MA, BA, PGCLTHE, FHEA
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BA (Hons) Acting
BA (Hons) Acting is your introduction to the performance industry. You'll hone your skills to stage and screen, working collaboratively as a part of AUB Productions and taking on roles in professionally produced student films.
- Duration: 3 or 4 years full-time
- Placement year: Optional 1 year
- Course code: W410 (UCAS)
- Institution code: A66 (UCAS)
- Duration: 3 or 4 years full-time
- Placement year: Optional 1 year
- Course code: W410 (UCAS)
- Institution code: A66 (UCAS)
Featured quick links
Overview
Our BA (Hons) Acting course shows you what it takes to turn natural talent into a career and making dreams of performing on stage or film a reality.
BA (Hons) Acting course information
This course is designed for students who have a passion for performance. We'll show you what it takes to turn natural talent into a sustainable career and we will support you to help make your ambitions become reality.
On BA (Hons) Acting, you'll get professional training to improve your acting skills and learn how to create performances for different audiences and contexts, providing you with the skills needed for creating performances in today's multimedia world. You'll work with other students on projects and films and your independent voice as an emerging artist will be developed and nurtured as you progress.
With a highly practical, portfolio approach to developing your creative practice, BA (Hons) Acting delivers training in a range of established techniques in relation to text, character and performance, alongside the core disciplines of movement, voice and singing. Three main themes of training run through each level: a methodological approach to actor training, media training and the concept of the actor as creator and maker of new performance work. This comprehensive approach reflects the demands and diversity of the 21st century creative industries.
Contextual and critical studies across each level will deepen your knowledge and understanding of key contexts within the performance industry and underpin your learning. The course also develops transferable skills in collaboration, teamwork and problem-solving.
Sitting within Bournemouth Film School, BA (Hons) Acting is well-situated for cross-course collaborations and this is a key feature of the programme. Within the course, we have an established collaboration for our fully staged Level 6 shows as part of AUB Productions with BA (Hons) Costume, BA (Hons) Design for Costume and Performance, and BA (Hons) Make-up for Media and Performance. Through the course, you'll also have the opportunity to collaborate with BA (Hons) Film Production, BA (Hons) Animation Production, BA (Hons) Games Art and Design, and BA (Hons) Creative Writing.
Professional development and employability skills are integrated through all three levels of the course, helping you to prepare for a career in the creative industries and/or postgraduate study. These skills will enable you to aspire to professional standards within live performance and digital media contexts, as well as empower you to explore diverse career paths.
Placement year
All undergraduate courses at AUB offer an optional placement year, to be taken between your second and third years of study.
If you’re unsure about this optional placement, you don’t need to decide now. Once you’re here and studying with us, the course team will discuss the placement options with you, so when the time comes, you can make a decision that’s right for you.
Level 4 (first year)
You'll begin to explore the relationship between the performer’s body and voice through lessons in acting, movement, voice and singing. Additionally, you'll learn how to engage with texts and non-text sources in order to understand how to create psychologically, emotionally and physically truthful characters. You'll develop skills and knowledge in relation to creating work in and for specific audiences and you will also begin your journey of discovery of media performance, which includes collaboration with students on the BA (Hons) Film Production course.
At this level, you'll start to explore employability prospects and develop research and study skills, as well as an awareness of wider cultural and historical contexts, which will underpin your learning throughout the course. You'll also be introduced to important skills such as self-reflection, analysis and self- and peer assessment.
Level 5 (second year)
At this level, you'll build upon the foundational work of Level 4 by expanding your skills, knowledge and experience of acting, movement, voice and singing work. Your creative vocabulary will be developed by engaging with classical as well as contemporary texts and scores, including Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
There'll be the opportunity to acquire new skills within workshop, rehearsal and performance settings. Your devising, writing, dramaturgical and collaborative skills will be developed and you'll learn how to create performances in non-traditional spaces, with external audiences and clients and/or community groups. You'll also explore different forms of voice performance and specialised vocal techniques required for working across a range of audio media.
In addition, you'll have the opportunity to investigate a specialist subject of your own choice, in order to develop theoretical and critical thinking skills. At this intermediate level of the course, you'll also be able to identify career and postgraduate study options and begin to build your professional portfolio.
Level 6 (third year)
You'll be able to test the working methods developed so far on the course, with a range of creative challenges. You'll perform as part of an ensemble in a full-scale, public-facing production, both as a cast and crew member, in collaboration with Bournemouth Film School within AUB Productions. Also, you'll work on an independent solo project and in collaboration with other students to create an original theatrical event, which will be presented to a public audience.
