WHAT WE TEACH
As a student at IDSA, you will delve deeply into a wide range of acting disciplines, and consolidate the skills and knowledge provided by our carefully curated curriculum. As each term builds on the next, you will advance in your understanding of each subject, with classes becoming increasingly demanding as you hone your craft.
During your terms devoted to styles and techniques, you will study four different disciplines. These are spread across all three terms throughout the year to ensure the balanced development of your skills. Please find below examples of some of the topics that we teach.
SCREEN
This is the craft of screen acting, which will focus on delivering truthful and realistic screen performances. The core of these classes will be practical work on film and television scripts, with constant reference to the technical knowledge needed to work in these fields. Every student will finish the module with an enhanced understanding of how to apply their skills to working on screen. When working online, you will use the webcam to look intensively at close-ups and mid shots, and scenes will be recorded and played back for analysis, with a particular focus on working in a subtle, close-up shot. When in-person, you will use our state of the art camera equipment for live recording and playback.
AUDITION TECHNIQUE
You will prepare audition pieces and perform them live as you would for a casting. With many employers now accepting only online submissions, working online will give you the skills to work in this new environment. Working with the latest scripts and casting sides, you will also record and submit self-tapes in the way that many castings now call for and will receive intensive and rigorous feedback in front of the class on how to improve this essential skill. In-person, you will learn the skills used in a live casting and can expect to carry out rigorous mock castings on both platforms.
TEXT & PERFORMANCE
An actor must be able to understand, break down, and analyse a script, at IDSA you will learn the skills to do this effectively, translating this into dynamic, exciting performances. During these modules, you will work intensively on scenes from contemporary texts. When working online, these classes will use TV and film scripts as a resource. As your IDSA course progresses, you will expand your ability to work on increasingly challenging texts. As with all classes at IDSA, these modules are highly practical and you can expect to perform in every lesson, receiving rigorous feedback and detailed notes from your tutors.
RADIO PLAYS & AUDIOBOOKS
In these modules, you will develop the skills needed to work on radio plays, podcasts, and audiobooks. You will also learn how to respond to the unique challenges of working in this field, as well as developing an understanding of the practical and technical requirements of acting using your voice. This subject will primarily be offered to students training on IDSA Online.
MONOLOGUES
This will involve intensive study and performance of monologues, and you will finish the module with an enhanced grasp of how to perform an active monologue in such a way that it reaches and affects a listener. You will have at least one working contemporary monologue by the end of the module, which will be very effective to use for future castings and auditions.
PERFORMANCES
Every Summer, students in the CTP and YAC courses will perform in a Showcase, Zoomcase, or Filmcase.
SHOWCASE
Theatrical Showcases are performed on a stage in front of an invited audience.
ZOOMCASE
Online Showcases are performed via Zoom, responding to the unique nature of this new platform for performance.
FILMCASE
A Filmcase is a recorded film production, when you will work with a director and a professional camera crew to create a short film, demonstrating your knowledge of screen acting. This will be screened at a cinema for an invited audience.
IDSA TALENT & IDENTITY AGENCY GROUP VIEWINGS
During your In-house Presentation, Showcase, Zoomcase, or Filmcase you will be viewed by agents from our in-house talent agency IDSA Talent, or Identity Agency Group (IAG). They will invite actors who deliver the most impressive performances to read for them. 85% of clients signed to IAG’s roster are alumni or are currently training at IDSA.
IMPROVISATION
Improvisation at IDSA is designed to train you in spontaneity, following impulses, and finding truth in performance. You will also learn how to use improvisational techniques and active analysis during a rehearsal process, enhancing your performances for both screen and stage. This module may also cover the skills needed to devise and create work.
VOICE
A rich, well-trained voice is one of the most useful tools available to an actor. At IDSA, you will learn practical techniques to strengthen and develop your voice, bringing life and texture to your performances. You can expect to learn not just pure voice, but also how to apply it to text and performance of all sorts, learning the skills needed not just to use your voice for stage and screen, but also for audiobooks and radio drama.
CLASSICS
This course delves into the work of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and you will learn not only the skills needed to understand and perform these plays, but also how to apply the techniques used in classical text to contemporary text. Shakespeare’s plays are constantly reimagined on both stage and screen, and by the end of this module, you will have the ability to work on these classic texts.
