Acting and International Relations

Acting and international relations is an unusual combination, but one with more internal logic than might first appear. Both disciplines are, at their core, concerned with the interpretation of human behaviour, with understanding how people present themselves, how narratives shape perception, and how power operates through communication. Acting develops a deep understanding of human motivation, emotional truth, and the way performance shapes how messages are received.

International relations provides analytical tools for understanding how states and non-state actors interact, how conflict and cooperation are managed, and how global events are shaped by competing interests and narratives.

At Liverpool Hope, this three-year programme develops practical acting skills, including work for stage and screen, alongside a rigorous academic grounding in international relations theory, foreign policy analysis, and global politics. You will develop your craft as a performer through workshops, rehearsals, and productions, while also engaging with the structures and processes of the international system. A sandwich year in industry, a year abroad, and a work placement are all built into the programme, giving you professional experience in both performance and more broadly professional contexts, and the year abroad deepens your experience of a different cultural and political environment.

Graduates from this combination pursue careers across a wide range of fields. Some build performance careers in theatre, television, or film, using the skills developed in the programme's acting strand. Others move into careers in international organisations, policy, journalism, NGOs, and government, where the understanding of global affairs developed in the international relations strand is directly applicable.

The combination of communication skills and analytical thinking is valued in many professional contexts, and the degree's unusual character is itself a distinguishing feature in competitive graduate markets.