Your career ambitions and knowledge of the creative industries will be supported through lectures and workshops on producing, budgeting and touring, as well as visits and talks from industry professionals. Your understanding of business and professional matters related to your career will be advanced by talks from representatives from Spotlight and the actors’ union Equity, and you'll gain the opportunity to join Spotlight Graduate.
Your digital portfolio of work will be further enhanced and you'll understand how to promote yourself within the industry and identify your personal brand and career goals. This comprehensive set of tools that you'll have acquired by the time you're ready to graduate from the course will enable you to launch your career with confidence.
Our BA (Hons) Acting students and graduates have gone on to win great things.
- Winner | Sky Arts Awards 2024, Theatre – Ryan Calais Cameron, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy
- Nominated | Olivier Awards 2023, Best New Play, Best Supporting Actor – Ryan Calais Cameron, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy
- Winner | Black British Theatre Awards 2022, Best Director and Best Production Play – Ryan Calais Cameron, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy
- Winner | Stage Debut Award 2022, Best Performer in a Play – Ryan Calais Cameron, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy
- Winner | Oliver Awards 2019, Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre – Flesh and Bone
- Nominated | Alfred Fagon Award 2019, recognising Black British playwrights from the Caribbean
- Winner | International Achievement Recognition Awards 2018, Best Emerging Actor
- Winner | Westfield International Film Festival 2018 US, Best Actor
- Winner | Off-West End 2018, Adopt a Playwright Award
AUB Productions
Students from across BA (Hons) Acting, BA (Hons) Costume, BA (Hons) Design for Costume and Performance, BA (Hons) Make-Up for Media and Performance and BA (Hons) Creative Writing degrees collaborate on each production. This provides students with a key insight into the industry and for developing skills in working as actors, designers and makers which make up theatre.
The actors also take on other roles within this process, such as Stage Management, Assistant Director and Publicity Officer. BA (Hons) Costume and BA (Hons) Design for Costume and Performance students take on roles including set and costume design and making – constructing props, costumes and millinery. Meanwhile, those from BA (Hons) Make-up for Media and Performance provide prosthetics, hair and make-up.
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Open Days
Open Days are a great way to get a feel for undergraduate life at AUB. At an Open Day, you'll be able to explore the campus, talk to course teams and discover our industry-standard facilities.
Visit us on:
- 7 December 2024
AUB SHOWCASE
We're proud of our alumni, and rightfully so.
Explore the incredible work of our freshly graduated 'Class of 2024' in our online AUB Showcase.
Browse work by course, student or theme.
Meet the BA (Hons) Acting Course team
PhD, MA, PGCE, Drama Dip, SFHEA
MA. Cert. Ed.
BA, PGCert, FHEA
BSc
Acting requires openness - it’s this honesty and the ability to push past any self-censoring that makes a truly great performance. The most compelling actors have an ability to inspire and draw an audience into their world – an active imagination, creativity, curiosity and a willingness to learn about their character's world are all key ingredients, and skills we nurture throughout the course.
Watch our videos
Watch the Course Leader for BA (Hons) Acting, Katharine Piercey, sharing her insight into what makes a great actor. Also find out how to prepare for your audition, and preview some of our students' work.
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Chat to a student
Our student ambassadors are here to answer any questions you might have on university life, our courses and all things AUB.
Chat on UnibuddyStudent Stories
Application process
Once you've found the perfect Undergraduate course, you can apply to study via UCAS, including direct entry applications to second and third year.
When applying through UCAS, use the institution code A66 for courses taught at Arts University Bournemouth. For courses based at Bournemouth and Poole College, use code B49. We'll then use your completed UCAS form to make decisions about your application. You can find out more on entry requirements in our apply section.
When you apply to one of our courses, it's important that you help us get a good picture of both you and your work – so you'll need a great personal statement. We want to know more about why you're interested in the course, your key influences, and what you hope to do after your studies.
If you're invited for an interview, many of our courses will ask to see a portfolio of your work so we can get more insight into your ideas and abilities. To help you, we've created guidelines outlining what we expect from your portfolio for each course.
The fee that you pay the Arts University Bournemouth provides the necessary equipment and training for you to complete your course.
You may also choose to buy some items of personal equipment such as a laptop or tablet computer, but this is not required; desktop and laptop computers are available for you to use in common study areas, including a loan system in the Library.
If you decide to undertake an optional placement year, the tuition fee is £1,850. This is subject to inflationary increases based on government policy, and providing you progress through the course in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
For the majority of our courses, we'll ask you to digitally submit a portfolio as part of the application process.
Portfolios should show examples of your work – both finished and work in progress – that demonstrate your interests and skills. We expect to see around 10 slides/images in your portfolio that shows your identity as an artist.
