UNDERGRADUATE
Acting Courses
At Fourth Monkey
Explore industry-leading actor training in the heart of London.
Our specialist performing arts training prepares students for sustainable careers across theatre, film and digital performance.
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Our Courses
Build a strong professional practice in classical and contemporary performance and creation for both stage and screen with three years comprehensive, conservatoire style training.
Complete your actor training in two intensive years. Our flagship course designed specifically for those ready to fast-track their professional career.
A rigorous, fully funded introduction to the core skills of acting and making for stage and screen. Perfect foundational preparation for BA-level training
Our Training Ethos: Act. Make. Move. Collaborate.
ACT
Master acting and vocal techniques for compelling live and screen performance.
MAKE
Develop as a creative artist, devising bold and original work.
MOVE
Train physically through extensive embodied movement practice.
COLLABORATE
Work within an ensemble to harness the power of community.
Our Approach to Actor Training
At Fourth Monkey, we deliver professional acting training in small groups (typically 14 - 21 students), offering a personalised and supportive learning environment. You’ll benefit from:
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Practitioner-led studio work for live and screen performance
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Research and collaboration-based projects
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Masterclasses and seminars
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Rehearsals, performances & showcases for both stage and screen
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Film-making and digital storytelling
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Continuous feedback and tutorials
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Pastoral and developmental support
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Self-directed learning opportunities
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​Opportunities to enhance your professional preparation and industry readiness
Our social and representative structure includes:
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Bubble Reps – Linking students and course leaders
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Social Reps – Organising inclusive events like Monkey and a Mic, the Christmas Boat Party, and more
BA (Hons) Acting
Course Overview
Delivered by a faculty of international professional practitioners, actors, theatre and film makers, and industry professionals, our BA Acting degrees (both standard and accelerated) combine traditional and cutting-edge techniques to prepare you for the evolving performance industry. The courses continue to be shaped by those working within the industry and their knowledge infuses our student learning experience.
We work and train with an emphasis on the ensemble.
Key Benefits:
• World-renowned interdisciplinary training
• Development of personal and professional artistic identity
• Final industry showcase in a West End venue
• Mentored approach to Graduate Spotlight and Industry Progression
Course Highlights
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Training in Meisner, Lecoq, Grotowski, Butoh and Suzuki methods
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Screenwriting, voice over, motion capture and stage combat
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Graduate showreels and professional portfolio creation
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Public performances
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Live and digital showcases
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Workshops with casting directors, agents, intimacy coordinators and more
Our BA courses focus on employability, adaptability, and artistic agency. You’ll graduate ready for work in theatre, television, film, radio, and digital performance.
Course Structure
​Level 4 - Foundation​
Explore performance fundamentals across stage and screen. Training is multidisciplinary, with a global perspective.
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Level 5 - Development​
Deepen your technical capacity and expressive range. You’ll rehearse, perform and create work within real-world professional contexts.
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Level 6 - Industry Readiness​
Curate a professional portfolio, build your showreel and perform for industry professionals. Showcase your skills through public performances and original work.
Discovering What Moves Me...
20 Credits
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​Through international techniques such as Grotowski and Lecoq, you will develop body awareness, visual, aural and spatial awareness and physical and rhythmical co-ordination. These techniques will also promote physical expression, artistic exploration and personal development.
Play!
20 Credits
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The work in this module begins with (your)self and the exploration of who you are with reference to practitioners such as Stanislavski and Meisner, Rodenburg and Houseman.
Consequentially, you will explore:
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Your perception of (your)self
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Your connection to who you are
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Your impulses, intuition and imagination
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Your personal habits and cultural identity
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Comfort and growth zones
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Connection to your true voice
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Skills of improvisation and musicality
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Your work will be underpinned by Fourth Monkey’s multidisciplinary ethos and core principles of exploration and discovery.
Who Am I?
20 Credits
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This module will give you the opportunity to take creative risks, make bold choices and convey your own artistic and creative ideas.
With reference to practitioners such as Decroux and John Wright, the classes in this module will:
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Equip you with a framework for the process of creating your own work
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Aid you to identify the processes which facilitate self-exploration
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Cultivate the confidence to use (your)self to generate creative offers
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Enable you to recognise and evaluate your own individual successes and needs in a variety of contexts
Technique Into Performance
20 Credits
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The classes in this module will focus on transferring acting technique into scene work. It will give you the opportunity to begin developing your ability to make clear character choices, explore character relationship and understand the beginnings of stage craft for performance.
The classes in this module will reference practitioners such as Uta Hagen and Sanford Meisner.
Expressive Exploration
20 Credits
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This module will explore the body as the theatre maker’s tool for physical expression and the actor’s tool for creating character. These contexts will require you to explore making creative offers outside of your habitual responses as well as give you the opportunity to learn how to look after your own body and recognise its individual needs.
This module will also include further international influences such as Butoh and Suzuki.
Creating My Own Work
20 Credits
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This module will afford you the opportunity to collaborate with your peers in small working groups on a self-generated devising project in order to collectively conceive a piece of theatre.
You will explore your own way of working and what you need to do in order to support this work. You will also investigate how you communicate your creative and artistic ideas to an audience and within a professional working environment.
BA (Hons) vs. BA (Hons) Accelerated Degree
Both courses offer the same training content and qualification. The Accelerated course condenses this into two years, with shorter holiday breaks and a faster pace.
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Talk to our admissions team to explore which course suits your goals and lifestyle.
CertHE Acting & Theatre Making
Course Overview
This one-year foundation course offers a comprehensive introduction to actor training in a collaborative ensemble environment.
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Fully funded with professional training in acting, voice and movement
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Includes creative theatre-making, puppetry, clown and screen work
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Public performance opportunities – rare for foundation-level courses
Suitable for those beginning their professional acting journey
CertHE Course Delivery & Progression
Training takes place evenings and Saturdays at The Monkey House, London – enabling part-time employment alongside study.
You’ll learn through:
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Workshops and seminars
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Ensemble performance projects
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Movement, text and voice training
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Masterclasses in Meisner, Uta Hagen, Lecoq, Laban and more
Progression Options
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Our BA (Hons) Acting courses
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Other UK accredited drama schools
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Further training or entry into the creative industries
With over 90% of CertHE graduates progressing to further accredited actor training, this is a transformative first step in your creative career.
Performance Project
Contemporary Play or Ensemble Devised
Enhancement Opportunities For All Courses
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Subsidised access to short courses and professional development
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Leadership opportunities as course or teaching reps
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Invitations to Monkey Socials and networking events
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Ongoing pastoral care and professional mentoring
YOUR PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY BEGINS HERE
At Fourth Monkey, we're dedicated to helping you build a successful career, and our partnership with Spotlight is a huge part of that. As a final-year student, you'll be eligible for Spotlight Graduate membership, giving you a direct pathway into the industry.
As a Spotlight Graduate member, you'll get exclusive access to events and workshops specifically designed to help you transition from training to a professional career. You'll also benefit from a discounted membership for your first two years in the industry, easing the financial burden as you start out.One of the most exciting parts of your final year is the chance to participate in our professional London showcase. This event, listed on the Spotlight Performance Calendar, is a key opportunity to present your talents to casting directors and agents, helping you build the professional network essential for a successful career.
Additionally, one student is nominated by our staff to compete for the prestigious Spotlight Prize, an incredible chance to perform for an expert panel and win a cash prize.