Foundation in Stage and Screen (CertHE)
Six month course
Starting September 2025
A multi-faceted performing and visual arts curriculum allowing students to explore performance and technical disciplines.
Highlights
Explore the world of future tech for performance as both a performer and a technician.
The final performance module brings together all disciplines explored throughout the course, culminating in performances to young audiences on a schools tour.
Is this course for me?
Minimum age: 18
No academic requirements.
Overview
Applications for this course are now closed.
Tuition fees
2025/26 entry:
UK applicants: £9,275
International applicants: £18,900
Previous 2024/25 entry:
UK applicants: £9,000
International applicants: £18,000
Application fees
- £88 for US-based applicants for in-person auditions.
- £27.50 UCAS fee (for 6 choices) for UK & International applicants, plus £15 first-round audition fee. Recall fees to be confirmed.
Course dates
8 September 2025 – 2 April 2026
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About the course
Introducing our newly designed Foundation in Stage and Screen (CertHE) course.
Whether it’s acting, making, writing, film, screen, audio, virtual production, music theatre, movement theatre, directing or producing you are interested in – this course can be your springboard into the performing and technical arts. The course offers you the opportunity to experience first-hand the industry leading actor training at LAMDA, as well as expand your creative horizon in helping you identify who you want to be as an artist. It can act both as preparation for a degree or as a standalone course, providing the tools and connections to step into the creative industries.
Ever-evolving and responding to the current demands of a changing industry, this course focuses on you and what you want your creative identity to be. It helps you identify how you want to express yourself as an artist and it will empower you to trust your unique path, training the actors and artists of the future! You will connect with exciting theatre makers, virtual production and technical arts specialists and directors from across the UK and London, giving you an opportunity to make connections beyond LAMDA, as well as learn from LAMDA practitioners and alumni who are making their own work and will share their experiences as artists with you.
Every module has been conceived in collaboration with associated artists, LAMDA practitioners and LAMDA alumni. Our approach to the training is to create equitable, non-hierarchical and empowering rehearsal and production rooms in which it is safe to challenge each other, challenge pre-conceived ideas of what the responsibility of actors and creatives as artists and storytellers might be, whilst always championing accountability, professionalism and discipline within the ensemble.
Each module within the course will have its own structure, depending on the specialism you’ll be exploring. Throughout the intensive six months, you will receive core skills training in voice, acting, movement and music until you begin your final rehearsal to performance module.
Key Elements
Ensemble and Reflective Practice – Workshops in Ensemble, Resilience, Anti-Racism, Creative Access, Disability Confidence and Intimacy/Consent, introducing you to the ethos of a new theatre and rehearsal practice we champion at LAMDA.
Artist Development – Focuses upon the development of the personal and artistic skills necessary to navigate the training environment as a student of acting, in pursuit of further training and a career in the artistic industry. In respect of personal development, this involves building tools for the individual in wellbeing and resilience. Through facilitated discussion, research, exercises and reflection, you will increase your self-awareness and advance your ability to think critically and objectively about your artistic processes and about yourself holistically as a creative. This element is woven throughout every module on the course, aimed at de-mystifying the process of actor training and artistic creation, giving you creative agency in everything you do.
Voice – A grounding in the basics of voice training and text analysis through regular voice classes, allowing you to find your unique sound and empower you to find your voice.
Acting – An introduction to contemporary acting techniques, exercises and text analysis working on a variety of modern and set text, allowing you to explore a great range of approaches and encouraging you to identify which process works best for you. You will also build foundational skills in acting for Virtual Production. This includes performing on our LED Volume Sound Stage and Motion Capture studio.
Movement – An exploration of physical storytelling, movement techniques, dance, movement theatre and physical prep, allowing you to connect with your body and daring you to make bold choices, as you are challenged to tell stories through physical expression.
Music – Introducing creative musicianship and how storytelling through music and singing (both solo and as an ensemble) unlocks you as actors. Music taught on this course will focus on harmonising, devising music, singing as an ensemble, basic singing technique and an introduction to acting through song.
