This part-time evening Foundation course delivers the core elements of skills training while developing creativity and artistic identity.
Not everyone is in a position to commit to full-time training. With classes taking place three evenings per week this course enables students to study alongside their work. This structure, combined with competitive course fees, is one of the most accessible Foundation courses in the UK.
The course is taught from September to April over three evenings each week. You will receive nine hours of contact teaching each week for two terms.
Skills classes focus on the core discipline areas of acting, voice and movement and the course is a balance of 45% skills training, 30% audition preparation and 25% performance-based work.
While the course is part time in its delivery, its content, intensity and the demands on the student mirror its full-time counterpart. Students develop technique and repertoire for future drama school auditions.
This course, with two pathways of delivery to choose from, allows you to learn the secrets of a successful audition, alongside voice, movement, dance and acting classes....
The Foundation Course in Acting, available both full-time or part-time will give you a broad foundation in performance techniques and methods, and will be invaluable to anyone wanting to go to Drama School or take up a place on a performance course at University. It is also available to those who want to expand their experience in acting before applying. Former students have gone on to train at a variety of drama schools in the UK and in the USA.
Professional Workshops at Shakespeare's Globe (full-time pathway only)
Audition Preparation for Acting and Singing in Small Tutorial Groups
Level 3 Qualification: Students are awarded between 24 and 30 points depending on their exam result.
With less contact time than the full-time route, the part-time option of this course concentrates on the core skills of acting, voice and text. You will work on one major project towards your assessment.
Our students learn by doing. Your training will be vocational and practical, focusing on preparing you for work in the industry. Career guidance and professional development sessions are given throughout the course. There are no academic essays or dissertations, our work is practical and collaborative. You will be asked to write a self assessment every six weeks and written work ranges from risk assessments to technical schematics as part of the training.
After a broad-based first year of training, your second year allows you the opportunity to specialise in the vocational area that interests you, choosing from stage management, lighting, scenic construction, technical management, sound, property making and supervision, production management, video, scenic art or costume.
From the outset, you will work on RADA public productions – we stage around 15 shows a year – as crew and/or operator. These productions are directed by professionals and usually involve professional designers. In your second year you will work in more senior roles (of which there are around eighty to choose from). Theses include: stage manager, deputy/ assistant stage manager, wardrobe supervisor, production electrician, lighting programmer, production sound engineer, production video engineer, scenery builder or project manager, production manager, technical manager, scenic artist, broadcast/ camera supervisor, props supervisor.
You will also undertake a professional placement in your second year for up to six weeks with a theatre company, organisation or practitioner. Recent student placements have taken place on shows including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Secret Cinema, and at venues such as the National Theatre, Old Vic, Young Vic, Glyndebourne Opera, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Royal Court and English National Opera .
Rich and diverse in its scope and facilities, the course combines in-depth technical instruction with insight into the organisational, management and collaborative skills that form the core of successful work in theatre and other areas of the entertainment industry, like film, radio, television, conferences, events and other commercial ventures.
We encourage personal development, considered reflective practice and strong individual growth because these are the skills that will support you through a complex, high-pressured and rewarding career.
RADA also regularly hosts guest speakers, comprising leading figures from a wide range of industries and walks of life – from politics and arts, to photography, neuroscience and religion.
Students benefit from a the RADA Buddy mentoring scheme, which supports your transition from student to professional with graduate ‘buddies’ providing professional advice, feedback and networking opportunities.
Although the Foundation degree is intended as a complete vocational training in itself, students who successfully complete the FdA and acheive at least a Merit will now automatically be considered for the BA (Hons) progression year - enabling students to deepen their specialist knowledge further in one or two areas of technical theatre or stage management.
The curriculum offers skills classes in:
- acting technique (focusing on Stanislavski and Meisner)
- movement
- voice
- singing (group and solo)
- text analysis
Specialist classes in:
- acting for screen
- introduction to playwriting
- introduction to filmmaking
Rehearsal projects:
- contemporary playwrights
- Realist movement
- Shakespeare
During the course you will have the opportunity to explore careers in theatre and related industries, and will be introduced to practitioners who can discuss the range of career options available.
READ College’s full-time, vocational Foundation Course in Acting is now entering its 9th year, and graduate destinations have included RADA, Central, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, East 15, Mountview, Rose Bruford, Fourth Monkey and many more. As a registered charity, we support students from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds with bursary funding towards tuition fees through our Access to The Arts ™ programme.
Students benefit from at least 27 hours of contact time per week, and study a wide range of plays, writers, practitioners and acting styles in classes led by leading industry tutors. Classes range from Improv to Classical Theatre, Vocal Technique to Physical Theatre, and Audition Preparation to Singing. Students also benefit from regular masterclasses with guest tutors from all of the major degree-level courses, to prepare them for auditions.
