The ArtsEd MA Acting course offers rigorous and intensive vocational actor training that enables you to harness your potential as a highly skilled, creative and autonomous actor.
You will be immersed in a dynamic and rigorous acting programme that is challenging and robust. Our team of experienced industry professionals will work with you to hone and develop your actor’s craft, enabling you to be prepared and resilient for the demands of the contemporary industry.
Inclusive and questioning, the course gives you techniques to work with classical and contemporary texts with imagination, truth and specificity. The course is vocational and highly practical where techniques are acquired through the year in classes, workshops and performances. Both theatre and screen acting is explored. The MA in Acting enables its graduates to have an autonomous, responsive process that is alive to the world around it, flexible to the needs of the industry, and full of the actor’s imagination and creative potential.
The MA course is based at studios at 2 Dukes Avenue in Chiswick, just a short walk from ArtsEd’s main building in 14 Bath Road. All MA students have full access to the resources in the main building, these include the library, canteen, and studio and rehearsal spaces. The latter are free to book outside of timetabled hours.
In the final term, rehearsals for the public performances take place in the rehearsal rooms at 14 Bath Road. The performances also take place there, in the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Theatre, our beautiful proscenium arch theatre run by our highly skilled in-house production team.
This programme is validated by City St George’s, University of London and you will receive a City St George’s, University of London award on successful completion.
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Duration1 year (full-time)
Academic yearSeptember 2025 - September 2026
Application deadlineApplications for 2025 are now closed
If you are aged 21 or over, have an under-graduate degree or the equivalent professional experience you are eligible to apply for an audition. Candidates whose first language is not English must provide proof of their English proficiency by having achieved one of the following in the last two years:
ELTS overall score of 7 with a 7 in writing and no section scoring less than 6.5
TOEFL score of 100/IELTS score of 6 or equivalent
If an applicant fulfils the audition criteria, but comes from an unconventional academic background without formal qualifications, the academic requirements may be waived.
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Course Guide
Click here to view the full Course Guide for MA Acting
Alumni Stories
“My aim coming to ArtsEd was to improve as an actor, surrounded by likeminded people. The course pushed me to be my best, honing my craft and giving me skills and knowledge I can use for the future. I felt safe and confident that I was under the best care from my teachers and met life long friends in the people in my class.”
Weyal Bariz, 2024 Graduate
“MA Acting at ArtsEd has crafted me into an autonomous performer and I have developed skills I didn’t even know I possessed. You learn so much about who you are as a creative, what really makes you excited about being a performer, and how to stitch together different methodologies and styles of working into your own toolbox to take you forward into the industry. Every day is a different day and every day you learn something new!”
Neve Francis, 2024 Graduate
“The course allowed me to have agency over my creativity and career whilst introducing new practices which allowed me to develop my acting process. I have been equipped with tools that will enable me to navigate myself professionally throughout the industry. This experience has provided me with an invaluable network of mentors as well as lifelong friends and colleagues. I know that if I need any guidance; George and the other teachers are just an email away!”
