As a student at IDSA, you will delve deeply into a wide range of acting disciplines, and consolidate the skills and knowledge provided by our carefully curated curriculum. As each term builds on the next, you will advance in your understanding of each subject, with classes becoming increasingly demanding as you hone your craft.
During your terms devoted to styles and techniques, you will study four different disciplines. These are spread across all three terms throughout the year to ensure the balanced development of your skills. Please find below examples of some of the topics that we teach.
This is the craft of screen acting, which will focus on delivering truthful and realistic screen performances. The core of these classes will be practical work on film and television scripts, with constant reference to the technical knowledge needed to work in these fields. Every student will finish the module with an enhanced understanding of how to apply their skills to working on screen. When working online, you will use the webcam to look intensively at close-ups and mid shots, and scenes will be recorded and played back for analysis, with a particular focus on working in a subtle, close-up shot. When in-person, you will use our state of the art camera equipment for live recording and playback.
You will prepare audition pieces and perform them live as you would for a casting. With many employers now accepting only online submissions, working online will give you the skills to work in this new environment. Working with the latest scripts and casting sides, you will also record and submit self-tapes in the way that many castings now call for and will receive intensive and rigorous feedback in front of the class on how to improve this essential skill. In-person, you will learn the skills used in a live casting and can expect to carry out rigorous mock castings on both platforms.
An actor must be able to understand, break down, and analyse a script, at IDSA you will learn the skills to do this effectively, translating this into dynamic, exciting performances. During these modules, you will work intensively on scenes from contemporary texts. When working online, these classes will use TV and film scripts as a resource. As your IDSA course progresses, you will expand your ability to work on increasingly challenging texts. As with all classes at IDSA, these modules are highly practical and you can expect to perform in every lesson, receiving rigorous feedback and detailed notes from your tutors.
In these modules, you will develop the skills needed to work on radio plays, podcasts, and audiobooks. You will also learn how to respond to the unique challenges of working in this field, as well as developing an understanding of the practical and technical requirements of acting using your voice. This subject will primarily be offered to students training on IDSA Online.
This will involve intensive study and performance of monologues, and you will finish the module with an enhanced grasp of how to perform an active monologue in such a way that it reaches and affects a listener. You will have at least one working contemporary monologue by the end of the module, which will be very effective to use for future castings and auditions.
