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The award How you will study Study duration Course start Domestic course fees International course fees
MAFull-time1 yearJanuaryGBP 22750 per yearGBP 27500 per year

About Acting - Contemporary, MA - at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

MA Acting Contemporary at Central is a creatively, physically and intellectually demanding, advanced-level conservatoire acting programme. It is designed primarily for students with previous training or performance experience who wish to focus on contemporary writing and the creation of new theatre.

  • Perform in two professionally supported public productions and an industry showcase.
  • Hone your individual technical craft, and release your collaborative and imaginative creativity within a diverse ensemble company (typically 14-16 students)
  • Learn through practical group classes in acting, movement, voice and stage combat; seminars on identity, dramatic theory and research skills; and individual tutorials and feedback panels

This experiential and practical course will encourage your development as an embodied actor, able to work across a wide range of material from script-based rehearsals to personal writing and creation. It develops your collaborative skills by building a strong ensemble company and usually culminates in the development and production of a piece of new writing, specially commissioned for the course.

The Contemporary course has a thematic structure, working through the following areas of investigation:

> Storytelling, embodiment and the ensemble

> Textual analysis and the psychophysical process

> Transformation into character

> The playwright and the actor-creator

The training engages with methodologies drawn from a wide range of theatrical artists and thinkers. Our teachers are inspired by Stanislavsky and his inheritors; physical theatre, improvisation and mask practitioners such as Lecoq, Gaulier, Wright and Johnstone; voice and movement pioneers Berry, Linklater, Laban, Bartenieff, Feldenkrais, and Roth; and modern traditions such as Viewpoints and Suzuki. The approach and content are intended to be embodied, inter-disciplinary and culturally inclusive.

You will work with exceptional plays from Chekhov to Kane and tucker green, and with the most contemporary writing possible, your words and the words of an established playwright writing for the company. You will be equipped to interpret, invent and perform and to have a full political and creative engagement with your work.

Learn more about Acting - Contemporary, MA - at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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Notes about fees for this course

Current fees for The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama can be found here: https://www.cssd.ac.uk/fees-funding/tuition-fees-and-additional-costs

Entry requirements

Contact Royal Central School of Speech and Drama to find course entry requirements.

Fees, Funding and Scholarships at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

Central have multiple scholarships, bursaries and awards for incoming and continuing students including the Leverhulme Scholarship of up to £10,000.

You can find out more about the funding currently available for Central students here

Other courses at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

There are 23 other courses listed from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. A selection of these are displayed below:

Acting - Classical MA

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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Acting - Contemporary MA

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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Acting for Screen MA

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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Acting: Collaborative and Devised Performance BA (Hons)

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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Acting: Musical Theatre BA (Hons)

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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Acting: Stage and Screen BA (Hons)

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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Actor Training and Coaching MA, MFA

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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Advanced Theatre Practice MA, MFA

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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View all 23 courses at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

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As an international student you may require a valid visa to study at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Read more about the requirements in our Guide to the United Kingdom International Student Visa Requirements.