BA(Hons) Drama, Acting and Performance

Gain valuable experience in actor training techniques for stage and screen, write and devise performance projects, and learn about the contexts of production to prepare you for a range of careers in the creative industries.

Why study this course?

Performance is a part of our everyday lives, from live theatre and cinema, to television, radio, and digital storytelling.

Studying BA(Hons) Drama, Acting and Performance at UWE Bristol enables you to understand the production contexts, learn actor training techniques, and build confidence to communicate effectively across a range of formats.

Performance is a significant contributor to the global economy, and enriches audiences with culture, entertainment, education, and information. It needs creative thinkers to become the makers of the future.

This creative course is ideal for you if you're passionate about making compelling drama.

Why UWE Bristol?

As a BA(Hons) Drama, Acting and Performance student at UWE Bristol, you'll learn through practice-based creative projects that respond to Bristol's social, historical, and geographical landscapes, as well as global contexts.

Bristol, a diverse and creative city, is home to renowned theatres and production companies, offering you inspiration, and future opportunities: locally, nationally, and internationally.

You'll collaborate with students from the School of Arts, as well as artistic, charitable, educational, and community groups. Working with a variety of people makes you adaptable, entrepreneurial and career ready.

Where can it take me?

You'll gain industry-relevant skills, preparing you for a variety of careers. You may also pursue further study (PGCE, MA, PhD) in related subjects at university or drama school.

You'll apply your performance knowledge to social, cultural, and political contexts, gaining the confidence to experiment with narrative devices to communicate ideas across different media.

You'll take into your career an informed creative practice that is ethical, inclusive, and sustainable.

Your degree provides you with a solid foundation for a career in the creative industries, including roles such as performers, writers, devisers, directors, producers, educators, administrators, managers, and technicians.

Careers / Further study

Many graduate careers in the creative industries relate directly to the course, whilst others are in areas, such as recruitment, events, and education. Thanks to their transferable skills, resilience, and array of experiences, our graduates often develop portfolio careers as self-employed freelancers.

Some graduates undertake further study, such as PGCEs; MAs in acting, creative writing, directing, or dramatherapy, and research degrees.

Our graduates work for world famous organisations like the Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, BBC, Channel 4, and Sky.

Typical roles include actors, theatre and film directors, stage managers, writers, script editors, producers, teachers, administrators, broadcast presenters, casting assistants, events and marketing executives, academics, entrepreneurs, dramatherapists, recruitment consultants, voiceover artists, theatre managers, and production assistants.

Past students' careers include:

• Actors at the RNT, RSC, West End, UK Tours, ITV, Channel 4, BBC
• Artistic Director of the Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds
• Performance Artist at BBC New Creatives
• Broadcast Presenter at BBC Radio Bristol
• Film and TV Director at ITV and British Film Institute
• Theatre Directors at Chichester Festival, West End, UK Tours
• Producer at Bristol Old Vic
• Academics at UWE Bristol and Bristol University
• Script Editor at the BBC, Sky, Studio Canal
• Puppeteer for The Queen's Platinum Jubilee, West End, UK Tours
• Stage Managers and Technicians for the Olympics, West End, UK Tours
• Casting Assistant at RNT
• Wedding Planner at De Vere Hotels
• Project Executive at Dyson.

Postgraduate study includes:

• PGCE – UWE Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff Metropolitan
• FdA Stage Management – Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts
• MA Acting – Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Drama Studio London, East 15, London Academy of Music and Drama Arts, Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
• MA Creative Producing – Mountview
• MA Contemporary Performance Practice – Manchester Metropolitan
• MA Creative Writing – University of Birmingham
• MA Directing – BOVTS, Birkbeck
• MA Dramatherapy – RCSSD
• PhD – University of Bristol.

Our award-winning Careers Service helps you develop your employment potential through career coaching, a vacancy service for internships, placements, jobs, global opportunities, volunteering and community activity plus support for entrepreneurial activity, and access to employer events.

Learn more about our graduate destinations.