ACTING SCHOOL Prospectus 2014 FOR SEPTEMBER 2015 ENTRY “The contribution of East 15 actors to the British theatre, television, and film over the past decades has been immense. Several generations of brilliant young actors and actresses have come out of this highly original conservatoire.” Mike Leigh OBE Contents 4 Director’s welcome 6 About this prospectus 7 About East 15 8 Actor Skills at East 15 9 Prizes and awards for East 15 10 Loughton Campus 12 Southend Campus 14 Support Services 15 Accommodation 16 Staff at East 15 21 Undergraduate study at East 15 22 BA Acting 24 BA Acting (International) 26 BA Acting and Community Theatre 28 BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre 30 BA Acting and Stage Combat 32 BA Physical Theatre 34 BA World Performance 36 BA Stage and Production Management 38 Certificate of Higher Education in Theatre Arts (Cert HE) 40 Applying to East 15 as an undergraduate 43 Undergraduate auditions 44 Postgraduate study at East 15 46 MA Acting 48 MA/MFA Acting (International) 50 MA/MFA Theatre Directing 52 Applying to East 15 as a postgraduate 54 Postgraduate auditions 56 Summer and Part Time Courses 58 Money matters 62 University of Essex 63 Further information 4 Director’s welcome Director’s welcome Director’s Welcome to the East 15 prospectus. Loughton, on the edge of London, and As you will read in the pages in picturesque Southend-on-Sea. This that follow, East 15 offers an combination of resources and locations extraordinary, dynamic and enables us to offer a broad and diverse unique portfolio of courses that range of courses at BA and MA/MFA level, span many areas of training for and make use of innovative and excellently East 15 2014 Prospectus actors, directors, technical theatre equipped learning facilities, such as the specialists and students of theatre state-of-the-art Clifftown Theatre practice. In addition to the carefully (www.Clifftowntheatre.com) and suites selected UK students, we also teach of studios and technical facilities at both and train students from over 26 campuses. countries worldwide (www.east15. As part of the University of Essex, one ac.uk) of the UK’s leading academic institutions www.east15.ac.uk Here at East 15 we draw upon our (www.essex.ac.uk), we pride ourselves traditions of over 50 years, while on placing excellence at the top of our combining this with a keen sense of the agenda in all our work. changing world of stage and screen today. I look forward to meeting many of you Our training is by professionals and for at auditions and interviews, and working professionals, allowing our graduates to with those of you that join East 15 for your work successfully across the globe. Our study and training. international, outstanding teaching faculty is made up of professionals from all areas Director Leon Rubin with cast members of Enter A of live and recorded performance. Leon Rubin Gentleman at the National Portrait Gallery, London We have two first class campuses in 5 6 About this prospectus This prospectus has been prepared in Although great care is taken in compiling Further information Spring 2014 and refers to courses which this prospectus, it is for the general East 15 Acting School is part of the will be available from September 2015. guidance of prospective students only. University of Essex and a member of East 15 Acting School cannot guarantee Drama UK . About this prospectus the provision of all courses and services advertised in the event of circumstances At Loughton beyond its control and therefore reserves East 15 Acting School the right to make changes or cancel any Hatfields Campus course without notice, should this become Rectory Lane necessary. The School cannot be held Loughton IG10 3RY responsible for failure/delay in performing obligations caused by things beyond its Telephone: +44 (0)20 8508 5983 reasonable control, such as fire, flood or Fax: +44 (0)20 8508 7521 industrial action. For the most up-to-date information, please contact East 15 directly. At Southend The full Procedures, Rules and East 15 Acting School Regulations for the University of Essex Southend Campus are set out in the Charter, Statutes Elmer Approach and Ordinances and in the University Southend-on-Sea SS1 1LW Regulations, Policy and Procedures. Copies are available on request from Telephone: +44 (0)1702 328200 the University. In accepting the offer of Fax: +44 (0)1702 328201 a place at the University, you consent to E-mail: [email protected] incorporation of this notice as a term of Website: www.east15.ac.uk contract between you and the University. Editor: Kevin Wyatt-Lown Quality assurance Designers: Foster de Kretser The QAA (Quality Assurance Agency) Graphic Design undertook an Institutional Audit of the Photographers: Gemma Mount, East 15 2014 Prospectus University from 10th-14th March 2008. Andrew H. Williams, Kevin Wyatt-Lown This audit declared ‘Confidence’ (the best judgement available) in the soundness of our present and likely future management of the academic standards of our awards and