MA Acting

On the MA Acting at Essex (East 15 Acting School), your learning is deeply practical: you’ll train with leading industry practitioners in intensive classes covering voice, movement, singing, and acting for both stage and screen. You’ll also take part in East 15’s signature Living History project, developing improvisation, ensemble work, and deeply researched character work grounded in historical contexts. Over the year, you build a professional-level showreel and prepare for a public showcase to industry — all while building your own approach and methodology as an actor.

Key hands‑on experiences include:

• Advanced Acting Methodology & Textual Studies: Training in powerful acting techniques (Stanislavski, Laban, etc.), and developing your productive physicality, imagination, and character work. 

• Theatre Production: You will mount a full-length public play, managing everything from rehearsal to performance, and taking responsibility for acting, costume, makeup, and production elements. 

• Living History & Devising Project: As part of this module, you participate in a long-form improvisation project — researching and embodying historical characters in a collective devised performance.

• Music & Singing: You’ll train in singing to develop your vocal technique and be equipped to perform in musical theatre or more lyrical roles. 

• Contextual Studies: Explore theories of character, theatre history, and acting in contemporary practice, connecting your physical training to scholarly and historical contexts. 

• Acting for Media: Gain screen-acting skills through camera work and recording, while building material for your professional showreel. 

• MA Project / Final Performance: In Term 3, you work in small groups to produce self-generated work (play or media piece) and also take part in a full production in East 15’s Corbett Theatre.Showcase to Industry: The course finishes with a public performance and industry showcase, giving you visibility and a real platform to launch your career. 

Facilities & Tools:

• Rehearsal rooms, movement and voice studios on the Loughton Campus. 

• Roding House: 10 dedicated rehearsal rooms, plus a sound recording studio and video-editing suite. 

• Corbett Theatre: A fully equipped 130-seat theatre (restored medieval barn) used for public and student productions. 

• Unit Four workshop: Including paint shop, prop shop, and production management facilities for hands-on stagecraft. 

Graduating from Essex’s MA Acting gives you highly specialized, vocational actor training (for stage, screen, voice-over, and movement) — you’ll leave ready to audition professionally, create your own work, and maintain a sustainable acting career. Typical roles you could step into include theatre actor, film & screen actor, voice-over artist, or creator/producer of your own company or projects.

Here’s how this MA supports your career journey:

• University Services Supporting Employment

  • Careers Service: The University of Essex Careers Service offers lifelong support to graduates, including 1:1 advice on CVs, job applications, interview prep, and access to CareerHub+ for jobs and internships. 

  • Audition & Showcase Opportunities: The course culminates in an industry showcase where you can present your work to casting agents, producers, and other industry professionals. 

  • Mentoring & Alumni Network: After graduation, you're encouraged to remain connected with East 15, gaining informal mentoring and support from faculty and alumni. 

• Employment Outcomes & Career Paths

  • On completing this MA, you are “qualified as an actor … recognised as a graduate of East 15 training” and are equipped to pursue work in theatre, film, TV, and radio. You also gain understanding of how to set up your own work: the MA teaches you “how to form companies and gain funding,” which helps you create independent projects. 

  • The course enhances your versatility as an actor, with training in acting for media, voice, movement, and singing. 

• Industry Exposure & Training Strength

  • You’ll train in leading professional methodologies, including Stanislavski and Laban techniques, under well‑established practitioners at East 15. 

  • The Living History Project gives you a unique, immersive experience in character development, helping build range and depth. 

  • You’ll perform in fully supported, public productions — including a devised ensemble piece and a full-length play — giving you real-world performance experience. 

• Long-Term Value

  • East 15 is a highly regarded acting school, and this MA provides not just practical training but also academic recognition, strengthening your professional credentials. 

  • The showreel and performance work you build during the course become lasting assets for auditions, casting directors, or agents.

  • The focus on both creative and business skills (company formation, funding, self‑management) sets you up for a sustainable and entrepreneurial acting career.

• Graduate Impact

  • Once you graduate, you’re part of a network of East 15 alumni, many of whom are active in theatre, film and media — giving you potential connections and peer support. 

  • The training allows you to be “in charge of your own process,” meaning you can pursue diverse artistic paths — whether as a performer or as someone who develops / produces their own work. 

Further Academic Progression:
If you want to continue your studies after this MA, you could:

• Pursue a PhD in Performance Studies or Theatre Practice, deepening your research into acting methodologies or performance theory.

• Apply for an MFA or practice-based doctorate, focusing on theatre, screen, or digital performance (depending on your interests).

• Take on professional development courses or workshops in specialized areas like voice-over, motion capture, or devising / new writing to expand your craft.