Acting and Physical Theatre

East 15 Acting School's BA Physical Theatre course is for actors who want to specialise in a world of physical and visual performance beyond traditional theatre and television. We combine dynamic, exciting acting training with devised and ensemble work, offering all you would expect from a traditional British drama school coupled with modern European performance methodologies.

We are looking for actors and performance makers who are passionate about physical performance, creating new work and re-imagining traditional text whilst working in parallel with the traditional intellectual approach to acting.

You acquire a wide skills base by experiencing areas such as aerial circus, devised storytelling, mask, mime, puppetry and clowning. This is underpinned by a core training in acting, voice, singing and movement, enabling you to create challenging new shows and to re-imagine traditional pieces for public performance.

This course is taught at our vibrant and modern Southend Campus. With its lively, state-of-the-art facilities and close-knit international community, Southend is the perfect environment for living and learning.

View more undergraduate courses from East 15 Acting School, including further Actor training programs as well as behind the scenes courses in Creative Producing and Stage & Production Management.

We offer dynamic and unique courses for actors, directors, producers, technical theatre specialists 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.

Previous university/college study is required in addition to local high school qualifications for our Undergraduate Bachelor degree courses.
We accept a number of international qualifications, including the International Baccalaureate with the majority of our courses requiring a grade 30 or above or the SATR with the majority of our courses requiring a minimum of 1100 out of 1600 with 550 in each test.

In addition to working as actors and performers on stage, film and television in the UK and across the world, BA Physical Theatre graduates have worked as puppeteers, aerial specialists, street and clown performers, and have set up their own theatre companies creating and touring new work including the award winning 'Outbound Project', 'Ditto', 'Moth Physical Theatre' and 'Project Lockout'.

Graduates are currently performing in 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child', 'Life of P', 'War Horse' and 'A Comedy About a Bank Robbery' and work with companies such as the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, The Globe, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Told By an Idiot, Improbable, Les Enfant Terribles, Tangled Feet, Tall Stories, Graeae, La Fura Dels Baus, Theatre Royal - Stratford, the Barbican, Contact Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland.

Complete either a UCAS or Direct Application form (see below for more details). Please do not complete both. If you have already done this and are applying for a course that requires an audition, go to Step 3 below for instructions on how to complete the East 15 Application form.

If you are only applying for BA Stage and Production Management or BA Creative Producing (Theatre and Short Film) you do not need to do anything further. Following receipt of your UCAS or Direct Application form, you will receive an email from us inviting you to book an interview. There is no fee for attending an interview for these courses.