ACTING 2 - 2023/4

Module Overview

Acting 2 is a key component of the BA (Hons) Musical Theatre in which students continue development of technical and practical aspects of their spoken vocal practice. Context and genre of the repertoire supply the technical requirements expected of the spoken voice, whilst integration skills are developed to ensure technique is not apparent to the untrained eye.

Text and Acting addresses specific challenges that face the actor of today in terms of text, accent, emotion, and extension of technique. Texts are chosen that may include scenes study in both British and American accents, thereby supporting work in the Musical Theatre canon.

Practical Voice work continues to further build the voice developing and enhancing the students understanding of grounding, centreing and alignment explored at Level 4. To extend range, volume and clarity for longevity of delivery lasting more than several performances.

In terms of the wider programme the Acting module develops creative technique and approaches to realise text that prepare a student for the work undertaken at Level 6 allowing them to explore their technique and develop their own methodological approach to their work. The Screen Component adds explores other skills that equip a student with technique to be able to communicate and portray truthful characters for an audience on camera.

Module provider

Guildford School of Acting

Module Leader

NICHOLLS Stewart (GSA)

Number of Credits: 30

ECTS Credits: 15

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Practical Voice work continues to further develop and enhance the students understanding of grounding, centreing and alignment explored at Level 4. Exploring muscular dexterity and dynamic articulation underpins this work, including developing voice with heightened text using accents or speech quality such as change of gender in order to enhance the students’ capacity for vocal variety.

Text and Acting also addresses specific challenges that face the modern actor in terms of text, accent emotion and extension of technique, and introduces the concept of working with challenging text, American accents and Scene study voice in application.  Texts explored could reflect a multiplicity of cultures and backgrounds written by a variety of genders and identities. 

Screen Acting (Intensive)
This project allows the student to explore applied processes to screen acting technique, including

• Connection with text


• Playing of Action, Objective and Intention


• Understanding of specific screen craft (eg angles, “cheating the shot”, shot sizes)


• Sustaining truthful characterisation on camera.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

Skills in vocal dexterity with complex text, character building, physical presence and intention in the space and on screen

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

AMERICAN SCENES (PRACTICAL) (70%)

• Vocal Technique in performance


• Technical understanding of accents


• Characterisation


• Connection with text


• Breath control

SCREEN ACTING  (CONTINUOUS) (30%)

• Engagement with a defined process of creating character on screen.


• Sustaining character in screen performance


• Technical understanding of screen acting


• Continuous assessment of class/rehearsal based process

Formative assessment and feedback

Students receive verbal feedback during group workshop sessions and are encouraged to take notes. Feedback will be given on this indicative content.

• Engagement with a defined process of creating character


• Physical approach to text and verse


• Engage with methodologies of developing a character


• The use of clear objectives


• Continuous assessment of class based process


• Vocal Technique in performance


• Technical understanding


• Characterisation


• Connection with text


• Breath control

Module aims

• A secure, systematic and healthy personal technique in voice.
• To enable the student to produce a variety of accents and speech qualities, and applying them to character
• To increase knowledge of dramatic texts which are more complex and vocally demanding in nature.
• The ability to project the voice safely and effectively in a range of performance spaces
• Throughout the module students develop contemporary acting techniques and methods to support their process in playing contemporary classical text, with classes specifically designed to be an in depth study of scenes and characters in a contemporary setting suitable for screen acting.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Place an emphasis on the practical development of skills that are required for extended and best practice in the profession.
To enable students to acquire skills in character building, physical presence and intention in the space

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Group Acting Workshops


• Group Text Study Workshops


• Group Voice Workshops


• Tutorials as required


• Group and Individual and research sessions

Throughout the module different learning and teaching strategies are applied to enable students to achieve the learning outcomes, including research, reflective practice, peer to peer learning and formative assessment with written feedback.

Students receive regular verbal feedback individually and as a group during each class which they are encouraged to journal notes during their process to bring to tutorials and class.

The module is delivered over 300 hours study across the term including, class, seminar and self-study.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MUT2024

Other information

GSA delivers its provision across three teaching blocks, within the University of Surrey’s existing semester structure.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2023/4 academic year.