Acting (International) - BA (Hons)

University of Essex

This module aims to encourage students to develop the ability to present, discuss and defend ideas in seminar and written contexts, consider how theatres reflect their own era, and gain an understanding of the relevance of commedia and other theatres to contemporary practice.

Students will extend the work of EA211 to develop their performance technique and heighten awareness of the importance of relationships between characters. Texts chosen for this module will be based on the repertoire of Classic Naturalism and will include the work of Chekhov and other Russian dramatists. An important theme of the module is the conflict of old ideologies with the emerging new world.

This second year core module is for students on the BA Acting (International) course. Students will gain experience of a range of play-making techniques through three structured projects, spread over the three terms. Typically, students work on each project in preparation periods of three to four weeks, culminating in a presentation towards the end. Students will be given opportunities to understand processes and methods for creating performance involving dramaturgy, playwriting, devising, directing and creating performance for camera. Emphasis is placed on establishing a firm base for company or ensemble over the course of the year. Students are encouraged to contribute to the work of the ensemble beyond the limits of their own acting performance. Students will gain an understanding of the different roles and responsibilities in creating performance.

The work of this module in term three tests the progress of students’ acting methodology, technique and ability to the full. Exploration is undertaken on the breadth and variety of writing during this expansive period in history, to appreciate why Shakespeare towers over his contemporaries. Working on a full play, students will experience the demands of speaking verse and prose with equal ease, dexterity and clarity. You will be encouraged to make strong character decisions and integrate technical skills fully into the life of a character. Practical project work will enable you to gain an understanding of the requirements of a technical team in preparation for the professional training of the final year. In this module you will be encouraged to sustain in a consistent way elements explored in previous modules, as well as integrating the technical aspects required by these physically and vocally demanding texts. You will be asked to show courage in taking risks within your character creation, and marry bold strokes with intricate detail. You will work to demonstrate well developed and truthfully expressed relationships, connecting in an organic way the emotional inner life of a character, with the external communication of that life to an audience. You will be expected to be in charge of your creative choices bringing ideas of your own to the director of the project, and to contribute fully to the company as a whole. You will gain a deeper understanding of verse, phrasing, colour and the breathing demands of extended thoughts and ideas within a complex structure, and learn to incorporate the heightened language into your personal thought process.

In this module you will develop and apply the rigorous foundation work of EA115 and apply it to the more demanding dramatic texts being worked on in the second year acting courses. You will connect movement, voice and acting. You will begin exploring accents and dialects in more detail with a view to both acquiring accents and developing the skills and tools with which to work on accents throughout your career as an actor whilst also grounding your skills in your own home accent. You will speak texts in your home accent as well as in other accents. You will begin to examine the vocal demands of different styles of performance, and develop your ability to give life to complex texts. The Authentic Voices Project explores texts from your own culture and socio-cultural background. This is done to contrast the transformational work needed when speaking in an accent as well as to celebrate authenticity and individuality. Character voices and the tools to create them are explored. Texts for radio, TV and voice overs are explored, e.g. documentary, audiobook, with characters, contemporary monologues and duologues and voice for commercials. The course is designed to prepare students for independence, to ensure that they enter their third year with voices of professional standard and the vocal training necessary to maintain them. The synthesis and integration of vocal skills into text - and acting projects is explored and aimed for.

The second year of Movement training is about deepening movement vocabulary and physical potential. You will learn to expand your range of physical choices in a variety of theatrical styles. Psycho-physical movement training becomes more specific, and this work continues alongside spontaneous body exploration. Alignment work is re-emphasised and applied to both acting challenges and movement improvisations. Relationship between text and movement, impulse work, as well as the experience of deep listening to partners, will be explored. You will be introduced to different devising techniques. The movement unit of this module is intended to develop appropriate levels of physical, emotional and imaginative agility and stamina. It is designed to encourage you to develop good movement practices, empowering you to look after your body and to sustain body alignment. By the end of the module, you will have developed a working technique for physical characterisation. The Dance unit is an investigation into dance historically and socially. You will look at the physical relationship between the economic and sociological climate of the day and its effects on dance style with the objective of integrating the investigation into an actor's process.

