MA Screen: Acting - Drama Centre London

Course detail

MA Screen: Acting prepares you for work in film and television and related fields by bringing together the key artistic knowledge and skills that are needed to give a truthful and exciting performance on screen. MA Screen: Acting is delivered in close collaboration with MA Screen: Directing, Writing.

At the heart of the postgraduate course is the growth of individual creativity, achieved through constant opportunities for working on camera-based projects with colleagues from other pathways. Course components include acting skills and practice, the creation and production of filmed dramas (shot in the studio and on location), and in-depth preparation for the profession (including interview and audition techniques).

Distinctive features of MA Screen: Acting are:

• An intense conservatoire training for the screen
• A performance-led approach to recorded drama
• A company operating model
• The acquisition of a deep understanding of the processes leading to the creation and communication of recorded drama
• A professional learning model that prepares you for direct entry into the world of work
• A focus on creative solutions to the technical aspects of production
• A mentoring scheme connecting students with experienced professionals
• Concentration on professional preparation with leading industry professionals.

Course dates

Term one
Monday 8 January 2018 – Friday 23 March 2018
Term two
Monday 9 April 2018 – Friday 22 June 2018
Term three
Monday 2 July 2018 – Friday 14 September 2018
Term four
Monday 24 September 2018 – Friday 14 December 2018

Course structure

MA Screen: Acting lasts 45 weeks over 12 months and is structured as units - class-based to begin with, but increasingly project-geared over time. This postgraduate course is intensive. You'll be expected to commit 35 hours per week to classes, rehearsals and shoots, and to your own independent preparation and learning.

Students who come to MA Screen: Acting expect vocational training plus a high level of autonomous learning. The practical elements of the course contribute to the intensity of the experience and sharpen your professional ability to deliver on time, on budget and at an appropriate level.

MA Screen: Acting breaks away from the traditional stage-focused training by providing a specific programme directly relevant to film and television. Delivered in close working partnership with MA Screen: Directing, Writing it features an extended programme of acting skills, two film projects which are professionally produced and shot on location and in CSM’s film Studio and then edited and screened. You will also be part of radio drama project, a nine week devised project, similar to way Mike Liegh works, where you will create a character and then be placed into interesting and dramatic scenarios that will then be filmed. As well as an extended programme of professional preparation.

The MA course culminates with professionally shot showreel material, directed by a working professional director, which is then screened alongside your other filmed projects to an invited industry audience that includes agents and casting directors.

Assessment

Assessment is practical, based on performance and class work. There is no formal written examination, though you will be expected to carry out and present extensive research, as well as deliver practice-informed reflective journal summaries.

MA Screen Acting Programme Specification 2017/18 (PDF, 301KB)

Industry links

Industry directly informs our training through lectures from professionals, either as full-time teachers or as visiting lecturers or directors. Towards the end of the MA course, representatives of film production companies, casting directors, producers and agents are invited to attend screenings.. We have An Advisory Board that includes senior representatives of the profession actively assists Drama Centre London which is available to the students for mentoring. Current board members include Declan Donnellan, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Adrian Noble and Max Stafford-Clark.

For details of the wide range of careers support provided for students, please visit the Student Jobs and Careers section.

• Costume

  Find out more about the Costume facilities at Archway.

• Post-production

  Find out more about our post-production workshop.

• Digital media

  Find out more about our digital media facility at King's Cross

View all facilities

Staff

Course Leader: Michael Bray
Key Associate Lecturer, Director on Devising project, Scene study and Impro: Alan Dunnett
Acting and Directing for Camera Tutor: Bill Britten
Acting Tutor: John Beschizza
Arts & Business and Professional Preparation Advisor: Gary Davy