Foundation Acting A part - time, three term course to prepare you for full- time vocational training
Course Director: Rachel Nicholson Course Length: 1 Year, Part -Time Times: The course operates over seven hours a week:
Wednesday, 7pm - 9pm: Voice
Thursday, 7pm - 9pm: Movement
Saturday, 10am - 1pm: Acting
Course Content
A most useful course prior to drama school or university to gain experience, confidence, audition techniques and practice within the drama school environment, or for those seeking a career change or who wish to learn more about drama and its disciplines.
The Foundation Acting course is designed to improve your performance skills in order to help you make informed decisions about your future career. It enables you to experience the rigour and variety available in the field of acting and to test your expectations against the realities of vocational training. On completion of the course, you are prepared for audition and entry onto full time actor training courses and will normally expect to go on to study on vocational courses at accredited drama schools.
The aim of Foundation Acting is to prepare you vocally, physically and mentally as well as equip you with the skills you need to take up full-time courses at accredited drama schools. You are given the opportunity to explore appropriate training and learn to understand the approaches and requirements of various schools and colleges. As well as covering the basic principles of acting, an emphasis is placed on building up a repertoire of suitable audition pieces.
Course Structure
The course is structured in three terms and includes units in:
An introduction to Acting Technique
An introduction to Voice
An introduction to Movement
An understanding of the professional world of acting
An understanding of work and life at a vocational drama school
Preparation for audition and entry onto full-time vocational actor training courses
Term 1
In acting you learn to break down barriers through games, exercises and improvisation; you work on simple texts to develop an approach. In voice you explore voice production and articulation and learn how to link it to text. In movement you begin to build core strength and learn about alignment in order to release tensions and remove physical habits.
Term 2
The second term sees an emphasis placed on audition techniques. In acting, under the guidance of a director, you choose and work on suitable audition speeches; you learn audition techniques culminating in a practice audition under professional conditions. Whilst voice and movement classes continue on foundation work, this is linked in the second half of the term with your audition speeches.
Term 3
In acting you work on scenes which are performed in the ALRA Theatre in front of an invited audience. Voice explores text in greater depth, eventually connecting to the acting projects, whilst movement focuses on creative application and also connects to the acting projects.
Other Activities
Stand-Up Night: This is an annual event organised in house and open to all Acting students
Christmas Cabaret: This is an annual event organised in house and open to all students
Teaching
You are taught mainly by practical methods, such as technique classes, workshops, exercises, rehearsals and informal presentations, but there are also group discussions, seminars, lectures, as well as tutor feedback and review. All tutors and directors involved in the delivery of the course are regular tutors at ALRA.
Qualifications
Upon successfully completing the course you receive the ALRA Foundation Acting Certificate.
Progression
Successful entrance to this course qualifies you for a free audition for ALRA’s full-time BA (Hons) Acting or MA Professional Acting in the following year.
