Performance (Acting)

Program Overview

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MA Performance (Acting)

Overview

MA Performance (Acting) is primarily a practical acting course. Workshops in voice, text, movement and acting, which you’ll experience in our state-of-the-art rehearsal studios, are designed to enable you to work to professional standards by the time you graduate.

We respond to current industry trends, and examine theory, history and cultural contexts that inform your performance practice. This allows you to become an articulate practitioner – someone who can talk about their work, their methods and their approaches at auditions and when meeting industry professionals.

The latest industry best practices – those that are inclusive and empower the actor – inform our course. With us, you’ll learn to navigate the modern acting environment, such as setting boundaries around physical contact and intimacy, disclosing neurodiversity, and safeguarding your own wellbeing as a professional in this competitive field.

As an actor, you’ll often be the public face of a project. For this reason, we also provide media training – including social media advice – so that you’ll become skilled in communicating with interviewers and audiences.

Course Structure

Trimester One

• From the start of this Acting Master’s course, the Skills module immerses you in the practical training necessary to develop your professional practice as an actor.
• The Professional Practice module will allow you to strengthen your practice while developing your personal process and approach as an actor. Being able to talk about your approach to acting and the specific methods you use is crucial for those all-important conversations with fellow professionals and future employers.
• We’ll ensure that you’re skilled in, and knowledgeable about, the latest issues and practices within the industry, so that you’re able to take the next step with confidence and professionalism.

Trimester Two

• You’ve laid the foundations for developing your own skills; now you turn your attention to how to apply these in collaborative projects – in teams, in companies, and with artists and other professionals. You’ll build on the skills and performance practices you established in Trimester One, and apply them to more ambitious performance projects.
• These projects provide opportunities to enhance your professional portfolio. You’ll work on your audition skills, showreel, CV, website, series of headshots and tapes.
• Alongside this, you’ll develop a theatre company with fellow MA students and create public performances, with opportunities to work on SparkFest, the festival we run in collaboration with Bath Festivals.

Trimester Three

• During this last phase of your MA, your main focus will be your final dissertation, which can be performance-based, written, or a mix of the two, and is supported by our knowledgeable lecturers and specialist facilities.
• It could include a range of work, such as:
  • Narrated ads, radio performances, and audiobooks
  • Short films, sitcoms, and stand-up comedy shows
  • A play or script that you write or produce.

Course Modules

• Professional Practice
• Skills Portfolio
• Performance Practices
• Professional Collaboration
• Major Project

Opportunities

• Off-site visits: You’ll get the chance to visit theatres and venues, experience performances, and meet the people who create them.
• Combat certification: You’ll have the opportunity to gain an accreditation in combat. We provide the training, however you’ll have to pay a small administrative fee for the examination, in order to gain the certificate.
• Careers: Our graduates have become producers, actors, teachers and PhD students. Other students have set up their own theatre companies.

Facilities and Resources

• Newton Park Library, including a large collection of books, periodicals and CDs with extensive eBook and online journal access.
• Support for your academic work from the Writing and Learning Centre, including feedback on written drafts and help with academic writing.
• English Language support from the English Language Unit, which can help you improve your English, reach your potential and boost your confidence.
• Virtual Learning Environment, which provides online access to learning materials such as lecture slides, assessment information, discussion boards and other resources.
• The Careers team run networking events and advisory workshops that explore your future options and the essentials of the job application process. They help you get experience by assisting with your search for work placements and paid part-time jobs while you're studying. When you're ready to progress into your chosen career, they can help you secure graduate-level employment, freelance opportunities, and funding for your own business ideas. Career support continues for years after you graduate with the dedicated Grad Support Unit.
• Free equipment loan service, which provides a huge variety including field recording, film and other audio related equipment.
• Access to thousands of business, design and tech courses online via LinkedIn Learning.
• Access to the full Adobe Creative Suite.

Fees

• 2025 entry:
  • UK full time: £9,225
  • UK part time: £4,613
  • International full time: £17,835

Entry Requirements

• We’re looking for creative individuals who have a clear focus for professional development. Training is hands-on, so you’ll need energy, drive and the motivation to transform your ideas into finished projects.
• Generally we look for a good honours degree or higher, in an area relating to performance, or equivalent professional experience. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) web page to learn more.

Audition and Interview

• You’ll receive further information if you’re invited to audition. We don’t charge an audition fee.
• In-person audition and interview: We invite all eligible candidates to attend an interview and an audition consisting of two monologues.
• Online audition and interview: We’re happy for you to submit a self-tape and attend an online interview.

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

This Master’s in Acting is designed to take your performance skills to the next level while teaching you about the contemporary demands of the industry. The program aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate the modern acting environment, including setting boundaries around physical contact and intimacy, disclosing neurodiversity, and safeguarding their own wellbeing as a professional in this competitive field. The program also provides media training, including social media advice, to help students become skilled in communicating with interviewers and audiences.

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Outline:

• Trimester One:
• Skills Module:
This module immerses students in the practical training necessary to develop their professional practice as an actor.
• Professional Practice Module: This module allows students to strengthen their practice while developing their personal process and approach as an actor.
• Trimester Two:
• Students build on the skills and performance practices established in Trimester One and apply them to more ambitious performance projects.
• Students work on their audition skills, showreel, CV, website, series of headshots and tapes.
• Students develop a theatre company with fellow MA students and create public performances, with opportunities to work on SparkFest, the festival we run in collaboration with Bath Festivals.
• Trimester Three:
• Students focus on their final dissertation, which can be performance-based, written, or a mix of the two.
• The dissertation could include a range of work, such as:
• Narrated ads, radio performances, and audiobooks
• Short films, sitcoms, and stand-up comedy shows
• A play or script that you write or produce.

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Course Modules:

• Professional Practice
• Skills Portfolio
• Performance Practices
• Professional Collaboration
• Major Project

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Assessment:

• Students are primarily assessed through performance projects.
• Other assessments may include essays, reviews, rehearsals, blog posts, written and practical dissertations, reflective journals, presentations and portfolios.
• Students may also be assessed on practical tasks such as leading a workshop.

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Teaching:

• Students are taught through a variety of workshops, lectures, seminars, masterclasses, off-site visits, performance and production work, and through our Virtual Learning Environment.
• The program invites professional actors and directors to work with students.

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Careers:

• Graduates have become producers, actors, teachers and PhD students.
• Other students have set up their own theatre companies.

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Other:

• Students have the opportunity to gain an accreditation in combat.
• The program provides access to the full Adobe Creative Suite.
• Students have access to a range of University services, venues and specialist music resources.
• Students have access to facilities on other campuses, including state-of-the-art television studios and the University Theatre.
• Students have access to Newton Park Library, including a large collection of books, periodicals and CDs with extensive eBook and online journal access.
• Students have access to support for their academic work from the Writing and Learning Centre, including feedback on written drafts and help with academic writing.
• Students have access to English Language support from the English Language Unit, which can help them improve their English, reach their potential and boost their confidence.
• Students have access to the Virtual Learning Environment, which provides online access to learning materials such as lecture slides, assessment information, discussion boards and other resources.
They help students get experience by assisting with their search for work placements and paid part-time jobs while they're studying. When students are ready to progress into their chosen career, they can help them secure graduate-level employment, freelance opportunities, and funding for their own business ideas.
• Students have access to a free equipment loan service, which provides a huge variety including field recording, film and other audio related equipment.
• Students have access to thousands of business, design and tech courses online via LinkedIn Learning.

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2024 entry Student Annual tuition fee UK full time £8,825 UK part time £4,413 International full time £17,065