MA Acting

Program Overview

---

East 15 Acting School’s MA Acting is a challenging course that encourages the development of a personal methodology based upon East 15’s unique practices. On one level, it is a thoroughly practical, highly intensive, vocational course. On another level, it is a thought-provoking, life-changing reflection on the function and art of the actor – exploring techniques from some of Europe’s most influential practitioners as well as innovative professional practice from the UK and internationally. MA Acting is a specialist course of one academic year with additional work on marketing students to the industry with a showcase. You will need discipline and motivation to work at an advanced level. Beyond these, the requirements are abundant energy, insatiable curiosity and a robust sense of humour. Some students may already possess a university degree (not necessarily in a related discipline) whilst others will have established themselves in other career paths and now seek to change the direction of their lives towards that of a professional actor. This course also attracts professional actors who feel the need to reflect on their practice, extend their range and skills, refresh their creativity, increase their professional contacts and gain academic recognition. This course is taught at our picturesque Loughton Campus . View more Masters courses from East 15 Acting School , including Theatre Directing. MA Acting Why we're great.

• Industry-ready intensive actor training by leading practitioners.
• Industry showcase.
• A focus on Stanislavski and Laban techniques.

Our expert staff

Our training is by professionals and for professionals, allowing our graduates to work successfully across the globe. Our international, outstanding teaching faculty is made up of professionals from all areas of live and recorded performance. Learn more about our staff here .

---

Specialist facilities

Our Loughton Campus is perfectly located, providing access to both the rich, cultural diversity of London and an attractive and peaceful setting in which to study. We are just a five-minute walk from London Underground station, Debden, where you can travel in only thirty minutes to Central London, West End theatres and mainline train stations including the Eurostar. We have three sites at our Loughton Campus – Hatfields, Roding House and Unit Four. Hatfields is a beautiful Georgian dower house, set in five acres of lawns with orchards, flowerbeds and a small lake, providing an idyllic atmosphere for study, relaxation and performance. Just a short walk from Hatfields is Roding House, a £1.3 million facility containing 10 rehearsal rooms, a green room/café, a sound recording studio and a video editing suite, and our costume department. Next to Roding House, Unit Four is a £1.5 million facility which is home to the Stage & Production Management department. The Unit contains a large workshop, paint shop, prop shop, prop storage facilities and teaching spaces. Our on-site Corbett Theatre is named in honour of Harry H Corbett, a key member of Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop and early benefactor of East 15. It is used extensively for student productions and is a practical training hub for our BA Stage and Production Management students. The building is a medieval tithe barn that was dismantled and transported to Hatfields in the 1960s. These unusual origins create a unique performance space with a special atmosphere. Renovated to include full technical facilities, tiered seating for 130 people and fitted dressing rooms, the theatre provides an excellent resource for public productions, while the adjacent Bar and Café provides a social meeting point for students and staff.

---

Your future

On completion of the MA Acting program, you are qualified as an actor and recognised as a graduate of East 15 training. You are equipped to pursue acting careers in theatre, film, TV and radio. You also have an understanding of how to create your own work, including how to form companies and gain funding, as well as a variety of methodologies for developing your own artistic practice. You are encouraged to remain in touch with the school, to watch the development of succeeding students and to benefit from informal support and mentoring as you continue in your career. “When I was auditioning at drama schools East 15 seemed to offer the most personal actor training, where they focus on you as an individual rather than trying to make you fit some mould. I can happily say the course has fully lived up to this, and I know that when I leave here I will be an actor who is not only ready to enter the industry, but be a part of shaping it too.” Jennie Rawling, MA Acting

Program Outline

Course structure

We offer dynamic and unique courses for actors, directors and students of theatre practice. Training at East 15 draws upon 50 years of tradition combined with a keen sense of the world of stage and screen today. Our carefully selected modules will give you the chance to explore and develop your specialist training. We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

---

---

Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

---

---

Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 1 In the first unit students are required to reflect on the purpose and function of theatre and the role of the actor. They are required to assess dispassionately and objectively how they appear and what messages their physicality and vocal patterns communicate to audiences. Strategies are then developed with the acquisition of tools for acting technique, to create an open, ready, energised available physicality and voice ready to create character. Likewise, students are encouraged to move to a psychological attitude of open readiness to work, liberating their imagination towards artistic creative development whilst developing an understanding of professional discipline. View Advanced Acting Methodology and Textual Studies on our Module Directory In this core MA/ Postgraduate Diploma Acting class you are required to assess dispassionately and objectively how you appear and what messages your physicality and vocal patterns communicate to audiences. Improvisation tools and exercises to encourage spontaneity and creativity will open your mind as the technical work opens the body. View Advanced Research Living History Project, Devising Project and Acting for Camera on our Module Directory This module focuses on public performance of full-length plays. Under the guidance of the year tutor, you will be expected to initiate everything from cast warm-up, care of costume to make-up. You manage the process of theatre production from start to finish, from research, rehearsals and screenings. View Theatre Production on our Module Directory You will explore the nature of accents and dialects; the relationship between posture, breath and voice; and the potential of the voice, emotional expression and vocal characterisation. You also study Shakespearean speeches and sonnets and consider the use of expressive language, sound and rhythms. View Voice on our Module Directory You focus on the exploration of the body in space in term one. In term two you investigate deepening movement vocabulary and potential, and expanding individual range of physical choices for characterisation in a variety of theatrical styles. Various techniques are learned including animal study. View Movement on our Module Directory The aim of this module is to develop your ability to memorise and sing in parts, while also using the singing voice with a degree of technical assurance. By the third term the students are regarded as actors who can communicate through song, and are ready to prepare for audition. View Music and Singing on our Module Directory You are introduced to theories of character creation in contemporary theatre practice within a historical context in this module. This work reinforces the importance of research and to establish effective research techniques at postgraduate level. View Contextual Studies on our Module Directory COMPONENT 08: CORE WITH OPTIONS EA409-7-SU or EA408-7-SU (60 CREDITS)

---

---

Teaching

---

---

Term 1

Your first term, focuses on:

• Classes in movement, voice and singing, as well as contextual studies
• Development of an artistic practice from an exploration of personal self, to that of the body in time and space and from there to the creation of character and the realisation of text
• Acting classes that promote the development of intuitive, creative responses which are then framed by the introduction of techniques to build character and play actions

You will also apply technical voice and movement work to the context of an acting exercise through showings of short naturalistic scenes as well as receive an introduction to actor-centric research.

---

---

Term 2

In the second term, skills classes continue. You will also:

• Work on an intensive Shakespeare module which develops and strengthens the integration of technical skills with acting technique
• Experience East 15’s renowned and distinctive ‘Living History’ project - a long-form, non-performative improvisation in which the actor can, through rigorous research and a residential period away from the campus environment, experience and identify with the practical and visceral realities, as well as the psychological and emotional attributes, of the character
• Devise an ensemble performance based on your intellectual, emotional and sensory experience and understand and realise what it is to make theatre and the realities of the industry by taking on stage management and production roles for this project
• Begin to focus on acting for recorded media

Towards the end of term two you will begin to research and develop your MA project.

---

---

Term 3

The first part of Term 3 focuses on recorded media. You will:

• Further develop your skills in acting for recorded media, resulting in material for your professional showreel
• Learn performance skills for radio and microphone technique

You will also focus on the ‘MA Project’, which consists of working in small groups on self-generated productions, where you are given independence and autonomy as company members. The second half of term 3 sees a full production of an ensemble devised text-based play.