Acting

Acting for screen and digital media is a form of performance that differs in important ways from stage acting. The camera catches what the stage cannot, rewarding naturalism, subtlety and an inner life that reads in close-up but without the projection that theatre demands. Digital platforms have multiplied the contexts in which screen performance reaches audiences, from streaming drama to interactive formats, audio drama and motion capture in video games and animation.

Training in this field means developing a versatile performer who can inhabit characters convincingly across all these different forms.

At LIPA, this three-year full-time programme develops a diverse set of performance skills across television, film, online content, voice for audio drama and motion capture. You will train as an actor, developing technique, character building, script analysis and the specific skills of working to camera. Alongside performance, you will also develop skills off-camera, working as a writer, director and producer, which gives you a much fuller understanding of the creative process and the contexts in which screen actors work.

LIPA's strong connections to the professional performing arts industry mean the programme is taught by practitioners with real-world experience, and graduates benefit from a school that takes employability seriously.

The digital component reflects the realities of contemporary screen performance, where actors increasingly work across formats that did not exist a generation ago, including podcasts, games, virtual reality and web series.

Graduates pursue careers in television, film, audio drama and the digital creative industries, working as actors, voice artists and motion capture performers. Some move into writing, directing or producing, using the off-camera skills developed during the degree. Others work in theatre alongside screen work, building the portfolio careers that are typical in the performing arts.