Our Foundation students graduate with the Level 4 ATCL Diploma in Performing, awarded by Trinity College London.
Over 96% of READ College graduates have been offered places at leading degree-level courses since the college opened, and our alumni now includes actors, directors and award-winning writers. Courses run from September to July, and applications are now open for our 2021 intake. Open days take place throughout the year, and we also run regular taster courses in the school holidays.
To find out more, please visit the link below or contact admissions on 0118 9666275.
The MGA one-year foundation course in Acting offers a pre-vocational year designed to prepare you for the demands of professional, full-time training and provides you with the skills required to audition successfully for the country’s leading Drama institutions.
It is directed at those students who intend pursuing a vocational training but who either don’t quite yet have the skills required to audition successfully, or who do not have the required academic qualifications to start a Bachelor of Arts qualification.
The course is designed to thoroughly prepare you for the process of auditioning and the rigours of taking up a three-year place at a Drama school, expanding your skill set and enabling you to realise your full potential in your future training.
MGA Foundation Students have gone on to study at, amongst others, the American Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Arts Educational Schools, Bird College, Guildford School of Acting, Laine Theatre Arts, Mountview Academy, Performers College, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama – and, of course, The MGA Academy of Performing Arts.
The Foundation schedule runs for one whole academic year over three full-time terms of training and an HNC qualification is awarded to those who successfully complete all the required modules.
The course is technique orientated, giving you a solid foundation in the key discipline of Acting that can then be built upon in future studies.
Specialist classes and training workshops include:
- Acting 1: Developing Skills
- Acting Methods and Practitioners
- Movement: Developing Skills
- Production: Developing Skills
- Singing for the Actor
- Voice Technique
- Audition and Performance for Acting
- Personal Development
MGA’s unique focus on audition technique and professional development will ensure that students are best placed to gain entry into any of the UK’s distinguished drama schools.
Though MGA has an excellent track record, given the nature and level of competition for Drama School places, we cannot guarantee that foundation students will be accepted at their chosen full-time provider and successful completion of the MGA foundation course does not automatically mean that students will progress onto MGA’s own three-year programmes.
The MGA one-year Foundation course in Musical Theatre offers a pre-vocational year designed to prepare you for the demands of professional, full-time training and provides you with the skills required to audition successfully for the country’s leading Musical Theatre institutions.
It is directed at those students who intend pursuing a vocational training but who either don’t quite yet have the skills required to audition successfully, or who do not have the required academic qualifications to start a Bachelor of Arts qualification.
The course is designed to thoroughly prepare you for the process of auditioning and the rigours of taking up a three-year place at a Drama School, expanding your skill set and enabling you to realise your full potential in your future training.
MGA Foundation students have gone on to study at, among others, the American Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Arts Educational Schools, Bird College, Guildford School of Acting, Laine Theatre Arts, Mountview Academy, Performers College, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama – and, of course, The MGA Academy of Performing Arts.
The Foundation schedule runs for one whole academic year over three full-time terms of training and an HNC qualification is awarded to those who successfully complete all the required modules.
The course is technique orientated, giving you a solid foundation in the three key disciplines of Acting, Singing and Dance that can then be built upon in future studies.
Specialist classes and training workshops include:
- Singing Skills For Musical Theatre
- Jazz Dance For Musical Theatre
- Ballet Dance For Musical Theatre
- Acting: Developing Skills
- Vocal Techniques for Musical Theatre
- Performance 1: Developing Skills
- Graded Unit: Musical Theatre
- Audition Technique and Performance for Musical Theatre
- Personal Development
- Individual Singing Lesson
- Group/Ensemble Singing
MGA’s unique focus on audition technique and professional development will ensure that students are best placed to gain entry into any of the UK’s distinguished drama schools.
Though MGA has an excellent track record, given the nature and level of competition for Drama School places, we cannot guarantee that foundation students will be accepted at their chosen full-time provider and successful completion of the MGA foundation course does not automatically mean that students will progress onto MGA’s own three-year programmes.
Our one-year Foundation Course prepares students aged 17 years and over for auditions and study in further vocational training.
Performance technique and ability make up a large component of this course with tailored, actionable feedback which is an important part of each individual’s development. The course also includes the Urdang Dance & Theatre Syllabus Level 4 Diploma in Musical Theatre (Performance) [subject to validation] which enables the students to develop their academic skills within the subject in preparation for higher education study.
This course is for talented students who are keen to enhance their technical proficiency so they can successfully audition for further studies in musical theatre and dance, whilst also continuing their full time education to gain a qualification to aid in their application to study. Since its introduction in 2009, our one year Foundation Course has proved to be highly successful as a stepping stone for students into further training at a vocational college or university.
