Bristol School of Acting announce a new accelerated degree course in Theatre Making

Bristol School of Acting in partnership with The Wardrobe Ensemble are delighted to announce a new two year accelerated degree course in Theatre Making.

Bristol School of Acting is the first school to be based in a working theatre, Bristol’s Tobacco Factory Theatres, and has powerfully made its mark on the Bristol theatre scene by doing things differently. They challenge the status quo by nurturing their artists to release their uniqueness and use their real-life experiences to bring distinction to their work.

Working in partnership with The Wardrobe Ensemble (Education, Education, Education; Last of the Pelican Daughters; Mog The Forgetful Cat) - an award-winning Bristol-based theatre collective who together devise and tour new plays - the new two year accelerated degree course in Theatre Making is the latest addition to the School’s programme of degree courses. Courses already include an accelerated two year BA (Hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen, and a BA (Hons) in Acting for Screen In addition the School also hosts a series of other professional acting courses.

The new Theatre Making degree course will combine rigorous actor training with practical theatre-making skills, academic cultural study and industry support to empower students to take ownership of their careers as multi- disciplinary theatre makers. In building a course from scratch, The Wardrobe Ensemble have created a programme that responds to the needs of emerging artists and to the demands of the theatre industry as it exists today.

Prospective students onto the course can apply from Thursday 15 September 2020, by both visiting the BSA website (www.bristolschoolofacting.com) to book an audition, and applying through UCAS. Both parts of the application process need to be completed in order to apply for the school.

Stuart Wood, Co-Artistic Director at Bristol School of Acting says:

We are delighted to be launching this course this year and to welcome students from September 2023. Bristol School of Acting is proud to be a key part of the Bristol Theatre making eco-system, and there is a very distinct ‘Bristol’ way of making theatre. This course will introduce students to this, and the many other ways of approaching making theatre for the 21st Century. Working with the Wardrobe Ensemble gives students the chance to learn from some of the very best.

The Wardrobe Ensemble says:

In 2011, we became the first company to emerge from the Bristol Old Vic's Made in Bristol programme, so understand the importance of a quality theatre making education. It’s now a huge privilege to be able to share our practice and expertise, developed over the last decade, with students at the start of their theatre making journey.

Drawing on Bristol’s rich theatre making scene, students will be able to connect with and learn from the brilliant professional artists, companies and arts organisations that the city has to offer. This is a hugely exciting step for theatre making training in Bristol and beyond. We look forward to working with the creatives that will help shape and deliver this new programme, and to meeting the first cohort of student theatre makers in September 2023.”

The Wardrobe Ensemble make original plays that dissect the 21st century experience All the work that the company creates is born from a democratic devising process, wherein every member contributes to the research, writing and performing, using a collaborative process developed by the ten members together over the last decade. They are Associates of Bristol Old Vic and Shoreditch Town Hall, and have performed their work at venues including the National Theatre, Trafalgar Studios, Almeida Theatre, The Lowry and abroad at Jack, Brooklyn, NYC.

Bristol School of Acting brings together some of the very best professional talent from around the world to one of the UK’s most creative and pioneering cities – Bristol. The school is led by Co-Artistic Directors Stuart Wood and Nancy Medina, an award-winning director who has recently been appointed Artistic Director at Bristol Old Vic Theatre following Tom Morris.

Productions by BSA include Shakespeare in Love, directed by Sam Bridges, which plays at Tobacco Factory Theatres between 14 - 16 July 2022 and Light Falls, directed by Stuart Wood, which runs from 7 - 9 July 2022.

The school is due to launch their autumn season of performances at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory Theatres in July this year.

4th July 2022

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