Acting for Stage and Screen BA (Hons)

Course overview

This is a practical and creative course in which you will have the opportunity to develop skills which are essential for a range of careers in the creative industries and beyond.

• Taught primarily through practical workshops in professionally equipped studio spaces, students will benefit from dedicated technical support for theatre, film and wardrobe needs as well as a range of equipment available on loan for video, recording, sound and lighting (subject to availability)⁴.
• Courses explore a wide range of different styles and forms from character building methodologies, to devising performances for theatrical, digital and experimental spaces. The purpose of this course is for you to have a contextual underpinning to the work you do, with the aim of becoming a critical and reflective practitioner with an industry focus.
• This degree combines devising, scripted and experimental work with opportunities for live and mediated performances emphasising the development of acting as an art form. Teaching and learning methods selected for this course are designed to facilitate your ability to develop and reflect on your own skills and understanding, and to foster links between this, the practice of others, and theoretical knowledge and concepts.

Why you should study this course

• You will be taught by our team of experienced creative practitioners, and you may have the opportunity to be taught by industry professionals, collaborative companies and recent alumni².
• You will have access to excellent facilities, including a theatre with lighting/sound control rooms and comprehensive and up-to-date technical equipment, large film, immersive and green screen digital studios, rehearsal spaces an extensive costume stores and dressing rooms and box office facilities⁴.
• You may have the opportunity to participate in the multi-international award winning Telepresence in Theatre initiative which is an ongoing project between Coventry and the actor training degree at the Tampere University, Finland. Using repurposed technologies such as videoconferencing, rear projection, directional sound an immersive rehearsal space is created in both locations giving students the unique opportunity to rehearse and explore performances simultaneously while thousands of miles apart².
• We have excellent links with industry locally, nationally, and internationally, providing opportunities to act in a wide range of contexts and projects. The course is taught by experienced creative practitioners who have worked as directors, actors, and designers for a wide range of companies (staff may be subject to change)².
• Our graduates have gone on to further training, both in UK and abroad and have worked in a variety of roles in the theatre and film industry from acting for Amazon Prime, BBC, and Netflix, touring with both large- and small-scale independent theatre companies, and gone to work in the education sector for (inter)national production companies.

Careers and opportunities

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• understand diverse practices of acting within historical and contemporary global contexts
• evidence theoretical and contextual knowledge and understanding of acting and performance across a range of live and mediated platforms
• engage with the work of local, national and international communities of practice to evaluate, challenge and influence current and future industry trends
• demonstrate a diverse range of acting and performance skills in a variety of independent and collaborative contexts
• critically reflect on the development of skills in the production of a highly creative portfolio of work as an emerging independent and collaborative practitioner
• accurately deploy established techniques in acting across a range of live and technologically mediated performances at various stages of production.

There is a strong emphasis within the course on your future career path, aimed not only to help you to explore what your chosen career path might be, but also to help build a professional level of business skills and knowledge.

The ‘Actor’s Toolkit: Preparing for Industry’ module in particular is designed to encourage you to develop an appreciation of the nature of professionalism in the context of the performing arts industry and to recognise the relationship between professional arts practice, critical reflection and personal planning. You will have the opportunity to consider career structures relevant for your field, including companies, freelance, small businesses and sole trader, and the commercial structures within which you may eventually work. We will also look at the possible market places for different skills and creations, which includes areas such as self-promotion, marketing and publicity.

Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and aims to give you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The university's Talent Team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career or take advantage of professional practice opportunities within course specific industries. Our dedicated Enterprise Officers also offer valuable assistance on how to begin as a freelancer/entrepreneur.

On successful graduation, there are many options you could possibly pursue including careers in teaching following further training, socially engaged and community arts organisations and theatre in education contexts.