BA Acting

The three year BA Acting Programme at RCS is one of the best professional actor training programmes in the UK. We accept 24 students with outstanding potential and commitment who are dedicated to a performing career from over 1,800 applicants each year. Graduates of the programme have progressed to work extensively in the industry and alumni includes household names such as Amy Conachan, Laura Donnelly, Sam Heughan, Katie Leung, Richard Madden and James McAvoy. Specialist education Over the three-year programme you will work intensively with our expert teaching staff on developing your skills in acting, voice and movement to equip you for a career in film, television and theatre. Our movement specialists are trained in Lecoq technique, and will help you acquire some of the best movement for actors in UK actor training, facilitating everything from stagecraft to understanding techniques used in CGI and green screen. You will be working with the Centre for Voice in Performance (the national centre of excellence for teaching, practice, and research) using techniques developed by voice expert Nadine George. We are the only UK conservatoire that offers training in all performance disciplines and you will have the opportunity to collaborate with your peers, formally and informally, in dance, music, production, and film. As an acting student you will have the opportunity to collaborate on film projects with students from the Film department. Industry partnerships Our unrivalled professional connections result in numerous work opportunities for our students. Collaborative professional partnerships include the BBC, the National Theatre of Scotland, and the Citizens Theatre. In your final year you are actively encouraged to seek professional work. As well as aiming to give you a full practical training, our goal is to prepare you for a long and successful career. We focus on developing you as a creative artist, giving you a sound grounding to continue that development throughout your working life. You will undertake professional development modules, ensuring that you graduate as a truly entrepreneurial industry-ready actor, with all the contacts you need, and a great deal of professional experience. As a student you will also be invited to participate in several national competitions including the Spotlight Showcase, The Sam Wanamaker Festival, The BBC Carleton Hobbs Radio Drama Award, Sir John Gielgud Bursary, and The Laurence Olivier Bursary, all of which have been awarded to BA Acting students. International opportunities You will have the opportunity to participate in our European and International activities. Recently these have included performances at the European Young Theatre at the Festival Dei Due Mondi, Spoleto (Italy), the International Festival of Theatre Schools SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER in Brno (Czech Republic) and the World Theatre Games in St Petersburg (Russia). You can take advantage of our participation in the Erasmus scheme and our exchange agreements with Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania (USA) and Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). In addition we are a member of the European Union of Theatre Schools and Academies (E:UTSA) which provides numerous possibilities for student-led work to be shared with our European partners. Our BA Acting Showcase, held in both Glasgow and London is very highly regarded in the industry, and attended by agents, casting directors and potential employers. Additionally, North American students are offered an industry week in New York.

A level
Passes in 2 subjects at GCE Advanced Level

Scottish Higher
Passes in 3 subjects at Higher Level