Drama and Theatre Arts with Acting

Drama and theatre arts with acting is a degree that takes both the critical study of theatre as an art form and the practical craft of performance seriously, developing you as a thinking practitioner who can engage with theatre historically, theoretically, and on stage. Theatre is one of the oldest and most persistent forms of human communication, and studying it at degree level means asking what it does, how it has evolved across cultures and centuries, why certain plays, movements, and practitioners have mattered, and what acting itself demands of the people who do it.

At Goldsmiths, this three-year full-time programme combines the academic rigour for which the college is known with practical performance training, giving you experience of both the theoretical frameworks that illuminate what theatre means and the craft skills that allow you to make it. Goldsmiths has a long-standing reputation for innovative, critically engaged arts education, and its location in London means that the full range of British and international theatre is accessible as a resource throughout your degree. You will study dramatic texts across periods and traditions, engage with theatre history and theory, develop your understanding of directing, design, and dramaturgy, and work practically on acting and performance projects.

The combination of acting specialism with broader drama and theatre arts study is particularly useful for those who want to work in theatre in multiple capacities, understanding the form as a whole while developing specific performance skills.

Graduates of drama and theatre arts programmes go into acting, directing, theatre education and outreach, arts administration, stage management, dramaturgy, community arts, and roles across the creative industries, including film, television, audio drama, and digital media. Many also pursue postgraduate training at drama schools or through specialist performance programmes.