Today, stage and screen acting careers have seen actors coming from different walks of life, and especially with different types of acting training. Some have gone through rigorous drama school training, while others have taken short courses like those from the below six best London Summer Schools for acting.
Training is vital for actors to continuously improve their skills, meet like minded people, attract the attention from the best acting agencies and of course network with the industry professionals.
Most of the time, it’s not the school but rather consistent improvement and hard work that matters the most to become a great actor. Even if you haven’t gone to any of the top drama schools, having some type of training under your belt will improve your chances of being successful.
In this post, we’ll list six best London summer schools for acting and the training from these places will benefit any actor. Summer is still far away, but right now is the time to start thinking about how you’re going to spend your summer as an actor: training, working or relaxing?
Shakespeare Summer Acting Courses
Shakespeare has long been considered the foundation for all beginning actors. And where better to learn the art of Shakespeare than in London, where many of the playwrights’ works were performed?
The history of Shakespearean theatre in London spans for centuries and some of our theatres date back centuries. We even rebuilt Shakespeare’s famous Globe Theatre in 1994, now renamed to Gielgud Theatre, that originally dated back to 1599 and now it’s a national landmark.
Below are two best London summer schools to study and perform Shakespeare.
Shakespeare Summer School
Royal Central School for Speech and Drama
- Website: http://www.cssd.ac.uk
Contact: [email protected]- Course Fee: £895 (Concession: £805)
When: The course takes place over two weeks, usually in July. You must prepare a Shakespearean monologue prior to the course start date.
Why choose this course?
The CSSD is accredited with the University of London, increasing its prestigious status as a centre of excellence for study.
The course itself from their Shakespeare Summer School is divided into two parts. First, you are taught how to deal with the challenges of Shakespearean texts. Then, you work towards critical interpretation of the plays in order to explore the kinds of choices available to you as an actor.
You also attend two productions of Shakespeare plays that are currently playing in London, giving you the opportunity not only to see the professionals in action but also to engage with London theatre culture.
International Actors Fellowship
Shakespeare’s Globe
- Website: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com
Contact: [email protected]- Course Fee: £2500
When: The fellowship runs every other year and often takes place in September/October for three weeks, full-time. The next call for applications is usually in December for the following year’s fellowship.
Why choose this course?
This course from Shakespare’s Globe is geared towards those with experience and passion for Shakespeare and is focussed on professional development.
The course aims to select applicants from across the globe and encourages peer-to-peer learning in order to gain knowledge about how Shakespeare is interpreted in other cultures. Due to the limited places, it is a prestigious course that is likely to bring future rewards.
As well as engaging with traditional Shakespearean performance, you also have the opportunity to explore modern interpretations and learn about the role of live sound at the Globe through musical and vocal workshops. There is also private coaching as well as group workshops and performance at the end for an invited audience.
Film and TV Summer Acting Courses
Film and TV acting is different to Shakespearen theatre, and many aspiring actors choose to pursue a career in this area. There are a lot of London summer school acting courses out there for those aspiring to be in film and TV. The amount of courses means that it can be a little overwhelming when trying to choose the right acting class for you.
Below are the four London acting summer schools that have something special to offer, from a showreel at the end to training in a working studio. Each course has its own unique selling point.
London Academy of Media
- Website: https://www.media-courses.com
Contact: [email protected] - Course Fee: Various. A one day course costs £195, weekly classes for 8 weeks costs £360 and a 5 day acting masterclass will cost £749
When: Courses run throughout the year. There’s a class for different days, evenings and weekends.
Why choose this course?
London Academy of Media offer short courses throughout the year at various times, not just in the summer which means you have more flexibility to fit the course into your schedule. They are one of the leading providers of film and TV acting courses and offer a wide variety of screen acting training.
As a recognised learning provider by the UK government, your course is also a fully valid qualification and on completion, you are awarded an industry recognised London Academy Diploma. In addition, you also get a new acting showreel, perfect for showing agents and producers.
London Academy of Media also have thousands of reviews on each course on their website, so you can see for yourself how good they are and also choose a course that’s right for you.
Key points from what previous students say:
- Previous students have praised the quality of the tutors and the overall learning experience at the London Academy
- Great for confidence-building
- Excellent opportunity to work with and learn from experienced actors who are currently working themselves
Unique selling point: You are awarded an industry recognised Diploma and an acting showreel on completion. Even though a diploma isn’t at all necessary to pursue acting, it’s still always nice to receive some official acknowledgement of completion.
Met Film School
- Website: http://www.metfilmschool.ac.uk
Contact: [email protected]- Course Fee: Various. A three week course will cost around £2000 and the two day introduction will cost £300.
When: Courses are offered throughout the year. Visit their website to find whichever and whenever suits you best.
Why choose this course?
The Met Film School offers something special because they are located in an active film studio. As well as this, they are also part of the Met Film Group, a leading post-production business. They offer different levels of study within their short courses on acting to suit different stages of professional development.
If you want to test the waters before fully committing to a lengthy and intensive course and learn what being an actor is about, they offer a weekend introduction to acting course. You can also do the same courses on a part-time basis offering greater flexibility. In addition, the Met offer behind the scenes courses such as editing, screenwriting and documentary filmmaking.
Unique selling point: You can do the courses part time and the introductory course is great to test the waters.
The Actor’s Studio
- Website: http://www.actorsstudio.co.uk
Contact: [email protected]- Course Fee: Various. It will cost £699 for the five day course and £399 for the weekly classes but they also offer payment plans (note these will incur an admin charge of £30)
When: They take place throughout the year. Please visit their site to see all the offerings the school has.
Why choose this course?
Established through Pinewood Studios, The Actor’s Studio acting school has a lot to offer. It specifically stands out for its networking courses and is located at Pinewood Studios and Central London.
There are plenty of short courses to choose from including Introduction to Screen Acting. This course is a five-day intensive course, and also includes a showreel at the end to show to potential acting agents and producers.
The content is built around learning how to improve your skills in front of the camera. You will spend as much time in front of the camera as possible and work with a director building up to two days of real filming which will then be edited and graded. For a longer commitment, there are longer courses taking place over five weeks at levels one and two.
The Actor’s Studio also offer Bespoke Showreels as well which include a pre-shoot meeting and access to their huge database of scripts.
Unique selling point: Great for getting experience and feedback for on-camera performances plus a showreel at the end of the course.
The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA)
- Website: http://alra.co.uk
Contact: [email protected]- Course Fee: £3020 per term for the 15 month diploma.
When: September only, normally.
Why choose this course?
ALRA boasts some famous alumni in stand up, film and stage, such as Jimmy Akinbola, star of Arrow. There are plenty of courses on offer, including a 15-month diploma in acting. There is a strong focus in all the courses on what is required of the modern day actor developing your skills and technique to suit different audiences for greater employ-ability.
The 15-month course is highly intense but very rewarding. You will cover Camera and Radio acting, Shakespeare, Chekhov and contemporary writers as well as complex learning on voice, dancing, movement, voice overs and contextualization. This is the place to come for a longer term commitment but much shorter acting courses are also offered.
Unique selling point: Focused on the realities of acting and tailored to modern actor’s and acting industry’s requirements.
