Acting for Stage and Screen with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

Buckinghamshire New University

If you’re looking to break into acting, this degree is an excellent launch pad. You’ll get to fine-tune and extend your acting skills, working on live briefs, networking with industry creatives, and taking part in diverse projects. Unlike many acting degrees that focus primarily on the theatre, this course covers on-screen acting, too.

This course is offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

As part of the Art, Design and Performance School at BNU, you’ll benefit from a practiced-based course, supported by contextual studies. You’ll also have the opportunity to work collaboratively across the university with other courses, ensuring during your studies you are building a varied network, like you would in the real world.

Led by a dedicated and experienced course team, you’ll benefit from their industry knowledge and the industry links they bring to the course. Many of our guest lecturers are specialists within the industry and with lecturers will nurture your learning and professional development throughout your time with BNU. During your time at BNU you’ll have the opportunity to perform at external venues and take part in workshops with leading companies, both on and off campus.

Degrees at BNU are designed to offer a broader and more flexible education by giving you the opportunity to try a range of subjects before specialising. Even if you know exactly what you want to do, with most of our courses you can choose to study additional subjects to enhance your education.

What facilities can I use?

At BNU we ensure you have creative spaces to bring your ideas to life. On this course you’ll have access to three drama studios. Each space brings with it unique features to bring your performance to life, from moving lights and fully equipped sound systems and projection to mirrors, a tiered seating bank and sprung floors. On occasion you could also find yourself using the professional venue at Wycombe Town Hall.

You’ll also have access to high quality camera equipment, a greenscreen room and lighting rigs and sound recording facilities, all suitable for film and TV screening.

What will I study?

This course offers an equal focus on both screen and stage, and lots of opportunity to test out different performance styles and techniques. You will get to fine-tune and extend your acting skills, working on live briefs and diverse projects – and build the contacts and entrepreneurial ability essential to securing work as an actor.

Through practical workshops, and looking at the relevant literature, we will take you through different acting styles and techniques, including method acting, physical theatre, postdramatic styles and more abstract approaches. Working with our professional experts, you will consider a range of acting methods from the last 100 years, and try out different styles and ideas you can integrate into your own performances.

You'll create your own performances, including your own shows, films and short scenes – and take things in the direction that interests you, whether that’s directing or devising, or focusing on a particular theory, piece of research or playwright.

In your final year, you will manage your own significant screen or stage-based production, from conception, to venue booking, marketing and performance. You will also set up your own artistic company, and learn about all the elements involved in that, from budgeting and funding applications, to promoting yourself as a professional artist.