Located in Regent's Park, central London, the college is truly international, with more than 130 different nationalities represented.

UKP-Arts took a look around LSFMP and spoke to David Hanson, Head of School, and Valerie Kaneko-Lucas, Programme Director for Theatre & Performance Studies, about the acting courses.

Whether you want a career in theatre - or to find out whether acting is for you - the two-semester Acting Foundation Course is the perfect stepping-stone into the world of the actor, preparing students for entry to university and drama school. Competition for places on degree courses and drama schools is fierce, so the more you can do to prepare yourself to compete strongly and maximise your potential, the better.

The course is intensive and demanding, and creates an essential 'actors' toolkit' to develop your creative potential. Through workshops, lectures, seminars and tutorials, you learn about the fundamentals of acting, scene study and improvisation. You build your skills in voice and movement, as well as studying how theatre developed and the kinds of performance which have captivated audiences in times past - as well as now. Masterclasses from visiting professionals and guest artists will enable you to learn about acting for the camera, stage combat and physical theatre.

The course provides the practical know-how you will need for going on to drama school or university or for a future career in the performing arts industry. You will learn how to analyse a script, and how to select, prepare and perform audition speeches from both modern and classical authors. Tutors work closely with each student to build their confidence and explore what will give you the 'leading edge'. Students have the opportunity to perform their pieces and receive feedback from professional directors and other industry experts.

Two entry points are available each year. You can start in January and follow the course through to completion in late summer, allowing progression onto a degree-level course in September; or you can choose to study from September to May, still allowing progression onto a September degree course. With a portfolio of professional skills, confidence and industry know-how and two fully prepared audition pieces, graduating students will be ready to tackle the highly competitive process of auditioning for a place at drama school or university. They also leave with the added advantage of being guaranteed a priority audition on the LSFMP's BA (Hons) Acting & Global Theatre degree course.

The BA (Hons) Acting & Global Theatre degree explores the craft of the actor through the comparative study of theatre and performance from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Pacific Rim and the Americas. The course enables students to combine a strong academic focus and practical actor training. Students benefit from a systematic training in voice, movement and acting, and are encouraged to develop a portfolio of performance skills suited to the demands of an increasingly global profession.

Your study of world stages is linked to workshops, scene work and tutorials; these build towards a yearly performance. Your training enables you to develop a range of techniques for creating character and dramatic roles as well as learning specific techniques for video production, theatre design and acting for the camera.

The programme's distinctive international focus is further enhanced by the Artist Residency and Study Abroad semester. In the Artist Residency, you will explore one of the world theatre traditions with a master theatre-maker, and have the chance to participate in a short performance. Masterclasses are offered by visiting professional actors, designers and directors.

In your second year, you will study abroad at one of LSFMP's partner institutions: destinations include DAMU, the Academy for Performing Arts in Prague (Czech Republic); Pace University (New York, USA); Suffolk University (USA); Queensland University of Technology (Australia); Monmouth University (USA) and La Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. During your 12 week study period abroad you will experience the performance cultures of your host country - and have ample time to immerse yourself in all that your new culture has to offer.

Ultimately, the programme aims to produce an articulate theatre-maker, who is able to realise a production from initial idea through to the first night, and who is knowledgeable about theatre from an international perspective. Students emerge with highly transferable and wide-ranging skills - from acting, producing, writing, video-filming, digital sound-recording and image-editing skills, through to team-working, communication, project-management, presentation and creative problem-solving skills.

Both of these courses have a small intake of 10 to 20 students, giving plenty of contact time with the tutors, who are experienced professionals from the London theatre community. LSFMP is located just minutes away from the heart of the West End and its world-renowned theatres. The acting courses take full advantage of the diverse performing arts scene; theatre visits are an essential part of your study, enabling you to enrich your studies through seeing performances and evaluating different actors' interpretations, as well as the chance to go behind the scenes and investigate the world backstage. At LSFMP itself, you will work in new, bespoke performance studios.

Regent's College London is not a government-funded college but an educational trust with charitable status. This means that it has a generous scholarship fund, to which all students are encouraged to apply. These scholarships are merit-based and are available for up to fifty percent of the course fees, providing you reach minimum grades. In addition, there are a limited number of means-tested bursaries to help finance your studies.

For further information contact:

London School of Film, Media and Performance
Regent's College
Inner Circle
Regent's Park
London NW1 4NS
Tel: +44 (0)20 7487 7505
Email: LSFMP@regents.ac.uk
Web: www.regents.ac.uk/lsfmp