Acting at Norwich

I hope that you are having a good summer. We are looking forward to welcoming you onto the course in September.

Many of you will already know me. I am Experience, your Course Leader. You may have met me at your audition or Open Day. We are contacting you with your Welcome Pack and to give you a sense as to how we will be teaching you when you join us in September.

Welcome Week

Your first week will be a Welcome Week where we will invite you onto campus to take part in an introductory day. You will learn more about the content and running of the course while engaging in some fun activities as we learn a little more about each other and start to think about what it means to be an actor.

Here you will get an opportunity to meet other students on your course. Activities will be designed so that you can meet each other and remain safe on campus. In addition, you will also have other opportunities to meet each other online and learn about other services that the University offers.

Rhythm of Term

The following week will be the start of your first unit.

Expect to be on campus for blocks of time on Mondays and/or Thursdays and always on Fridays. On Wednesdays you will be expected to log on and attend digital lectures and seminars. Time slots for the Monday, Thursday and Friday workshops may change depending upon the nature of the lessons.

As an actor in training, you will be expected to maintain a personal daily practice of voice, movement, concentration, imagination, and sensory exercises. Some video guidance will be available in addition to instruction in class. You will also be required to read scripts and essays on acting prior to some of the weekly sessions.

Tuesdays will be an independent study day. In addition, there will be times to sign up to use the   acting studio space when it is empty for independent practice and/or collaborative projects.

You will receive individual timetables at the start of your course that will confirm which days of the week and at what times you will be on campus in addition to instructions for signing up to use the studio space.

Dress and Training Kit

As an actor in training, you will be asked to change out of your street clothing and change into studio clothing for all your training, conditioning and applied technique workshops on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

An actors training dress code is commonly called “blacks”. Blacks consist of all black clothing that you can move in and does not have visible logos. Tee shirts, jogging pants, yoga pants, leggings are all acceptable. We are likely to work a lot in bare feet, however black jazz shoes or black trainers will also be acceptable during some sessions.

In addition, make-up should be kept to a minimum, along with no fake tan, false nails, and false eyelashes. Nail polish is allowed but should be discreet and you may be asked to remove it for performance work.

Piercings are allowed, however for practical or health and safety reasons, you may be advised to remove or change your piercing jewelry. Hair color and style is not prescribed, however in all practical classes it should be tied up away from the face.

The purpose of blacks is to create a blank canvas for each session, to put everyone on a level playing field and to create a professional working environment.

In addition to the dress code, we also require that you bring your own yoga mat. Please also come to each session with a notebook/journal, a pen or a digital recorder for notes (this can be your phone if it has that capability).

How to Prepare

For any actor in training being at your best health will be important for you. This might entail quitting smoking and all recreational drugs and could include exercising, eating well, cutting excess sugars, and attending to your mental health in any way that works for you.

Please also complete this little task

• Two different movies/tv/live performances of an actor that you admire.
• What were they doing, as an actor, to make that moment work?
• One moment from either performance where you think the actor was particularly effective.
• To discuss the two performances you watched, why you chose the moment you did, and what you think the actor was doing that allowed for that moment to be effective.

This activity will form part of our Welcome Week activities.

If you have any questions about the course you can contact acting@norwichuni.ac.uk and we will get back to you.

I look forward to starting this amazing journey with you in September.

Experience Bryon

Course Leader and Professor of Interdisciplinary Performance