Professional Acting BA (Hons)

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is an associate school of the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), a Higher Education Provider registered with the Office for Students. On successful completion of this course, you will receive an award from UWE Bristol. Because of their vocational nature, BOVTS does not award degree classifications – all assessment is completed on a pass or fail basis.

This course is taught predominantly at the School’s main site at Downside Road. Audio and film work is taught at the School’s centre for recorded media at Christchurch Studios, and on-location across the city of Bristol. Read more about the sale of Christchurch Studios.  

The School stages theatre productions at venues across Bristol, and the productions you work on will be based in one or more of the city’s many performance spaces. Recent venues have included Bristol Old Vic, the Redgrave Theatre, the Wardrobe Theatre, Circomedia, Tobacco Factory Theatres and the Malcolm X Community Centre amongst others.

From time-to-time, rehearsals and teaching may take place in alternative spaces in close proximity to the School.

In your first year, you will follow a structured timetable made up of a range of specialist and practical classes. Most classes are normally taught in groups of 14 and will be with both the core acting staff and visiting specialists and directors, particularly for text projects. 

In-house projects and performances with invited audiences of staff and students will help consolidate your learning and allow you to become confident in your performance abilities. Your scheduled learning will typically be around 25 hours per week and you would normally be expected to undertake at least 10 hours per week of independent study, which may include reading, learning lines, practising vocal warmups and self-reflection work. 

From second year onwards, your learning will increasingly be structured around the theatrical and recorded media productions that you work on. When you are rehearsing for productions, you will have fewer timetabled classes and will follow the daily rehearsal schedule according to the production’s needs. The School’s theatrical productions are presented for public audiences and therefore there is evening and weekend work expected throughout your course.      

This course is led by the Head of BA Acting.  Text projects and final year public performances are often directed by visiting industry professionals, meaning you will benefit from working with a range of different practitioners.

You will also have the opportunity to practise auditioning for a range of industry professionals including agents and casting directors.  You can find further information about all our core teaching staff on our staff pages. You will have the opportunity in final year to work on a student-led production, working closely with a student director from the MA Drama Directing course.

The BA (Hons) degree in Professional Acting is an unclassified bachelor’s degree. This means that on completion of your course, you will receive an honours degree but without a classification (first class, 2:1 etc). 

Assessment at BOVTS is continuous throughout each year and all your modules will be marked on a pass or fail basis. All timetabled classes are compulsory and your tutors will monitor your progress closely, providing you with regular feedback to help you develop. This includes both verbally in class and in individual tutorials, as well as detailed written feedback at the end of each module or final year production. You will also receive feedback from visiting external professionals – for example directors on final year shows, or casting directors observing your practice auditions.

Nearly all of your assessment will be based on practical work in classes, rehearsals and performances. You will be assessed against relevant industry standards and your ability to bring together all aspects of your learning. There are no written exams, although in your final year, you will need to complete a career launch plan.

Year 1: Each module is worth a specified number of credit points. All modules are compulsory, enabling you to cover key subject knowledge while developing your own interests. 

Acting Practice (40 credit points)

This module explores the fundamentals of acting through classes, workshops and text projects. Through themes of imagination and play, self and character, and ensemble and autonomy, you’ll explore a range of acting methodologies and approaches. 

Movement for Actors 1 (30 credit points)

You’ll develop foundational physical skills in the fundamentals of movement for actors including both historical and contemporary dance, stage combat and intimacy training, and nurture self-awareness of your individuality.  

Reflective and Creative Practice (15 credit points)

This module will support you in understanding the relationship between theory and practice. Through a variety of classes and workshops, you’ll develop a critical awareness of systems, power structures and narratives that may impact you as an actor and give rise to different forms of artistic expression. 

Voice and Singing 1 (35 credit points)

You will learn the anatomy and physiology of the voice, understanding your own speech sound system in relation to geographical, linguistic and cultural background, and how to use your voice creatively and appropriately in different playing spaces and media. 

Year 2: Each module is worth a specified number of credit points. All modules are compulsory, enabling you to cover key subject knowledge while developing your own interests. 

Acting and Professional Practice (40 credit points)

You’ll acquire a more sophisticated understanding of the demands on the actor in rehearsal, performance and across industry and also undertake text projects, exploring and questioning terms such as realism and naturalism. In screen work, you’ll acquire an understanding of production conventions, studio/location etiquette and self-taping.  

Children’s Theatre (20 credit points)

You’ll learn and apply the processes, procedures and disciplines required for effective delivery of a piece of children’s theatre, exploring elements of storytelling, audience interaction and synthesis of acted and musical elements to create a play that tours into primary schools. 

Epic Stages (30 credit points)

In this module, you will rehearse and perform a fully realised ensemble production for a public audience, developing your understanding of heightened dramatic situations and human dilemma and integrating text analysis, voice, movement, character and ensemble work. 