If we ask for a digital portfolio then we'll give you 30 days to submit it. Sometimes we'll need a portfolio submitted quickly if there's a UCAS set deadline approaching, but if you need more time, just let us know and we'll try to help.
We've created specific portfolio guidelines for each of our courses, you can take a look at these below.
If you've applied to study an online postgraduate (MA) degree, please refer to the AUB Online portfolio guidelines.
This course will require you to attend an in-person audition and/or interview. If you're invited to one, you'll be given at least 10 days notice.
Studios and resources
BA (Hons) Acting students benefit from five specialist workspaces on campus including a fully equipped Studio Theatre and a sound recording studio. AUB also has its own theatre, the Palace Court Theatre, which offers further rehearsal rooms and performance spaces in central Bournemouth.
Studio Theatre
The Studio Theatre is a flexible black box space suitable for experimental and intimate theatre, with retractable raked seating...
Palace Court Theatre
The Palace Court Theatre is a 1930s Art Deco theatre building, situated in Bournemouth town centre.
The Library
The Library at AUB holds an excellent range of print and online collections
Lecture Theatres and Seminar Rooms
We have a number of lecture theatres and seminar rooms scattered around campus to assist students with their studies.
Central Media Store
The Central Media store houses a diverse array of equipment, offering students the means to craft and capture...
Innovation Studio
The Innovation Studio operates as a lab for creative technologies, a nucleus for start-ups and enterprises and an industry engagement hub.
Drawing Studio
Our iconic blue Drawing Studio is used by student from all courses and was designed by alumnus Sir Peter Cook...
Digital Suites
Our Digital Suites offer a digital post-production facility and digital teaching space.
Printroom
Our printmaking facilities are a hub of creativity on campus and have been inspiring students since 1964.
Letterpress and Bindery
The Letterpress and Bindery studio is a central resource, where students can learn and explore bookbinding and letterpress printing.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Within this area of performance experiential learning is a key principle of study and your work throughout the course reflects the collaborative nature of acting. Each unit is assessed separately, and the assessment forms part of the unit. Assessment both provides a measure of your achievement, and also gives you regular feedback on how your learning is developing.
Throughout the degree you'll experience both tutor-led learning, including the participation of professional practitioners, and self-directed methods of learning (through independent learning, negotiated practice and research work). In this way, you'll be able to develop an increasing independence and a positive attitude towards life-long learning.
The course objectives are met by deploying a wide variety of teaching and learning methods including rehearsal, performance, ensemble working, workshops, lectures, seminars, group critiques and tutorials. In consultation with the Course Leader, staff are responsible for co-ordinating individual units of study, and for selecting appropriate methods of delivery according to subject matter and student experience.
The methods employed induct you to the disciplines required of a creative practitioner and promote the development of transferable skills.
Ensemble working reflects the importance of team work in the discipline of acting and there are many opportunities to work in teams to learn the value of peer co-operation.
The integration of theory and practice is promoted and reinforced through a team teaching approach. Lectures, seminars and tutorials may be delivered by team members, as appropriate, in the creative learning environment.
The study time allocated to each unit in the course incorporates a balance of formal teaching, tutorial support and independent learning. The course is structured progressively to provide increased opportunities for independent learning as you reach the later stages of the course.
The progressive promotion of independent learning reflects your anticipated maturity as a student and allows you to direct your learning towards individual goals. The teaching in Level 4 is directed at providing you with the knowledge, concepts and skills to take increasing responsibility for the management of your own learning as you move on to Levels 5 and 6.
Contact hours include all scheduled teaching sessions, but also supervised time in the workshop or studio. In line with national guidance, we include in our calculation of contact hours all the time which is scheduled in the studio for independent study which is also supported by staff (either academic staff, or technicians).
The information provided below gives the proportion of your study time which constitutes contact hours. Where there are optional routes through the course, we have used the figures for the most popular option.
For every unit of your course, we'll inform you of what you're expected to learn; what you have to submit; how your work will be assessed; and the deadline for presenting your work for assessment. This is made available through Unit Information, which is on your course blog.
You'll receive a final mark for each unit in the form of a percentage, which will be recorded on your formal record of achievement (transcript). Each component of assessment is graded using a notched marking scale, whereby only certain marks are used within each grade. The only marks available within any ten-point band are *2, *5 and *8 (e.g. 62, 65, 68). These marks correspond to a low, mid, and high level of achievement within each grade band.
All learning outcomes must be passed to successfully complete the unit.
