Stage & Screen Acting

Stage and screen acting is the study and practice of one of the most demanding and rewarding of the performing arts, training you to inhabit characters convincingly across the very different demands of live theatre, film, television and digital media. Theatre acting requires projection, physical presence and the ability to sustain a performance in a shared space with a live audience. Screen acting demands economy, naturalism and an acute awareness of how the camera reads movement, expression and stillness.

Developing proficiency in both is the ambition of a stage and screen programme, producing performers who can move between contexts and adapt to the distinct disciplines each requires.

Edinburgh Napier University's Advanced Entry programme allows students who already hold a relevant Higher National qualification or equivalent to complete this full degree over four years of full-time study, entering at a more advanced level than standard routes. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study or work in a different national context and to encounter acting traditions that may differ significantly from UK practice. The typical entry tariff is around 184 UCAS points, reflecting the high selectivity of this specialist performing arts programme.

You will work extensively in the studio and on set, developing technique across a range of acting methodologies, voice, movement and physical theatre. The programme is likely to include work in contemporary and classical dramatic texts, screen performance, audition technique, self-taping and the practical realities of a professional acting career. Edinburgh's position as a city with one of the world's most significant arts festivals provides a rich environment for performance study and professional encounter.

Career paths for graduates of stage and screen acting programmes include professional theatre performance across repertory, touring, fringe and West End contexts, and screen work in television drama, film, commercials and digital content. Many graduates build portfolio careers that combine performing with directing, writing, teaching and facilitation. Postgraduate study in performance, applied theatre, theatre directing or screen acting is an option for those who wish to develop a particular strand of their practice further.