Drama and Film [with Foundation Year]

Explore film theory and film-making from all over the world, as well as different modes of performance.

Explore the latest theory and practice in drama and film as we help you grow into a confident, versatile and exciting practitioner with transferable skills to suit whichever field you hope to work in.

Performance is at the core of our degree, whether you’re in front of the camera or behind it. Your understanding of film theory and history will improve your acting skills and your hands-on performance practice will enhance your filmmaking and writing skills.

Why ARU?

• Our Drama and Dance courses ranked 13th in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2025.

• Follow an experiential 'learn-through-doing' programme, and choose from a range of career-focused modules.

• Transfer your talents to many different careers by making performance for professional and public contexts.

• See your films screened at Cambridge Arts Picturehouse and perform in public venues.

• Train in professional-standard facilities including our 260-seater Mumford Theatre.

• Graduate with a professional CV, headshots and showreel.

Careers

Our Drama and Film degree allows you to choose from a range of career-focused optional modules.

You’ll complete a 100% practical Major Project in either drama or film, and graduate with a professionally produced showreel and portfolio.

You can weight your studies to prepare for a career in the arts or fields such as teaching, and collaborate with other creative students.

As well as performance and filmmaking, you can gain practical experience as a stage technician, and the academic understanding needed to be a director or a teacher.

By the time you graduate you’ll have built up your own professional network and entrepreneurial skills required for freelancing and portfolio careers.

Our students get involved behind-the-scenes at local events, thanks to our connections with organisations such as Take One magazine and Cambridge Film Festival.

They’ve taken part in a live brief with Great Abington Primary School, devising performances and workshop activities to enhance curriculum learning through interactive drama events.

As a student at ARU, you’ll also have opportunities to take part in collaborative projects like our HMS Belfast project with Imperial War Museums to commemorate D-Day, and 60 Second Shakespeare with the Globe theatre, London.

You’ll also develop transferable skills such as research, teamwork, communication, problem solving, and resourcefulness - invaluable in all areas of the creative industries and other sectors.

You might decide to stay at ARU and study for a Masters, like our MA Film and Television Production or MA Dramatherapy. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship to get 20% off your fees.

Leila Khan landed roles in Netflix’s Heartstopper and BBC’s Death in Paradise while studying drama with us, while Kai Toktassyn has built a successful career as an actor and producer/manager in the Kazakhstan film industry.

David Alade wrote and performed Fox Hunting at ARU, before developing it for a professional three-week run at the Courtyard Theatre, London. He also starred in The Fisherman at Trafalgar Studios, with both plays receiving 4+ star reviews.

Teaching

You’ll get straight into the studio, learning new skills that will be key to your future as a performer.

You'll start by exploring film through a series of briefs, and developing your production skills such as stage management and lighting/sound design.

Your second year begins with a major production at Mumford Theatre. You’ll also work on a community theatre project, and learn about film audiences and responses to moving image.

Finally, you’ll complete an individual research project in film or drama, and collaboratively plan and execute our Festival of Performance in Cambridge.

Course Modules

Year 1

• Foundation in Humanities, English, Media, Social Sciences and Education

Year 2

• Film Language and Concepts

• Creative Moving Image

• Fundamentals for Acting

• Researching Performance

• Studio Project

Year 3

• Making Performance

• Community Theatre Performance

• Practice as Research

• Ruskin Module (15 credits)

• Physical Theatre *

• Performing Shakespeare *

• Performing New Writing *

• Filmmakers on film *

• From Script to Screen *

Year 4

• Festival of Performance

• Research Project in Film and Media *

• Undergraduate Major Project *

• Special Topics in Film Studies *

• Screen Drama Production *

• Site Specific and Immersive Theatre *

• Gender and Popular Cinema *

• Narrative in Global Cinema *

• Workshop Facilitation *

• Provocations *

• Anglia Language Programme (15 credits) *

• Screenwriting: Writing and Selling the Feature Film *

• Experiments in Film and Moving Image *

*optional

You’ll show your progress on the course through a combination of essays, reports, critical reflections, presentations, studio and public performances and a major project, which may include practical work.