BA (Hons) Performing Arts

Course code: W400

Institution code: B39

View course on UCAS

A three-year full-time degree course available at:


BA (Hons) Performing Arts consists of two pathways: Musical Theatre and Acting; each providing in-depth training shaped by current industry trends.

Technique, work ethic, confidence, self-awareness and imagination are key tools for any performer looking to build a sustainable and fulfilling career in the arts.  

During the first two years of your training, you will develop and embed technique, explore new ideas and ways of working, discover yourself as a creative artist, and learn how to promote yourself and your work in a competitive market.  

In the third year the training becomes industry focused with professional preparation, public shows, a filmed show reel, self-taping tuition as well as an independent project of your choosing.

Uniquely during your final year, you also select from a range of options, all created to meet the demands of the industry. This allows you to drill down into a specific area of performance and enhance your skill set further. 

Our pathways encourage independence, entrepreneurialism and innovation because these qualities will be required of any performer entering the contemporary performing arts industry. We don’t want you just to get work, we want you to make work.

All learning is underpinned by personal development classes, enabling you to find strategies in time management, organisational skills and control of performance related anxiety. These are life skills that you can apply far beyond your three years with us, and within a variety of contexts.

Contemporary Musical Theatre

The landscape of musical theatre is changing. Shows are being produced which require performers who are skilled in acting as much as the other disciplines, and in some cases more so, therefore there are two strands to our Contemporary Musical Theatre pathway.

Strand 1: Contemporary Musical Theatre

This pathway offers you excellent training across all three disciplines. You will have classes in acting methodologies, acting for camera, voice, movement and improvisation.  Singing comprises of a series of classes: ensemble, rep, technique, and styles, where you will learn how to sing across a range of genres, including jazz, gospel, rock, pop and folk as well as legit. In dance you will have ballet, tap, contemporary and jazz, but you will also get to explore dance from a whole new perspective in our world dance sessions. 

The aim is to expand your skill set. Yes, you may want to do musical theatre, but you may also want to act in plays or for film or tv or become an influencer or a presenter. This pathway gives you the breadth and depth to expand your skill set and open you up to a whole range of jobs.  

  • Masterclasses with industry professionals 
  • Experienced Tutors who are also practitioners 
  • Personal Development 
  • TV and Film Technique 
  • Industry led musical theatre training 
  • A choice of options running alongside your core training 
  • Thorough preparation for the industry including marketing, self-taping, audition technique and presentation

Strand 2: Musical Theatre 

This pathway is designed for those of you who want to focus on dance as your main discipline, but who also value the importance of a well-rounded training in vocals and acting as well as the need to develop entrepreneurial skills and the techniques and tools necessary to be a versatile and dynamic performer. 

Over the three years you will not only develop and build on your skills, but you will also learn to work with a dancer’s mind, understanding and addressing your own physical characteristics to reach your full potential. Strength, flexibility, alignment and coordination are all key aspects, but so is expression and interpretation; as a dancer you need to translate the physical into the emotional to take us on a journey with whatever story you are telling. This pathway will encourage you to view yourself as a creative artist. 

  • High – end dance training over a range of genres 
  • Masterclasses with industry practitioners 
  • Personal development 
  • Industry led Musical Theatre training. 
  • Thorough preparation for the industry including marketing, self-taping, audition technique and presentation 
  • A choice of options running alongside your core training

Acting for the 21st Century

The industry has changed and continues to do so. It is no longer simply a case of spending three years training and then sitting back waiting for your agent to call. Actors in the contemporary world of stage, film and television need not only to be talented and skilled, but also adaptable, entrepreneurial and passionate about what they do.

Yes, it is a difficult profession, but there is work out there and you just need to learn how to find it, how to generate it, how to network, and how to make the most of every single opportunity that comes your way as you build your career. 

This pathway offers an acting degree with a difference. Our rigorous training will equip you both technically and creatively to succeed as an actor, but it will also introduce you to a range of skillsets that you may never have explored before. 

