Acting
Reach your potential on this conservatoire-style course designed to build your creative skills including live performance, screen acting and motion capture.
Grow into a confident and versatile performer. Focus on fundamental acting skills, voice and movement, screen acting, and how to rehearse for a full production.
Work with external directors, experiment with Physical Theatre, learn about new performance technologies, and extend your experience with screen acting and classical text.
In your final year, our Immersive Performance module and Showcase will allow you to demonstrate your high-level skills in acting.
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Train in professional-standard facilities including our professional 260 seater Mumford Theatre
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Gain experience with new technologies and alternative platforms to become a dynamic and responsive actor
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Develop your technical and production skills in specialist facilities for recorded and live performance
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Graduate with a professional CV, headshots and showreel
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Collaborate with other creative students, experienced tutors, community partners and industry professionals
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Get involved with Cambridge's many acting troupes and events
Study at an award-winning university
We were named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.
Careers
We've done different shows with different instructors, and they all have different methods to how they direct. I think that's invaluable.
Throughout your degree, you’ll develop creativity and technical competence in a range of acting media, including both live and recorded performance.
You’ll develop transferable skills such as research, teamwork, communication, problem solving, and resourcefulness – invaluable in all areas of the creative industries as well as other sectors.
You’ll also have opportunities to take part in collaborative projects, like our HMS Belfast project with Imperial War Museums to commemorate D-Day, and 60 Second Shakespeare with the Globe theatre, London.
Teaching and modules
There are many different ways of using acting skills in a whole variety of media. So our aim is to prepare students for that multi-platform world.
In your first year, you’ll be introduced to effective working methodologies in both performance and production, producing a studio-based collaborative live performance, developing core physical and vocal skills and being introduced to acting for the camera.
In your second year, you’ll work with a professional theatre director as a member of a production company, creating a theatre piece for live performance.
Finally, our Immersive Performance module, Showcase and Major Project will allow you to demonstrate your high-level skills in acting and focus specifically on your employability.
Student work
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Starring BA Acting student Joe Booker, Belfast Rap was part of the collaborative project HMS Belfast with Imperial War Museums for their D-Day commemorations.
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Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Brian Butler was a local Sightsetter in one of Belfast’s main gun turrets.
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Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Captain Parham was remembered by Belfast’s sailors as a very gentle and humane leader.
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Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Bob Shrimpton was part of HMS Belfast’s ASDIC (sonar) equipment team.
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Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Charles Simpson was one of Belfast’s five Engineering Lieutenants.
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A short film by BA (Hons) Acting student Daniel Neiva
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A short film by BA (Hons) Acting students Joe Booker, Jake Holzman and Sam Pollock.
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A short film by BA (Hons) Acting student Yuan Jing at ARU.
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A short film by BA (Hons) Acting student Leo Tian at ARU.
Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.
- Studio Performance
- Voice and Movement
- Introduction to Screen Acting
- Fundamentals for Acting
- Into ARU
- Ruskin Module (15 credits)
- Performance Project
- Physical Theatre
- Performance Technologies
- Performing Shakespeare
- Storytelling on Screen: Collaborative Project
- Immersive Performance
- Showcase
- Undergraduate Major Project
To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.
- Foundation in Humanities, English, Media, Social Sciences and Education
You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.
- Work Placement - Cambridge School of Creative Industries
Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.
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David JacksonSenior Lecturer Practitioner
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Dr Jonathan CrooseSenior Lecturer
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Dr Heather LilleySenior Lecturer
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Dr Eva Aymamí ReñéSenior Lecturer
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Dr Sue WilsonSenior Lecturer
Facilities
As part of your studies at ARU, you’ll have access to all of our creative industries facilities including:
- full-size professional theatre on campus
- dedicated drama studio, with highly flexible black-box performance space
- green screen and motion capture equipment
- large rehearsal space with audio playback facilities, piano, LED lighting rig, portable dance mirrors, gym mats and rostra/modular staging
- Students’ Union-run dance studio
- podcast and video capture system.
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Mumford Theatre
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Mumford Theatre
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Mumford Theatre
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Green screen studio
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Covent Garden drama studio
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Covent Garden drama studio
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Dance studio
Entry requirements
Fees and funding
Apply for Acting
Clearing places available
UK students, apply through Clearing for a September 2025 start
UK students
Call our Clearing line