On successful completion of your Honours degree course, you'll be awarded a degree classification based on your unit marks. The final classification is determined using all unit marks at Levels 5 and 6 using two different algorithms, which are detailed in the HE Student Regulations. If the two algorithms produce different results, you'll be awarded the higher class of degree.
If you have joined Level 6 through either the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) route or having completed a Foundation Degree (FdA), the final classification is determined using only your unit marks at Level 6.
For further information on assessment, progression, awards and classifications, please visit viewpoint.aub.ac.uk.
What our BA (Hons) Acting graduates are doing
Graduates have gone on to work in feature and independent films, television, regional theatre, touring theatre and the West End, voice-overs and teaching.
Here are some examples of roles that our graduates are working in:
- Graduate company Unpolished Theatre won the 2019 Olivier award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for their show Flesh and Bone
- Principal actor in EastEnders
- Principal actor in BBC drama Showtrial
- Principal actor in Netflix series Top Boy
- Writer and director of For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, The Royal Court and West End. Won Best Director and Best Production Play award at Black British Theatre Awards 2022. Cast won The Stage Debut Award 2022 for Best Performer in a Play.
- Principal actors in BBC Three’s Witless and Overshadowed
- Principal actor in West End production of Spring Awakening
- Leading role in The Empress, Royal Shakespeare Company
- Leading role in Let the Right One In, Royal Exchange Theatre
- Supporting role in Jerusalem, West End
- Supporting role in Macbeth, Shakespeare's Globe
- Leading role in Thomas and Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie
- Featured actor in Guy Ritchie's film Wrath of Man
- Featured actor in feature film The Batman
- Featured actor in BBC One series Our Girl
- Featured actors in BBC One series Call the Midwife
- Featured actor in Apple TV series Hijack
- Featured actor in Amazon Prime series The Looming Tower
- Featured actor in BBC film Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley
- The Lion King, West End
- The Play That Goes Wrong, West End
- Blue Stockings, Shakespeare’s Globe
- The Commitments, UK No. 1 tour
- The Buddy Holly Story, UK No. 1 tour
- Roles in BBC’s A Christmas Carol, Strike, Luther, Casualty, Holby City, Doctors and Crimewatch
- ITV’s Cilla and The Sound of Music Live
- Netflix series Black Mirror
- E4’s Misfits
- Lead role in independent feature films the Rise of the Krays and Fall of the Krays
- Published playwrights: Elliot Warren (Flesh and Bone); Ryan Calais Cameron (Typical, Queens of Sheba, For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy)
- Theatre producer for Nouveau Riche
- Writer for Netflix series Sex Education
- Roles at the Royal Court Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, Southwark Playhouse, Royal Exchange Manchester, Birmingham Rep, Sheffield Crucible, Liverpool Playhouse and Pitlochry Festival Theatre
- International, national and regional tours with theatre companies, including White Horse Theatre, Solomon Theatre and Chapterhouse Theatre Company
- Postgraduate study at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama; East 15; LAMDA, ALRA and The Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham
Our BA (Hons) Acting alumni have gone on to work in feature and independent films, appeared in BBC dramas and on London’s National Theatre tours. You can read more about what some of our graduates are up to below – click on the alumni to find out more.
From stage to Spielberg: Elliot Warren dishes on Masters of the Air
It was 2019 when BA (Hons) Acting graduate Elliot Warren collected a...
Ryan Calais Cameron – BA (Hons) Acting
Ryan Calais Cameron is an award-winning actor, director and writer. His play For Black Boys Who Have...
Caitlin Innes Edwards – BA (Hons) Acting
Caitlin’s acting credits include Strike, Black Mirror, Hanna, and the feature film Mad To Be Normal with David Tennant...
Jes Gislason – BA (Hons) Acting
Jes Gislason is an Icelandic actor who, since graduating from AUB in 2018, has since been working in TV, films and on stage...
Kevin Leslie – BA (Hons) Acting
After leaving AUB, finding myself an agent was top of my agenda, I'd say the best way to find one is to ask what clients they work...
Harry Reid – BA (Hons) Acting
We caught up with Harry about his experience of studying acting at AUB. He shared his advice for collaborating in the industry...
Dominique Planter – BA (Hons) Acting
A lot of people wanted to go to RADA or one of the other big schools, but I wanted to go somewhere that...
Our Graduate: meet BBC Our Girl's Nebras Jamali
Fresh from the set of BBC drama Our Girl, we caught up with AUB acting graduate Nebras Jamali...
Trips and visits
As part of BA (Hons) Acting, you may also get the opportunity to take part in course trips.
Previous trips have included:
- The Globe Theatre, London
*These trips are optional and some may incur additional costs
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