MFA Professional Acting

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School – Operating on two specialist teaching sites (Downside Road and Christchurch Studios) and performing in the major producing theatre venues in Bristol.

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is an associate school of the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), a Higher Education Provider registered with the Office for Students. On successful completion of this course, you will receive an award from UWE Bristol. Because of their vocational nature, BOVTS does not award degree classifications – all assessment is completed on a pass or fail basis.

PLEASE NOTE:

The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School has been approved for the US Federal Student Loan programme.

Further details on options for funding and loans for US students studying in the UK can be found here.

Consumer Information:

Completion/Graduation Rates
Retention rates
Placements and Types of Employment
Crime Rates
Withdrawing and Return of Title IV Policy – please see above
Refund policy – please see above
Drug policy – please see General Information handbook above. Also please see UWE policies page for specific Intellectual Property Policy (which includes copyright infringement) and a Student Alcohol and Drug Policy. You can access all UWE policies here.
Freedom of Information Act –
“The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities. It does this in two ways:
public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities;
and
members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities.”

Source: Information Commissioner’s Office

Please click here for further information on the act.

Loan Terms and Repayment Schedules Subsidised and Unsubsidised Loans and Grad Plus Loans – please see above
Academic Programmes Available at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School are currently only Graduate programmes
Degree accreditation
Code of conduct – please see above
Text Book Information: Indicative basic reading lists can be found under the full module specifications
Net Price Calculator: The net price of your tuition fees is the price stated on the postgraduate table of fees. The cost of living including your tuition fees and conversion to US dollars is by use of the University’s ‌ which you can download and complete.
National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)
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Federal Copyright law does not apply in the UK. However the UK is covered by its own Copyright law.
Privacy of Student Records – Data Protection – please see above

Student Loan Information Published by Federal Student Aid and studentloans.gov

Gainful employment disclosures

All non-degree educational programmes are referred to as Gainful Employment (GE) programmes. New US Department of Education regulations require institutions to inform current and prospective students of their prospects for ‘gainful employment’ when receiving federal financial aid for non-degree programs such as certificates and diplomas.

It is important to note that at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Title IV Federal Loans are awarded to degree-seeking students only. However, University regulations stipulate that if a degree-seeking student terminates their programme early, they may receive an ‘exit award’ in the form of a certificate or diploma if they have fulfilled the appropriate credit requirements.

Contact Details

Queries relating to your Direct Federal Loans application with Bristol Old Vic Theatre School can be sent to:

• Phone: +44 117 9809252
• Email: [email protected]

You may find the UK Visas and Immigration and UKCISA websites useful.

Please note: this course is only open to those who are NOT ordinarily resident in the UK. This course is ONLY open for international applications, which includes EU students. Permanent Irish residents are classified as ‘home’ student status as a result of the Common Travel Area agreement and are therefore not eligible for this course.

Applicants would normally be expected to have an honours degree in a related subject area such as Drama, Acting, Theatre Studies or Performance Studies. However applicants with extensive relevant professional experience will also be considered.

If English is not your first language, you will need to demonstrate English language proficiency through a relevant qualification, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which can also be used to satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requirements. For MFA Professional Acting, an overall score of 7.0 is normally required, with a minimum of 7.0 in reading, 6.0 in writing, 7.0 in listening and 7.0 in speaking.

Applicants will be auditioned by two practitioners, at least one of which will either be a senior member of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Acting staff or a practitioner of high standing in the industry.

In addition auditions will be video recorded for final selection by senior members of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Acting staff. At audition, applicants will need to demonstrate a good standard of acting, both in terms of preparation and ability to take direction.

Applicants will be given an opportunity to ask questions about the programme as part of the audition session, as well as via internet or phone contact.

This module map provides a list of the modules that make up your course.

Each module is worth a specified number of credits: All modules are compulsory, enabling you to cover key subject knowledge while developing your own interests.

• Module Number: UATALA-40-M Module Name: The Actor’s Instrument (40 credits)
• Module Number: UATALB-30-M Module Name: Applied Movement and the Classical Tradition (30 credits)
• Module Number: UATALC-40-M Module Name: Text and Context (40 credits)
• Module Number: UATALD-30-M Module Name: Performance (30 credits)
• Module Number: UATALE-40-M Module Name: Professional Portfolio (40 credits)

Optional Modules: There are no optional modules.

