BA in Acting

Apply your passion and complete your training at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – we offer drama school-level training to mould you into a versatile actor and help you launch your career.

Overview

Apply your passion and complete your training at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – we offer drama school-level training to mould you into a versatile actor and help you launch your career.

Our BA (Hons) Acting is designed to develop you practically, personally and professionally and prepare you for this challenging industry. We have carefully designed a contemporary course that will train you for a creative career in front of a stage, screen or radio audience. You will receive specialist training in voice, movement and singing, graduating with the skill and aptitude to take on the exciting and dynamic world of the dramatic arts.

According to the Guardian University Guide 2020, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire's acting and performance provision is in the UK's top ten drama schools (drama and dance category).

This course equips you with the skills you need to become a professional actor; continually stretching and challenging you to reach new levels of personal achievement and self-discovery. As a vocational actor training course, full commitment and attendance would be expected.

What's covered in this course?

Complete your training in a supportive environment alongside your dedicated peers. With a proactive attitude, you will achieve the high standard of skill and adaptability that is required of professional actors in the industry today

Your classes will mainly be studio-based sessions, focusing on the practical application of acting, voice, movement and singing. For some modules, you will have timetabled rehearsal time, where you will work in groups to produce material.

During the final year of your training, you will get the opportunity to make a showreel, perform showcases to industry professionals, and be cast in professional productions staged in external theatres. In the first two years, you will apply and develop your skills, getting regular opportunities to perform for your peer group and to invited audiences.

Why choose us?

1. Our tutors have vast, and notable experience, both in the UK and internationally. Staff have worked with well-known individuals, projects and companies such as the BBC, the RSC, West End stars, British repertory and festival theatres.
2. We are proud to be a part of Birmingham City University, where, as a student, you are not only part of a Conservatoire but also a member of the Federation of Drama Schools.
3. You’ll have the opportunity to enhance your industry awareness by getting involved with our Curzon Street Studios team in a wide range of production and film projects, including working on gigs and commercials for professional football clubs and high-profile industry giants such as Sony, Disney and Microsoft.
4. Graduates of the BA (Hons) Acting course have successful careers as actors, writers and directors.
5. On TV you will see our graduates appearing in programmes such as Peaky Blinders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, EastEnders, WPC53, Call the Midwife, Holby City, The Royal, and Shameless, among many more.
6. Study at our new home at the idyllic Ruskin Hall in Bourneville, a stone’s throw away from the famous Cadbury World.

Year one

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):

• Acting Theory and Practice 1
• Voice and Movement Practices 1
• Rehearsal Exercise

Year two

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):

• Acting Theory and Practice 2
• Voice and Movement Practices 2
• Performance Exercise

Year three

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):

• Production
• Recorded Media
• Professional Development

Enhancing your employability skills

By studying the theory and practice of key acting processes you will be equipped with the skills expected of a contemporary actor. You’ll be able to engage critically and creatively, mapping out the performance possibilities of a production text.

The course will teach you the necessary skill to perform as an actor to a professional standard, fully preparing you to pursue a professional career in acting.

Throughout the programme, you will develop a firm, theoretical knowledge and practical skills base to build your ability to perform professionally. You’ll learn how to be proactive in creating employment opportunities and you will be able to successfully operate in a professional theatrical environment.

You will develop the ability to apply background research skills and enquiry methods to support and enrich performance. You will be able to blend the theory and practice of acting processes, integrating this into your performance and relating it to media industries. Therefore you will be thoroughly prepared, with the confidence and competency to take on live, radio and screen roles.

In addition to this, you will be encouraged to respond creatively and imaginatively to source material. This will help you think proactively, responding to the demands of industry, as well as specifically being able to relate this to acting forms such as improvisation. Through the development of an open-minded attitude to all kinds of drama and performance, you will be well-equipped to tackle and succeed in various roles.

Throughout the course, there are opportunities to compete in various industry competitions, including the Carleton Hobbs Competition for Radio, organised by the BBC, the Sam Wanamaker Festival at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London, and the Sondheim Performer of the Year Competition, organised by the Society for West End Theatres.

Recent graduates are currently employed with The Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre, The BBC and Independent Television, and in film.

Placements

Students need to develop basic freelance personal management skills in order to operate as professional actors. In group lectures, workshops and seminars, students will gain professional advice and guidance from tutors and relevant industry professionals and specialists.