Acting for the 21st Century
Performers College offers a new degree pathway with a difference. Our rigorous training will equip you – both technically and creatively – to succeed as an actor, as well as introduce you to a range of areas that you may never have explored before.
The industry has changed and continues to do so. It is no longer simply a case of just training to be an actor and then waiting for your agent to give you a call
In today’s contemporary theatre, film and television industries, an actor needs to be skilled, adaptable, entrepreneurial and passionate. Creative work prospects are out there – you just need to learn how to find them. You’ll also need to learn how to take opportunities, as well as how to make them for yourself.
We want you to shape your own creative identity, explore what you can offer as an artist, discover new passions and develop your existing skills through:
- Rigorous training from experienced practitioners working in both film and theatre
- A choice of options running alongside your core training
- Thorough preparation for the industry including marketing, self-taping, audition technique and presentation
- Regular sessions in mindfulness and mental resilience
- A chance to hone your own creative identity in the third year and deepen your skills in areas where you have thrived
What to expect
Actor training is changing. You need voices that can communicate. You need bodies that can express. You need imaginations that can take you to different worlds and points of view. Of course you do. But you also need to be able to work in front of a camera, to be able to act for video games, do voice-overs, work puppets, have aerial skills, be able to create, devise, innovate.
You need to understand how to work in immersive theatre, applied theatre, on site-specific projects, create in a number of mediums and on a range of platforms. We want you to be ready to meet the exciting and diverse demands of the industry in the 21st Century.
The aim of this route is to equip graduates with the relevant skills for the industry today. Actors will be rigorously trained, vocally and physically, and will engage with clear and established acting methodologies providing them with the necessary tools and skillsets for a range of work. Areas that have been identified as being particularly relevant in current practice will be explored.
For example: immersive theatre, acting for video games, site-specific work, acting for camera, applied theatre, circus skills and voice-over techniques. These will run alongside the more traditional actor training thereby ensuring that graduates leave fully proficient, but also with the ability to adapt to a variety of challenges. Acting for the 21st Century also focuses on entrepreneurship, creative identity and individuality.
Masterclasses
We believe that developing your industry connections is a key component to a successful career in the creative arts. Performers College offers a wide range of Masterclasses with performers and industry experts.
The likes of Dominic Keavey (TV Director), Layton Williams (West End Performer) and Natalie Weiss (Vocalist) have given our Training Professionals advice and career tips that you won’t find in any textbook.
Choose a course
Our courses are aimed at presenting the industry with individuals who are not only talented and professionally trained, but also well-equipped, both physically and mentally, to face the inevitable challenges they’ll encounter as they break into the business.
BA (Hons) Performing Arts consists of two pathways: Musical Theatre and Acting; each providing in-depth training shaped by current industry trends.
Performers College's specialised one-year Degree Top-up programme has been designed to enable committed performers to extend their understanding of performing arts in either: Contemporary Musical Theatre, Acting for the 21st Century.
Our student stories
Meet Sebastian Derby, a third-year Acting for the 21st Century pathway student from our Manchester campus. He tells us why he chose to study at Performers College, what his highlights have been and what advice he'd give to someone applying to study here.
Meet Finlay Whittle, a third-year Acting for the 21st Century pathway student from our Brighton campus. He talks about why he chose to study in Brighton, his most memorable experiences so far and where he sees career going after he graduates.
Meet Tia Chipperfield, a third-year Acting for the 21st Century pathway student from our Brighton campus. She talks about her route into acting, her experiences at Brighton Fringe and what advice she'd give to anyone thinking of applying to Performers College.
Your lecturers
Our expert lecturers will provide you with essential insider tips and exclusive knowledge that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s their role to help you step into the performing arts industry with confidence.
As an actor, Judith has performed with the RSC, York Theatre Royal, and English Touring Theatre. She has toured internationally, including Moscow with Major Road Theatre, UK/Ireland/Germany with Actors' Touring Company playing Ophelia, and South/Central America and Jamaica. TV credits include Modotti, Mary Anning for Channel 4, and presenting for the Children's Channel.
Bill is Principal Lecturer in Acting at Performers College Manchester, contributing a range of practical teaching notably involving play-texts and psychophysical actor training, as well as coordinating third year production modules.
Mark Winstanley is an actor, clown and teacher, and trained at the Ecole Philippe Gaulier and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Mark is a core member of A Ship of Fools theatre Company and has toured nationally and internationally with their provocative and playful shows Welcome To Paradise and From the Cradle to the Bin.
Any questions?
For more information on our Acting For The 21st Century pathway or if you have any questions about how to apply to Performers College , please contact our Enquiries Team on 01273 840 346 or email [email protected].