We want you to shape your own creative identity, explore what you can offer as an artist, discover new passions and develop your existing skills through: 

  • Rigorous training from experienced practitioners working in both film and theatre, and across digital platforms 
  • A choice of options running alongside your core training 
  • Thorough preparation for the industry including marketing, self-taping, audition technique and presentation 
  • Personal development 
  • Masterclasses with industry professionals 

Course Specification

Mode of attendance: Full-time

Length of course: Three years

Awarding institution: BIMM University

Campus delivery: Brighton and Manchester

Language of study: English

Final award: Bachelor of Arts (Hons)

Minimum Requirements

Minimum of 2 A-levels at Grade E or above (32 UCAS points), OR BTEC Level 3 equivalent, and normally three GCSEs at a minimum grade C/4, including English Language.

IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 to be achieved in each band.

All applicants will be required to attend an audition and demonstrate their ability in dance, drama and singing. We’re not expecting you to be proficient in all three – just a bit of star quality!

Progression

Graduates can progress directly to employment in theatre and related creative industries.

Course Fees

Student loan finance is available for BA (Hons) in Performing Arts. Please visit our Fees page for information on access to Student Loans. Please note, UK and EU students eligible for Loans are able to borrow the full course fee for ICTheatre degrees.

Year 1

All students take the following core modules in their first year of study.

The first Creative Industries module will introduce you to the strategies and tools to set you on the right path toward pursuing a successful career. Whether focused on a particular career goal or considering several future possibilities, you will broaden your knowledge of the opportunities available to you as a future creative industry professional.

In this module, you will further develop your investigative skills, exploring relevant underlying concepts and principles and interpreting these within the context of your area of study. You will explore the nature of creativity, the wider context of the industry and practice reflective techniques.

You will also evaluate sources and consider issues such as potential biases and cultural diversity. This evaluation will contribute to developing an enhanced awareness of your creative identity and greater insight into the topics that inspire and motivate you. In addition, you will improve your understanding of how your area of interest intersects with the wider creative industry.

Using academic enquiry, you will develop a reflective journal to evaluate your strengths and areas for self-development in relation to your studies, careers and personal aspirations. This investigative work will help establish a connection between the skills you have identified concerning specific careers and areas of the industry, enhancing your understanding of what is required to be a successful professional practitioner.

This module is designed to develop technical physical ability, facilitating knowledge of the body, identification of physical default settings, and enhancement of stamina, strength and flexibility. A range of physical techniques will be explored. Classes will be delivered using a variety of teaching methods. Sessions will be predominantly practical, with time allocated for reflective practice. This module will be taught through group work, with specific attention paid to the needs of the individual within that. You will be required to prepare ahead of class. Teaching will follow a progressive training ethos through continued practice and development. You will be encouraged and guided to work with discipline, organisation and focus.

This module is designed to develop the safe practice of a supported voice in a variety of contexts, both sung and spoken. You will study how the anatomy and physiology of the speaking and singing voice works, enabling a healthy, reliable and versatile technique. This module is assessed through solo and ensemble performances as well as through reflective practice. Classes will be delivered using a variety of teaching methods. Sessions will be predominantly practical, with time allocated for reflective practice. This module will be taught through group work, with specific attention paid to the needs of the individual within that. You will be required to prepare ahead of class. Teaching will follow a progressive training ethos through continued practice and development. You will be encouraged and guided to work with discipline, organisation and focus.

This module is designed to develop your technical ability in performance, facilitating the enhancement of performance practice, and introducing route appropriate vocabulary in relation to performing. You will be introduced to key tools in order to help you approach tasks and to facilitate appropriate reflective practice. Classes will be delivered using a variety of teaching methods. Sessions will be predominantly practical, with time allocated for reflective practice. This module will be taught through group work, with specific attention also paid to the needs of the individual. You will be required to prepare ahead of class. Teaching will follow a progressive training ethos through continued practice and development. You will be encouraged and guided to work with discipline, organisation and focus.

Building on the work of semester one, you will now expand your basic physical awareness in order to broaden technical skills and implement self – expression. In the previous semester you worked on basic technique; in semester two you will add a layer to your learning by bringing yourself to the work. How do you use physicality to interpret music, story, expression? You will continue to work on the necessary technical aspects, but you will now consider these further elements as you do so. This is the point in your training where you begin to explore the range physical choices available to you.

