MA Screen Acting

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 the vocational nature of the degree courses, BOVTS does not award degree classifications – all assessments are completed on a pass or fail basis. 

This course is taught at the School’s main site at Downside Road as well as the School’s centre for recorded media at Christchurch Studios. From time-to-time, rehearsals and teaching may take place in alternative spaces in close proximity to the School. Read more about the sale of Christchurch Studios. 

You’ll experience a range of different practitioners and methodologies throughout the course, learning through workshops, masterclasses, mini-projects and full-production projects. The in-class learning will allow you to question, challenge and experience different approaches to acting, widening your toolkit of what process works for you. On-set you will learn about professional practice, and how to be a team player within the wider context of a production team . You will learn rigour, discipline and a resilience that will serve you well in a subjective and unpredictable field of work, in order to be able to sustain, develop and adapt to the needs of the profession. You will develop a curiosity and thirst for detailed research and knowledge and a proactive entrepreneurial approach to the job of acting.

There will be variety in your teachers, with classes led by your course leader as well as in-house practitioners and visiting industry professionals. The course gives you room to explore and develop your artistry in performance as well as providing you with the technical and industry knowledge needed to navigate the challenges of a screen acting career. Classes are safe spaces where the ethos of trial and error are supported and you will be encouraged to challenge yourself and develop the required disciplines needed to become independent and highly motivated artists.

The learning is immersive and singular in its focus, with high level specialist professional employability as a main learning outcome. Students are taught supervised by teaching staff at least 16.5 hours per week across the 38 weeks of the programme. Students will normally spend on average 10 hours per week in independent study. There are up to twenty students accepted to this course per academic year.

You may have online masterclasses with industry practitioners who are based remotely, but the majority of tuition will be in the School’s premises. Select meetings, such as production meetings, design progress meetings or tutorials may also be scheduled online where appropriate.

Throughout the duration of the course you will continue to have tutorials with the Head of Screen to consolidate your learning and to review professional practice.

The MA in Screen Acting is an unclassified Master’s of Arts degree. This means that on completion of your course you will receive a degree but without a classification (i.e. without distinction, merit or pass). 

Assessment at BOVTS is continuous throughout each term and all your modules will be marked on a pass or fail basis. All timetabled classes are compulsory and staff will monitor your progress closely, providing you with regular feedback to help you develop. This includes both verbally in class and in individual tutorials.

Most of your assessment will be based on practical work in classes, rehearsals and around performances, alongside presentations to peers and staff. Each module has different modes of assessment that will be outlined to you in the first term. The teaching will therefore vary depending on the learning outcomes of the respective modules. These assessments include (but are not limited to) a final filmed performance, an evaluative essay, a presentation on style/genre, the creation of an industry-facing portfolio (including CV) and a self-edited filmed project.

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. 

• You and the Camera (30 credits)
• The Bigger Picture (45 credits)
• Listen and React (40 credits)
• The Shoot (45 credits)
• The Business (20 credits)

The specific relevant experience will vary from candidate to candidate and consideration will be given to each individual’s unique experience as part of the application process. 

Applicants would normally be expected to have an undergraduate degree, often (but not exclusively)  in a related subject area such as Drama, English, Acting, Theatre Studies, Film Studies, Psychology or Performance Studies. 

Applicants with relevant alternative or professional experience will also be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please see “selection process” for further information, or contact our admissions team for further advice. This could include: acting in fringe work, acting in shows whilst at university, performances in community theatre. being a part of student short films as well undertaking relevant training, i.e. short courses relevant to acting or specific to screen acting.

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.

Entry to the MA Screen Acting course is through audition and interview. Please note that there is a £25 audition fee for this course.

We operate a two-stage process for admission. For the first stage you will be required to write an application form and submit a self-tape (see tips below), from which your suitability for the course will be assessed. A decision will be made by a panel and if successful, you will be contacted for a recall audition.

Recall auditions are held in person and include some improvisation workshopping and duologue performances, as well as interview questions. You will be auditioned by a two-person panel, one of whom will be the Head of Course, and you will also have the opportunity to ask questions about the programme.

Tips for your initial self-tape audition:

You need to perform two contrasting monologues. Each piece should last no longer than two minutes. Your monologues should be from a screenplay, television series or a modern play. They should not be extracts from poems or novels. Contrast is important for us to assess your acting potential and you should choose your pieces carefully.

Contrast is important for us to assess your acting potential. This could be achieved by performing a comedy and a drama piece, or by choosing two very different characters.

Your speech can be translated from another language and can be written for an actor of any gender.

Speeches should involve a character close to your own age and at least one speech should be performed in your own accent. Please only attempt an accent if you are confident that you will sound native.

It will help you if you understand the context of the speech.

Think about who your character is speaking to and where they are.

Think about what your character’s knowledge is before the speech begins.

UK students £16,000
International students £26,510

We regret that we are unable to consider applications from students requiring a visa to study in the UK during the 2025–26 academic year. For further information, please see the drop down “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 (£50);
  • recommended texts – before buying your own copy, you may wish to see if you can borrow through the UWE library or the Drama Online service (available to current students) (up to £100)
  • 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);
  • stationery, photocopying and printing costs (£50).

A detailed equipment list will be sent to new students ahead of beginning their training. 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.