Bristol Professional Acting Extended Diploma
What will the course be like?
It will be an intensive and challenging acting course, with the standards and expectations of a professional actor training over 30 hours a week of contact time 38 weeks a year for 2 years.
It’s a course designed to:
- develop you as a young contemporary actor
- discover your individuality
- equip you to be a creative theatre maker
As a student, you’ll have a personalised learning programme and you’ll work with your tutor to develop specific areas of skill. We’ll support your progression so we can best help you to achieve your ambitions beyond the course, whether that’s university, drama school or in some cases entry into the profession. You’ll also have an industry mentor who’ll be there to support and inspire you throughout the two years.
As well as acting you’ll learn about careers in production and technical theatre and if that’s a route you want to explore we can broker great learning and work experiences with our partners. We’ll support your progression to a technical theatre course or into work and having an understanding of the acting process will stand you in good stead.
What will I learn?
SKILLS
The course will help you to discover the actor you are, your unique voice, and how you find the truth to be able to create character.
The core of the programme is the acting class that runs throughout the course. Through it, you will learn about searching for and communicating truth, find inspiration from exploring acting techniques from Augusto Boal to Meisner, and develop ownership of your work.
Skills classes support the acting class in building the essential vocabulary of the actor.
The voice programme focuses on learning how the voice works, voice production techniques, speech and accent work and interpreting text.
The movement programme works to free the body from constraints and personal habits and develop a more conscious control of the body as actor’s instrument. You’ll explore a variety of different approaches to character physicality including Laban, animal studies and Rasa Box.
Specialist classes run each term. In year 1 they cover improvisation, text analysis and clowning. In year 2 they extend to stage combat, dance and singing.
WORKSHOP AND PRODUCTION
In year 1 each term focuses on a rehearsal project that puts the skills work into practice. You’ll experience workshop projects in physical theatre, world theatre, and as a group you’ll devise an issue-based piece for production at the end of the year.
In year 2 the focus moves to performance with a TV and film project and major productions; one whole group ensemble site-specific project commissioned from a contemporary playwright. Then the group divides in two work on two productions in professional theatres in Bristol.
Audition technique and support for drama school or university entry run right through year 2.
KNOWLEDGE
You will study the work of the artists who have influenced current theatre practice and how theatre genres have developed. You will learn how the performing arts industry is organised and how to build a career in it. You’ll have the opportunity to try out technical theatre skills and put them into practice as you learn about the production process.
You’ll be expected to work as part of a group, responding to a range of stimuli and challenging your personal and creative potential alongside your learning of acting and theatre techniques. You’ll be required to undertake independent rehearsal, study and research to inform and enhance your learning and development.
How is the course assessed?
This is a very practical course and we assess you in a variety of ways;
- Assessment is by coursework based on assignments set in each unit
- Assignments will involve: performance projects, individual research, group work and project work
- Assessments are graded at Distinction, Merit or Pass
- On successful completion of the course, you will be awarded an overall Distinction, Merit or Pass grade
Entry requirements
You’ll need to be on track to get at least five GCSEs grades A* - C or a BTEC Level 2 Diploma (at merit or distinction). In exceptional cases we can take students who don’t have GCSE English or Maths at grade C or above and we can provide tuition in those qualifications alongside the course.
Though experience of dance, drama or expressive arts subjects are advantageous in giving you a sense of what’s involved, we are more interested in raw talent and welcome your application even if you have had little or no experience.
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in the way we recruit. For more information and to apply please visit our website.
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