Acting

Our Acting degree trains you to become a versatile and employable voice, film and stage actor.

• Prepare for a portfolio career. Train as an actor who can work across a range of media including theatre, screen, radio and voiceover.

• Perform and create with professional venues and organisations including Ustinov Studios, The Rondo Theatre and Theatre Royal Bath.

• Build the skills, experience and resilience necessary to become a professional in the industry.

What does it take to be a professional actor? Skill and confidence, certainly. We also think it helps to have a strong portfolio before you even graduate.

Our Acting course trains you in all aspects of the business while nurturing the versatility, creativity and resilience needed to succeed in acting and a range of performing arts careers.

In your first year, you’ll build the foundations through technical skills classes in movement, voice, singing and comedy. Your second year explores and tests these skills through projects such as full-scale theatre productions, short films, commercials, presenting jobs and voiceovers for audiobooks and games. In your final year, you’ll focus on your profile and perform to public audiences to build your CV. You’ll also work with industry professionals to expand your network of contacts – all before launching your career.

Year one
The first year introduces you to the key practitioners and processes that underpin actor training. You’ll learn about the connections between composition, rehearsal, research and performance, and develop skills such as:

• script analysis
• breaking down a scene
• researching the world of the play
• interpreting character
• exploring subtext.

Technical classes will introduce you to professional-level movement, voice and comedy skills that will enable you to work effectively both as an individual and as part of an ensemble.

Year two
Interpret, analyse and perform various texts in order to extend your understanding of performing in, as well as creating, drama.

Alongside your regular technical classes, you’ll receive acting for camera training and stage combat classes, designed to enhance your skills-base and prepare you for production projects in year three.

Year three
This is your apprentice year, when we’ll encourage you to take your skills into an outward-facing environment.

You’ll become a member of Bath Spa Productions, a professional company that produces a range of live and recorded work. This provides a safe environment in which to test your ability to work collaboratively. You’ll get the chance to connect your acting work with design, technical, management, music and other production elements. Within this collaborative environment you’re expected to meet industry standards and work within professionally-recognised timeframes.

You’ll be assessed through a variety of methods including:

• self-reflective journals
• performances
• essays
• vivas (where you talk about your work)
• presentations.

In your final year, you’ll also be assessed on a range of projects, all led by external industry professionals.