the soundness of our present and likely future management of the quality of the learning opportunities available www.east15.ac.uk to students. The audit also found that the proactive approach adopted by ACTING SCHOOL the University to quality enhancement has created a sound basis for further development and that we have a sound framework for the arrangements for postgraduate research students. A copy of the full report is available on the QAA website at: www.qaa.ac.uk/ reviews/reports/instindex.asp About East 15 7 About East 15 About East For over 50 years, East 15 has In 2000, East 15 merged with the produced actors, directors, University of Essex, a leading UK theatre practitioners research-intensive university, opening and technicians for the an exciting new chapter in the history international stage, TV, film of both institutions and offering more and radio. opportunities to students. East 15, based in Since 2007, under the directorship of Loughton on the edge of Leon Rubin, more than 13 million pounds East London and founded have been spent on new buildings and by Margaret Bury, grew facilities for East 15 in Loughton and from the work of Joan Southend-on-Sea, including the Clifftown Littlewood’s famed Theatre and Studios, once a Victorian Theatre Workshop, gothic church in Southend which now which broke new ground, enjoys a new lease of life, converted into re-interpreting the studios, workshops and a state-of-the-art classics for a modern age, theatre and performance space. In that commissioning new plays period several new programmes have also from socially committed been developed to take the school into writers, and creating an a new era of international and culturally ensemble capable of inventing diverse stage and screen performance new work. territories. It evolved into an outstanding East 15 is one of a leading group of ensemble that combined inspired, UK conservatoires and is accredited improvisational brilliance with method, by Drama UK. It is now one of the technique, research, text analysis and the largest specialist theatre schools in the intense expression of truthful emotion. UK, with a distinguished international Much of the original approach was based teaching staff and an undergraduate and upon the theories of Stanislavsky and over extensive postgraduate population of the years new training methods at East over 650 students. 15 have now embraced approaches from diverse practitioners, such as Michael Chekhov, Rudolf Laban, Jerzy Grotowski, Jacques Lecoq, Peter Brook and other important contemporary trainers. 8 Actor skills at East 15 East 15’s training emphasises a balance Voice Music between personal discovery, intuition The voice teachers at East 15 aim to equip Students with the ability to play musical and technical skills. The aim is to give students with the skills required to release instruments can develop those talents Actor skills at East 15 East skills at Actor students the basic awareness and their full vocal potential beyond the and there are numerous possibilities to confidence that will allow them to limits of “habit” voice. Students combine play in ensembles for private and public continue to learn and perfect their emotional truth with theatrical energy performances at East 15. Although craft in the years to come. using techniques derived from leading instrumental playing is not part of the Movement physical and vocal practitioners like Laban, assessment, actors who develop such Chekhov, Berry and Linklater. skills certainly aid their marketability. The main focus of the movement programme at East 15 is to encourage Singing Media confident, focussed, flexible, imaginative, Actors must have a good feel for music, East 15 students are introduced to the physically expressive and truthful actors. even if they cannot sing a note. Students techniques and disciplines of working The course is based on dynamic alignment at East 15 will learn to understand the with recorded media. (which may include Alexander, Authentic rudiments of music and be able to Movement, Bartenieff, Body Centring approach a song with confidence and Preparation for the industry Experiential Anatomy and Pilates), feeling. Students with musical theatre Guest lectures and workshops, given by characterisation techniques (including potential will be encouraged further industry specialists, help prepare East 15 Laban, Grotowski, Lecoq and Chekhov- although the overall emphasis is on students for the complexity of working in based work), dance (including jazz and acting through song. theatre, film, TV and related areas. ballet) and stage combat (resulting in a Foundation Certificate from the British Academy of Dramatic Combat). East 15 2014 Prospectus www.east15.ac.uk Prizes and Awards for East 15 9 As one of the UK’s leading acting schools, The Spotlight Bursary East 15 has a number of students and This is worth £1,250 and has graduates who have won awards and been won by East 15 students competitive scholarships over the last Edward Mitchell (2007) few years.