MFA Classical Acting: Performance & Practice (Top-Up) (By Distance Learning)

Designed specifically for working professionals and international practitioners, the MFA in Classical Acting: Performance & Practice (Top-Up) (By Distance Learning) offers the perfect balance between personalised teaching and flexibility, enabling you to balance study with family and professional responsibilities. Study part-time from anywhere in the world and join a global community of artists and educators.

This year-long, part-time course is taught through online tutor-led seminars, workshops, lectures, as well as self-directed study. You will benefit from unlimited access to LAMDA’s virtual learning environment and ongoing support from highly-experienced tutors.

LAMDA’s MFA qualification is particularly valuable for applicants from the United States and other international contexts, equipping graduates with core skills to teach not only in higher education but also across a wide range of educational, professional, and community settings.

By joining the MFA Classical Acting (Top-Up) (By Distance Learning), you will join a diverse learning community in a journey of exploration, discovery and professional growth. Students have opportunities for social learning and collaborative work, supported by peers and tutors. You will have the freedom to shape your teaching identity, refine your creative voice and bring your vision to life through your ‘new classics’ project, engaging with emerging practice and possibilities in contemporary theatre.  

The course comprises 2 modules.

Pedagogies of Performance is taught in Term 1 and concludes at start of Term 2.  New Classics is taught in the latter part of Term 2 and concludes in Term 3.

You will need to hold LAMDA’s MA Classical Acting for the Professional Theatre dating from the year 2013 or after. Alumni who were awarded other qualifications or who completed prior to this date will unfortunately not be eligible. 

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 for the MA Classical Acting programme. However, you’ll need to provide a valid IELTS test report with an overall score of 7 if you’re offered a place. We can only accept IELTS for UKVI.

Tuition fees
Tuition fees are reviewed annually.

2026/27 entry:
UK students: £9,007
International students: £9,007

​​​​​Course fees confirmed in an offer letter may be increased in further years of study by an inflationary amount determined in accordance with measures set by government.

The course can be taken online from anywhere in the world, offering flexibility and time for self-led exploration and study.

Students’ progress on the course is supported informally through ongoing feedback, tutorials and reflective exercises that prepare you for your final assessments. Each module has its own set of expectations, which will be clearly outlined to you as you go. 

Pedagogies of Performance is assessed by a portfolio, drawing upon your experiences in the intellectual and practical processes of pedagogy. New Classics is assessed through a project in the creative processes and act of adaptation.

The Syllabus in Practice element is assessed separately by LAMDA Examinations staff, and the assessment does not contribute to the MFA degree outcome. 

As this top-up course will be almost exclusively for former students, there will be no formal audition or interview process. However, we will require a short personal statement which will cover the following: 

• What have you been doing since graduating from LAMDA? 
• Why would you like to study on this course? 
• How do you foresee it aiding you in your future endeavours? 

This personal statement can be written, a video recording or an audio recording. It should be approximately 500 words long.