Undergraduate Course
BA Acting
Overview
The details
Acting
W411
October 2025
Full-time
East 15 Acting School's BA (Hons) Acting is designed to develop your individual talent, imagination and skill, preparing you to enter the performing arts industry as a creative, proactive and collaborative professional.
Our programme encourages you to explore your creative practice in depth, embarking on a journey of self-discovery that highlights your unique qualities as an actor. Through a variety of techniques and experiences, you'll learn to express your individuality while refining your craft, building a deeper understanding of both yourself and the art of acting. This exploration not only enhances your performance skills, but also cultivates confidence and a distinct artistic voice.
Throughout the programme, you'll work with a wide variety of teachers and guest practitioners, all of whom bring valuable industry experience. This exposure to a wide range of practices and repertoires will broaden your understanding of the performance landscape, offering valuable insight and skills. Much of the training takes place in small, focused groups under the guidance of our professionally experienced staff.
In the first and second years, you'll develop your knowledge, versatility and technical skills as an actor through a step-by-step process. In your final year, the focus shifts to professional development. You'll concentrate on adapting your skills to work with a range of visiting directors and other professional practitioners.
Our goal is to develop tenacious and versatile actors who can seamlessly navigate stage, screen, digital, and audio platforms. We equip you with the skills to engage with a broad repertoire, from classical to contemporary and experimental works. This adaptability empowers you to tackle diverse roles and projects with confidence in the ever-evolving landscape of the performing arts.
This course is taught at our Loughton Campus.
East 15 Acting School also offers a popular one-year programme focused on the fundamentals of acting. Our full range of undergraduate courses also includes programmes tailored to specific performance disciplines, as well as courses in Creative Producing and Stage Management.
EU and international students are encouraged to explore our BA Acting (International), which is tailored to prepare international students for careers in acting.
Why we're great.
- Professional actor training for stage, screen and voice acting, with an emphasis on the individual artist through the exploration of one's personal actor process and self-expression.
- Industry showcase supported by comprehensive Professional Development.
- Intensive skill training by leading UK and international faculty.
Our expert staff
Our training is by professionals and for professionals, allowing our graduates to work successfully across the globe.
Our international, outstanding teaching faculty is made up of professionals from all areas of live and recorded performance.
Learn more about our staff here.
Specialist facilities
Our Loughton Campus is perfectly located, providing access to both the rich, cultural diversity of London and an attractive and peaceful setting in which to study.
We are just a five-minute walk from London Underground station, Debden, where you can travel in only thirty minutes to Central London, West End theatres and mainline train stations including the Eurostar.
We have three sites at our Loughton Campus – Hatfields, Roding House and Unit Four. Hatfields is a beautiful Georgian dower house, set in five acres of lawns with orchards, flowerbeds and a small lake, providing an idyllic atmosphere for study, relaxation and performance.
Just a short walk from Hatfields is Roding House, a £1.3 million facility containing 10 rehearsal rooms, a green room/café, a sound recording studio and a video editing suite, and our costume department.
Next to Roding House, Unit Four is a £1.5 million facility which is home to the Stage & Production Management department. The Unit contains a large workshop, paint shop, prop shop, prop storage facilities and teaching spaces.
Our on-site Corbett Theatre is named in honour of Harry H Corbett, a key member of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and early benefactor of East 15. It is used extensively for student productions and is a practical training hub for our BA Stage and Production Management students.
The building is a medieval tithe barn that was dismantled and transported to Hatfields in the 1960s. These unusual origins create a unique performance space with a special atmosphere. Renovated to include full technical facilities, tiered seating for 130 people and fitted dressing rooms, the theatre provides an excellent resource for public productions, while the adjacent Bar and Café provides a social meeting point for students and staff.
Your future
East 15's BA (Hons) Acting graduates are known, and often cast, for their boldness, versatility and professional commitment as actors. Graduates regularly appear in stage, film, TV, radio and voice productions, working all over the world, as well as with prestigious British companies including our National Theatres, Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe, Manchester Royal Exchange, BBC, ITV and in London’s West End. Notable graduates from the BA (Hons) Acting programme include Patricia Allison, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Clint Dyer and Daniel Ezra. For more graduate success stories, visit our Alumni page. /p>
“Everyone here has something positive to offer and East 15 allows everyone, no matter who they are, to express themselves and contribute to their art.”
Daniel Ezra, BA Acting
Entry requirements
UK entry requirements
- A-levels: EE, or 32 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 full A-levels.
- BTEC: PP, or 32 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels.
- Combined qualifications on the UCAS tariff: 32 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of 2 full A levels or equivalent. Tariff point offers may be made if you are taking a qualification, or mixture of qualifications, from the list on our undergraduate application information page.
- T-levels: Pass with E in core .
- IB: two Higher Level certificates with 33
- IB Career-related Programme: We consider combinations of IB Diploma Programme courses with BTECs or other qualifications.
Applicants will need to submit a video audition and, if successful, complete a recall audition/workshop. Applicants should also have, or expect to have:
International & EU entry requirements
We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.
Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Undergraduate Admissions team at ugquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.
English language requirements
If you do not require a student visa to study in the UK then we will assess your English language proficiency/ability at your interview or audition.
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.
Details of English language requirements, including component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here
If we accept the English component of an international qualification it will be included in the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.
English language shelf-life
Most English language qualifications have a validity period of 5 years. The validity period of Pearson Test of English, TOEFL and CBSE or CISCE English is 2 years.If you require a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.
