Scotland is one of the finest places that you can study acting in the whole of the UK, and we’ve got the past alumni successes to prove it. But which course should you choose, and where should you study? This is, of course, up to you. To make the choice a bit easier, here is a bit of a break down of three of the best.
RCS
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a popular place to study acting in Scotland, and it is the only place in Europe where you can study all of the performing arts on one campus (we wouldn’t recommend that you study ALL of them at once. You may be good, but chances are you’re not Superman or Hermione Granger). This college offers a BA in Ballet, Acting, Contemporary Performance Acting, Musical Theatre, as well as Performance in British Sign Language and English. You could opt for a BA in various different musical instruments, and if you err towards the production side of things, you could go for Production Arts And Design, Production Technology And Management, or Film Making. RCS also offers a number of MA courses; in Performing Arts, Directing, teaching Performing Arts, Classical and Contemporary Acting, and much more (if I carry on listing I imagine you’ll switch off - get on their website and have a look for yourself!)
Most importantly, the college offers good one to one support, and the chance to challenge and stretch yourself and your creative abilities, plus good opportunities for performance.
ACS
Acting Coach Scotland offers the most comprehensive courses that will see you firmly on the road to your acting career. You can choose from a one year Professional Acting Diploma, a one year Foundation Acting Course and a 2 year HND Acting And Performance qualification.
The Diploma is an intensive, one year course that is jam packed with new and exciting skills and techniques, from Stage Combat to mock auditions, and you will also receive Spotlight membership. You will have a chance to work with visiting Film and Casting directors, plus a shot at performing at the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe festival.
The Foundation Acting Course is designed to give you the skills and experience to make any acting school salivate at the thought of accepting you. You will be coached by professionals who all have drama school training and experience as actors, directors and writers within the industry, and you will be taught a huge range of acting techniques, from voice and movement training to Classical acting, and acting for the camera.
The two year HND Acting and Performance will give you even more! Performance Psychology, Stage Combat, Monologue training, specialist Movement training, plus a professional show reel and voice reel so you can show the world what you can do. You will also leave with professional head shots so the world of acting will take you more seriously. The course also includes over THIRTY public performances - compared to most HND Acting courses with have relatively few public performances. Incorporating an HND in Acting and Performance, this course is incredibly popular BUT only offers 12 places to the brightest and the best - so get on it, and make sure you shine.
MGA
The MGA academy is the go-to for students looking to pursue a career in musical theatre. Their one year foundation Musical Theatre course is designed to arm you with all the weapons you will need to audition for the country’s top Musical Theatre institutions, and it promises to give you a solid foundation is Acting, Singing and Dancing, that you can then use to build your future career on. You will receive specialist classes and workshops in, amongst other things: Acting; Vocal Training; Singing; Jazz, Ballet and Tap; Scene Study and Text Analysis, Audition Technique and personal development. Their website states that they cannot guarantee that you will accepted at any Musical Theatre - but they have to say that to cover their backsides don’t they? If you work your own backside off then you will be pleasantly surprised at how much more likely to be accepted at your chosen institution.