COURSE CURRICULUM

BA Acting and Performance at University of Reading is a highly practical degree designed for students who want to build professional acting skills for both stage and screen while gaining a strong understanding of contemporary theatre and performance. Around 70% of the course is practice-based, allowing students to develop expertise in voice, movement, character creation, text interpretation, devising, directing, and performance production. In the first year, students establish core acting foundations through modules such as Introduction to Acting I: Voice and Body, Introduction to Acting II: Text and Performance, Devising Performance, Analysing Theatre and Performance, Staging Texts, and Scriptwriting. The second year advances these skills through Acting for Screen, Directing and Dramaturgy, Performance Production, and Identity, Performance and Culture, while offering opportunities to study documentary filmmaking and Shakespeare in performance. Students work with professional theatre companies and directors, gaining experience in live productions and collaborative creative projects. In the final year, students undertake a major public performance through Final Production (Acting) and prepare for industry careers in The Professional Actor: Stage and Screen, where they create showreels, perform showcase monologues in London, and participate in student film projects. Optional modules include Musical Theatre, Set Design, Scriptwriting for Stage and Screen, Adaptations across Stage and Screen, Screen Bodies, and Film Programming and Film Festivals, enabling students to tailor their studies to specific interests. Teaching takes place in industry-standard facilities including performance studios, film and television production spaces, and post-production suites. Throughout the degree, students study influential practitioners such as Konstantin Stanislavski, Sanford Meisner, and Michael Chekhov. Graduates leave with a professional portfolio, practical production experience, industry connections, and the creative, technical, and collaborative skills needed for careers in acting, theatre, film, television, and the wider creative industries.