Technical and Virtual Production Arts – Introduction and foundational training in the technical production skills to stage, light, film, record and virtually produce performances. This includes our state-of-the-art future tech. You will have the opportunity to learn skills for the actor in performing on, running and using our LED Volume Sound Stage and Motion Capture studio for performance and film.
Modules
Expand the module titles below to take a closer look at what each module involves in detail.
What does it mean to train as an actor at LAMDA today? What does an ensemble built on trust and founded in equity feel like? What is the experience of working in rehearsal spaces that are safe, inclusive and creative? How do we step into the unknown together? What does the future of acting look like?
Every module of this course is based on these principles, encouraging you to work creatively from yourself and as a collective. As you go through a series of industry professional and practitioner-led workshops and projects and begin the journey of assembling your creative and technical tool kit, you will be challenged and inspired as you begin your skills training here at LAMDA in Acting, Voice, Movement, Singing, Music and Screen and Audio, a challenging and hugely exciting medium that is ever evolving. Our screen training is a world player in its interrogation of the relationship between actor and camera. We will provide you with hands-on experience alongside an individual, bespoke training that will allow you to truly bring yourself to the work, and through a single lens, speak to many. This last year has changed the landscape of casting, and the machine of the industry. This includes acting on an LED Volume stage and for Motion Capture. Aside from hands-on work on scenes and screen-acting techniques, you will also review and improve your self-taping skills, learn about film making and editing and audio.
We believe that actors are change makers, and we place amplification of the individuals artistic voice at the centre of our training every step of the way.
We need new stories, now more than ever. This is where you come in.
This exciting module creates the space, time and targeted experiences for you to develop your own artistic voice, unapologetically and with confidence. You’ll work with inspiring and ground-breaking theatre makers of today, who will guide you through the process of a devised project with hands-on tools for writing and theatre making. You will learn how to bring your own ideas to fruition, and gain knowledge of theatrical forms and devices in a series of masterclasses. You will share your work-in-progress pieces with each other, understand more about artist-led feedback, and you will begin to experience what it is like to create as part of an ensemble. This module culminates in an internal sharing of your solo-created pieces.
Classical text has formed the basis for actor training since... well, the birth of dramatic texts.
In a contemporary context we question what they have to say in the 21st century and where the modern classics are being born in new languages and new artists today. We understand that these great writers were the rebels and rule breakers of their day so we look to explore this also in our new global context of spoken work artists, poets and playwrights writing in heightened styles.
We offer you the opportunity to explore classical text through a contemporary lens, to engage with the playfulness in complex poetic dramatic texts: rhythm and rhyme, meter and verse, rhetoric and repetition, imagery and word play, and learn what we can bring to this language to bring it to life.
Physical expression and musicality of emotions live in almost everything we do.
Movement and music are powerful tools that help us tell the stories we want to tell, when words just aren’t enough. Train in the most exciting forms of contemporary movement theatre and become confident in non-verbal, playful expression through sessions in movement theatre and dance.
Learn how music can work as a storytelling device and begin to explore your singing voice and individual musical identity in an accessible, actor-driven way. This module will culminate in you telling a story as an ensemble, relying entirely on music and movement. You will also experience the basics of screen acting in a multi-platform way. Learn to love your relationship both in front of and behind the camera and to acquire skills in operating state of the art technology for film making. You will get creative with the digital and virtual production mediums by making your own short films and learning to operate and create performances using virtual production.
You have investigated, explored and tasted, pretty much every aspect around being a theatre artist today. Time to put the show on the road.
You will work with a project director to develop, produce and create a final performance piece drawing upon and utilising a chosen text. The culmination will be a Primary Schools Tour performance followed by a LAMDA in house sharing for family and friends and will demonstrate students' skills in technical theatre, devising, producing and being an ensemble and company member.
