COME AND CREATE WITH US!
Youth Theatre at Theatre Royal is for ANYONE and EVERYONE with an interest in theatre, writing, creating, or simply to make new friends. No experience is necessary, just come along and get stuck in!

These are the only groups in the local area to be based around a working professional theatre, which means you get to learn from practitioners with industry experience, helping you to grow in confidence and become an all-round better performer.

AGES 12-16 (SENIORS)
Wednesday 5pm – 7pm at West Suffolk College

Or

Thursday 5pm – 7pm at West Suffolk College

The cost for this age group is £75 per term.

TERM TIMES
Autumn Term w/c 5 September 2022 to w/c 7 November 2022 (excluding half term w/c 24 October 2022)

Spring Term w/c 23 January 2023 to w/c 31 March 2023 (excluding half term w/c 13 February 2023)

Summer Term w/c 24 April 2023 to w/c 8 July 2022 (excluding half term w/c 29 May 2023)

Are you new to acting and wondering where to start? Or are you about to finish your course and wondering what is the best next step for you? Come along to one of our Acting Taster Classes and have a chat with one of our tutors - a professional actor from industry - who will be able to point you in the right direction.

Whether you are unsure which level to join or which course would suit you, this is your opportunity to ask all your questions on all levels of Acting Courses, Screen Acting, Theatre Companies and Foundation Courses. These acting taster sessions are held monthly.

WE HAVE AN EXTENSIVE RANGE OF ACTING CLASSES ON OFFER INCLUDING:
We offer acting classes for the following levels and techniques.

Beginners Acting
Intermediate Acting
Advanced Acting
Foundation
Theatre Companies
Screen Acting
Method Acting
Meisner Acting
Comedy Acting
Improvisation
There is no pressure to sign up for anything, just come along and see what it’s all about, have your questions answered and meet one of our tutors.

Do you want to experience a City Academy Singing class before booking a course? Our Singing Taster Classes are designed to offer students a thorough and practical introduction to vocal technique and repertoire. 

In a fun and supportive atmosphere, our friendly singing teachers will guide you through the basics of vocal training and answer any questions you have about Singing Lessons at City Academy.

- Practising

Our Singing Lessons for Beginners provide an excellent foundation for absolute beginners, as well as for those who have had some basic vocal training but want to develop their singing technique and vocal skills.

Don’t worry if you’re a little nervous - this singing course focuses on singing as a group and building your confidence. And it doesn't matter if you don't get it right first time round; it's all about practising and enjoying singing!

WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT ON SINGING LESSONS FOR BEGINNERS?
During the Level 1 course you will learn to control your voice. We will give you practical exercises to help you gain confidence using a varied repertoire - from pop to musical theatre to jazz, blues and soul.

Course content will include:

- Practising a series of varied vocal warm ups and technique exercises to improve your vocal range
- Learning about body awareness through focus on posture and alignment.
- How to develop a secure breathing technique
- Group singing and developing good listening and blending skills
- Learning how to achieve a good quality vocal performance while using your voice in a safe and healthy manner

Students will typically learn 3-6 songs during the course and will receive friendly feedback from your tutor throughout the course.

Drawing on material from the world of Musical Theatre, there's something for everyone in our Musical Theatre Singing Lessons - Level 3. The course is open to those who have completed any Singing - Level 2 classes, or equivalent, who wish to further their skills while focusing on a wide range of Musical Theatre repertoire.

This advanced level singing course digs deeper into the performance elements of these genres. You will develop more confidence in solo, ensemble and singing in harmony as well as further understanding of the origins and development of these vibrant singing genres. The course will culminate in an informal showcase of individual solos and group ensemble.

WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT ON MUSICAL THEATRE SINGING LESSONS - LEVEL 3?
The course will cover a range of carefully selected material to ensure it is challenging, varied, and above all, enjoyable.

Course content will include:

- Developing a deepened knowledge of the musical theatre genre.
- Extensive vocal warm-ups and introducing more advanced singing technique and technical terminology.
- Exploring challenging ensemble work with a focus on harmony, musicianship and dynamics.
- Solo Masterclasses - focusing on acting through song and musicianship skills with personal feedback about vocal technique, performance and style.
- Performing in an informal showcase at the end of the course.

Consolidate your techniques as you rehearse and perform in a duologue and/or a monologue from a published play text in this intensive practical course.

These practical sessions are for students who wish to consolidate and develop their acting skills while focussing on script work and rehearsal. You will continue to develop the fundamentals of stagecraft, work with text and to build character, relationships and the world of the play. Your work will culminate in an 'in class' presentation of a scene or monologue, performed from memory, to the rest of the group in the final session.

