Foundation for Actor Training - Foundation

• Acting technique – these classes form an introduction to the application of the principles of Stanislavski’s System to the creation of a character and performance.
• Text work – an introduction to the analysis of a script to discover the dramatic relationships and character clues.
• Audition preparation – advice on the “do’s” and “don’ts” of auditioning for drama school, and individual work on audition pieces in small groups.
• Singing – an introduction to the creation of character and performance in the medium of song, and individual work on solo songs in small groups.
• Voice – an introduction to the mechanics and safe use of the voice, one of the actor’s most important tools.
• Movement and Dance – exploring the use of the body as a tool for the creation of character and the telling of dramatic stories.
• Stage combat – work in both armed and unarmed combat for the stage.
• Improvisation – an opportunity to access the creative imagination and explore the uses of improvisation as a rehearsal and performance tool.
• Theatre visits/back-stage tours – Birmingham School of Acting is surrounded by a great variety of theatres and performance spaces; we will visit several of these and examine the many performance styles offered by different spaces.
• Stratford-upon-Avon workshops – Birmingham School of Acting has the good fortune to be within easy reach of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. Students on the Foundation for Actor Training course will have the opportunity to visit Stratford and experience workshops with professionals.

Students also work on two projects per term which usually include Musical Theatre Styles, Shakespeare, Improvisation and Devised work and Modern Playwrights.