Acting Skills (Secondary 1-3)
10-Week Short Course for Children and Young People
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Overview
This new 10-week, in-person course aims to give students the opportunity to expand their acting techniques and performance experience by focusing on one show as a framework.
These focused classes invite students to explore every aspect of one carefully selected theatrical production. From the initial read-through to character exploration, scene work, and performance, students will immerse themselves in the world of the piece. They will hone their acting, movement and vocal techniques, study the script in depth, and learn about staging, blocking, and ensemble work. By concentrating on a single show, students will gain a thorough understanding of the play’s themes, characters, and dramatic arc, culminating in a final sharing performance that showcases their growth and skills.
Students will discover and explore a wide range of skills and techniques to develop their skill base while exploring their creativity. The aim is that young people not only develop creative skills but also undertake personal and social development related to their interests and understanding of the world.
Collaboration will be a vital part of this course as students will work with an experienced tutor to expand their acting skills and open their creativity as artists.
Throughout all our secondary drama activities we find opportunities for discussion and reflection, which leads to a deeper understanding of each art form and allows each student to learn in a variety of practical ways.
Most importantly, the classes are a fun way to connect young people with others who love being creative and taking part in drama activities within a safe, supportive environment. Students will be guided by our experienced lecturers to build their confidence, creativity and learn transferable skills to become not only a confident performer, but a confident young person.
By the end of this course, you will have:
- An understanding of established acting techniques including analysing text and how to create a character.
- Analysed the tools to deliver a believable and truthful performance.
- Investigated characterisation through voice, movement, and improvisation.
- An established understanding of textual analysis and its importance.
Credit-Rated Pathway
We are offering a credit-rated option for this class, giving students the opportunity to gain SCQF credits upon submission. This will not be mandatory; however, students can sign up for the credit-rated option by following the steps listed in Credit-Rated tab below. There are two separate booking links – please sign up for the course in the first instance by using the Book Now button, and then sign up for the additional credit-rated option after you have completed your course booking. For courses that require approval, students should wait until they have been offered a place before signing up for credit-rated options.
Courses you may be interested in
- Drama (Secondary 1-2)
- Drama (Secondary 3-4)
- Acting: Performance Ensemble (Secondary 1-6)
We run a variety of different courses throughout the year, and update our programme regularly – you can find all courses by clicking here.
Mailing List
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.
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:
Secondary 1-3
Cost:
£230
Time:
Tuesdays, 6pm - 8pm
Venue:
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, 100 Renfrew Street, Glasgow, G2 3DB
Term 2:
21 January - 25 March 2025
Term 3:
15 April - 17 June 2025
Course Information
Please click the links below:
There are no entry requirements for this open access course. Students do not need to have previous experience. Students should show up to class eager to learn and take part.
If you have any questions about this class or the support we can offer, please get in touch with us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk
- 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.
- Classes will have a short break throughout, please bring a small snack.
- Due to allergies throughout our courses, we ask that students not to bring any nut products for break time.
- We ask that no valuables are brought to class. Any mobile phones must be kept in bags and on silent during class time.
Credit-rated short courses are designed in accordance with the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).
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.
The course is 20 hours of study and is worth 10 SCQF credits and 5 ECTS credits. This course is set at SCQF level 6.
There is an additional fee of £100 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 web page. Once you have completed that, please sign up for the credit-rated option, by completing this 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 10-week course runs each term and costs £230 per term.
This class will take place each Tuesday. There will be a short sharing on the final day of each term for invited family and friends. Details of this will be available nearer the time.
The Term Dates are as follows:
- Term 2: 21 January – 25 March 2025 (Informal sharing 25 March)
- Term 3: 15 April – 17 June 2025 (Informal sharing 17 June)
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