What will we cover?
• Character work
• Text analysis
• Scene Rehearsal and performance.

Please note that acting classes by their very nature can involve exercises and the exploration of material that some students may find challenging.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Work cooperatively with other actors and the director
• Explore and analyse text confidently
• Develop character
• Perform in a scene from a play or screenplay with confidence.

Explore the fundamentals of acting on this practical course, designed for people with little or no experience of acting. Increase your confidence and discover your potential in a safe and exciting environment.

This course will introduce you to the craft of acting. Through a series of warm ups, games and practical acting exercises you will develop your creativity and find the freedom to act in a friendly and supportive environment.

What will we cover?
• Drama games and group exercises
• Improvisation and scene work
• Character work
• Performing truthfully and believably
• An introduction to text work.

Please note that acting classes by their very nature can involve exercises and the exploration of material that some students may find challenging.

By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Work collaboratively and confidently with others.
• Present yourself confidently in the space.
• Develop and play character
• Prepare and perform a short scene.

Deepen your understanding and emotional expressivity as you work towards deeper levels of practice in this workshop. Suitable for beginners and experienced students alike who wish to develop greater sincerity, authenticity and depth in their acting. Explore the principles of psychological realism pioneered by Stanislavski and developed by the Method practioners to enrich and enhance your performances and characterisations. Learn new skills and hone existing ones in this supportive and expressive environment.

An exploration of Stanislavski's acting technique - learn, extend and challenge existing approaches. Sometimes, suddenly in performance, all around you feels alive and real. Impulsive responses arise spontaneously and rich, detailed behaviour emerges without effort. Stanislavski called this ‘experiencing’ the role. This course trains the elements that support the emergence of this creative state in performance. Making use of the approaches to preparation and characterisation developed by Stanislavski, as well as the Method practitioners who elaborated his work further, your ability to generate rich, detailed performance choices and the range and depth of your characterisations will be extended and strengthened. The course is designed as a workshop studio that provides a focused and supportive arena in which to develop your talent, hone your craft, tackle the problems that you may experience that prevent its full and free expression, and learn new skills.

We will explore exercises and training techniques that develop your ability to experience real responses from imagined stimuli and to mobilise subconscious creativity in your work. You will learn how to create more vivid and affecting inner images to justify action, to develop the use of oneself as a creative resource, and to avoid more consistently mechanical acting, conventional choices, and the faking or forcing of emotional expression. We will explore characterisation techniques that target the specific qualities that separate you from characters very different to yourself, along with psychophysical processes that facilitate a more expressive embodiment. We will also examine the means by which blocks and inhibitions to a freer expression of impulses and a more connected and vulnerable mode of performance may be addressed. As actors progress through the training, we will explore the ‘active analysis’ of drama and a deeper engagement with the structure and dynamics of dramatic action.

Please note that acting classes by their very nature can involve exercises and the exploration of material that some students may find challenging.

It's time to top up your vocal skills! This thorough and fun improvers' course will benefit your further vocal development as an actor or professional speaker. You will consolidate work on breath support and explore pitch and resonance. The course will be held in the college.

It's time to top up your vocal skills! This thorough and fun improvers' course will benefit your further vocal development as an actor or professional speaker. You will consolidate work on breath support and explore pitch and resonance. The course will be held in the college.

What will we cover?
Breath support, control and pressure, resonance, pitch awareness, articulation and techniques of communication.

By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Identify your own vocal weaknesses and develop ways to address them.
- Display improvements in breath capacity and support using more advanced breathing exercises.
- Apply articulation pitch and variety to a whole range of texts and material.
- Further develop the resonance of your voice by examining secondary and tertiary areas of resonance.

Improve the quality of your voice and standard of speech; relaxation and alignment; breath capacity/control; articulation, forward placement and vocal expression, primarily aimed at performers. This course will be taught in the college.

What is the course about?
To improve the quality of your voice for increased confidence in communication and performance. To develop vocal skills and thus an understanding of how the voice works. The course is primarily aimed at the actor/performer.

What will we cover?
Physical alignment.
Breathing - diaphragmatic, lower abdominal and lower intercostal.
Relaxation techniques, opening the channel for sound.
Forward placement work.
Jaw and tongue; opening throat.
Vowel work and consonant drills.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
Demonstrate an awareness of the body and its effect on the voice.
Demonstrate effective relaxation techniques.
Demonstrate deep breathing/support of sound.
Demonstrate a more powerful voice and richer tone.
Articulate clearly in speech.
Demonstrate vocal confidence and awareness.