Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, BA (Hons), Acting

Year 1: Focus is on discovery, with special emphasis on the self; students are encouraged to play and experiment with their voice, physical ability and creativity, discovering what personal resources they have and how best to use them, and how to make connections between the three; students find approaches to script and text by questioning, analysing and researching to transform the written word into the imaginative visual world of the play; exploration is done in the live performance space and in front of the camera; over 6 projects, some devised, others based on existing scripts, students discover the ethos of the creative ensemble. Year 2: Emphasis is on putting into practice the skills students are acquiring; students work on 6 challenging plays at a deeper level, and are expected to work privately, away from rehearsal, using the approaches and techniques they have discovered in the previous year; voice and movement become more concentrated; students use their developing vocal skills for recorded performance in the radio studio, and their work in front of the camera becomes more technically demanding. Year 3: Final 3 terms are about facing the public; students are involved in 3 productions in the ALRA theatre, performing before a public audience; they also record a short drama and undergo a television presenter's course, both of which are recorded to DVD for students to use as a show reel; before graduation, students appear in a showcase at a West End theatre before an invited audience of casting directors, agents and directors.