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.
Exploring techniques applicable to both interpretative and original work, the MA Theatre Lab expands your ability to work collaboratively and independently in various contexts. Working rigorously with expert practitioners, you will experiment with a range of practices empowering you to play a revitalising role in today’s theatre-making landscape.
The MA Theatre Lab is a four-term course, running from January to January each year. The course is ideally for applicants who already have strong experience in performance, extending existing training with rigorous experimentation. Instead of replicating RADA's three-year training in one year, it aims to build on applicants’ experience, giving them the tools to further both their independence and their ability to collaborate in the creative process.
Each term, learning and assessment will be focused on practical exploration, followed by written assignments reflecting on your experience.
In your third term, you will work over the summer as an ensemble (in one group or more where appropriate) alongside a professional director to create a full-length piece of work for public performance. The rehearsal process, performance and accompanying reflective document will together constitute your MA dissertation project.
Whilst continuing your training and study in a fourth term, you will make small-scale, original performances as a part of the Development of Performance module (either in companies or as solo makers) for an end of year Lab Festival. Supervised and mentored by members of staff and people from the industry, you’ll be able to develop these pieces through research and development ‘sharings’ in the autumn, as a part of the New Wave section of the Bloomsbury Festival.
Throughout the year there will be further opportunities to share your work and receive extensive feedback from staff and visiting professionals.
Our BA (Hons) in Acting develops the talent and potential you bring with you to RADA, training you in techniques and approaches that will confidently equip you for a successful and long-term career in the industry.
You will start by building foundation skills through class work, before putting these into practice in sharings and open classes to small groups within RADA, and finally through public performances and film-making in your final year. We are currently undergoing a process of decolonising our curriculum, so there may be some changes to texts or areas of study outlined below.
The course will help you to develop a spirit of curiosity and discovery that will enrich your personal and professional development.
It is designed to help you reach your full potential through vocal, physical and imaginative techniques, and provide you with the ability to continue learning and developing beyond these three years and throughout your professional life.
The Acting Foundation Course provides a rigorous and in-depth training that will give you the skills, techniques and confidence invaluable either as a preparation for further vocational training, higher education (Degree or MA/MFA) or for a career in the performing Arts.
Alongside weekly skills classes, you will have the opportunity of having a showreel and a filming project. Students on this course also have full time professional preparation week where you look at CV's and have the chance to practice a mock audition with professional directors and casting directors.
The course is designed to support your development as an actor in training, auditioning and future practice in a way that is rigorous and professional.
We offer one free scholarship via The Stage (to cover course fee of £9,000) for our Sidcup Course and two £3,000 bursaries are available for our courses in Belfast, Brighton and Edinburgh (course fee £6,500).
Reasons to study Actor Musicianship
• Conservatoire actor musicianship training for stage, television, radio and screen led by professional staff and established practitioners.
• A practical actor training degree for actors who play musical instruments, actor musicians are in high demand in the industry. Over the years our students have signed with agents Eamonn Bedford Agency, Global Artists, Howard Cooke Associates, Olivia Bell to name a few.
• Learn to integrate and develop your musical skills in performance to create, lead and make music alongside your work as an actor.
• You will be guided by experienced staff, including industry professionals, who will help you to develop the skills of the actor musician though practical classes in movement, voice and approaches to text and character.
• You will be involved in a number of public productions in your final year, including a main house production and an industry showcase.
• Excellent studio and training facilities – purpose-built rehearsal, movement and performance spaces, the fully-equipped Rose Theatre and Barn Theatre, a flexible drama studio and a digital studio with motion capture and green-screen facilities.
Career opportunities
Our graduates can be found in a wide range of work; at leading regional theatres, in the West End, The Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. In television, film, radio, young people’s theatre and in small scale touring theatre companies in the UK and Europe.
You may also be interested in:
Acting, BA (Hons)
American Theate Arts, BA (Hons)
European Theatre Arts, BA (Hons)
“My degree really set me up for the industry.” Rosalie Craig, Actor Musicianship Alumna
Location: Sidcup
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.
Reasons to study Acting
• Conservatoire actor training for stage, television, radio and screen led by professional staff and established practitioners.
• Excellent studio and training facilities - purpose-built rehearsal, movement and performance spaces, the fully-equipped Rose Theatre and Barn Theatre, a flexible drama studio and a digital studio with motion capture and green-screen facilities.
• You will receive outstanding career development and support during your study, working only with top professional people, including preparation for agent representation, casting directors and auditions. Over the years our students have signed with agents International Artists, Shepherd Management, Simon & How, The Artist Partnership to name a few.
• Alongside numerous College-based performances, you will take part in an industry showcase and perform in a range of fully-mounted productions in professional venues.
Career opportunities
Alongside the core disciplines of voice, movement and acting techniques, you will develop a range of creative and transferable skills that will encourage you to become an independent thinker and motivated artist; an articulate and reflective practitioner equipped to succeed in an increasingly competitive profession.
Our graduates have gone on to work with Britain’s Royal National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, regional theatres and commercial theatres (including the West End), the BBC and other film and television companies, including Hollywood careers.
You may also be interested in:
Actor Musicianship, BA (Hons)
European Theatre Arts, BA (Hons)
American Theatre Arts, BA (Hons)
“Rose Bruford College gave me a greater selection of tools and skills to draw upon and utilise when approaching any project.” Zaqi Ismail, Acting, 2015 graduate
Location: Sidcup
