Postgraduate Course
MA Acting
Overview
The details
Acting
October 2025
Full-time
East 15 Acting School's MA Acting is a challenging vocational course that is designed to prepare graduates to enter into theatre, film and related industries after a year of study. The course prides itself on the development of a personal methodology for each actor, based upon East 15's unique practices. It is a practical, highly intensive, vocational course, involving teaching across a range of subjects such as acting for stage, screen and voice-over, movement, voice and singing. Included in the programme of study is a module on East 15’s unique Living History project. The MA also provides a thought-provoking, life-changing experience; encouraging reflection on the function and art of the actor by exploring techniques from some of Europe's most influential practitioners as well as innovative professional practice from the UK and internationally.
MA Acting is a specialist course of one academic year with additional work on marketing students to the industry with a showcase. The course requires discipline and motivation to work at an advanced level. Beyond these, the requirements are abundant energy, insatiable curiosity and a robust sense of humour.
Some students may already possess a university degree (not necessarily in a related discipline) whilst others will have established themselves in other career paths and now seek to change the direction of their lives towards that of a professional actor.
This course also attracts professional actors who feel the need to reflect on their practice, extend their range and skills, refresh their creativity, increase their professional contacts and gain academic recognition.
This course is taught at our picturesque Loughton Campus.
View more Masters courses from East 15 Acting School, including specialist programmes Theatre Directing and Acting in Digital Media.
Why we're great.
- Industry-ready intensive actor training by leading practitioners.
- Industry showcase.
- A focus on Stanislavski and Laban techniques.
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
On completion of the MA Acting program, you are qualified as an actor and recognised as a graduate of East 15 training. You are equipped to pursue acting careers in theatre, film, TV and radio. You also have an understanding of how to create your own work, including how to form companies and gain funding, as well as a variety of methodologies for developing your own artistic practice.
You are encouraged to remain in touch with the school, to watch the development of succeeding students and to benefit from informal support and mentoring as you continue in your career.
“When I was auditioning at drama schools East 15 seemed to offer the most personal actor training, where they focus on you as an individual rather than trying to make you fit some mould. I can happily say the course has fully lived up to this, and I know that when I leave here I will be an actor who is not only ready to enter the industry, but be a part of shaping it too.”
Jennie Rawling, MA Acting
Entry requirements
UK entry requirements
Our applicants need to undertake a successful audition or video audition, plus have a first degree with an overall 2.2, or equivalent or suitable life and/or professional expertise.
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 Graduate Admissions team at pgquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum component score of 5.5
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.
Additional Notes
The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.
Structure
Course structure
We offer dynamic and unique courses for actors, directors 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
Term 1
Your first term, focuses on:
- Classes in movement, voice and singing, as well as contextual studies
- Development of an artistic practice from an exploration of personal self, to that of the body in time and space and from there to the creation of character and the realisation of text
- Acting classes that promote the development of intuitive, creative responses which are then framed by the introduction of techniques to build character and play actions
Term 2
In the second term, skills classes continue. You will also:
- Work on an intensive Shakespeare module which develops and strengthens the integration of technical skills with acting technique
- Experience East 15's renowned and distinctive ‘Living History' project - a long-form, non-performative improvisation in which the actor can, through rigorous research and a residential period away from the campus environment, experience and identify with the practical and visceral realities, as well as the psychological and emotional attributes, of the character
- Devise an ensemble performance based on your intellectual, emotional and sensory experience and understand and realise what it is to make theatre and the realities of the industry by taking on stage management and production roles for this project
- Begin to focus on acting for recorded media
Towards the end of term two you will begin to research and develop your MA project.
Term 3
The first part of Term 3 focuses on recorded media. You will:
- Further develop your skills in acting for recorded media, resulting in material for your professional showreel
- Learn performance skills for radio and microphone technique
You will also focus on the ‘MA Project', which consists of working in small groups on self-generated productions, where you are given independence and autonomy as company members.
The second half of term 3 sees a full production of an ensemble devised text-based play.
Fees and funding
Home/UK fee
£19,200
Additional costs for materials and field trips of up to approximately £800. Equipment lists are reviewed annually.International fee
£21,300
Additional costs for materials and field trips of up to approximately £800. Equipment lists are reviewed annually.What's next
Applying
Applying
You can apply for our postgraduate courses using the University of Essex Application Form. On this application, please let us know the course you are most interested in and include a link for your video audition. We will assess your application on your experience (both academic and practical), as well as your potential for success.
For full details on how to apply, please visit the Applying for Postgraduate Study page on the East 15 website.
Auditioning
Applicants to this course must submit a Round 1 video audition as part of your 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 an international audition.
Please note that we charge a £15 audition fee for Round 1 auditions.
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. 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.
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