Students will expand their ability to interact musically and dramatically in small ensemble pieces usually sourced from musicals and popular styles. In the second term you will progress to the interpretation of more complex and demanding material and performance situations, including public performance and in the third term you will work on expanding your singing range and vocal agility. By the end of the module you will have a substantial knowledge of vocal technique and will have acquired an automatically present technique both to support the singing and safeguard the voice. You will have at your disposal a repertoire of songs of different tempi and styles that fall within your acting and singing range in preparation for your work in final year. Students are encouraged to continue to develop personal warm-up exercise routines.

This second year acting module takes place in the first term and continues the text and exploratory work developed at the end of Year 1. By the beginning of the second year students are expected to be sufficiently prepared to undertake textual evaluation and research as part of their performance preparation work. Through a variety of plays and projects the second year of training aims to develop and extend the methodologies learned in first year as well as integrating technical skills into rehearsal and performance with gradually increasing consistency.

This module builds on the creative writing work you have been doing in your second year Contextual Studies module. New plays are selected by the module tutors from your own self-authored work, to be staged in a production for an invited audience, usually in a studio performance or an external theatre venue. Through the process of staging the New Plays you are given opportunities to take on a range of roles and responsibilities, for example, of writer, actor and director, experiencing and learning the flexibility and versatility that characterises the professional contemporary theatre practitioner. You put into practice the taught acting skills you have developed during Years One and Two and test the boundaries of your own creativity by applying your skills to the interpretation of untried texts. The process of staging the productions provide students with experience of collaborating with writers and directors. By the end of the module you will have participated fully in creating and staging a piece of original, self-created work.

This module provides students with the necessary skills and preparation to launch their professional careers. Students will receive specific training in audition and interview technique, in marketing skills such as web design, CVs and letters of introduction and legal and financial issues affecting professional actors. Opportunities will be provided for workshops, meetings and lectures by and with industry professionals such as agents and casting directors, as well as with working actors and directors. Throughout the module students will be given practical assignments on which they will receive feedback from guest lecturers and industry professionals. This work is continued throughout Year Three.

During this module you perform plays from a range of 20th century works to extend your performance repertoire and use of dialect. Plays are directed by visiting directors thus providing you with opportunities to experience contrasting production methods and new stimuli from outside professionals. The work of the module encourages you to adapt to production procedures beyond your experiences at East 15 Acting School.

In Term One, you extend Year Two screen work on acting for the screen and will have experience of audition, casting and interview situations for TV, film and commercials. You will experience the pressures of creating a role for TV and film by performing in a Show-reel and experiencing a ‘shoot’ under conditions similar to those of the industry. By the end of the unit you will have an understanding of the basic problems of listening and reacting, hitting the mark, eye lines and continuity. In addition, you will understand the need to apply “units and objectives” to screen acting and the perception of the actor’s persona on camera. At the end of this unit a professionally produced show-reel will be uploaded to spotlight. In Term Two, you will produce your own show reel and undertake full responsibility for pre and post production work including: script selection and dramaturgy, location finding, filming, camera operation, sound recording, editing and uploading the finished work to Spotlight. To put into practice the widest possible range of students’ learning in the realisation of projects. You extend your Year Two work on acting for radio and on microphone in order to fully understand techniques required for the profession. You develop acting and vocal skills in radio performance, with specific reference to radio drama.

The final term culminates in productions that are designed to identify, extend and consolidate your strengths as a professional actor. Plays are chosen to show students’ abilities to best advantage and to provide opportunities for full-scale ensemble work in public performance. The variety of selected plays extends your acquired knowledge and familiarises you with further aspects of drama and of playing to a varied public. Final productions may be chosen as a result of student feedback or at the suggestion of directors and will take into account the male/female profile of the ensemble. Productions include all the final year students in an ensemble work often including music and dance to enable talented students to show their versatility. Final productions are given a run of shows normally in the Corbett Theatre.

By the final year of the course you are considered to be a performer and an actor. The work of skills classes in Terms One and Two of the final year in this core module focuses on your professional development. Classes involve the preparation of your shows, audition pieces, preparation for the final Showcase performance and weekly classes to deal with any ongoing problems and issues arising. You continue to develop and practice warm-ups and preparation for rehearsal and performance. The final year work allows you to establish patterns and pathways for creative well-being to follow throughout your working life.

This is final year module concentrates on contemporary theatre. Students are encouraged to reflect on their course experiences and training and to prepare themselves for further professional and cultural challenges after graduation. You will use the research and writing skills you have learned in years one and two to consider new ideas in greater depth and to develop the ability to express arguments through a process supported by relevant research and source materials. This process will culminate in the third term when you will present your Personal Development Journal.