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Acting (BA)
Our Acting programme has been designed to provide you with the performance, technical, creative, and professional skills relevant to working in the performance and creative industries. The programme is highly practical and industry-focused, with a multi-skilled approach that includes the development of a variety of performance styles, such as scripted characterisation, improvisation and acting for the screen. There is also a strong emphasis on creative collaboration across the Performing Arts portfolio.
The programme is vocational in nature, reflecting current trends within the creative industries.
Focus is placed on nurturing and training professional practitioners and developing your in-depth knowledge and understanding of current working practices within the creative industries. This is achieved through a variety of skillsbased modulesand by working with industry professionals throughout the programme.
You will develop the ability to work independently and to convey personal expression and imagination through practical workshops and rehearsal room processes, employing appropriate acting, performance, creative and making skills.
The skills and training embedded in the programme will equip you for a portfolio career in performance, self-employment and entrepreneurship. These skills are transferable to many other areas of industry, such as producing, media development and project management. You will also gain practical skills in teaching and workshop leading.
UWTSD ranked 1st in Wales for Drama, Dance and Cinematics
Complete University Guide 2023.
Acting (BA)
UCAS Code: W410
Apply via UCAS
All our courses come under the institution code T80
Visit the University's apply section to find out more.
Book an Open Day Request Information
Tuition Fees 2023/24:
Home (Full-time): £9,000 per year
Overseas (Full-time): £13,500 per year
Why choose this course?
- Assessments are focused on practical skills – no written exams or dissertations.
- Learn from, and collaborate with experienced, fully trained professionals who have worked on stage, TV and film – gaining connections along the way.
- Explore different genres from contemporary writers to the absurd and Shakespeare.
- Work with other students to create artistic pieces.
- Study abroad available in the US.
- 100% of UWTSD’s Acting students agreed that staff have made the subject interesting — National Student Survey 2022.
What you will learn
The first year of the Acting (BA) programme concentrates on development of the basic blocks of any actor's training: Movement, Musical Performance, Improvisation and Acting, as well as developing study and collaborative skills.
The second year builds on these techniques, as we practically explore how these skills are applied to different areas of work, such as performing Shakespeare, contemporary plays and acting on screen.
The final year concentrates on applying training to a professional rehearsal setting as you perform in public productions. You will develop your skills in small scale projects as well as a major interdisciplinary production and also a site-specific/studio theatre production.
Exposure to these types of processes, along with an Independent project module, is your opportunity to explore your specific career path and will prepare you for your entry into the creative industries and beyond.
Throughout the course, students are supported by tutors and industry professionals as they build their confidence, techniques and cultivate their creativity as collaborators and performers.
Year One - Level 4 (Cert HE, Dip HE & BA)
- Acting (20 credits; compulsory)
- Contemporary Challenges: Making a Difference (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
- Improvising and Devising (20 credits; compulsory)
- Learning in the Digital Era (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
- Musical Performance (20 credits; compulsory)
- Personal Project (20 credits; optional*)
- Voice and Movement (20 credits; compulsory).
Year Two - Level 5 (Dip HE & BA)
- Changemakers: Building your Personal Brand for Sustainable Employment (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
- Changemakers: Creativity and Value Creation (20 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
- Drama and Theatre in Education (20 credits; optional***)
- International Study Abroad (20 credits; optional**)
- Performing Shakespeare (20 credits; compulsory)
- Personal Project (20 credits; optional*)
- Script, Rehearsal & Performance (20 credits; compulsory)
- Short Film Production (20 credits; compulsory)
- Specialised Performance Practice (20 credits; optional***)
- Work Placement (20 credits; optional**).
Year Three - Level 6 (BA)
- Independent Project (40 credits; compulsory; Graduate Attributes Framework module)
- Individual Project (20 credits; optional*)
- International Independent Study Abroad (60 credits; optional**)
- Major Project (30 credits; compulsory)
- Personal Project (30 credits; optional*)
- Professional Practice (20 credits; compulsory)
- Site-Specific Theatre (30 credits; compulsory)
- Work Placement (30 credits; optional**).
*This optional module is designed to offer students a retrieval position where the collaborative tasks specified in a particular module make it impossible for those learning outcomes to be met, such as where there are extenuating circumstances or a failure.
**This is an optional work placement/international study module. Where this option is selected through consultation with student and module tutor, up to two compulsory modules can be replaced.
***Students choose between Drama/Theatre and Education OR Specialised Performance Practice at Level 5 in Semester 2.
Performances/Events
Students regularly have opportunities to take part in performances/events, through which we can see growth and application of skills and knowledge.
Regular tutorials
We hold formal, and informal, tutorials throughout the degree. Each student can discuss their work with the module tutor or Programme Manager during tutorials. We look at practical development, conceptual growth and future intentions.
Presentations
Presentations normally take place at the end of a module, exhibition or performance, in order to measure a student’s performance against assessment criteria.
