One Year Acting Course

This is a dynamic and intensive course that takes place across four terms in a full calendar year. It is designed for those who already have some experience in the performing arts and who can discover and realise their potential as a creative artist over a year of training. You will be taught in group classes, developing your professionalism, collaboration and technical skill through ensemble learning and individual tutorials.

We expect you to be bold and fearless in your willingness to understand yourself and be
prepared to be open and curious whilst experimenting with new methods of working.
Throughout your training you will have opportunities to collaborate with leading directors, writers and producers.

The year culminates in London where you will perform in London venues to the public and to an invited industry audience. On completion of the course, you will be awarded Equity membership.

Graduates of this course include Lizzie Annis, Babou Ceesay, Jude Owusu, Claire Foy and Richard Gadd.

What does this course offer you?

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for the student who has had some experience in the performing arts and who can reach their potential as a creative artist over a year of intensive training.

How can you fund your training?

There is government funding available for students who are accepted on to this course. The Dance and Drama Awards Scheme and Advanced Learner Loans will support both course fees and living costs. 

We have two School Bursaries for the One Year Course and additional bursaries are also available. 

One Year Acting Course Content

Throughout the course you will have contact with, and feedback from, people working in the industry including Theatre and Film Directors, Casting Directors and Agents as well as graduates of the School who are working across the performing arts.

The first term is a thorough exploration of the basic principles of acting alongside work on freeing the voice and gaining confidence in your physical expression. 

Our tutors are all specialists in their field and draw from the approaches and techniques of Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, Michael Chekhov, Linklater, Laban and Lecoq among others.

You will develop confidence in your imaginative skills through improvisation and the playful exploration of your physicality.

During this term you start to develop your knowledge of the performing arts industries through tutor-led group research and talks with leading practitioners, including graduates of the School.

In this term, you will be fully immersed in all aspects of the theatre rehearsal room in preparation for a full-scale performance in front of students and tutors at the School.

You will start working with a writer and director on a new theatre commission. This will be through a series of workshops to develop the script in collaboration with your year group. You will be rehearsing and performing this new work in London in September. This is the start of an extraordinary experience to be part of the creation of a new piece of work.

You will continue to work through the Linklater progression to create a deeper connection between breath, voice and text. You will build confidence and skill in your physical life and you will be encouraged to be open, playful and imaginative within the movement curriculum.

Acting through Song will support you in applying vocal technique to a piece of music and you will have the opportunity to use your performance skills in presenting a song to your peers at the School.

In this term, you will be introduced to screen work and you will become familiar with working on a set through mock shoots that prepare you for filming a series of short films in the following term. Preparing you for the industry continues in this term with workshops to give you guidance on all aspects of life as a professional actor as well as with mock castings and auditions for theatre and screen work.

At the end of this term you will have worked on your microphone technique and recorded a personal audio show reel in a professional recording studio.

You will perform in two theatre productions in this term including a full scale public production at the North Wall Arts Centre in Oxford with a full design team.

At the other end of the scale you will be given the opportunity to exercise your creativity by directing and producing a piece of theatre within the student year group to share with students and tutors. Clown presentations will further develop your ability to be open and playful with an audience.

You will build your professional knowledge by meeting bodies such as Equity and Spotlight, exploring the role of agents and casting directors and developing your business awareness. You will also showcase and develop your skills by performing in a professionally directed and edited short film shot on location. You will have further opportunity to build your ability to tell a narrative through song through ensemble and individual song work across a range of musical genres.

This term takes place in London and marks your transition into the industry.

You will be in the rehearsal room working on a new play with the writer and director for performances at a London venue. This will be followed by an intensive rehearsal for your Showcase performance to agents, casting directors and other key industry professionals.

A series of masterclasses and mock casting sessions with directors from theatre and film will develop your skills and experience of working with professionals in the industry.

The Oxford School of Drama

Qualification

This course is validated by Trinity College London and regulated by Ofqual.

It is Level 5 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework.

Equity membership is awarded to all students who complete this course.

The Oxford School of Drama

Directors who have recently worked with students in their final term include:

Writers who have been commissioned to write for students on the One Year Course include:

Graduates from the One Year Acting Course include:

In recent years graduates of The Oxford School of Drama have secured their first acting jobs with employers such as Netflix, HBO, BBC, Sky, ITV and BBC Radio and on stage in the West End and for The National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Hampstead Theatre, English Touring Theatre, Royal Court, Chichester Festival Theatre, Theatre Centre, Half Moon Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Glasgow Citizens Theatre and Eastern Angles.

Course Videos

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One Year Film 2021

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One Year Film 2022

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One Year Film Trailer 2023

Student reviews

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