Building on the work of semester one, you will broaden and embed technical vocal skills. Repertoire will be expanded, and you will be expected to challenge yourself through the implementation of self-expression. In the previous semester, you worked on basic technique; in semester two you will add a layer to your learning by bringing yourself to the work. How do you use your voice to interpret music, story, expression? You will continue to work on the necessary technical vocal aspects, but you will now consider these further elements as you do so. This is the point in your training where you begin to explore a range of vocal choices available to you.

Building on the work of semester one, you will expand your basic psycho-physical awareness in order to broaden and embody technical skills in performance. You will be expected to challenge yourself through the implementation of self-expression. In the previous semester, you worked on basic technique; in semester two you will add a layer to your learning by bringing yourself to the work. How do you use performance in the interpretation of music, the communication of story, the revelation of expression? You will continue to work on the necessary technical aspects of performance, but you will now consider these further elements as you do so. This is the point in your training where you begin to explore the range of choices available to you.

Year 2

All students take the following core modules in their second year of study.

The creative arts have the power to bring people together, unite communities, support mental wellbeing, raise awareness of social issues and above all, bring joy to many people around the world. In Creative Industries & You 2, you will discover how you can turn your passion and talent into a collaborative project with a positive impact on society. Employing research and networking skills, you will develop a greater understanding of a charity, cause or campaign. In teams of students from all courses, you‘ll select a cause and identify a way to support its key objectives, either by raising awareness, raising funds or contributing as volunteers. You will be introduced to your college’s partner charities but you are also able to find your own, or work independently of an existing organisation.

Through this collaborative project, you’ll develop essential interpersonal and communication skills, experimenting with various digital tools for enterprise. You’ll reflect on your own values, applying theories of human psychology to explore how to get the best out of yourself and each other. Building on your industry research skills, you will assess your target audience and define clear SMART targets for your project that will enable you to execute an element of the strategy and evaluate its success. In teams, you will spend time working on your project both in class and in your own time, developing effective collaborative working methods. You’ll record your project activity in your Personal and Professional Development Plan, reflecting on how you have developed and changed over the course of your first year and a half at BIMM. Working with your Personal Adviser you will identify objectives, opportunities and actions that will help you stay on the path to success for the second half of your journey towards becoming a Creative Industries Professional.

This module continues the exploratory work you began in Context & Culture of the Creative Industries. You will directly apply ideas to your own discipline and development, selecting an area of investigation relevant to your own practice, and communicating your argument via your medium of choice. The concepts you encounter will actively critique claims to authenticity and originality; themes you will encounter frequently throughout your career as a Creative Professional.

You will debate artistic production, the motivations for it, and the problems of creative autonomy. You will investigate relevant contemporary cultural issues and theories relating to society, race, gender, technology, and the environment to develop your contextual understanding of how these relate to your own creative practice, professional values, and sense of personal agency. You will be encouraged to meet with your Personal Adviser in a 1:1 tutorial to help you reflect on the strengths and areas for development identified in your PPDP in the first year, tracking your academic progress and setting new actions that will support you to achieve your best work. The research methods and study habits you develop throughout this module will prepare you for next year’s Final Project, in which you will self-direct a significant piece of academic, creative and/or professional practice.

Building on the work explored at L4, this module is designed to encourage you to apply physical skillsets within a broader context. Technique will be developed and enhanced through class and project work, but you will now be required to adapt your technical learning in order to serve a range of route appropriate contexts. You will be expected to work with physical precision, bring yourself to the process, and apply both these elements within the parameters of set pieces.

Building on the work explored at L4, this module is designed to encourage you to apply vocal skillsets within a broader context. Technique will be developed and enhanced through class and project work, but you will now be required to adapt your technical learning in order to serve a range of route appropriate contexts. You will be expected to work with vocal precision, bring yourself to the process and apply both these elements within the parameters of set pieces and specific vocal demands.

Building on the work explored at L4, this module is designed to encourage you to apply performance related skillsets within a broader context. Technique will be developed and enhanced through class and project work, but you will now be required to adapt your technical learning in order to serve a range of route appropriate contexts. You will be expected to work with technical specificity, bring yourself to the process, and apply both these elements within the parameters of set pieces.

Developing from the previous semester’s work, this module is designed to promote your ability to work independently and collaboratively, to consider your relationship with the audience and to make choices that are transformative and creative. Technique will be embedded and enhanced through class and project work, but you will now also explore how you can develop physicality in order to interpret narrative, create expression and atmosphere in imaginative and innovative ways. You will be expected to work with boldness and an open mind, to test the boundaries of physical expression and to take ownership of your creative ideas.