Pre-sessional English courses
If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.
Pending English language qualifications
You don’t need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.
If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please email ugquery@essex.ac.uk.
Additional Notes
If you’re an international student, but do not meet the English language or academic requirements for direct admission to this degree, you could prepare and gain entry through a pathway course. Find out more about opportunities available to you at the University of Essex International College
Structure
Course structure
The BA (Hons) Acting course is dynamic and unique. Our training draws upon more than 60 years of East 15 traditions, while being continuously updated to stay in tune with latest developments and emerging opportunities in the acting industry.
Each week, you'll receive training in key skills such as voice, movement and singing, alongside practical sessions in the art and craft of acting. Through workshops and small projects, you'll explore topics such as rehearsal techniques, approaches to text, acting honestly under imaginary circumstances, stage and screen craft, and voice acting.
As you progress through the course, you will build upon what you've learned each year, honing your craft to launch your professional career. Progression is carefully sculpted to challenge and support you as you gain skills and experience, steadily growing in aptitude, confidence and mastery of your art.
Our carefully selected modules will enable you to develop a grounded, professional and personal process, equipping you to succeed in a demanding profession.
We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.
Teaching
Year 1
In your first year, you will focus on acting, voice, singing, movement and contextual studies and explore your own creativity through work focussed on co-operation, responsiveness to others and the ensemble. In addition you will:
- Develop the skills required for objective self-assessment, recreating through observation, research and improvisation
- Concentrate on individual character study and work on larger community-based projects with an emphasis on psychological realism
The first year culminates in a unique, large-scale ‘Living History' project, in which you study, understand and live the lives of others through periods of conflict.
Year 2
Your second year is a journey of maturation as study moves from improvisation to text and from the examination of self to the exploration of character. We focus on:
- Technical skills such as movement, voice and singing which are integrated into the work, and you start to build characters independently
- Opportunities to take responsibility for your own creative work and adapt to the differing demands of project and director
- Multiple screen and radio projects throughout the year
- Specific focus on Contemporary British Playwrights, continuously updated to reflect relevant British culture
- Varying work from nineteenth century naturalism, to exploring the textual and psychological complexities of Shakespeare, plus learning to devise and break the fourth wall through projects such as Brecht, Cabaret and Commedia dell'Arte
Year 3
Your final year focuses on understanding the demands of the professional performance industries before you graduate. You deliver a wide variety of plays to extend your performance repertoire, produce performance-tailored short films as well as work with experienced industry professionals in recorded media. Productions enable you to develop advanced acting skills as well as to understand the research demands and commitment required for different roles, and place a strong emphasis on actor contribution within the ensemble.
In addition, specialised professional development workshops help you understand the administrative aspects of your future profession, including:
- Audition technique
- CV and letter writing
- Tax and self-employment
- Marketing and promoting yourself as an actor
You also undertake an Industry Showcase for an invited audience of influential agents, casting directors, film, voiceover, TV and theatre directors. East 15 continually liaises with industry professionals to ensure the format for the event accords with the changing landscape of the industry.
Fees and funding
Home/UK fee
£9,250 per year
Additional costs for materials and field trips of up to approximately £650 per academic year. Equipment lists are reviewed annually.International fee
£21,525 per year
Additional costs for materials and field trips of up to approximately £650 per academic year. Equipment lists are reviewed annually.Fees will increase for each academic year of study.
What's next
Applying
You can apply to our full-time undergraduate courses through either the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) or the University of Essex Direct Application Form.
If you choose to apply through UCAS, you can find step-by-step guidance on how to fill your UCAS undergraduate application. UK students (as well as some EU and international students) who are still in school or college may apply through their institution. Your school will help you complete and submit your UCAS application. The option to apply through UCAS is also available to independent UK and international applicants.
The UCAS code for the University of Essex is ESSEX E70. The individual campus codes for our Loughton and Southend Campuses are ‘L' and ‘S' respectively.
In addition your UCAS or University of Essex application, you must also submit an East 15 Application Form.
For full details on how to apply, please visit the Applying for an Undergraduate Course page on the East 15 website.
Auditioning
Applicants to this course must submit a Round 1 video audition as part of your East 15 Application Form. If successful at this stage, you'll be invited to a Round 2 audition, which may take place on our campus, online, or at a regional or international audition.
Please note that we charge a £15 audition fee for Round 1 auditions. Fee waivers are available for eligible applicants. You can find out how to pay the audition fee or check your eligibility for a waiver on the Applying for an Undergraduate Course page.
Our staff regularly travel to conduct auditions worldwide. So if you're not based in the UK, it's likely that we may hold auditions near you. These will be one-on-one auditions. You can find the locations and dates of these auditions on our International Auditions page.
Offers for this course are made only after successful auditions.
For details of what to prepare for our auditions, please visit our Preparing for Auditions page.
Visit Loughton Campus
You’ll be in intensive training at one of the most prestigious and internationally respected conservatoires in the country, gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue a career in the performing arts. You'll arrive at a campus with state-of-the-art study and performance facilities, nestled in the stunning grounds of a country house.
But fear not! It’s not all work and no play at East 15 Acting School in Loughton and you're just a short step away from the bright lights and big city of central London.
Open Days
We don’t currently offer Open Days for this course but if you would like more information, then please email us at east15@essex.ac.uk.
At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.
The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.