Tara Sowah, 2024 Graduate
Careers
Eloise Beaumont-Wood (2021)
WAR HORSE - UK & Ireland Tour
Haina Al-Saud (2022)
Irvine Welsh's CRIME - ITVX
Joao Soares Dos Reis
WE LIVE IN TIME - Film4 Productions; StudioCanal
Carlos Sandin (2021)
PULL MY GOLDFINGER - Drayton Arms Theatre; WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES - Hulu
Ciara Amas (2023)
WE ALL KNOW HOW THIS ENDS - Stratford East
Dominic Hyam (2023)
WHITE GUILT - London New Wave Productions
Flo Crompton (2022)
THE LESSON - Theatre503
Mateo Oxley (2013)
The Windsors (Channel 4); Angels in America (National Theatre)
Talisa Garcia (2002)
Baptiste (BBC One)
Thomas Fitzgerald (2017)
Enterprice (BBC3)
Vinay Lad (2017)
The Railway Children (Tour) nominated for Best Newcomer MEN Awards
Brandon Dodsworth (2019)
Two Gentlemen of Verona (RSC Dell)
Cameron Butterwick (2017)
Marcella (ITV) A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Young Shakespeare Company) Measure For Measure (Greenwich Theatre)
Rosie Hague (2017)
A Very British Scandal (BBC)
Davinia Hamilton (2017)
10 Steps To Murder (Discovery Channel)
Michele Belgrand (2015)
Outlander (Starz)
John Askew (2013)
The English Game (Netflix); Flack (CBS); The Rook (Starz) Recent Stage: Gypsy Queen (International Tour); Rita, Sue & Bob Too (Out of Joint); And Did Those Feet (Bolton Octagon); Wuthering Heights, Ladies in Lavender (Theatre Royal Windsor); Revenger’s Tragedy, Darkness Darkness (Nottingham Playhouse)
James Lawrence (2013)
The Great Gatsby (West End)
Yasen Atour (2012)
Dark Heart (ITV)
Muireann Bird (2012)
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Warner Bros); Outlander (Starz); The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (National Theatre Scotland)
Conor Boru (2012)
Without Remorse (Paramount Pictures); Hold The Dark (Netflix); Casualty, Doctors, EastEnders (BBC)
Peter Rose (2012)
Anthony & Cleopatra, The Tempest (The Globe)
Tom Holloway (2011)
Homeland (Fox); Doctors, EastEnders (BBC)
Luiana Bonfim (2011)
The Widow (ITV/Amazon)
Kevin Layne (2011)
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Universal/Amblin); Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (Disney/LucasFilm); Giri/Haji (Netflix/BBC); Patrick Melrose (Sky/Showtime)
Marc Graham (2011)
Marc is a co-founder of the pioneering and multi award winning gig theatre company Middle Child.
Abeille Theatre
formed by Bettina Paris & Emma Rowbotham (2017) Their first show, Little Big Girl, was developed through Theatre N16 and premiered at Waterloo East. This show is still developing for a production in Malta and the company is also working on their next show, whilst running ongoing workshops for theatre practitioners.
Fancy Another?
A company made up of Katherine Lea, Elrik Lepercq, Ellen McLeod, Emma Nihill, Jasmine Raymond, Tina Rizzo, Rob Shaw, Anna-Rose van der Wiel (2019) Their first show, Shaping Dust, was originally developed on the MA before winning a development opportunity from the Actor’s Centre. The show has subsequently been given a run at London’s Cockpit Theatre in February 2020.
Tunji Joseph (2018)
Wrote, produced and performed in 1-man show ‘White Board – Black Pieces: Race in the West’; two very successful runs at Matthews Yard Theatre Croydon and Waterloo East Theatre
Stuart Vincent
Kite Runner UK Tour
Pathway Theatre
formed by Kelly Long & Joanna Clarke (2017) Pathway bring exciting, bespoke, immersive productions to audiences who would otherwise be unable to access theatre. They also offer workshops and ongoing training to actors.
No – we need to see you in person. Exceptions may be made for those applying from overseas and an online audition might be possible. Contact ArtsEd for further details.
Auditions are generally held on Tuesdays or Thursdays from January to July during term time. If we offer you a date please do your best to attend. We can only reschedule under extreme circumstances such as illness or an exam commitment.
There is one essay of 2500-2750 words to be completed within the year, plus two shorter pieces of reflective writing (600-750 and 450-550 respectively).
The training is an intense programme that requires full attendance on each 9-hour day, Monday to Friday. Any extra employment is not recommended if you are to be able to focus on the considerable requirements that the course will make of you. We recognise that the financial burden of training and living in London can be substantial and would suggest that any employment undertaken, if essential, is considerably limited to one or two evenings per week, and one weekend day per week. Any more than this and you are going to find it very difficult to complete the course.
