Undergraduate Course
BA Acting and Community Engagement
Overview
The details
Acting and Community Engagement
W496
October 2025
Full-time
East 15 Acting School's BA Acting and Community Engagement course is a professional route into the world of community-focused theatre practice in which artists create theatre for, with, and about the communities in which they live.
In an intensely practical, professionally oriented environment, a broad range of acting, performance and community facilitation skills are developed through local projects and in partnership with leading industry organisations.
You will work extensively with communities and professionals throughout your training, making for a seamless transition to a professional career in this field.
If you believe that theatre is for all and you want to use the power of drama to influence the world, our BA Acting and Community Engagement is for you!
This course is taught at our vibrant and modern Southend Campus. With its lively, state-of-the-art facilities and close-knit international community, Southend is the perfect environment for living and learning.
View more undergraduate courses from East 15 Acting School, including further Actor training programs as well as behind the scenes courses in Creative Producing and Stage & Production Management.
Why we're great.
- Intensive acting training by leading UK and international faculty.
- Theatre making and creating skills.
- Professional industry community placement during study.
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 Southend Campus is based in the heart of Southend-on-Sea. A vibrant and modern British seaside town with excellent transport links.
Famous for its beach resort and pier, Southend-on-Sea stretches along seven miles of award-winning coastline. There are also over 650 acres of parks and gardens, a fun park, leisure centres, pubs, clubs, cafés and restaurants.
Southend Central railway station is opposite our Campus and the journey to central London takes less than an hour. Southend Airport, with flights to many European and UK destinations is just three miles away. We are also just one hour away from London's Stansted Airport.
Our Gateway Building houses a purpose-built suite specifically for East 15 students. This includes fully equipped, state-of-the art rehearsal studios with panoramic views across Southend-on-Sea, plus seminar rooms, computer labs and media production resources including an Apple Mac edit suite for our BA Creative Producing (Theatre & Short Film) students.
A magnificent Victorian former church in the heart of Southend's conservation area was converted into East 15's Clifftown Theatre. It also houses a variety of unique spaces for rehearsals, technical and practical work and performances. The church nave, with its original organ and stained glass windows now provides an inspirational and atmospheric environment, re-designed to accommodate the needs of a twenty-first century performance space.
In ‘The Forum' building, students have round the clock, secure access to the Learning Hub, which provides innovative IT and study spaces. The Forum also houses an integrated public and academic library, carrying books and other support materials. Students in Southend also have access to the East 15 Loughton Campus library and the University's Colchester Campus library.
Outside of learning, the Students' Union at our Southend Campus provides a dedicated space for students to meet, have a coffee, relax and watch films or sport. It runs a wide variety of entertainment throughout the term, such as international nights and open mic nights.
Your future
Graduates of the BA Acting and Community Engagement course work as actors, project leaders, directors, comedians and producers worldwide. Several companies formed by graduates are now well established, respected and funded in an increasingly competitive industry, with some employing recent graduates upon completion of their training.
“This course doesn’t only teach you to be an actor/actress but also equips you with a very handy bag of tricks ranging from circus skills to clowning to Commedia. I have worked with a huge range of people from different theatre companies and with people in the community. I’ve also learned how you can put your own company together.”
Dale Curran, BA Acting and Community Engagement
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:
Additional requirements
You must also have a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check (including child and adult barred list check) - this is organised by the University. Please contact our DBS team if you have any questions relating to this.
A satisfactory Overseas Criminal Record Check/Local Police Certificate is also required, in addition to a DBS Check, where you have lived outside of the UK in the last 5 years for 6 months or more.
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
We offer dynamic and unique courses for actors, directors, producers, technical theatre specialists and students of theatre practice. Training at East 15 draws upon 50 years of tradition combined with a keen sense of the world of stage and screen today.
Our carefully selected modules will give you the chance to explore and develop your specialist training.
