BA (Hons) — 2025 entry Actor-Musician

This module is the start of the study of acting for the Actor-Musician student at GSA. In weekly acting technique sessions, students develop their knowledge and practice of a range of acting techniques. Then through further weekly practical workshop sessions, students develop their approach to working as part of an ensemble through five discrete creative projects across the year covering a range of performance styles and settings. Drawing on texts and performance practices from across the world and across the centuries, students will develop their global, social, historical, and cultural awareness, share experiences and knowledge from their own backgrounds and cultures,¿and appreciate, recognise and interpret diverse perspectives while developing their spontaneity, imagination and creativity. Throughout this module, students are encouraged to maintain a reflective and research journal which will be the basis of a piece of writing at the end of the year.

In this module, students will develop their solo and ensemble instrumental skills, as well as skills in creating digital media. Weekly practical classes are designed to allow students to develop their approaches and techniques for group rehearsal and individual practice while developing technical ability in their primary and secondary instruments. Material is chosen from a wide range of musical styles and genres, and integration of singing to the musicianship is started here. Alongside this, sessions in a computer lab introduce students to the skills and approaches needed to create digital music and audio in a variety of contexts. There is a strong focus in this module on individual work and preparation in this module so that each student can develop their own approaches to personal practice which will lead to greater confidence in contributing to group music making and collaborating with others.

This module is designed to equip students with a solid grasp of fundamental techniques in delivering spoken and sung text in theatre, and developing the skills to sustain safe and consistent vocal practices in theatrical and other performance contexts. Weekly practical voice and singing classes are designed to explore the anatomy of voice and how to use the voice in differing styles and genres, and using the authentic voices as well as a range of accents and voice qualities. The sessions are designed to help students develop safe, secure and consistent technical skills to support their other work during their training, and to support students secure and sustain future employment as actor-musicians.

In this module, students are introduced to and guided in developing a strong foundation in a variety of dance and movement disciplines and styles. Weekly practical classes are designed so that students can develop safe, secure, and consistent technical skills required in both their training and future employment as actor-musicians. As they explore different dance and movement styles, students are encouraged to connect with their individual physicality and discover how to use this physical language in a wide range of theatrical storytelling contexts while being faithful to style. The dance and movement teams ensure that each class is taught from an inclusive perspective to understand the cultural, physical, social and personal differences of learners.

In this module, students continue to develop the core skills of dance, movement and voice. Weekly practical classes are designed so that students continue to strengthen their technical skills and building on consistency, safe and healthy practices, and breadth and depth of styles. While continuing to exploring their authentic physical and vocal selves, the students are encouraged to embrace new and challenging areas of the skill areas building on the fundamental skills developed at level 4.

This module is designed to further develop the student's singing and music skills whilst also exploring a broader range of skills in the creation of digital media, all with the aim of enabling the student to be empowered and prepared to approach a wide range of creative options both during their training and in employment. This module also allows the student to develop their skills and approach to personal and collaborative practice.

This module allows students to build on the development of their approach to acting as well as the integration of a broader set of skills through three major rehearsal projects. Over the course of the three teaching blocks, the students will tackle a classical text, a contemporary text, and a musical text with a director and, where appropriate, a musical director and/or a choreographer or movement director. The texts are chosen so that students may explore varied genres and styles, but also to provide useful challenges as they develop their technical, creative and collaborative skills.

In this module, students will develop the knowledge, skills, and insights to navigate the professional landscape of the creative industries, particularly in the context of actor-musicianship. Students will gain an understanding of the landscape of the creative industries, and explore the various career paths open to them as actor-musicians.

In this module, students continue to develop the skills of dance, movement, singing and voice to prepare them for their suite of public productions, and to prepare them for industry facing auditions and other professional scenarios. Weekly practical classes are designed so that students continue to strengthen their technical skills and building on consistency, safe and healthy practices, as well as breadth and depth of styles. While continuing to exploring their authentic physical and vocal selves, the students are encouraged to embrace new and challenging areas of the skill areas building on the fundamental skills developed at levels 4 and 5.

This module centres around the three public productions. Across the year, students are given the opportunity to demonstrate their integrated skills as an actor-musician in rehearsal and performance in three contrasting performance texts, as well as demonstrating effective collaboration with internal and external creative practitioners. All students perform in all three productions; casting is subject to an internal audition process mirroring, where possible, standard industry processes and format.

This module centres around a number of industry facing activities including preparation of self-tapes and audition material, and showcase. A combination of tutorials, practical sessions and seminars support the student in choosing and preparing material with a view to achieving opportunities in the creative industries, particularly in the context of actor-musicianship. The module also contains a research project which will introduce students to the business planning and pitching of a creative project or enterprise.