The company will take on all the roles required to bring a show to life, from producer, dramaturg, associate director, to stage manager, writer and company manager. The play will be rehearsed and performed by you, led by an exciting creative team of industry professionals. Using your newly learned techniques, you will explore what is it to create and perform a piece of theatre for a young audience.
Key Information & FAQs
This course provides a grounding and deepening of your core performance skills whilst providing in-depth holistic snapshots of different aspects of the performing arts. It empowers you to start identifying you path as an artist and will connect you with a creative community through collaboration and mentorship beyond LAMDA.
Evolved from traditional acting foundation courses, this CertHE Foundation in Stage and Screen course offers you the opportunity to explore numerous core aspects of the performing arts in five consecutive modules, with artist development always at its heart.
The modules encompass introduction to actor training, contemporary text and devising theatre, screen, classical acting, music/movement theatre and culminate in a rehearsal to performance module where you conceive a new play together as a company with a creative team.
During a busy and intensive timetable you will take classes in acting, movement theatre, voice, singing, screen acting, devising theatre and artist development – and apply your newly learned skills in a range of workshop productions and projects.
We know that not everyone has the luxury of taking the time for a full-time course. This is why this course offers you the best of both worlds with the rigour of a full time course and the flexibility to work alongside, with classes running 4 days per week.
Our Foundation in Stage and Screen is newly accredited as a Cert HE meaning UK and international students are now able to study on this course. Student Finance can also be applied to this course for both UK and international students too. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to discuss further.
You should be a fluent English speaker. Non-native speakers do not need to provide an English language test report when they apply, as we assess this at the auditions. However, you’ll need to provide a valid IELTS test report with an overall score of seven if you’re offered a place. We can only accept IELTS for UKVI.
LAMDA does not make conditional offers, or adjust entry requirements according to non-academic criteria.
Tuition Fees
Fees are reviewed annually.
2025/26 entry:
UK applicants: £9,275
International applicants: £18,900
Previous 2024/25 entry:
UK applicants: £9,000
International applicants: £18,000
Application fees
- £88 for US-based applicants for in-person auditions.
- £27.50 UCAS fee (for 6 choices) for UK & International applicants, plus £15 first-round audition fee. Recall fees to be confirmed.
If you’re interested in applying to two or more LAMDA courses, please let the Admissions team know by emailing [email protected]. There is no need to apply to more than one LAMDA course in your UCAS application choices.
Pathways Programme
If you are a member of our Pathways Programme, you are entitled to a free first-round audition. Applications are made directly to LAMDA and you do not need to apply through UCAS. You must apply to the Pathways Programme before applying to the course to receive your application fee waiver.
All teaching staff are experienced and active industry professionals, many of them core teaching staff at LAMDA. You will also be working with artists, writers and directors who will act as mentors throughout your time at LAMDA – plus there will be opportunities to work with our LAMDA alumni ambassadors to give you a hands-on glimpse of what life in the performing arts feels like.
This is a full-time course. You can expect to be busy on campus for 24 hrs a week which will consist of tutor-led sessions and student-led group work. Your timetabled week runs 4 days per week.
You will also be busy with reading and watching plays, as well as class-specific research and independent creative tasks set by your teachers and workshop leaders in your own time.
Like the BA (Hons), MA and MFA courses at LAMDA, this Certificate of Higher Education course will be validated and therefore accredited by LAMDA as an awarding body.
As a graduate of this course, you will be equipped to pursue a range of careers in the dramatic arts, including but not limited to professional acting, writing, directing, theatre-making and producing.
This course will prepare you to step into the creative industries with more confidence and self-assurance as an actor and artist, whether you go on to work in the industry, start your own theatre company, or go on to train or study on a degree.
You'll be able to join our alumni community on our social platform LAMDA Connect after completing the course.
Further Resources
Find out more information about the application process, training at LAMDA and funding on our website. Sign up to our emails to keep up to date with the latest news and events.
