Acting: Development
Weekly Short Course for Adults Online
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Overview
This class will be taught online and you can take part from the comfort of your own home using Microsoft Teams.
Designed for experienced actors in training who have been short courses for a significant period of time, the new Acting Development programme at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland builds on your prior training on our short courses.
Acting Development is a three-term progression designed to help participants elevate their craft through monologue, scene study, and culminating in the staging of a play.
Term One
Acting Development: Monologue Over 10 weeks actors refine a chosen monologue with expert guidance and peer support. This online class focuses on enhancing performance skills, offering personalised feedback, and deepening monologue interpretation.
Term Two
Acting Development: Scene In this 10 week online course actors develop a chosen showcase scene with a partner through scene study. With professional instruction and collaborative peer input, participants elevate their scene performance and interpretative skills.
Term Three
Acting Development: Play This 10 week online class helps actors stage a short play in a virtual setting. Participants receive comprehensive guidance and support, enhancing their ability to perform and collaborate effectively in a digital theatre environment.
You will be taught by RCS Short Courses Lecturers and also experience voice and movement work by visiting lecturers each term.
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Courses you may be interested in
We run a variety of different courses throughout the year, and update our programme regularly – you can find all courses by clicking here.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this course before you book it, please get in touch with us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk.
The important details
Age:
16+
Cost:
£621
Date:
8 October 2025 - 17 June 2026
Time:
Wednesdays, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Venue:
Online
Course Information
- Entry Requirements
- Course Preparation
- Who is this course for?
- Credit Rated
- Term Dates and Tuition Fees
There are no formal entry requirements for the course, although some acting experience is desirable.
Please make sure you fully complete the Reason and Experience sections in the application form to outline why you want to join the course. You may be contacted if we need further information, this is to make sure that you are on the right course for you.
If you have not taken part in any drama activity before or for some time we would recommend looking at our Acting: Toolkit online course.
Students should be open, honest, generous, respectful, hard-working and willing to work as part of a team.
You will need access to a device such as a desktop computer, laptop or tablet which allows you to access the internet with a screen large enough to see the group members during online sessions. You will need internet connection which is fast enough to take part in video sessions on MS Teams and to watch film footage.
You may also want to consider whether you have a space you can use where you can work without interruption. Please keep in mind that the other students taking part in the course will be able to see what’s behind you when you are online.
- Plan and prepare to attend all classes
- Dress comfortably in clothes which are suitable for the activity you are taking part in.
- Bring a notepad and pen/pencil in case you wish to make notes.
- Please bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated during your class.
This course is suitable for students aged 16+, with acting experience. Students should be keen to learn and plan to attend all classes.
Credit-rated short courses are designed in accordance with the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).
This course is credit-rated at SCQF Level 6, 20 credits.
By studying a credit-rated short course, students can benchmark their learning against national standards, and credits may be used towards further education programmes at many institutions throughout the world.
There is an additional fee of £110 to take part in the credit-rated portion of the course. Please ensure you have already signed up to the course via the Book Now button on the webpage. Once you have completed that, please sign up for the credit-rated option, by completing this booking form:
Credit-Rated Booking Form
Students applying for two-tier courses (those that require your application to be evaluated) should wait until they have accepted an offer onto their course and made payment before completing the credit-rated booking form.
By studying a credit-rated course, you will need to be matriculated to RCS*, we require some additional information from credit-rated students for this reason. Please read through the section below thoroughly before you submit. If you have any questions about what is required, please email credit-rated@rcs.ac.uk and we can help you.
* Please note although Credit-Rated Short Courses students require matriculation to get their accreditation, you will not be a full time matriculated student of RCS. Credit-Rated Short Courses do not qualify for student visas due to the short term nature of the course. You will also not qualify for a student email address or student card.
Please read the following eligible evidence dependant on your nationality and immigration status:
Scottish/Welsh/English/Northern Irish (Please provide 1 of the following)
– Passport
– UK Driving Licence
– Other Photo ID
Irish (Please provide all of the following)
– Passport
Europeans with Settled or Pre-Settled Status (Please provide all of the following)
– Passport
– Online Immigration Status (via Sharecode)
Europeans (post-Brexit) (Please provide all of the following)
– Passport
– Proof of Entry to the UK
– Online Immigration Status (via Sharecode)
Non-Europeans who can use the e-gates (Nationals of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and Japan) (Please provide all of the following)
– Passport
– Proof of Entry to the UK
– Vignette
– Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)
Online Credit Rated courses:
– if studying an online credit-rated course from your own country (outside of UK) you are only required to submit your passport.
– if studying an online credit-rated course within the UK, but do not hold a UK passport, please follow the guidance from above.
The Credit Rated or Admissions team may require further information or proof from individuals, and may be in contact with you to provide further evidence.
Providing a ShareCode
If you are providing a ShareCode as part of your evidence please visit https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status and follow the instructions to access your code, and provide it in the Experience section of the Booking Form.
This course runs on Wednesday evenings online for 30-weeks from 8 October 2025 – 17 June 2026, 6:30pm – 8:30pm.
- Term 1: 8 October – 10 December 2025
- Term 2: 21 January – 25 March 2026
- Term 3: 15 April – 17 June 2026
The course fee is £621 which is the equivalent to £20.70 per session, and can be paid in full or in instalments before the course end date.
- Term 1 (10 weeks) = £207
- Term 2 (10 weeks) = £207
- Term 3 (10 weeks) = £207
Further Information
We want to ensure as many children, young people and adult learners as possible can access the performing and production arts education that is offered through Short Courses at RCS. Financial support options available for Short Courses include:
Agnes Allan Bursary
Agnes Allan was a teacher, passionate about inclusion, and this bursary scheme exists to offer support to students to participate in the performing or production arts.
The Agnes Allan Bursary provides some support to students who may require financial assistance to take part in a short course in dance, drama, music, production or screen.
Anyone who wishes to take part in our Short Courses and faces a financial barrier can apply for bursary support to help meet the cost of tuition fees.
James McAvoy Drama Scholarships
BAFTA-winning and Golden Globe nominated actor James McAvoy is committed to nurturing the creative potential of young Scots who experience barriers to access and participate in drama at RCS Short Courses.
James is a graduate of the BA Acting programme at RCS and Patron of the Junior Conservatoire of Drama. The Glasgow-born actor has funded the new James McAvoy Drama Scholarships to enable young people to experience the world-class drama training at RCS as he did.
The scholarship aims to support applicants who would otherwise find meeting the cost of tuition fees at RCS a barrier to accessing pre-Higher Education drama training at the Royal Conservatoire.
You can find more information about these funds on our Financial Support page.
We run various promotional offers for our Short Courses and Summer Schools. You can view our current offers on our Promotional Offers page.
You should contact us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk to request your discount code before booking a course.
Please note, only one promotional offer can be applied per course and should be used at the time of booking as we are unable to apply a discounts retrospectively.
Please see our Short Course FAQs for more information about all aspects of choosing, booking and attending your course.
Please see our Short Courses – Terms and Conditions for more information about your contract with Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and Cancellation and Refund policies.
Sign up to our mailing list to receive the latest updates of courses, offers and news from Short Courses. You can do this by completing this short online form found here.
Short Courses
shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk
Summer Schools
summerschools@rcs.ac.uk
Credit-Rated
credit-rated@rcs.ac.uk
Bursary and Scholarship
bursaryscholarship@rcs.ac.uk