Movement for Actors 2 (10 credit points)

In this module, you’ll integrate your learning so far to build on your movement techniques, coordination and partner work with a focus on safe practices in dramatic combat and intimacy work.

Voice and Singing 2 (20 credit points)

You’ll deepen your understanding of effective and expressive use of the actor’s instrument with more challenging voice, dialect and speech requirements, coming to appreciate how voice, body and movement integrate to create embodied performance. 

Year 3: Each module is worth a specified number of credit points. All modules are compulsory, enabling you to cover key subject knowledge while developing your own interests. 

Film and Audio Production (15 credit points)

Working to industry protocols and standards, you will act in filmed scenes, and undertake a variety of audio work, including narration and voice-over. 

Launch (25 credit points)

In this module, you will integrate your understanding of the drama industry to produce a personal business plan and take part in an industry-facing showcase, as well as meeting with agents and casting directors. 

Main House Public Productions (50 credit points)

You’ll synthesise the skills and techniques acquired throughout your training and be cast and perform in public-facing productions to learn the practices and etiquette of professional theatre productions (including technical and dress rehearsals). 

Student-led Production (30 credit points)

Creative relationships that develop at the Theatre School can last for many years in the industry. In this module, you will be cast and perform in a small cast play, directed by a student from the MA Drama Directing course and designed by a student from the MA Performance Design course.

Applicants are normally expected to meet UWE Bristol’s minimum entry requirements. However, BOVTS welcomes interest from applicants who may not have the standard entry requirements. We will consider evidence of personal, professional and educational experience which shows an ability to meet the demands of the course. Please see “selection process” for further information, or contact our admissions team for further advice. 

If English is not your first language, you will need to demonstrate English language proficiency through a relevant qualification, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). For this course, an overall score of 7.0 is normally required, with a minimum of 7.0 in each component of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Please contact our admissions team for further advice.

We operate a three-stage audition process for admission. The first stage is to submit a self-tape as part of your application. Your self-tape will be viewed by an auditioner and if you are successful at this stage, you will be invited to take part in an individual preliminary audition, which can either be online or in-person at the Theatre School. If you are successful at the second stage, you will be invited to attend a recall workshop day, which is held in person at the Theatre School. 

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is pleased to be able to offer a number of free audition places via its fee waiver scheme. Please see the Fees and Financial Support page for further information.

Please download our self-tape and preliminary audition advice which has guidance on selecting and presenting your audition pieces.

Home students (UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man) £9,250 per year
International students (including EU) £22,050 per year

Fees are subject to further increase in subsequent years in line with government policy.

We regret that we are unable to consider applications from students requiring a visa to study in the UK during the 2024–25 academic year. For further information, please see the dropdown “Students requiring a visa to study in the UK.”

Accommodation and living costs are not included in your tuition fees.

Further information about financial support from the government, and bursaries and scholarships that you may be eligible to apply for is available from our fees and funding page.

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School has been approved for the US Federal Student Loan programme. Further details on options for funding and loans for US students in the UK can be found on the US student funding page.

There are some additional costs associated with this course that are not covered by your tuition fee. Costs given in brackets are to help with budgeting and are indicative only. These are likely to include:

• Clothing and footwear for acting and movement classes (£150)
• Recommended books – before buying your own copy, you may wish to see if you can borrow through the School’s library or view through the Drama Online portal (available to current students) (up to £100)
• Stationery, photocopying and printing costs (£50)
• IT equipment – it is recommended that you have your own laptop or computer. Please see the School’s recommended IT specifications for further information (PDF, 52 Kb)
• Self-promotion costs in third year – for example headshot photography (from £150), registering with Spotlight (approximately £120), and travel to auditions and casting as necessary

If you are facing financial hardship, then the School may be able to loan you equipment or help you meet these costs with a bursary. New students should contact admissions for further advice.

Due to a recent change in the Theatre School’s governance, our Higher Education provider UWE Bristol is unable to issue Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) documentation for BOVTS courses. Regrettably we are therefore unable to consider applications from students requiring a visa to study in the UK for 2025 entry.

The Theatre School is able to consider applications from international students who do not require a visa to study in the UK. If you are unsure of your tuition fee status, please consult the UK Council for International Student Affairs guidelines or contact our admissions office for further guidance. Prospective international students for future years of entry are encouraged to join our mailing list to learn more about training at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

In the meantime, there are several ways that prospective international students can undertake training with BOVTS:

• We run a series of online masterclasses throughout the year, which are accessible wherever you are in the world. Find out more about what’s coming up on our short courses webpages.
  
• We offer intensive, in-person short courses for adults throughout the year in acting, creative and production disciplines. These currently range from day-long masterclasses to a ten-week acting foundation course. International students for these courses can normally visit the UK on a standard (holiday) visa, where required. Find out more about what’s coming up on our short courses webpage.
• We run acting international masterclasses in selected destinations throughout the year. Sign up to our prospective student mailing list or follow us on social media to be the first to know when new dates are set.