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Movement: Directing and Teaching at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2024 - 2025
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

Central has a long-standing and well recognised reputation for the dissemination of actor movement disciplines within the British theatre scene; these pioneering courses are the first of their kind in Europe. The MA/MFA Movement: Directing and Teaching programme at Central:

  • Is a specialist, vocational course for performance and movement practitioners
  • Develops your expertise in movement teaching and movement directing of the actor
  • Is taught by current professionals in their field of movement pedagogy, movement direction and movement research
  • Movement training at Central
  • Tradition, experience, eclecticism and innovation epitomise Central’s understanding of movement training for the theatre and these unique courses have been created in that spirit. You will belong to the fine history of movement at Central from Litz Pisk to the present.
Who is the course suitable for? You may be an actor or dancer who wants to diversify your skills and knowledge, you may work with actors (a dance or movement teacher, or a theatre director with a movement history), or be a practitioner from an allied field of sport/holistic practice, wanting to enhance your understanding of practical/theoretical interfaces regarding movement in contemporary performance. Opportunities on the course You will be offered specialist, vocational teaching in the field of movement for actors, production practice for movement directors and bespoke movement placements at Central and in other professional theatre settings, such as other conservatoires or theatre, opera, or film organisations (both in Britain and internationally). You will have the opportunity for the development of your individual movement specialisms and apply them to the work of actors. The courses provide a rich and diverse landscape within which to address movement practices in relation to a wide range of established theatre processes and innovations in the field. Practical movement teaching and movement directing on selected projects offers you a range of potential applications in the fields of theatre production, puppetry, animation, classical theatre, film acting, and contemporary and devised work. You are given the opportunity to develop your own practice as movement specialists according to your interests in this growing and innovative field, and you will undertake potentially ground-breaking research into movement.

Modules

You will undergo a formalised and systematic actor movement education that coincides with the emergence of a widespread social interest in all aspects of physicality and the body. There is a firm emphasis on Laban’s movement philosophy and Lecoq’s spatial and physical techniques, but the overall approach is eclectic and celebrates a variety of methods. You may encounter the work of movement practitioners such as Feldenkrais, Roth, Suzuki, Alexander, Pisk, Humphries, Barba and Grotowski. Our teaching methods place equal emphasis on individual and group development, through individual tutorials, group seminars and workshops. Practical sessions are designed to enhance your skills as a movement teacher or movement director. In the first year, students of the MA and MFA combine for terms one to three. MFA students will work independently in a second year of specialist study aimed at widening and deepening practice within a professional context. You will be expected to undertake one or two attachments that are supported with tutorials throughout the year, as part of an ongoing process of reflection, analysis and growth that will lead to a final dissertation submission.

Assessment method

For first year students on both the MFA and MA courses, assessment is through a range of methods, including work on practical projects, written assignments and teaching/directing practice placements. In the last term of the MA, students work independently to complete specialist enquiry, arising from work undertaken during the course. The MFA extends into a second year that involves workplace attachments, mentorship and practice.

Qualified teacher status (QTS)

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

  • Course does not award QTS

How to apply

International applicants

https://www.cssd.ac.uk/international-students/information-international-applicants

Entry requirements

You will normally have a degree or equivalent in a subject that includes an element of movement or dance. Graduates of other disciplines will be considered if they can provide evidence of previous training and experience in movement or dance. If you have a strong movement background and professional experience of working with movement for at least two years, you will be considered for non-standard entry. An offer will normally only be made after interview. An MFA top-up year for those with an existing MA in this subject is also available.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £11550 Year 1
Northern Ireland £11550 Year 1
Scotland £11550 Year 1
Wales £11550 Year 1
Channel Islands £11550 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £11550 Year 1
EU £22050 Year 1
International £22050 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Please note that the EU fee may not be applicable to students originating from an EU country who have settled/pre-settled status. Other criteria apply. See the gov.uk website for further details. Students who are applying for an equivalent or lower level qualification (ELQ) to one they already possess, will be charged full fees, unless they are exempt. Please see the Office for Students' website for details.

Sponsorship information

https://www.cssd.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-bursaries-awards

Movement: Directing and Teaching at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London - UCAS