Developing from the previous semester’s work, this module is designed to promote your ability to work independently and collaboratively, to consider your relationship with the audience and to make choices that are transformative and creative. Technique will be embedded and enhanced through class and project work, but you will now also explore how you can develop vocally in order to interpret narrative, create expression and atmosphere, and communicate meaning in imaginative and innovative ways. You will be expected to work with boldness and an open mind, to test the boundaries of vocal expression and to take ownership of your creative ideas.

Developing from the previous semester’s work, this module is designed to promote your ability to work independently and collaboratively, to consider your relationship with the audience and to make choices that are transformative and creative. Technique will be embedded and enhanced through class and project work, but you will now also explore how you can develop your performance skill-sets in order to create character, interpret narrative, create expression and atmosphere, and communicate meaning in imaginative and innovative ways. You will be expected to work with boldness and an open mind, to test the boundaries of expression as a performer and to take ownership of your creative ideas.

Year 3

All students take the following core modules in their third (and final) year of study, plus one optional module.

The option modules advertised as available for ICTheatre courses are subject to variation dependant on minimum student numbers and the availability of specialist resources at each college (Please refer to our terms and conditions for further detail).

In this module, you will undertake a significant project of your own choosing. It’s your chance to explore your passion within the industry and creative arts: experiment, take risks, strengthen your skills and create a product/cohesive portfolio of work that you are proud to showcase at the end of your degree. This module will support you in consolidating the broad learning and development from the course so far, building a bridge into the industry, the workplace and future opportunities. You will be supported to self-direct your own learning through a series of lectures, seminars and 1:1 tutorials with expert supervisors.

This module is the final step in your journey and will support you as you look to enter your chosen field as a creative professional. Drawing on evidence from throughout your time here. you will critically self-evaluate your personal learning journey and industry engagements to date. You will explore concepts and theories of personal and professional development to support, challenge and test your assumptions, to determine your readiness for work in the creative industries. You will have the opportunity to discuss this with your peers and learn from your collective experiences in both small degree path groups and large mixed discipline sessions.

With this position in mind, you will then be challenged to create and consolidate creative assets to give you the edge over the competition in your chosen field. Specialist workshops will be offered throughout the module, informed and delivered by our wide-reaching connections and specialist tutors in the creative industries. This culminates in the creation of a portfolio which tells the story of your personal and professional journey so far, communicating your unique professional identity and future career plans in the creative industries.

This module is designed to build on your previous experience of performance and to apply your learning within the context of a production. The nature of the piece you work on will be appropriate to the route you are studying. You will rehearse intensively towards a production, which will be director-led. Rehearsal etiquette preparation and discipline will be core elements of your process during this module and will contribute significantly to the assessment. You will be expected to utilise your skill – sets with proficiency and assurance as well as engage openly and with creativity to the demands of the piece.

Following on from Performance 1 in the previous semester, this module is designed to build on your experience. Performance 2 provides you with the opportunity to apply what you have learnt in terms of approach and technique. within the context of a second production. It allows you to explore any strategies, approaches or methodologies that have arisen from your reflections on the previous performance. It also gives you the chance to work with a different director, and potentially a different process in the rehearsal room. This will be invaluable as a performer you will need to be able to adjust and respond to a variety of directorial styles. The nature of the piece you work on will be appropriate to the route you are studying. You will rehearse intensively towards a production, which will be director-led. Rehearsal etiquette preparation and discipline will be core elements of your process during this module and will contribute significantly to the assessment. You will be expected to utilise your skill – sets with proficiency and assurance as well as engage openly and with creativity to the demands of the piece.

This module is designed to build on your previous experience of acting for camera, and to deepen both your ability and confidence in this medium. You will become familiar with both the physical nature of a set as well as all the roles that contribute to creating film & TV. You will embed the terminology involved so that you will fully understand what is being asked or discussed when you are in front of the camera. All sessions will be practical, allowing you the maximum amount of time to become comfortable being filmed and to make sure you fully understand the acting requirements for different shots and situations. You will revisit previously explored acting methodologies, such as Meisner and Stanislavsky in order to deepen the quality of your work. During the sessions, you will be given scripts that make different demands on you in terms of style and choice. You will become used to working with little rehearsal, depending on the genre, and to make clear decisions quickly. Audition technique for film and TV will play a part in the practical sessions as will self – taping.

