Students exercising in the Summer Foundation

Acting

Acting Summer Foundation Course: 10 Weeks

Key Information
  • Course dates

    Mon 14 Jul 2025 – Fri 19 Sep 2025

  • Course fee

    £5,700

  • Age requirement

    18+

  • Application process

    Short interview and speech

  • Applications Open

    1st September 2024

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Course overview

Applications close: 10am Thursday 29th May 2025

The Acting Summer Foundation Course at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) is a ten-week, full-time intensive designed to give you a true conservatoire experience at one of the UK’s leading drama schools.

You’ll follow a programme that mirrors the training of our BA and MFA students, working closely with BOVTS tutors and visiting professionals from the theatre, film, and TV industries.

What will be covered?

Training is delivered through a mix of practical performance projects and masterclasses. Classes include acting, movement, voice, dialect, singing, improvisation, stage combat, and scene study techniques.

Who’s It For?

Whether you’re aiming to pursue acting professionally, develop your craft for personal growth, or explore what degree-level conservatoire training could be like, this course is a brilliant place to start.

The Environment

At BOVTS, we’re proud of the supportive and nurturing environment we create—right in the heart of one of the UK’s most exciting student cities.

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What to expect

Course structure

Timings

The Acting Summer Foundation Course runs from Monday 14 July to Friday 19th September 2025.

Day To Day

There will be classes scheduled on Monday – Friday throughout the duration of the course, typically running between 09:00—17:00. The exception to this is Monday 25 August; the School will be closed due to the summer bank holiday.

To give you an idea of the structure of the course, an overview of the timetable is available to download (PDF, 33 Kb). Please note that this year’s timetable may differ as our courses regularly undergo review, but you can see how different skills are typically taught throughout the course’s duration.

What our students say...

“What an extraordinary, life-changing experience it was! Studying at BOVTS is like being embraced into a family of caring, talented teachers and actors who are passionate about the craft and working together. The culture at BOVTS is encouraging, respectful, welcoming and empowering; the environment and buildings are beautiful and I found Bristol to be one of the most wonderful cities in which to spend the summer!” Lindy, former participant.

“My time at BOVTS was eye-opening. I found the atmosphere to be very welcoming and the tutors were always willing to answer my questions, which was invaluable as I tried to figure out my next steps. The stage combat classes were especially helpful as they opened up the whole world of stage combat for me. After finishing the Foundation Course, I went on to take a few courses in stage combat and horse riding. I’m planning to pursue more training to fulfil my goal of working in special action and live theatre.” Margot, former participant.

“I knew that my career could be enhanced by some drama school training, so I looked into short courses and was thrilled to discover that BOVTS offered an Acting Summer Foundation Course. Taking ten weeks off would be much more practical than taking a year out of my career. To cut a long story short, training at BOVTS is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. To be taught by teachers  working in the industry is invaluable. I know that every tool they have given me is effective, reliable and current.”Bastian, former participant.

Students relaxing outside of the School
The School is in a beautiful part of Bristol, overlooking a huge park called the Downs. We sometimes take advantage of our close proximity to the Downs during the summer term, practising fight and dance routines, or voice or singing classes! Dan Hall, BA Professional Acting student