Process workbooks
At level 4 & 5, students will document their process and practical work in a workbook which demonstrates their learning and individual pathway. At level 6, students write about and reflect on their practice and process in short written tasks and practical presentations.
During this course, students may be required to explore texts containing themes and issues that might be perceived as challenging.
This Framework aims to develop your professional skills and competence alongside your academic subject knowledge. You’ll study up to 40 credits per level throughout your programme from the Graduate Attributes Framework.
The Graduate Attribute modules are designed to enable you to develop, and evidence, a range of career-focused skills related to your subject area. These skills include digital competency, research and project management, as well as such personal competencies as communication, creativity, self-reflection, resilience and problem-solving.
- Find out more about the Graduate Attributes Framework
Creative Carmarthen, Graduates and Industry Links
Be Inspired... Creative Carmarthen
Key Information
- Lynne Seymour
- Seren Vickers
- Liam O'Hara
Recent contributors include:
- Keiron Self – Actor and Writer
- Lloyd Grayshon – Media to Motion
- Hannah McPake – Gaggle Babble Theatre Company
- Matthew Holmquist – Red Oak Theatre
- Francois Pandolpho – A Difficult Stage Theatre Company
- Katie Owen - A Difficult Stage Theatre Company
Entry is based on individual merit and 64 UCAS Points.
Once an application has been made you will be invited by the Programme Manager to audition and interview for the course.
The audition:
This can be completed either in person on campus (Covid regulations dependent),by emailing a pre-recorded 'Self-Tape' or in person via a video conferencing platform. (eg Zoom or Teams)
Your audition speech (one speech) needs to between 1 and 2 mins long. It can be from any play of your own choosing.
The interview:
Arrangements will be made for you to either visit the campus for an in person interview/workshop (Covid regulations dependent) or we can organise an interview via a video conferencing platform. (eg Zoom or Teams)
Offers will only be made after successfully completing an audition and interview.
Our graduates have gone on to a variety of careers and further study, including:
- Acting – theatre, TV & Film
- Corporation role play & training
- Applied drama
- Education
- Postgraduate study/research
- Voiceover & narration
Katy Keaveney, BA Acting student, recent graduate
“Choosing this course was the easiest decision ever. Arriving on campus, I instantly felt at home due to the warm welcome I received! Although auditioning can sometimes be a nerve wracking experience, I look back on that day fondly. It’s definitely when I fell in love with this campus!”
“The support given to students from lecturers and the university as a whole is excellent. The course really tailored to the current climate and helped students continue their studies during a very turbulent time. Constant open lines of communication to and from our lecturers was key for our professional careers to flourish.”
“Carmarthen is a lovely place to live, so get out and explore! Join local groups and meet people not only within the university but the locals as well!
“We were very lucky to be able to work with other creatives on campus and create contacts in the professional industry. Wales is my second home and I plan to continue to work within the industry and pass on whatever knowledge I can to a younger generation.”
William Kingshot, BA Acting student, recent graduate
"As I visited UWTSD on my audition day, I instantly felt supported by the students and staff of the Acting course which made me warm towards this Uni as a whole. It’s a small, safe environment on Campus and I felt at ease straight away".
"I love this course as we get to work with various industry professionals and get to experience how it feels working out in the industry. As well as that, we get to experience a wide range of different modules, allowing us as Actors to identify what field we would like to go into in the future. It’s super exciting and really challenges you as a Performer".
"As it’s such a small campus, it’s easier to meet new people and make new friends. Having various Societies and SU activities, it allows you to meet new people whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, making it safe for every individual".
"The ‘independent project’ we’ve done this year has really allowed me to work independently, working on myself as a ‘creative’ and experiencing new stuff such as writing and directing, not just Acting. This module alongside the others has allowed me to identify what I want to work as in the future, which is an Actor, Writer and Director, which isn’t what I thought three years ago. I’m super grateful we’ve been given an opportunity to do our own ‘projects’ as this has helped me realise what I want to do next".
Ahne Hovdhaugen, from Norway
"I am very pleased with both my course (BA Acting) and Carmarthen as a campus and as a town.
"The course is very well laid out, and the lecturers are amazing! Being taught by industry professionals is priceless!
"I like that the course is very practical, but also still values written work as a part of the assessment. I feel very 'seen' both by my lecturers and by the University as a whole. Everyone is super lovely and helpful, and I don’t regret applying for this University at all!
"Carmarthen as a town is very safe, welcoming, and not too big for someone who is anxious about moving abroad or away from home. Everything you need is in walking distance, but the taxi drivers are also super lovely if you ever need a taxi ride!"
Image: © Bjørg Hexeberg
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit our Bursaries and Scholarships section.
Embrace the opportunity to spend a semester abroad at universities in the US or Canada. We have exchange links with the following institutions -
- California State University, Fullerton
- California State University, Long Beach
- Douglas College, Vancouver
- University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Visit our Student Accommodation section to find out more.