So much performance now takes place at site-specific locations as opposed to purpose-built theatres and studios. It is, therefore, important that as performers you understand how work develops in response to physical space and the people who occupy it; choices are influenced and steered by the physical context the performance occurs in. In this module, you will look back at the roots of Hip-Hop culture and investigate different spaces in which performances can be created such as outdoor spaces, community areas and in nightclubs/venues. You will be inspired to think creatively beyond the traditional theatre setting and to adapt and respond artistically to the potential that different locations offer the performer. In doing so you will also have to consider the practical issues arising from working in a variety of locations. As part of the module, you will also learn about the professional protocols involved with putting on an event.

So much performance now takes place at site-specific locations as opposed to purpose-built theatres and studios. It is, therefore, important that as performers you understand how work develops in response to physical space and the people who occupy it; choices are influenced and steered by the physical context the performance occurs in. In this module, you will look back at the roots of Hip-Hop culture and investigate different spaces in which performances can be created such as outdoor spaces, community areas and in nightclubs/venues. You will be inspired to think creatively beyond the traditional theatre setting and to adapt and respond artistically to the potential that different locations offer the performer. In doing so you will also have to consider the practical issues arising from working in a variety of locations. As part of the module, you will also learn about the professional protocols involved with putting on an event.

This module focusses on the creation and delivery of a piece of work devised specifically to be filmed. You will take agency for your own work by choosing your specific area of performance. This can be purely a dance piece, or you might wish to explore using vocals or create a short piece with a clear narrative focus. It might well be that ultimately you incorporate several elements into your work, but the key factor is that you are responsible for producing a piece of art in video form. Through engaging with this process, not only will you work creatively by drawing on your inspirations and influences, but you will also learn the relevant techniques for performance in front of a camera. This knowledge will extend to an understanding of the different roles undertaken on a film set, providing you with a fuller knowledge of the medium. The module also provides you with an opportunity to discover both the limitations, as well as the range of possibilities open to you as an artist working for film. Professional protocol will be a key aspect of your learning. You will showcase your work to a panel and engage in a thorough discussion both about your process, but also concerning how you might promote and market your work.

Whether it’s Voice-Over, Performance Capture or VR, this module will provide you with a basic understanding of immersive narrative storytelling and encourage you to develop your skills in order to create and deliver believable characters in the medium. This module will also introduce you to a variety of transferrable skills to expand your confidence and versatility as a performer. These include effective audition technique, studio etiquette, good sight-reading and voice technique, microphone technique, facial capture, as well as experience working in the field of Mo-cap and Pro-cap. Fundamentally this module will provide you with the experience and knowledge to empower you to find work in the fastest-growing sector of the entertainment industry.

This module will explore ensembles from different genres including opera, operetta, and Gilbert & Sullivan as well as a wide range of challenging musical theatre pieces. Rather than choral music, the works studied will be suitable ensemble pieces involving several characters all with their individual lines and harmonies. Pieces chosen will be dependent on the suitability of your vocal ranges, but it is anticipated that extracts will be taken from works such as The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, La Boheme, Carmen, The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Merry Widow, Die Fledermaus, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Natasha & the Great Comet of 1812, Curtains, Guys and Dolls etc.

By studying this module, you will improve your ensemble and harmony singing skills and increase your knowledge of a broader repertoire and of more advanced musical grammar. All points of musical expression will be discussed as well as looking closely at, and understanding, the layout of a vocal score. The skills acquired will give you a great advantage in any music rehearsal situation.

With shows such as Hamilton, La La Land, The Tina Turner Musical, Memphis and Thriller (to name a few), it is ever more apparent that contemporary vocal styles are now prevalent in musical theatre.

In this module, you will take part in genre-based performance workshops designed to increase knowledge and development of the sounds and skills associated with different styles of music. Topics include principal practitioners, historical context, instrumentation, harmony, improvisation, aural perception, and associated techniques as used within contemporary musical theatre.

