Acting - MFA

As an intense programme, the course is delivered through practice-based learning, challenging your intellectual, imaginative and physical skills.

This course is aimed at international students with previous performance training and offers those with a passion for live performance the opportunity to explore just what it is that makes British acting unique.

From Shakespeare to the pantomime, Restoration comedy to contemporary situation comedy, the British tradition of acting focuses on the importance of narrative, depth, dimension and consistency of character, technical precision, and the actor’s relationship with the audience.

Students opting for the MFA would not take the Research Project Module in Year 1, but only complete this in Year 2.

Students would opt to take EITHER Singing OR Voice and Text in Year 2 – they would not take both.

 For the Practical Voice module students would retake the module offered in Year 1 but have an assistant teaching role (with supervision from the module tutor).

Voice and Text would operate in a similar way.

This means that the only additional modules, in terms of timetabled teaching and delivery, are Pedagogy and Placement 2 and 3 and Professional Portfolio.

Year one

Your first year of study follows an integrated learning mode, with modules designed to teach problem solving, evaluative and interpretative methods. You shall investigate through practice the key developmental stages of British theatre performance. With particular focus on Renaissance theatre, Restoration theatre, and the Well-Made Play, as well as contemporary playwrights.

You will be taught through a series of workshops, which explore the demands of a specific dramatic forms. These workshops will delve into particular aspects of the British tradition, allowing you to broaden your in-depth knowledge of key periods and specific eras in performance history. You will also focus on developing your performance skills, engage with contextual studies and are required to keep a workbook throughout your studies.

Through keeping a workbook you establish and develop your ability to critically reflect upon your own work.

Our visiting tutors' and guest directors' inspiring, and continuous interactions of British performing arts means you will truly learn from the experts. In your first year of study you will form an acting company alongside your fellow students; this will widen your understanding of the practice and acting traditions within the UK.

The MFA students will be studying alongside with the MA Acting students for the first two terms from year 1 of study and will be split from the MA Acting students in the third term where they will be doing a workshop instead of the production and showcase which the MA Acting students will be doing.

Year two

In the second year, your studies will allow you to form a deeper understanding of the demands of non-naturalistic dramatic texts and forms of theatre of the British tradition.

With a particular focus on two key elements of the British tradition, you will explore the narrative aspect of the drama and its implications for actors, and the actor's relationship with the audience. You will also develop your understanding of the demands of performance spaces, working in a range of theatre spaces in the city. We aim to challenge your perspective, allowing you to see these elements as creative factors in theatre performance.

We will work to assist your professional and personal development. You will explore, in-depth, your own practice and research interests in order to produce an original, informed and innovative research project.

The research project is a key component of your second year, it is an opportunity to showcase and apply the knowledge you have learnt throughout your course. You will be able to produce either a dissertation or a research through practice performance piece. This particular module will allow you to develop your knowledge and produce work of a professional standard. You will create work that has the possibility of laying out a potential pathway for yourself within the field.

Professional Development

The course offers significant opportunities to develop your acting skills and your understanding of the nature of the theatre event.

We encourage you to take responsibility for your own development within the course, as well as offering laboratory experience through a series of acting workshops.

A full-scale production in term three of the course offers the opportunity to draw together all of the knowledge and skills you’ve learned so far through performance practice.

The final research project provides the means to investigate in depth an aspect of non-naturalistic theatre within the British tradition.

Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.

The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.

Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:

• Details of the entry requirements for our courses
• Some of the good reasons why you should study here
• How to improve your language skills before starting your studies
• Information relevant to applicants from your country
• Where to find financial support for your studies.

Our international students

Our MFA Acting (The British Tradition) course has been specially designed to cater for an international cohort; using research and practice to establish and develop a Master's level of knowledge concerning the British Tradition. International students will notice a difference between conservatoire-level training in the UK compared with that in other countries.

As a postgraduate student you will benefit by immersing yourself within an acting school with a variety of courses. The School is rich in diversity, with a combination of home and international students. You have a unique opportunity to learn from others, sharing and discovering new cultures and experience.

In the past we have had a high level of American applicants studying our MFA in Acting (The British Tradition). As an international student, studying the British tradition in an energetic and creative city offers a unique and fulfilling experience.

There is no other School more suited to host your studies. Located within the West Midlands, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, you will be at the heart of British arts and culture. Experience first-hand the culture of Britain, indulge yourself in context and allow your studies to be shaped by historical, authentic British settings.