Actor Training and Coaching, MA/MFA

Course information

Duration
MA, one year, full-time; two years, part-time. October start. MFA, two years, full-time. On-site attendance between July and October is not mandatory.
Course start
October
Award
Master of Arts in Actor Training and Coaching (180 credits); Master of Fine Art in Actor Training and Coaching (240 credits)

About this course

Together with the MA/MFA Voice Studies and the MA/MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching courses, Actor Training and Coaching is one of Central’s postgraduate degrees that exposes you to high-level training practice.

The course does not train actors, but develops a practical understanding of what it is to act, enabling you to work as an actor trainer, coach, theatre practitioner and a director of actors.

  • Create approaches through research and practice in training methodologies and through specialist teaching
  • Learn pedagogical tools for coaching and teaching actors
  • Benefit from wide-reaching placement opportunities.

Accordion

  • Course Detail

    During terms one to three, you may expect to encounter work associated with, for example, Stanislavski, Chekhov, Meyerhold, Bogart, Lecoq, Grotowski and Meisner, and methodologies appropriate for acting for screen. Teaching methods include tutorials, group seminars and workshops.

    You will develop advanced interpersonal, facilitation, coaching and pedagogy skills. These include:

    • how to research, plan and deliver courses;
    • obtaining knowledge of a wide range of acting methodologies and practices - as well as some movement and voice - in the education and support of actors;
    • research skills, both as an individual and through group research; presentation skills and an ability to plan, conduct and critically reflect on your own practice as an actor trainer/practitioner.

    Placements

    In the MA and the MFA first year, there is the opportunity for you to undertake a teaching/assistant directing/coaching placement, as well as placements to engage with different acting and production contexts with the duration ranging from eight hours to three months.

    Placements are a vital part of the course and will enable you to develop experience and hone skills as a pedagogue/practitioner. If you are pursuing the part-time pathway, you will undertake placements in the second year of your course.

    The MFA second year widens your opportunity to practise knowledge within a professional context. You will be expected to undertake one or two workplace attachments, as well as participate in tutorials and occasional seminars throughout the year as part of an ongoing process of pedagogical reflection and engagement leading to the submission of the final assessment. An MFA top-up year for those of you with an existing MA in this subject is also available.

    ASSESSMENT

    Assessment during the first three terms of both courses is through written work, presentation and teaching practice. In the MA fourth term (part-time second year) you will work towards a final dissertation or portfolio. In the MFA second year, assessment is by means of an extended dissertation or portfolio (inclusive of case studies, reflective documentation and plans of work) manifesting responses to attachment/s and practice.

  • Entry Requirements and Interviews

    You will normally have a degree or an equivalent qualification in a subject that includes an element of theatre or performance practice; or have a degree and can provide evidence of previous training and experience with performance disciplines; or have a strong acting or actor training background and at least two years’ professional experience in the acting industry. An offer will normally only be made after audition and interview.

    An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.

    We particularly encourage applications from groups currently under-represented in higher education, such as students with disabilities and members of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups. Find out more information on Central’s commitment to equality and diversity.

    English Language Requirements

    Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to prove their English language proficiency by gaining an overall score of 7.0 in an IELTS test. We do accept equivalent English language qualifications.

    While a test result is not required in order to submit an application, applicants are advised to gain this certification as early as possible and more information can be found on the English Language Requirements page. 

    Interviews

    If you are selected for an interview for a place on the Actor Training and Coaching, MA or MFA courses, we will require you to create a short film beforehand which should include the following:

    • Two excerpts (max 4 mins each) showing you working with an individual actor (different actor in each excerpt) in order to address elements of the actors’ performances. At least one of the performances must be recorded by a fixed camera without any editing of the material (that is, in a single shot, without any camera movement or changes of focus - the intention is that we see you working with the actor rather than we see the work of a video director or editor), if space/ travel does not allow you to, you are also able to film a Zoom session with your actors.

    The interview process will also give you an opportunity to find out more about the course and the School and will be undertaken online via Zoom.

    For further information see the How to Apply section.

    International Applicants

    Central regularly welcomes students from all over the world – and we are proud to have a large network of alumni working internationally.

    Visit our International Students pages for advice and information on studying at Central and living in London, if you’re not a home applicant.