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
Your first year focuses on introductory acting, voice, articulation, singing and movement. You explore individual creativity, self and responsiveness to other actors, as well as developing observational skills and improvisation, applied research and learning how to engage and collaborate with a range of different community groups. In addition you will:
- Create individual character study through text analysis into scene study, verbatim and Shakespeare
- Learn to re-create through reflection, research and improvisation
- Participate productively in shared group experience and larger community based projects
Your first year culminates in a unique ‘Living History Project', in which you study, understand and live the lives of others through a period of historical conflict.
Year 2
Your second year provides key practical and public experience. This includes working in partnership with practicing professionals to create documentary theatre based on real lives, devise and tour participatory performances, perform object theatre and understand and perform Forum theatre. You will also:
- Collaborate with young people to make new dramatic works
- Create and edit your own videos
- Develop workshop facilitation and leadership skills
- Learn clowning, puppetry and circus skills
- Forge professional links in the community theatre industry by undertaking an internship with an established theatre company
- Apply workshop facilitation skills in community host organisations
You will also gain a thorough understanding of developing a theatre project from conception to delivery through devising, managing and performing in the annual ‘Southend Street Theatre Festival'
Year 3
Your third year involves extensive work with communities and professionals to help you make a seamless transition into professional life. Projects include:
- Facilitating theatre projects within areas such as health, social services and the justice system
- Political theatre and organising a site-specific performance
- An opportunity to extend your music skills in a cabaret
You will also apply production, marketing and evaluation skills to create your own, devised community play.
The year culminates with an Industry Showcase for an invited audience of influential agents, casting directors, theatre companies, and film, 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
£9,535 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
Applications for our full-time undergraduate courses should be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Full details on how to apply can be found on the filling in your UCAS undergraduate application web page.
Our UK students, and some of our EU and international students, who are still at school or college, can apply through their school. Your school will be able to check and then submit your completed application to UCAS. Our other international applicants (EU or worldwide) or independent applicants in the UK can also apply online through UCAS Apply.
The UCAS code for our University of Essex is ESSEX E70. The individual campus codes for our Loughton and Southend Campuses are ‘L' and ‘S' respectively.
You also need to complete and send us an East 15 application form, including a copy of your audition payment receipt so that we can schedule your audition.
For full details, please see the East 15 website.
Auditioning
Applicants to this course will need to book an audition. If you apply to us through UCAS we will send you information on how to do this. Alternatively, you can apply to East 15 directly. If you're resident in the UK you'll visit our campus to take part in the audition, where you'll meet some of our staff and sample our teaching. Please see our website for more information about preparing for auditions.
Our staff travel the world auditioning applicants so if you're not resident in the UK, it's likely that we'll be in a location near you at some point. This will be a one-to-one audition. If you still can't make a physical audition, we are sometimes able to accept video auditions.
Offers for these courses will only be made after a successful audition.
For full details, please see the East 15 website.
Application requirements
All students on the BA Acting and Community Theatre course are required to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check because you will come into contact with children and/or vulnerable adults through a work placement undertaken as part of your course. DBS checks must be completed prior to commencement of the relevant work placement or activity.
You are required to declare a criminal record at the time of applying for the course and/or prior to completing a DBS check application. A student with a DBS disclosure certificate containing details of a criminal record will be referred to the University's DBS Review Panel who will determine whether or not the student can be admitted to the course or permitted to continue on the course.
Visit Southend Campus
Want to live in a central city location, with state-of-the-art facilities at your finger tips? Southend is the perfect environment for living and learning in a close-knit international community.
If you're joining our School of Health and Social Care, East 15 Acting School, or Essex Business School, you may well be studying at our Southend Campus.
Open Days
Our events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex. We run a number of Open Days throughout the year which enable you to discover what our campus has to offer. You have the chance to:
- tour our campus and accommodation
- find out answers to your questions about our courses, student finance, graduate employability, student support and more
- meet our students and staff
Check out our Visit Us pages to find out more information about booking onto one of our events. And if the dates aren’t suitable for you, feel free to book a campus tour here.
Virtual tours
If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tours allows you to explore our University from the comfort of your home. Check out our Colchester virtual tour and Southend virtual tour to see accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.
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.