Performing Arts Foundation Diploma
Overview
Minimum age
18
Academic requirements
None
Course length
6 months
Tuition fees
For academic year 2023/24: £11.050
Tuition fees are reviewed annually
Application fees
First round audition £15
Recall audition £24
Find out if you qualify for audition fee waivers here.
Application deadline
Saturday 1 July 2023 at 3pm [UK, BST]
Admission process
Application, self tape first round audition and (if successful) in-person recall audition between May-July 2023.
Course dates & times
Monday 2 October 2023 - Thursday 28 March 2024. This course runs 4 days of the week.
Applications for this course have now closed.
About the course
Introducing our newly designed Performing Arts Foundation Diploma Course.
Whether it’s acting, making, writing, film, music theatre, movement theatre, directing or producing you are interested in – this course can be your springboard into the performing 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 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 rooms in which it is safe to challenge each other, challenge pre-conceived ideas of what the responsibility of actors 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, Critical Response Process, and Intimacy/Consent will introduce you to the ethos of a new theatre and rehearsal practice we champion at LAMDA
Artist Development – Devising theatre, making your own work, writing from self, exploring the full range of your creative abilities – this element is woven throughout every module on the course, aimed to de-mystify the process of actor training and artistic creation and 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
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 sond.
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?
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 tool kit, you will be challenged and inspired as you begin your skills training here at LAMDA.
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 theatremakers 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 get to know exciting theatre makers 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.
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.
Experience the basics of screen acting in a multi-platform way and learn to love your relationship with the camera. 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 get creative with the digital medium by making your own short film.
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. A revolutionary and relevant way to embody and understand classical acting today.
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 clowning, buffon, 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 have investigated, explored and tasted, pretty much every aspect around being a theatre artist today. Time to put the show on the road. The final Rehearsal to performance module will see you conceive an entirely new play, from start to finish. 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. A new play will be conceived, rehearsed and performed by you, led by an exciting creative team of industry professionals. Using your newly learned techniques, you will conceive a relevant play for today as a company, culminating in two project sharings in a LAMDA studio.
Key information
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 Performing Arts Foundation Diploma offers you the opportunity to explore numerous core aspects of the performing arts in six 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.
You need to be a fluent English speaker to apply for this course.
Due to Visa restrictions, we can only accept UK applicants onto the Foundation diploma.
Tuition fees
For academic year 2023/24: £11.050
Tuition fees are reviewed annually
Funding
There is no UK government funding available for this course. If you're thinking of applying, you will need to be self-financing.
However, each year we award a full tuition fee scholarship to one student on the Foundation Diploma. There is no application process – if you are chosen to receive this scholarship, we will let you know when we offer you a place on the course.
Your future career
As a graduate of this Performing Arts Foundation 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 and Performing Arts Foundation Diploma Group on our social platform LAMDA Connect after completing the course.
FAQs
You can read more frequently asked questions about studying at LAMDA here.
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.
The diploma is awarded by LAMDA. The course does not carry any HE credits or UCAS points.