    There is no formal application deadline for our MA courses. Applications are assessed, and places offered on courses, on a rolling basis, and applications are closed when a course becomes full. Therefore, you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

  • Industry Links

    In the past, students have benefitted from working both on other courses (undergraduate and postgraduate) at Central and in external institutions. These have included various roles at:

    • Central Film School
    • London Film Academy
    • Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
    • Arts Educational Schools
    • East 15 Acting School
    • Guildford School of Acting
    • Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts
    • Rose Bruford College
    • Kingston University
    • Royal Holloway University of London
    • London Metropolitan University
    • Tricycle Theatre
    • The Actors Centre
    • London Bubble Theatre Company.
  • Recent Visiting Professionals

    Recent visiting professionals on the MA/MFA Actor Training and Coaching course include:

    • Ally Cologna (director and teacher)
    • Lucinka Eisler (joint artistic director Inspector Sands Theatre Company)
    • Mike Alfreds (founding director Shared Experience and author of Different Every Night)
    • Bella Merlin (performer, director, Professor of Acting and Directing UC Riverside, author of The Complete Stanislavski Toolkit and Facing the Fear)
    • Peta Lily (performer/theatre maker, workshop leader)
    • Izumi Ashizawa (director and faculty member of Theatre NYU Stony Brook)
    • John Wright (co-founding Director of Trestle Theatre and Told by an Idiot, author of Why Is That So Funny?)
    • Mel Churcher (acting coach and author of Acting for Film)
    • Brigid Panet (teacher, workshop leader and author of Essential Acting)
    • Anne Bogart (director and author of A Director Prepares, co-author of The Viewpoints Book with Tina Landau) 
    • Sharrell D. Luckett (Creator of The Luckett Paradigm, CEO of BAM Studio and co-author of Black Acting Methods with Tia M Shaffer)
    • Freddie Hendricks (Director of the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta)
    • Katie Mitchell (Director, author of The Director’s Craft and winner of the Presidents Medal at BAFTA)
    • Bijan Sheibani (Olivier Award-winning director of Our Class and Gone too Far)
  • Notable Graduates

    Notable graduates of this course include:

    Miriam Lucia (2010) Founded the Clerkenwell Actors Studio, which operates as an ongoing training for professional actors.  

    Owain Rose (2015) is a freelance Theatre Director and Acting Lecturer. He has previously worked for Camden Youngstarz Theatre, Identity Drama School and The University of Northampton.

    Lowri-Ann Richards (2012) is now a freelance Acting Coach and has previously worked with, Cambridge Performing Arts College, The International School of Screen Acting and ArtsEd.

    Juanita Mora (2010) Has previously worked as an Artistic Director for, BEinspired Entertainment, West Avenue Theatre Company and The British International School.

    Teresa Grimsditch (2007) is now a freelance Tutor and has previously worked for a number of arts institutions such as, The Actors Centre, The National Film and Television School and The University of Arts, London. 

  • Graduate Employment

    Graduate employment and career pathways have included:

    Acting Tutor

    Arts Educational Schools, Central, Drama Centre London, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Rose Bruford College, Kingston University, London Film Academy, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, East 15 Acting School, National Theatre Education, Drama Centre London, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, National Film and Television School, The Actors Centre, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, St Mary’s University Twickenham, Method Studios, Northampton University, Falmouth University, University of St Mark and St John Plymouth, Brunel University London, Bangkok University, Toronto University, and institutions in the USA, Malaysia, Korea, Albania and Greece.

    Actor

    National Theatre, The Watermill Theatre and other regional theatres, London Fringe and West End.

    PhDs

    At Central, Exeter University, Kent University, Queen Mary University of London, Kingston University and Oxford University.

    Founder members of companies and acting studios working as freelance actor trainers and coaches. 

  • Tuition Fees, Bursaries and Scholarships

    Tuition Fees for 2024 Entry

    MA/MFA Year 1 Fee

    UK (Home) students: £11,550 (Full-time), £5,775 (Part-time)*
    Overseas students: £22,050 (Full-time), £11,025 (Part-time)

    Please note that there may be additional costs that you need to incur as part of the training for the course.

    Full information is available on the Tuition Fees and Additional Costs page.


    Bursaries and Scholarships

    Central offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. If you are holding an offer for a place on a course then you will be invited to apply for a bursary or scholarship.

    *If you are a UK student but already hold a qualification at the equivalent or higher level to the one that you are applying for, then you may be classed as an ELQ student and be required to pay the same fee as an overseas student.

Student Feedback

“The course played a vital role in expanding my knowledge. In facilitating an examination of my own practice and giving me an understanding of current issues, informing teaching and learning in vocational training and Higher Education, my time at Central played a significant role in opening up opportunities and preparing me for a viable future in the field.”

Aiden Condron

Graduated 2014, has been a Teaching Fellow at Guildford School of Acting, and is Senior Lecturer on the BA (Hons) Acting at University of Falmouth.

Staff On The Course

Jess Hartley is Course Leader for the MA/MFA in Actor Training and Coaching.

Jessica Hartley

Jay Paul Skelton is a multi-award-winning theatre-maker, a scholar and an instructor.

Portrait of Jay Skelton

Course Video

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