Taught by West End choreographers, real Producers, Directors and Actors. Based in a beautiful mansion Arts Centre, with three theatres (a 320 seat, 50 Studio and 200 seat Amphitheatre) as well as dance studios and other stunning rehearsal spaces.
In 2021, 95% of our students gained at least one Distinction or Distinction Star in one of their three qualifications!
Dreaming of a career on stage or in front of the camera? Performer at heart? Passionate about dance and/or drama? Our Performing Arts courses will introduce you to a variety of disciplines, commitment and work ethics; build on your self-confidence whilst creating and rehearsing content to perform to live audiences. 600+ hours of world class training each year - and FREE if you are 16-18.
Our performing Arts courses are aimed at young people who are interested in developing a career as a professional Actor/Musical Theatre performer. We are also looking for budding Directors, Choreographers and Producers who want the chance to get hands on with shows. Giving you the opportunity to develop your skills with experienced industry professionals (including West End Choreographers, London directors and producers), you will build on your knowledge of performance techniques with a view of showcasing your skills at live and recorded performances and work towards setting targets and achieving goals.
Our blended course will help to develop the skills required for Musical Theatre (including dance and singing), TV and Theatre Acting. You will explore techniques to improve confidence, group and solo work and sharing of dynamic and creative ideas which will ultimately prepare you for auditions and the professional industry.
Classes are in groups (some in year groups, others in streams for ability), plus one to one career clinics, audition coaching, singing classes and more. In addition you will learn valuable business and producing skills which can be carried forward into adult life.
The BTEC National Level 3 Foundation Diploma and Extended Diploma in Performing Arts, and the RSL Diplomas are designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills and understanding necessary to access and progress to degree level study or employment in the performing arts.
You will be placed on either a BTEC National L3 Foundation Diploma, or an RSL Extended Certificate or Diploma in year one.
A practical, performance-based programme that helps students who have the potential for full time vocational training but not yet the necessary technical standard required for entry. Students participate in daily classes for ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, singing, acting and musical theatre, in order to equip the individual with the wide range of skills they will need.
Students will also be coached for their vocational auditions, covering topics such as suitability of song, dance and monologue, interview techniques, photographs and application forms. A lecture programme will address issues concerning the healthy dancer/performer.
On successful completion of the course, graduates will automatically be given a free audition for Bird College’s vocational courses through either the FE or the HE route. Developmental advice is provided throughout the course, together with guidance on suitability of other vocational colleges.
The three year diploma course is validated by Trinity, London and has been devised for those who wish to focus on a professional training in theatre arts. It equips students with the technical and creative skills necessary for a successful career in dance and musical theatre.
Dance and Theatre studies are combined with associated areas such as Dance and Musical Theatre History, Music Theory and Appreciation, Fitness and Heath Studies and Employment Skills. In the final year, students undertake a personal project which provides an opportunity to focus on an area of particular interest, encouraging the development of an individual performance style. Many of our Diploma graduates are now enjoying success in the professional business and are promoted through our in-house Employment Agency.
Strings, Wind, Brass, Percussion, Keyboard, Vocal Studies, Composition, Electronic Music, Jazz.
The BMus programme is centred around world-leading one-to-one tuition for performers, composers and electronic musicians. Its principal aim is to develop your ability as a practical musician. At least two-thirds of the programme is focused on your Principal Study.
A minimum of 30 individual lessons a year with our renowned professorial staff are combined with over 100 hours a year of departmental classes, workshops, coaching, and projects with high profile artists, as well as opportunities to perform in some of the country’s finest venues.
From the start, you will be treated like a professional, and given the support and encouragement you need to prepare for the industry. You will establish contacts and gain exposure through our partnership organisations such as the Barbican, London Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. A Joint Principal Study pathway is also available.
On our Musical Theatre MFA course, you will gain a broad range of musical theatre knowledge and skills while performing in a variety of outstanding productions.
Supported by first-class teaching, your learning will involve a working knowledge of historical, critical and theoretical content, and the creation of performances that will be presented to agents and professionals for maximum industry exposure. You will also have the opportunity to participate in a professional placement, giving you invaluable experience of the UK musical theatre industry.
A high percentage of GSA alumni appear in the cast lists of West End shows and national tours. Last year, over 95 per cent of GSA graduates gained professional representation or professional contracts within the first year of graduating.
As a musical theatre performer you must be passionate, creative, and able to form a deep connection with your story, character and audience.
Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is one of the UK’s leading accredited drama schools, providing dedicated conservatoire training within a purpose-built environment.
Successful entry on to GSA’s MA Musical Theatre means you will be part of a carefully selected and committed ensemble of performers-in-training, equipped with the self-discipline and motivation to master new skills and refine existing capabilities. Building on our international reputation in musical theatre, this course will enhance your skills with opportunities to launch your career.
On our BA Theatre Production course, you‘ll work on a variety of productions including plays, musicals, devised projects and events.
Beginning with a comprehensive introduction to all core subjects relating to professional theatre production, you’ll build experience in a range of skills including sound, lighting, stage management and construction and Scenic Arts. You will also get an overview introduction to video and theatre design. We are proud to have strong industry links, and teaching current industry standards linked and integrated with key organisations is at the heart of our vocational training.
As you progress through the course, you’ll be able to select one dedicated area for specialist development, eventually taking senior Head of Department production-critical responsibility across a range of public performances. Industry placement and professional development modules are also a core part of this course and you’ll have the opportunity to present your work at a final year showcase.
Our BA Musical Theatre course will develop your professional and collaborative sensibilities through a rigorous programme of training. You’ll gain individual technical, critical and evaluative skills, with practical classes in a range of core disciplines.
On this course, your skills are continually developed through integration exercises, scene work, project rehearsals and productions of classic and contemporary musicals. Classes in dance and singing are highly-prioritised alongside acting classes and projects, which will enable you to become multi-skilled and highly versatile, ensuring your appeal to the industry and a flying start to your career.
On our BA Actor-Musician course, you’ll develop performance skills in acting, musicianship, dance and singing, alongside essential critical and evaluative skills.
In your first year, you’ll strengthen core skills in acting, dance, singing and music. In your second year, you’ll work on texts as diverse as Shakespeare, Lloyd Webber, Sondheim, Chekhov and Ibsen, with musicianship skills integrated within your studies. In your third year, you’ll work on three main projects: a play, a musical and a devised piece, alongside a showcase for industry, performed in London.
By developing your skills as an actor-musician, you’ll be able to take advantage of the ever-growing demand for versatile professional performers who can combine superb acting ability with a high standard of musicianship.
The University operates a credit framework for all taught programmes based on a 15-credit tariff. Modules can be either 15, 30, 45 or 60 credits.
The Guildford School of Acting (GSA) delivers its provision across three teaching blocks, within the University of Surrey’s existing semester structure.
This is a unique and renowned course designed specifically for those who are already practising as or who wish to establish themselves as professional theatre directors.
MA/MFA Theatre Directing is open to emerging theatre directors from the UK and to students from around the world. Teaching is by a wide range of leading directors and professional practitioners from the UK and overseas. The programme benefits from its close ties with the London theatre world, which provides training expertise of the highest calibre and the professional networks that are vital to launching a career.
East 15 also runs some modules overseas, most recently in Moscow and Bali, involving specialist practical study in an alternative cultural environment.
The MA runs for one year on a full-time basis and the MFA for 24 months. For the MA, you take four modules during three consecutive terms, followed by a three-month period of independent study, at the end of which you present your Director’s Production Workbook (or, alternatively, your MA Dissertation).
For the MFA, running over 24 months, you take eight modules during six consecutive terms, followed by independent study that results in a fully resourced practical project at one of East 15’s spaces or in a London theatre (or, alternatively, an MFA Dissertation).
Each year you have the opportunity to choose four modules out of the seven or eight different options that we offer every year. The menu of modules rotates on a regular basis but always covers a range of directorial practice that is unrivalled in its diversity and will include several of the following:Shakespeare, Contemporary British Drama, Comedy, Musical Theatre and Opera, Physical Theatre, Brecht, Techniques of Adaptation, Improvisation and Devising Techniques, Contemporary Irish Drama, Rehearsal Processes and Workshops, Collaboration with Designers, Attachment (Assistant Director), The Artistic Director, Commedia dell’Arte and Directing for Camera.
Overseas modules in Bali and Thailand include: World Theatre and Theatre of the East. In Moscow, at the GITIS Institute, modules include: Stanislavskian Acting Methodology, Meyerhold and Biomechanics, Michael Chekhov.
MA/MFA Theatre Directing is open to applicants with a background in theatre directing or related fields and is specifically tailored to those seeking professional development in this area. Study is full time but some module choices enable periods of time away to pursue professional theatre work.
