Acting
Formerly known as Birmingham School of Acting, we became part of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2017. With roots as a drama school going back to 1936, we retain the professional outlook and commitment to contemporary training that has seen our drama provision consistently rated amongst the best in the UK. We’re ranked 2nd in the UK for Drama and Dance (Guardian League Table 2024).
We also train the associated disciplines of Stage Management and Applied Theatre, which provides the perfect learning environment to launch your career as a performance industry professional.
Courses
Find out about our range of courses, including Stage Management and Applied Theatre (Community and Education).
Our coursesAuditions and interviews
If your application is successful, you will be invited to an audition, an interview or both, depending on the course you've applied for.
Audition processWhy study here
Our well-equipped studios are hives of activity, buzzing with the creativity and hard work of students committed to developing into professionals in the performance industry.
Why study here[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Ruskin Hall is beautiful. It's set in Bournville in Birmingham, and it's a Quaker village, and it's so scenic. [00:00:10][9.9]
[00:00:10] Speaker 2: So what's nice about studying Ruskin, is that it sort of ties in with the structure of the course. So the structure of the course is that for year one, the first year is very much about having a laboratory. It's very much about bringing you into a safe space where you can start to feel comfortable and confident to make mistakes. And so you also want a space which is focussed and concentrated, and you can just go from class to class to subject to subject just in between being able to have a common room space, to have some breakout spaces and chat and recharge and go to your next class. [00:00:48][37.6]
[00:00:49] Speaker 3: It's a really nice it's a really nice building. And like the windows, we see a lot of trees. [00:00:54][4.7]
[00:00:55] Speaker 3: And there's it's a real sense of community here as well. [00:00:58][2.8]
[00:00:58] Speaker 1: We're all just a family and it feels great coming in every morning knowing that everyone I'm going to be interacting with is a friend. [00:01:06][7.3]
[00:01:06] Speaker 2: It is quite a quiet, playful, exploratory time. And so for that, all you need is a safe place to explore yourself and the work and get to know your colleagues. [00:01:20][13.4]
[00:01:21] Speaker 3: It's a really nice environment. I look forward to coming in every day. [00:01:21][0.0]
[75.8]
About us
Ruskin Hall and leafy, historic Bournville is a fantastic place to study. Birmingham City University vlogger Jess made this video to highlight some landmarks, and to show how accessible the area is by bus or train.
Blog
Check out our blog, online home for our community of musicians, actors, applied theatre performers and stage managers.
Read moreFacilities
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s £57 million teaching and performance facility offers unrivalled opportunities for our students.
Our facilitiesWelcome from the Principal
A message from Stephen Maddock OBE, Principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Welcome to RBCOur graduates
Take a look at our Acting graduates across the years, including links to their spotlight pages and some graduate stories.
Our graduatesOur staff
Our staff are from the performance industry and have all enjoyed a successful professional career, with many of them still active artists and practitioners.
Our staffActing productions
Take a look at some of the previous productions our students at the Birmingham School of Acting have been involved in.
Acting productionsDrama school journey
Training to be an actor is a journey of self-discovery, with many highs and lows along the way. Hear advice from our students as they come to the end of their degrees.
Drama school journeyMonologues
On the stage, monologues can be everything: funny, poignant, dark, manic. But they should always be memorable. Here are some things to think about.
How to perform a monologueFind us
The School of Acting relocated from its previous home at Millennium Point in January 2022, when staff and students moved to Ruskin Hall, Bournville.
Find usConservatoireOpen Days
Join us on campus at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for an insight into life as a Conservatoire student.
Register your interest