atcl diploma in acting

two year diploma in acting (atcl)

Professional actor training for stage, screen and recorded media — in Brighton, evenings and weekends.

ACT's Two Year Diploma in Acting is an intensive vocational training programme for students who want to develop the skills, discipline and experience needed to work professionally as actors.

Training combines the fundamental craft of acting with voice, movement, singing, text, stage performance, screen acting and recorded arts, alongside practical preparation for entering the profession.

The course leads to the Trinity ATCL Level 4 Diploma and includes professional performance experience, screen and voice reels, headshots, professional studies and a graduate showcase.

No upper age limit. You don't need to move to London. You do need to be ready to train.

at a glance

Two years | Part-time | Professional vocational training | 1,000 tutor-led hours

Age: 18+
No upper age limit

Training: Evenings and weekends

Monday–Wednesday: 6.45pm–10.00pm
Some terms also include Thursday evenings.

Sundays: Daytime sessions, with times varying according to the timetable and project.

Qualification: Trinity ATCL Level 4 Diploma

Fees: £500 per month

Additional rehearsal, production and performance calls are required at certain points during the course.

professional actor training for the contemporary industry

Actor training has to prepare you for the profession as it exists now.

The fundamental skills haven't changed. Actors still need technique, imagination, discipline, a trained voice and body, and the ability to understand and bring a text to life.

But the industry has changed.

Today's actors may move between theatre, television, film, self-tapes, voiceover, audio drama, gaming and digital content — often within the same career.

Our Diploma combines traditional actor training with the practical skills needed to work across stage, screen and recorded media.

You'll explore different practitioners, rehearsal techniques and approaches to performance, building a broad practical toolbox rather than being taught that there is one “correct” way to act.

The aim is not to produce actors who all work in the same way.

It's to help you discover the best actor you can become.

training environment

ACT offers a supportive, challenging and creative environment in which students are encouraged to take risks, make mistakes and discover their individual strengths as actors.

We don't aim to produce actors who all look, sound or work in the same way. Training is about developing your own artistic voice, while giving you the technique, discipline and professional skills to use it effectively.

We aim to develop actors who are skilled, curious, generous and independent — able to make strong creative choices and bring something of themselves to the work

how the two years work

The Diploma comprises 1,000 hours of tutor-led, in-person training over two years, moving from the fundamental skills of actor training towards advanced performance and preparation for entering the profession.

The emphasis throughout is practical. You'll learn by doing — training, rehearsing, experimenting, performing, filming and recording — with your work developing from the studio into public productions and professional preparation.

year one — build the actor

The first year is about developing your craft.

You'll work across Acting Technique, Voice, Movement, Singing and Text, exploring different practitioners and approaches and developing the physical, vocal and imaginative skills you need as an actor.

Training is applied through practical scene work, rehearsal and performance, giving you the opportunity to test what you're learning and develop the discipline of working as part of an ensemble.

Screen work is introduced alongside the core stage training, beginning the process of adapting your performance for the camera.

year two — develop the professional

In the second year, the focus shifts towards applying your skills at a more advanced level and preparing for professional work.

You'll continue to develop your acting, voice and movement while working across Shakespeare, advanced text and performance, screen acting, voiceover and recorded media.

You'll explore the particular demands of classical text alongside contemporary work, while developing the ability to adapt your performance across stage, screen and microphone.

Alongside your performance training, you'll begin preparing the practical materials and professional skills you'll need when you leave ACT.

The course culminates in your ATCL assessment, professionally produced showreel and voice reel, headshots and a graduate showcase, bringing together your training and preparing you for the next stage of your career.

what you graduate with

The Diploma is designed not only to develop you as an actor, but to help you leave ACT with the practical materials and experience you need to begin pursuing professional work.

On successful completion of the course, you'll leave with:

• Trinity ATCL Level 4 Diploma in Performing (Speech and Drama)

• Spotlight eligibility - completion of the two-year Diploma makes graduates eligible for Spotlight membership.

• A professionally filmed and edited screen showreel

• A professionally produced voice reel

• Professional actor headshots

• Experience performing in full public productions

• A final graduate showcase

• Training and experience across stage, screen and recorded media

• Professional preparation including self-taping, auditions, casting and industry practice

You'll also leave with something less tangible but equally important: two years of practical experience, feedback and training designed to help you enter the profession as a confident, independent actor.

qualification

The Diploma leads to the ATCL Diploma in Performing (Speech and Drama), awarded by Trinity College London.

The ATCL is a Level 4 qualification on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), equivalent in level to the first year of undergraduate study.

The qualification is assessed through practical performance and reflects the skills developed throughout your training at ACT.

Students prepare for their ATCL assessment as part of the second year of the Diploma, alongside their ongoing stage, screen and professional training.

ACT has a 100% pass rate for students entered for the ATCL examination.

The ATCL is an externally awarded qualification — your actor training is delivered by ACT Brighton.

entry requirements

The Diploma is open to students aged 18 and over, with no upper age limit.

There are no formal academic entry requirements. Previous acting experience or training is desirable, but we recognise that actors come to professional training through many different routes.

We are looking for applicants who demonstrate potential, imagination, commitment and a genuine desire to develop as actors.

Professional actor training is demanding. Students need to be prepared to:

• Attend regularly and punctually

• Work with focus and discipline

• Take direction and respond constructively to feedback

• Work generously and supportively as part of an ensemble

• Take responsibility for their own preparation and development

• Take creative risks and be willing to move beyond their comfort zone

• Commit fully to rehearsals, productions and performances

You don't need to arrive as a finished actor.

That's what the training is for.

how to apply

Entry to the Two Year Diploma in Acting is through assessment and interview or audition and interview.

two week acting intensive

Our preferred route is through the Two Week Acting Intensive.

The Intensive gives you the opportunity to experience ACT training before committing to the two-year course. You'll work with our tutors across a range of disciplines, while we have the opportunity to see how you work, respond to direction and develop through training.

At the end of the Intensive you'll receive individual feedback and an interview. Successful applicants may then be offered a place on the Diploma or, where appropriate, another ACT training programme.

audition & interview

If you're unable to attend the Two Week Acting Intensive, you can apply through one of our scheduled audition and interview days.

You'll prepare two strongly contrasting pieces, each approximately 2–3 minutes long, ideally taken from a published play or film script.

The audition is followed by an interview where we'll discuss your experience, your reasons for wanting to train professionally and whether the Diploma is the right course for you.

Full preparation guidance is sent when you book.

Audition fee: £25

Whichever route you choose, the process is also an opportunity for you to decide whether ACT is the right place for you to train.

fees

£500 per month

The Two Year Diploma is paid in 24 monthly payments of £500, spreading the cost of professional actor training across the two years.

A £250 deposit secures your place and is deducted from your first monthly payment.

your fees include

• 1,000 hours of tutor-led, in-person training

• Acting Technique, Voice, Movement and Singing

• Shakespeare and advanced text work

• Screen Acting

• Voiceover and audio acting

• Rehearsals and public productions

• Brighton Fringe performance experience

• Trinity ATCL Level 4 preparation and assessment

• Professionally filmed and edited screen showreel

• Professionally produced voice reel

• Professional actor headshots

• Professional studies, audition and self-tape preparation

• Final graduate showcase

• Regular individual feedback and written progress reports

• Special discounted student ticket offers for selected Lantern Theatre productions

• Eligibility to apply for a TOTUM student discount card

There are no additional tuition or production fees.

The full course fee is £12,000, spread across the 24 monthly payments above.

Students who withdraw remain liable for fees for the remainder of the current term.

Course fees are reviewed annually.