Award: MFA Professional Acting (for international students)

Credit requirements: Total 180 credits from the above modules at level M.

The course is practical and career focused.

It is integrated with the school’s other courses during productions, as well as within the professional environment, as some performances take place in local professional theatres.

The course features a high level of one-to-one teaching by specialist professionals and work is realised for professional standard performances.

The learning is immersive and singular in its focus, with high level specialist professional employability as a main learning outcome.

Students are taught supervised by teaching staff at least 30 hours per week across the 40 weeks of the programme.

Students will normally spend on average 10 hours per week in independent study

Students will normally be in class Monday – Friday between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm.

There are up to fourteen students accepted to this course per academic year.

Academic and Student Support

The School is committed to selecting, training and supporting students, regardless of ethnicity, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation or religion. Applicants are chosen solely on the basis of their talent and potential to develop the skills required for their chosen profession. The School does, however, judge applicants on their suitability for a course and their potential to successfully complete the training, as the work is rigorous and requires high levels of energy and commitment.

Student Support on the programmes at the School covers a variety of areas such as support for disabled students, academic support, student finance and health and welfare. Julia Heeley, Student Support Manager, is able to answer queries about support available for disabled applicants/students. Her email address is [email protected] and she can also be reached by telephone on 0117 980 9247.

Our Academic and Student Support services team provides help in the following areas:

Support for students with disabilities including specific learning difficulties

In our admissions process, we are committed to supporting students with disabilities. Disabled students are encouraged to disclose their support requirements so that we can endeavour to meet them during the audition or interview process and subsequent training. The School welcomes all students regardless of disability. It is our aim to provide appropriate support so that all students are able to achieve their full potential.

Students with a disability will be provided with advice and support from the Student Support Manager. If you have a disability or specific learning difficulty we recommend you contact her either prior to starting your course or during your first few weeks at the School to discuss any support requirements you may have. This may include support resulting from disabilities such as sensory impairment, learning difficulties such as dyslexia or dyspraxia or mental health difficulties.

We recognise that everyone is an individual and we will work with students to identify potential barriers to training and do what we can to remove those barriers. We will also make any necessary reasonable adjustments, to ensure that disabled students can train at the School.

Quickscan screening

We are aware that nationally there is a very high proportion of students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) e.g. dyslexia or dyspraxia, in institutions which specialise in art, design or the performing arts. During your first week, the School encourages all students to take a short questionnaire known as QuickScan. It takes the form of an on-line, easy to navigate, questionnaire which will help to identify your learning style and specific areas of learning strengths and weaknesses. It is used in conjunction with other indicators, including student disclosure (as part of the interview and registration process), tutor feedback on practical and written work, and students expressing their concerns and any support requirements which may become apparent during their studies.

Disabled Student Allowance (DSA)
UK students with disabilities (including Specific Learning Difficulties and long-term Mental Health conditions) can apply for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). DSA usually provides support for students with the specialist equipment and tools necessary to support you with your studies, including software, hardware and study skills support. Unlike a student loan, DSA does not have to be repaid. However, it is rarely awarded in the form of financial support.

Applications are made through Student Finance England (SFE), Student Finance Wales (SFW), or Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). In order to apply for DSA, Student Finance will require evidence of any impairment or disability. This may take the form of a doctor’s or specialist’s letter or, more often, a report from an Educational Psychologist (Diagnostic Assessment Report).

If you require a Diagnostic Assessment from an Educational Psychologist, the Student Support Manager can arrange this for you and can guide you through the process.

Personal Academic Support

Various staff members at the School can help in different ways if you need academic support. If you need help with the content of classes or assessment work, you can ask the relevant head of course, tutor or your pastoral care tutor for an appointment or you can ask the Student Support Manager to arrange a tutorial with the relevant member of staff on your behalf. If you make an appointment, you can prepare for the meeting and discuss your concerns away from class. Heads of courses, modules leaders and individual tutors can all help you with understanding aspects of your training and can offer overall guidance or advice about your programme of study.

Study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills)

Study skills support is usually arranged for students who have been awarded support through Disabled Student Allowance (DSA). However, the Student Support Manager will be happy to arrange one to one study skills support for you if deemed appropriate and necessary.