In this module, you will learn the fundamentals of choreography for theatre. The techniques needed for choreographers in today’s industry require them to be familiar with many different styles of dance, as well as having knowledge of how to structure, devise and adapt a working piece. They need to be able to collaborate with a production team, work from a brief and able to improvise in the room. You will learn how to plan, notate, develop, devise and improvise a piece of choreography from a given stimuli. This is a practical module that requires you to apply your technique creatively, in order to work towards devising your own piece of work.

This module focusses on how to synthesise the cultural, technical, and aesthetic elements of Hip-Hop to create a piece of theatre. By exploring Hip-Hop (Art, Music, & Dance) within the context of a theatrical setting, you get the chance to engage in a variety of creative areas, for example; scriptwriting, lighting, sound, costume, set design & stage management. You will explore ways of developing Hip-Hop theatrically, considering narrative, meaning, character and impact This module will not only serve as a vehicle for your creativity but will also give you a practical understanding of the different departments that come together within a theatrical production. Observing the professional protocols of putting on an event will also be a key component here. Physical, vocal and performance modules undertaken at L4 &5 will be utilised and developed during this pathway.

In this module, you will create a presentation that focusses on a topic associated with Hip Hop culture, past, present or based on how you anticipate it might develop in the future. You will select a media formation through which to present your topic creatively and will work through this medium to generate a piece of art that you will then showcase. This module encourages you to be explorative and innovative, but also to consider the context in which you show your work. In doing so you will explore different formats through which to express your ideas. You will present a pitch to secure an appropriate venue and explain how you would run and manage the event, synthesising the aesthetic and practical elements required.

With such a diverse range of Musical Theatre productions being staged in the West End and across the UK, each has its own choreographic style that ranges from hip hop in Hamilton, disco in The Tina Turner Musical, lyrical/Ballet in An American in Paris, Fosse/Jazz in Chicago (to name a few), it is ever more apparent that dancers need to have a broad range of dance vocabulary, technique and styles within their repertoire.

In this module, you will take part in genre-based performance workshops designed to increase knowledge and development of the key technical elements and choreography associated with different styles of current MT productions. Topics include style-specific choreography and associated techniques as used within contemporary musical theatre.

As Theatre, TV, Film and Video Games move towards a level of expertise usually reserved for actors with greater physical skill, it is now becoming apparent that performers need to think of themselves as a complete actor. An actor who has as much skill physically as they do vocally.

In this module we will look at what it means to connect the disciplines fully, to create a truly versatile and individual performer, exploring how to work as an ensemble, how to story tell a story in its purest form, how to use our bodies to communicate, how to devise collaboratively in order to create theatre which is embodied and expressed through our physicality as much as the words we use. In this module, you will utilise your skills in performance and channel your imaginations in order to, not only deepen your ability as actors but also become theatre-makers.

‘Applied Theatre’ can often be found outside of theatre buildings and instead in unusual places, connecting communities and telling silenced stories that have been often been excluded from the mainstream. Applied Theatre is about making theatre with, for and by communities, creating and enabling participation. Examples of practice include theatre in prisons, in schools, and in hospitals, as well as with specific groups such as the homeless, older people, or disabled people, refugees.

This Applied Theatre module offers you the opportunity to use and further develop your devising and performance skills to create socially-engaged participative performance projects with and for under-represented and marginalised audiences in a variety of community contexts (these might include schools, prisons, hospitals, care homes).

In this module, you will engage in key Applied Theatre models of practice (eg Forum Theatre, Theatre-In-Education, Verbatim Theatre, Mantle of The Expert, Process Drama), as well as foundational internationally renowned practitioners. You will also use and develop your directing and collaboration skills and finally your drama workshop facilitation skills and techniques which are often integral for this type of work, in the making and in the delivery.

The module will include creating real participative performance projects for communities/schools and will consider the ethical, cultural, political and social intentions of the project which will inform the making and outcome. Critical reflection and creative dialogue with communities as part of the making process are also integral to the success of the projects.

This module enables you to really consider your position as a pro-active and responsive, culturally, politically and socially-engaged maker of Performance Practice within and in service of specific community contexts.

Any questions?

For any questions regarding our courses or if you’d like more information on how to apply to ICTheatre, please contact our Enquiries Team on 01273 840 346 or email enquiries@bimm.ac.uk.

 

© 2024 Institute for Contemporary Theatre
All Rights Reserved