acting skills/Research for performance/Artistic Development: Self as an artist Year 2 – Acting skills/Artistic Development: Arts Industry/New work and adaptation/Existing repertoire Year 3 – Live performance/Recorded performance/Artistic development: Self in industry
• Tuition Fees £9,250 per year for Home UK/EU students; £17,250 per year for International students

‘We have always believed in the importance of training artists to be innovative and adaptable – and this is just as important now as ever before’

MA Screen Acting – Bristol Old Vic Theatre School

© BOVTS

Students at BOVTS experiencing ‘on set’ conditions

This postgraduate qualification is a one-year full-time course for ‘experienced actors who wish to undertake professional training to refine their skills in screen work’.

Teaching mainly takes place in the specialist Christchurch Studios equipped with live recording area, dead room (which contains a foley pit), a control room, narration rooms and post-production suites. Being a screen acting course, there is also work on location around Bristol.

The course is a mix of theory and practice, with students learning screen acting theory, techniques, and approaches – applying them practically, while also learning technical aspects of producing recorded media: camera work, sound, and editing. Included are masterclasses with industry professionals, as well as regular experience of ‘on set’ conditions and protocols.

The practical workshops promise to encompass focus on voice, movement, screen combat and acting for motion capture, as well as areas such as self-taping and audition technique. Most excitingly, the course culminates in students filming a scene suitable for show reel, which is then screened in a cinema.

In response to the question ‘Why now?’, artistic director Jenny Stephens said, ‘The school has long taught screen acting as part of its curriculum, producing graduates with versatility to work across stage and screen, and the success of our alumni in securing film and television roles is clear to see.

‘Changes in the drama production industries are, however, increasingly resulting in graduating actors securing early career roles – or even their first jobs – in screen media. This new course responds to this need by adapting the rigour of BOVTS training and teaching in an applied screen context.’

For more information and detailed description of the course visit www.oldvic.ac.uk, select ‘Course Finder’ and search ‘MA Screen Acting’ in the search bar.

Key information

• Academic entry requirements Applicants would normally be expected to have an honours degree in a related subject area such as Drama, Acting, Theatre Studies or Performance Studies. However, applicants with extensive relevant professional experience will also be considered. Applicants will also take part in an audition process which consists of a preliminary audition, which will be held over Zoom. If successful at the first stage, applicants will be asked to submit a self-tape. Those who are successful here will then be invited to a third round recall audition.
• Course overview Five modules spread across three terms: developing specific performance skills, self-reflection and development, effectively analysing a script, remaining open and responsive to a scene partner, delivering a performance of professional standard in a filmed scene.
• Tuition Fees £11,100 for UK students; £25,900 for EU/International students.

BA (Hons) Acting for Stage and Screen (ALRA Endorsed) – York College

The Performance and Production division at York College has launched a BA (Hons) Acting for Stage and Screen (ALRA Endorsed), with applications being taken for a September 2021 intake.

The intensive two-year degree course aims to prepare students for careers as actors working in the theatre and film industries, and will create greater accessibility for students who may struggle to meet the costs of traditional drama school training.

The course will be run in close partnership with ALRA (Academy of Live and Recorded Arts). Students will benefit from the expertise of ALRA staffalongside experienced tutors at York College, and they will take part in placements within the industry, regular professional workshops and masterclasses, as well as appearing in major public performances and screenings of their work.

© BENJAMIN STATHAM 
Students at York College in action

‘With small classes and 26 hours of contact time each week, the course will deliver a unique experience for those who are serious about a career on stage and screen,’ says Programme Leader James Harvey.

To support learning and to promote the new degree, James Harvey has introduced an Acting for Stage and Screen podcast in which he interviews successful performers, directors, playwrights and other industry figures about their careers and artistic approaches. Some standout interviews so far have included Olivier Award-nominated West End actor Gavin Spokes (most recently seen playing King George III in the global mega hit Hamilton) and York College's former Acting student Mhairi Calvey who began her film career playing Young Murran in the iconic Oscar winner Braveheart. The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor and many more.

For more information and detailed description of the course visit www.alra.co.uk/courses/york-college

Key information

• Academic entry requirements 32 UCAS tariff points from Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject or A Levels. Successful applicants will be invited for an audition and interview, and each applicant is asked to prepare 2 monologues. Applicants will also take part in a movement workshop.
• Course overview Over two years, students will develop skills in acting technique, vocal performance, movement, physical theatre, characterisation, text analysis, rehearsal technique, screen acting, dramatic combat, presenting, classical performance, audition technique and professional preparation. Academic skills will include, research skills, reflective practice, critical and creative thinking, interpersonal skills, team working and analytical response skills.
• Tuition Fees Fees are £8640, with no cost for auditions. Students can apply to Student Finance England for a loan to cover these costs. There are also a range of funding opportunities available nationally.

As Fiona Francombe, principal and CEO at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School said at the time of writing, ‘The last six months have been a difficult and turbulent time for the whole of the creative sector. The screen industries have been one of the first to resume work as lockdown has eased and, though working practices feel very different, filming is underway, and content is being made.’

Perhaps that is exactly why we need courses like this more than ever to help drama and theatre come back stronger.