From classical acting to improvisation, physical theatre to contemporary digital performance, you’ll experience the full range of theatre practice on this performance focused and creative degree.
A £1,000 subject award bursary is available for this course for 2023 entry UK UCAS applicants.
Based in the purpose-built Performing Arts Centre, this course combines theory with practice in preparation for performance, incorporating sessions on:
You’ll work with professionals from the Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC. Develop skills in acting, directing, creative collaboration, research, arts management and drama teaching.
You’ll perform regularly at professional venues such as Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre, and you’ll get the opportunity to take a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. There are optional international study trips to New York and Berlin to see shows and undertake professional workshops and talks.
Your skills will be nurtured within a friendly and vibrant performance community with lecturers who have professional experience in all aspects of the theatre. They’re experienced actors and directors, bringing their extensive knowledge to exciting modules.
The modules focus on the latest developments in both Contemporary and Classical theatre and give you the chance to work with professional directors and leading theatre companies. The academic programme is supplemented by specialist workshops in areas like Commedia dell’Arte mask performance, TV Drama, and Clowning, as well as regular opportunities to access professional performances at a reduced ticket price.
Practical classes run alongside accessible and interactive lectures where you will develop skills in presentation, debate and academic writing as well as gaining an understanding of theatre’s rich history.
96 – 120 UCAS tariff points, CCC – BBB at A levels, MMM – DDM at BTEC, or a Merit in your T-Level.
Entry to this course is by interview. Check out our Interview Guide to learn what to expect and help you prepare.
We welcome applicants with a pass in a relevant Foundation or Extended Diploma (Level 3 or 4).
English Language or Literature and Maths Grade 4/C in GCSE (or equivalent) are normally required.
We welcome applications from mature students (aged 21 and over) and do not necessarily require the same academic qualifications as school leaving applicants, although some entry requirements may still apply for Professionally Accredited Courses. We accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas and make offers on an individual basis.
Please read the entry requirements for your country – and you’re welcome to contact our admissions team if you have questions.
Here's an example of the types of modules you'll study (the contents and structure of the course are reviewed occasionally, but it is unlikely that there will be significant change).
Module information is not available for this programme.
| Start date | Location | UCAS code |
Fee (UK) per year |
Fee (international) per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | Oxstalls, Gloucester | W400 | £9,250 | £15,450 |
| Sep 2024 | Oxstalls, Gloucester | W400 | TBC | TBC |
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International students can benefit from a range of scholarships and bursaries across many undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. |
Find out more | |||
Graduates from this course can go on to work in:
You’ll hear from visiting speakers that include professionals from the performance companies, Frantic Assembly, Motion House and Sixth Sense, BBC TV director, Sean Gleeson, Sound Artist and Opera Director, Melanie Wilson and Film Director Mark Jobst.
We have excellent links with the Royal Shakespeare Company, British Actors Equity, the BBC, The Everyman Theatre, The Wilson Gallery, The National Trust, Gloucester Cathedral, Croome Park, Hailes Abbey, Strike a Light Festival, Tewkesbury’s Roses Theatre, plus local primary and secondary schools.
Recent guests include: Mark Powell, artistic director of Sixth Sense Theatre who focused on issue-based theatre; Paul Milton, creative director at the Everyman Theatre who shared acting expertise; and Sean Gleeson, BBC director, who coached acting techniques for television and film.
Work within theatre settings including Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre and Gloucester’s King’s Theatre, with professional directors, designers and technicians. Present site-specific productions in venues like the Wilson Art Gallery, the historic Blackfriars Priory and the National Trust’s Croome Park.
Under the tuition of Tom Jordan, fight director for film, TV and the Royal Shakespeare Company, you will build your skills for hand-to-hand and weapon combat using character and scripts to inform your process. You’ll achieve an industry-recognised British Academy Stage Combat Certificate.
Be visionary in specialist studios with the latest industry technology, collaborate with other artists and designers as well as media and technology students, and be inspired by practising professionals to develop your own authentic voice.
You’ll perform regularly at professional venues such as Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre, and you’ll have the opportunity to take a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
There are optional international study trips to New York and Berlin to see shows and undertake professional workshops and talks. A special feature of the course is site-specific performance work where you will create theatre for historic buildings like Blackfriars Abbey in Gloucester, or at the National Trust’s Croome Court.
As part of your course you can gain valuable experience on an optional placement year.
“The lecturers have opened my mind to lots of different types of performance and given me the confidence to be a versatile actor.”
Bradley Sargeant, Drama & Performance Practice student
“I’ve acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Royal National Theatre, as well as touring with my own company as artistic director and performer before becoming artistic director of the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham for 10 years. I’ve worked as an actor, director, writer, practitioner and theorist. I am passionate about drama and the process of creating work with young people and building their understanding of the theory and power of performance through practice. This is a crucial part of my delivery and ethos as a lecturer.”
Sue Colverd, Principal Lecturer in Drama, Performing Arts and Production
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