BA (Hons)
Acting for Stage & Screen
An Acting Company in Training.
Degree
BA (Hons)
BA (Hons) Acting for Stage & Screen
WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?
A FAMILY FEEL.
BSA students speak about the 'family' and creating that family feel is really important for us. Our students thrive on individual attention and support.
STAFF TO STUDENT RATIO.
The lower the ratio, the richer the experience, because you come into contact with a greater variety of staff. At BSA the ratio is 9:1. An average university acting course is 18:1. Other leading drama schools average 11:1.
THE QUALITY OF PRODUCTIONS.
We prioritise high-quality final-year productions, working with directors, designers and creative teams, and staging performances in professional theatres.
PERFORMANCE SPACES.
You'll only ever perform your final year shows in working professional theatres.
BRISTOL
UCAS Code: AFS2
Duration: 3 years full time
Start date: September 2027
Location: Tobacco Factory Theatres
Resident at Tobacco Factory Theatres.
A rigorous conservatoire style training with third year as an acting company in training with with professionally produced productions.
‘Spotlight‘ and ‘Graduate Equity‘ membership in the final year.
At BSA we train actors to be creative artists; taking risks, being totally physically committed, using their true selves to transform, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. This comes from the Michael Chekhov technique and we base our teaching on this approach.
The concept of ensemble is equally important to us and in the final year you’ll work as an actor in a training company - resident in a working theatre and the first of its kind in the country. We support you to be ready to both respond to and shape the industry which you’ll enter. We’ll develop your networks and marketing skills and you have the opportunity to leave with industry connections, a personal career development strategy and a showreel.
You’ll be taught by some of the most experienced tutors working at the highest level in the industry. Our networks in the industry are strong and deep. Our new Co-Artistic Director, Miranda Cromwell, is an Olivier Award-winning director and now an Associate Director of the National Theatre, and Stuart Wood has almost 40 years' experience as a director and teacher of acting in the UK’s conservatoires. Our expert staff are drawn exclusively from leading drama schools.
Perhaps most importantly, our students speak about the feeling of family, the care, support and individual attention each student receives, and the fact that we are a small school where everyone feels valued.
YEAR ONE.
The first year focuses on training your acting instrument. The course takes you through the fundamental skills and theories of acting, voice and movement as you begin to learn the craft and experience how its core elements fit together. Both acting and instrument classes focus on the creativity and invention of the acting process. The goal is to develop your personal practice and artistic freedom, in order to create exciting and embodied characters. Acting for camera classes are introduced and run alongside text work, singing, biomechanics and Qigong.
YEAR TWO.
In the second year you put your techniques into practice and develop more advanced skills through a series of rehearsal projects including contemporary text, non-naturalistic drama and Shakespeare. Instrument classes expand to cover more advanced psychophysical techniques. Acting for camera technique classes culminate in a camera project and you'll develop devising skills as part of an Actor as Theatre-Maker module.
You'll also take the three weapons qualification of the Academy of Performance Combat.
YEAR THREE.
The third year prepares you for a career in the industry as you work on public productions rehearsed in professional conditions. These productions are fully staged and involve professional directors, designers and other creatives. You'll apply the comprehensive acting skills you have learnt to different styles and adapt your craft whilst keeping the integrity of your process. You'll also learn about casting, agents, auditions, and the job of building a career as a working actor and marketing yourself. As well as theatre productions, you appear in a professionally produced screen project and take part in our Agent Showcase in London.
The degree is delivered in partnership with Plymouth Marjon University. To apply, you will need to register with UCAS by visiting www.ucas.com/apply and apply using the course details below.
On UCAS, you’ll need to search for Plymouth Marjon University rather than Bristol School of Acting.
As well as applying to UCAS, you will also need to audition with us (see below for details about our audition process) to be offered a place on this course. You can book your audition by clicking Apply Now.
In both cases, for lots of reasons, we strongly recommend applying to UCAS and auditioning with us as soon as you can.
UCAS course code: AFS2
Institution code: P63
Campus name: Bristol School of Acting
Campus code: A
FIRST ROUND AUDITION.
Entry onto the course is by audition.
For the first round you can select either an in person audition at our Bristol studios or an online audition with a tutor via Zoom. In all cases you will be asked to prepare 2 contemporary monologues (written after 1970) that last no longer than 2 minutes each. They must be contrasting in tone, style or genre. Alternatively, you can choose to prepare 1 contemporary monologue and 1 classical monologue of your choice. You will then have a short interview with a tutor.
RECALL AUDITION.
If you are successful in getting through the first round you’ll be invited to a recall audition. You’ll spend the day with us in Bristol, taking workshops, rehearsing a prepared scene and having an extended interview. You’ll be able to meet tutors and existing students and get a true feel for the school.
Please see the PDF document for specific details about the recall audition.
About our Auditions – Stage and Screen PDF
Applicants are considered on an individual basis, taking into account any skills and experience that may not be reflected in A-Level scores.
The most important consideration is that you have the qualities and potential to succeed. However, there are minimum academic entry requirements. We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to the course.
The main ones are listed below:
3 A-Levels at grades CCC or above
Level 3 BTEC/UAL triple grade MMM or above
GCSE English at grade 4 or above
Continuous assessment, practical skills assessment, written assessment and self-assessment.
£10,050 tuition fee per year (subject to annual inflationary increases). For more information, click here.
Student Finance Wales
The guidance around designation within the Welsh government has changed. BSA’s degree courses are not automatically designated by the Welsh Ministers, which means BSA would have to adhere to a fee cap of £6,355 per year for all Welsh students who will be using Student Finance Wales to fund their tuition.
We know we cannot fairly offer the same service at a lower rate for Welsh students and still charge the standard £10,050 for students across other principalities of the UK. Therefore, we have been forced into a difficult position and are unable to accept new applications from Welsh students who intend to use Student Finance Wales to fund their tuition and who are interested in enrolling at BSA from September 2027 onwards.
We understand this is disappointing, and we resonate with that too. If you are Welsh and in a position in which you are able to fund the course tuition through an alternative method, we would warmly welcome an application from you. However, if you would need to use Student Finance Wales to fund your tuition, we would be unable to proceed with your application. Should you want any further information, you can contact Student Finance Wales.
2026/27
Term 1:
14 Sept – 11 Dec
(Welcome Week, w/c 14 Sept)
(Reading Week, w/c 26 Oct)
Term 2:
11 Jan – 25 Mar
(Reading Week, w/c 15 Feb)
Term 3:
(First & Second Year Students)
12 Apr – 9 July
(Reading Week, w/c 31st May)
(Third Year Students)
12 Apr – 23 Jul
(Reading Week, w/c 31st May)
If you’d like to talk to us or ask any questions about the course you can email us at hello@bristolschoolofacting.com
