BA (Hons) Professional Acting

Full time acting course at LAMDA

Three Year Course Industry Showcase(s), Train in acting, musical theatre, film and audio. Teach LAMDA Exams, Guest Workshops Who’s it for: Minimum age 18. No specific academic requirements

About the course

You’ll be encouraged to take an independent and imaginative approach to the craft. The skills you’ll learn will draw on the latest developments in the industry, enhanced by your teachers’ knowledge and experience and supported by the advanced performance technologies which we have in our cutting-edge facilities. You’ll gain confidence during your training, learning that an authentic and enthusiastic approach is the best preparation for a life in a dynamic profession. You’ll learn how to meet challenges head-on from the new knowledge and skills you’ll develop in your training.

In the first year, you’ll be introduced to the key skills you’ll need for professional careers in all media areas, such as theatre, film, TV and audio drama. You will get to grips with the essential groundwork in core performance skills of acting, voice work, movement and music.

Classes include acting study based on a range of techniques (for example, this may include improvisation, Laban, Michael Chekhov) and pure voice and movement training, singing (individual and group sessions) and a range of applied disciplines. You’ll also be taking part in a range of workshop projects (indicative topics include contemporary, classical, Greek drama, artist-led and individual self-created work).

You’ll start to explore a range of different characters and styles of acting through collaborative projects. This may include iconic American drama, comedy/absurdist drama, 19th and early 20th century European naturalism, contemporary texts, Shakespeare and musical theatre. In a specific module, you will explore at more depth how to deliver convincing screen and audio performances. You will also collaborate with some of the UK’s most exciting industry leaders and practitioners and work with writers and directors to develop new work for the stage.

In Year 3

Leading professionals will run workshops to share their invaluable insights, and you’ll receive lectures and guidance on all aspects of life as a professional actor including accounting, interview and audition techniques. You will also have access to a career counsellor throughout the year. You will develop your skills by performing in a professionally written, directed, crewed and post-produced short film shot on location as well as working on audio drama in our own studio, and creating your own voice and show-reel. Throughout the year you’ll continue to receive voice, movement and singing support on all your projects which will culminate in a showcase in the UK and the US, if you are eligible to work in the US.

MFA Professional Acting

Full time acting course at LAMDA

Two Year Course Industry Showcase(s), Train in acting, musical theatre, film and audio. Teach LAMDA Exams, Guest Workshops Who’s it for: Minimum age 20. Degree or relevant professional experience.

About the course

If you want to work as an actor and maker in the creative sector, our MFA acting programme offers an outstanding training. It will position you as an accomplished artist, with the ability to forge your own unique path in the industry.

Working mainly in small-group classes and will receive frequent, personalised feedback and support to advance your skill-set and accelerate your career.

You’ll develop an informed, open, yet questioning, approach to the craft of acting. This will set you up with the skills and confidence to become an independent-minded practitioner with considerable professional versatility and creativity.

This masters degree in acting provides rigorous, world-class conservatoire training combined with industry-level postgraduate project work. The course is open to those from any background, but especially for those who want to shake up the ecosystem of the creative skills industry, and use their abilities to challenge the status quo and shape new landscapes for dramatic art.

In your first year, you’ll cover the core disciplines of acting, voice, movement and music in intensive classes, alongside workshop projects which may include contemporary texts, classical plays, and late 19th/ early 20th century European naturalism. These workshops will give you an opportunity to apply the skills you’ve learnt in class.

You’ll have modules in Acting, Movement, Music, Screen and Audio 1, Voice and Advanced Skills for Acting. We also offer courses in Directing, Production & Technical Arts and additional short courses. Browse all of our courses on our website; lamda.ac.uk/explore-courses

Year 2

The final year will prepare you to become an independent and stand-out professional within the industry. You’ll be immersed in a series of performances on stage, screen and in audio drama, including a professionally written, directed, crewed and post-produced short film. Recent LAMDA graduation films have been selected for national and international film festivals. The final element of your training will be centred on the collaborative development and performance of a small group piece of original, self-created, theatre.

You’ll have modules in Advanced Skills for Performance, Public Performance 1 [Shakespeare in Schools], Screen and

Audio 2, Public Performances 2-4, Devised project.

You’ll also have the opportunity to share your artistry, skills and experience with younger audiences and potential theatremakers. The annual Shakespeare in Schools programme is an opportunity for our graduating MFA actors to share a bespoke project with secondary schools and colleges, culminating in fast-paced adaptations of Shakespeare’s popular works and workshops directly engaging with their younger audiences.

In your training LAMDA will offer you some opportunities for masterclasses, lectures, talks, and where possible, open auditions with industry professionals. Finally, a unique feature of this course is the chance to train as a LAMDA Exams teacher.