Mental Health, wellbeing and counselling

BOVTS recognises the challenges faced by students entering higher education and that training in a conservatoire institution can place great demands on a student both physically and emotionally.

The School has a student therapy and counselling service, which is organised and staffed by accredited, registered psychotherapists and counsellors and is there to help with any more deep-seated personal problems on which pastoral tutors are not qualified to advise. If students wish to have an initial assessment with a therapist or counsellor, they should contact the School’s Student Support Manager. A strict professional code of confidentiality is always maintained.

Student welfare and pastoral care

We actively encourage students to develop a pro-active and positive approach to their own ‘wellness’. We are preparing professionals to enter physically and mentally challenging professions and we work to enable students to sustain a physically and mentally healthy lifestyle.

Every student is assigned a pastoral tutor who monitors their progress throughout the year in addition to having access to the Student Support Manager. All students have tutorials with their head of course, head of year or allocated pastoral care tutor in which non-teaching issues can be discussed. A confidential tutorial can be requested of any member of the full-time teaching staff on your course.

In addition, BOVTS students have access to UWE’s Student Wellbeing Service, details of which can be found on UWE Bristol’s website.

For further information on support which the School offers, please see the Guide to Student Support.

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course.

The team includes senior academics, Head of Acting Courses, Artistic Director, Head of Acting, Head of Voice, Head of Music and Singing, Head of Movement and other Acting Tutors and visiting specialist professionals.

You can learn more about our staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Students are assessed through ongoing monitoring, analysis and feedback on their classes, workshops, rehearsal processes and performance skills and through the assimilation of the guidance and informed judgements of an extensive range of internal and external professional practitioners and potential employers.

Assessment also focuses on the development of self-reliance, intellectual and emotional engagement and initiative in creating growth.

Students are assessed on their professional practice on a pass or fail basis.

Judgements about students’ performance are made against the relevant industry standards.

The UWE qualifications are awarded as non-classified/non-differentiated.

This programme is open to international applicants, including those from the EU. Auditions for this course are held virtually over Zoom or Google.

Each audition normally lasts between twenty-five and forty-five minutes

At your audition, you will be required to present:

• A speech from a classical English play (written before 1800 – Elizabethan, Jacobean, Restoration or Eighteenth Century – Shakespeare is always appropriate).
• A piece in prose from a modern play (written in the 20th or 21st Centuries).
• A short, unaccompanied song – we suggest avoiding contemporary pop songs.

Each piece should last no longer than two minutes; if you exceed this time limit you may be stopped. For the song, you may wish to perform a verse and chorus from your chosen piece.

There is a £25 audition fee for this course

How to apply

All applications for degree courses at BOVTS are made directly to the School. Please note that the School no longer uses the UCAS system. Applications for 2023 entry will be open from September 2022.

Application for 2023 entry will close on 28 February 2023.

Applying as an international student and Visa requirements

The application process for international students is the same as it is for everyone else.

As well as meeting our course entry requirements, you may have to provide proof of your level of English. This is because you need to meet the Home Office required standards to get a Student Route Visa to enter the country for study.

You can find out about Student Route Visa from the UK Government.

Applying after a break in studying

The application process is the same as it is for everyone else. You will have the option within your personal statement to explain why you have chosen to return to study now and how you feel you will benefit.

We accept a variety of qualifications, including the Access to HE Diploma and Open University credits. View our course pages to find out about entry requirements for each course. If you are a mature student and you have any questions about our entry requirements or your qualifications email [email protected]

Equal opportunities

The School is committed to the promotion of equal opportunities for all. We consider each application on the basis of the applicant’s suitability for the proposed programme of study, at the same time acknowledging the statutory and professional requirements of some programmes. We are keen to encourage applicants from a wide range of academic and social backgrounds to take up the opportunity of studying at the School. We aim to create an environment that respects the diversity of students and enables them to derive maximum benefit and enjoyment from their involvement in the life of the School. To do this we will be proactive about ensuring people are treated fairly regardless of age, disability, race, nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

Application enquiries

The Admissions Office deals with enquiries and applications for all degree courses.

Telephone: +44 (0)117 9733535

Email : [email protected]

Post: Admissions Office, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, 1-2 Downside Road, Bristol BS8 2XF, UK

Application regulations

We will only accept one application per applicant, per year. You cannot apply for more than one course. If you need further advice about choosing a course, please contact the Admissions Office.