Drama Skills (Secondary 1-3)
Year-long Weekly Short Course for Children and Young People
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Overview
This in-person Drama Skills course is ideal for young people in Secondary 1–3 who want to develop their performance skills while building confidence, creativity and imagination.
Each term, students will explore a new theme introduced by their Tutor. Through research, improvisation, practical drama activities and performance exercises, they will investigate ideas and bring them to life on stage.
Students will develop essential Drama skills including voice, movement, storytelling, character development and staging. The course also introduces a variety of theatre genres and styles, helping students understand how performance works in both classical and contemporary theatre.
An important part of the course is learning how to create theatre. Students will work individually, in pairs and in groups to take part in devising and composition exercises, using different stimuli to create their own original performance work. Along the way, they will learn how to make creative decisions about style, staging and performance to shape dynamic and engaging theatre pieces.
By the end of the course, students will:
- Strengthen their vocal, physical and creative performance skills
- Gain experience creating both solo and collaborative performances
- Explore how theatre can reflect and respond to the world around us
- Devise and perform an original piece of theatre
Students will also work towards a short performance for an invited audience of family and friends, which will take place at the end of the third term.
We run a variety of different courses throughout the year, and update our programme regularly – you can find all courses by clicking here.
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.
If you have any questions about this course before you book it, please get in touch with us at shortcourses@rcs.ac.uk.
Please see our FAQs for more information about all aspects of choosing, booking and attending your course.
The important details
Age:
Secondary 1-3
Cost:
£1150
Date:
5 September 2026 - 19 June 2027
Time:
Saturdays, 10am - 1pm
Venue:
Wallace Studios, 210 Garscube Road, Glasgow G4 9RR
Course Information
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 toys or 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 worth 20 SCQF credits and 5 ECTS credits. This course is set at SCQF Level 5 & 6.
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 £115 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.
The course fees for the full year (34 weeks) are £1150 which can be paid in full or instalments throughout the year.
The termly fee breakdown for this course is:
- Term 1 (14 weeks) = £474
- Term 2 (11 weeks) = £372
- Term 3 (9 weeks) = £304
This course runs every Saturday. Please view the term dates below:
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 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
