Acting and Performance

Acting and performance is a discipline concerned with the craft of inhabiting characters and creating live theatrical experiences for audiences, and with the rigorous technical and imaginative training that makes that craft possible. The conservatoire tradition of actor training, which this two-year programme at Queen Margaret University draws on, emphasises the development of voice, body, imagination and emotional intelligence as the foundations of professional performance, alongside the interpretive and collaborative skills that working in professional theatre and screen demands.

At Queen Margaret University Edinburgh, this two-year BA programme is designed specifically for entrants from college, building on prior performance training with a rich and varied curriculum that provides distinctive actor training in the conservatoire tradition, as the university describes. The programme is intensive and practical, developing your vocal and physical range, your ability to analyse and inhabit scripts and characters, and your skill in working with directors, fellow actors and production teams. You will work across a range of performance contexts and styles, building the versatility and professional confidence that theatre and screen careers require.

Edinburgh's vibrant arts culture, including its role as one of the world's great festival cities, provides an exceptionally stimulating context in which to develop as a performer.

Conservatoire-style training prioritises doing over theorising, and the degree is built around studio work, rehearsal, performance and the direct development of craft under the guidance of experienced practitioners.

Graduates go on to careers in professional theatre, television, film, radio, community theatre, applied theatre, arts education and the wider creative industries. Further professional development through additional training, short courses and continued practical experience is the typical trajectory for professional performers.