Welcome to your Acting for Stage and Screen course

Welcome to the Acting course community here at Staffordshire University, where our vision is:

To inspire the next generation of actor-practitioners for stage and screen by building your creative and reflective capabilities. Allowing you to establish your own practice, in a positive and inclusive environment, and giving you the freedom to pursue your goals across the creative industries upon graduation.

You will explore a variety of traditional and contemporary acting and theatre making methodologies and explore and test these out in workshop environments. You will be supported by your year tutor, academic mentor and a mixture of permanent staff and guest practitioners from industry. You will learn how to act for camera and be cast and perform in a short film directed by Film and Media students. Specialist industry experts will also introduce you to key filmaking skills including shooting, editing, motion capture, content creation, Q lab, sound, lighting etc.

Starting university can be daunting, so we want to help you prepare in advance and know what to expect.

This is an exciting and, at times, demanding course which we are sure will challenge and stimulate you. We are a friendly and informal team and our students always become a close-knit and sociable group - we expect professional standards of dedication, teamwork and creative initiative as well as good academic standards.

The course team can’t wait to meet you and begin what will be one of the most memorable experiences of your life. We want to make things as smooth as possible so to help you prepare for your exciting new course at university, please carefully read the information below.

Your staff team

We want to make sure you know some of our team before you arrive. Hopefully this will help you recognise us and ensure you know who you can contact if you need any additional help and guidance.

Eleanor Slade

Lecturer

I am a performance designer, lecturer in scenography, and a doctoral researcher. My main areas of interest are the social aspects of scenography, and scenographic / design-based strategies in collaborative theatre & performance making.

Eleanor's profile

Richard Cheshire

Senior Lecturer

I am an experienced University lecturer in Drama and a practicing freelance professional theatre director, with a strong interest in Shakespeare, contemporary manifestations of Pantomime, Musical and Popular Theatre.

Richard's profile

Stephen Griffiths

Course Director

Stephen's teaching centres on broadcast programme histories and media performance, especially acting on television. His research interests include broadcast light entertainment and comedy, television drama, and children's programming.

Stephen's profile

Dr Rebecca Woodford-Smith

Associate Professsor

I’m an educator and theatre practitioner with a research background and an HE teaching portfolio. I have extensive experience and expertise as a performance-maker, focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration, physical theatre, and somatic practices.

Rebecca's profile

Course delivery

You’ll have a class/session sizes of 15 for practical work, which allows for personalised learning. These will be experiential in approach, working in a studio on skills and techniques that you can apply to projects at a later stage.

Film, Media and Theatre contextual work will be with the full cohort. These are undertaken as ‘mixed-mode’ teaching- some information imparting, then into discussions, practical activities and other approaches.

Semester one activities

Over the first few weeks, you will be taking several modules:

Performance Skills 1: this will bring you up to speed with some initial approaches to acting and theatre making, ensuring we create a shared language over the first few weeks regardless of where you have come from.

Storytelling, Directing and Dramaturgy: We will begin by exploring why and how we tell stories; we are storytellers. The first few weeks will examine some basic storytelling structures and directing techniques.

Principles and Practices: We know coming to Uni can be tough. Over the first few weeks we will ensure you have to confidence to know how to study in higher education.

Before you start - books!

Here is a list of the books you will need to get started for the first few weeks of the academic year. Please make sure you get the correct version:

The Complete Stanislavski Toolkit, by Bella Merlin, 2014, Nick Hern Books

Inside the Rehearsal Room, by Robert Marsden, Methuen Drama 2022

The Study Skills Handbook by Stella Cottrell . London: Macmillan Education, 2019

Equipment and kit

Software link: https://staffsuniversity.sharepoint.com/sites/software/SitePages/Home.aspx

You will require:

Lightweight footwear with rubber soles for movement, avoid bulky trainers, better options are either movement specific shoes or canvas trainers.
Comfortable exercise clothes such as jogging bottoms, leggings, loose tops providing a free range of movement and comfort.
A good quality yoga mat which will get a lot of use over your three years across voice and movement sessions.

Also-

You will be working in bare feet often;
Minimal make up please for sessions;
hair tied back;
You may need to remove piercings for workshops (e.g. voice and movement) and stage productions (and cover tattoos);
No jewellery;
Good personal hygiene will be expected of you (bring deodorant!);
And we operate a ‘freedom from phones’ policy! No phones in sessions.

Course trips

During the induction week, you will meet the teaching team, engage in practical workshops and watch a production staged by recent graduates from the Department whose theatre company recently performed at the RCS!

We will also take you to the New Vic Theatre to see and meet key staff and see a live performance.

Groups and societies

Our Student Union runs the following societies you may wish to join:

Cosy Club: book reading, theatre trips and more
Amateur Dramatics Society
Cheerleading
Pole and Aerial arts
Voice Acting society
Just Dance Society
Creative Writing Society
Staffs DJ society
Staffs TV- student led TV society
OMG Radio – a radio station for students run by students.

View all clubs and societies

Academic skills

Whether you're joining us from school or college, or you're returning to education after some time away, everyone can benefit from the Academic Study Skills resources provided by the University library.

The Academic Skills team is here to support you throughout your academic journey and to help you gain the skills you need to reach your full potential. They can assist with academic reading and writing skills, give advice on how best to plan assignments, and help improve your time management.

The library's Academic Skills Guides offer the key information to make studying easier and give a comprehensive guide to the learning resources and services we offer.

Staffs CampusConnect

Staffs CampusConnect is our student-led community app for new students. Connect with other people from your course, hometown or country, and even those with similar interests.

To register, please ensure you use your Applicant ID (Student Number) that you received in your offer letter, and the email address you used in your application to us.

Register for CampusConnect

Welcome website

Our welcome website will provide you the link to your new student life. It's all about how you find your place at university, including everything from how to meet friends, feel confident in doing your academic work, being a member of your Student Union and getting involved in Union Societies, Academic Societies, Sports, Volunteering or representing your peers in your School.

Part of this Welcome Week - we have an exciting program of University and course level activities planned for you for your first week in September. We are also building an extended program for you to join a series of events throughout the first half of the autumn term. Further details will be shared with you via the Welcome website and Students' Union pages over the coming weeks.

Welcome website

Campus map

Use our campus map to familiarise yourself with our campus before you arrive.

Campus map (PDF)

Check your email

Please make sure you check your personal email account regularly over the next few weeks. We will be sending you lots of information about Welcome Week.

We look forward to welcoming you to the campus in September.

If you have any questions, please send them to MyNewDramaCourse@staffs.ac.uk

Acting Course Team