Location: Drama Studio London
Course duration: One or Two weeks*
Dates: Monday 9 - Friday 13 August and/or Monday 16 - Friday 20 August, 9.45am - 5.15pm daily.
DSL Summer School provides you with an exciting and diverse range of classes led by highly experienced professional practitioners.
The aim of this acting course for adults is to give you a taste of what it is like to attend one of the Federation of Drama Schools. You will have the chance to learn practical acting skills for both stage and screen, learn to use your body and voice confidently, interpret text and make bold character choices. Those undertaking the second week will also deliver a short group performance for family and friends.
This course has been designed in such a way that participants may book for just one week OR both. However if you have little or no previous experience we recommend that you do both weeks of the course to get the most benefit.
As part of the course there will be an opportunity to attend either a public performance or, in the case of ongoing restrictions, a screening of a performance with a post-show discussion and refreshments.
All directors and practitioners on the summer school are working professionals - so the advice and training they offer is always industry relevant.
There may be many different reasons why you choose to attend - you may be thinking of applying to drama school, wish to develop your presentation skills or simply want to try something completely new. What we can guarantee is that you will have a fun-packed range of opportunities and become part of the friendly DSL family culture which everyone who has ever been in the building always talks about.
If you are thinking of applying to Drama School, there will be a chance to meet with one of our Outreach Officers (both recent graduates) and ask them about their experience.
Proposed programme*
Sessions will run 9.45am-1.00pm and 2.00 – 5.15pm
WEEK ONE
Monday 9 August
Confidence - How to overcome performance anxieties, engage fully with your fellow actors, and face your audience.
Opening Up Your Voice - How to warm-up your voice, speak, and project in ways that are natural and authentic.
Tuesday 10 August
Devising Through the Body - How to use your body as an actor, and the stories you can tell physically.
Stagecraft - How to use the space around you to play scenes with fellow actors effectively.
Wednesday 11 August
Exploring Text as an Actor - How to find the clues in text that unlock character and choices.
Finding Truth in Performance - How to be authentic: you are the character, the character is you.
Thursday 12 August
Sight-Reading: from Page to Stage - How to be a quick and confident sight-reader, up on your feet.
An introduction to Acting for Screen - Take 1 - How to shoot scenes with insights on being in front and behind the camera.
Friday 13 August
The Mechanics of the Craft - How to drive scenes and play off your fellow actors using tactics and objectives.
An introduction to Acting for Screen – Take 2 - How to watch yourself objectively, take feedback, and develop your skills.
WEEK TWO
Monday 16 August
Acting Through Time - How to be confident playing both classical and contemporary drama.
Introduction to Stage Choreography - How to move with confidence and retain steps in an audition (as opposed to dancers!)
Tuesday 17 August
Audition Technique for Stage and Screen - How to make a positive impact in the audition room.
Wednesday 18 August
Making Bold Choices - How to surprise yourself as an actor and how wild, unpredictable choices can work.
Improvisation - How to trust your impulses and run with them
Thursday 19 August
Devised Performance - Rehearsal 1
Friday 20 August
Devised Performance - Rehearsal 2 + PERFORMANCE – An informal performance for family and friends, followed by feedback and the presentation of certificates.
*This programme may be subject to change.
A certificate of attendance will be issued if you attend 90% or more of the course.
Summer School Course Director 2021 – Dominic Gerrard
Dominic is an actor, writer and director. He regularly directs on the BA, Diploma and MFA Acting courses at DSL. He has taught at Central and East 15, and is an Education Practitioner at Shakespeare’s Globe.
His international work has taken him as far afield as the University of Notre Dame, Wellesley College, University of Texas (USA); Cultura Inglesa (Brazil); Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Switzerland); and Tiyatro Festivali (Instanbul).
As an actor Dominic’s West End credits include Man and Boy and Les Miserablés.
"Attending a Summer Course at Drama Studio London was a great opportunity for me to be sure that full time training was something I wanted to do. The days were structured in the same way as the full time course and the teaching staff I met taught me on the Diploma too. We covered a lot in a week; breath, voice, preparation of text, improvisation and devising a piece created from scratch. It was good to get a sense of the culture of the school to make sure it suited me. Also, simple things such as being familiar with travel arrangements, the layout of the building and some of the staff before auditioning helped with the nerves. There is a really warm and supportive family atmosphere at DSL. I feel very privileged to have been able to audition at the last minute and take the final slot on the 1 Year Diploma Course. It changed my life in the space of a week!" Sally, 2019 attendee
"The summer course was a great introduction to drama school and the professional training you can expect to receive from studying full time at Drama Studio London. The intensive course definitely gave me a sense of how the school operates with a strong focus on individuality and uniqueness. The staff are incredibly encouraging and genuinely interested in getting to know you as an actor as well as a human being. In two weeks I managed to explore most of the classes that are part of the full time course. The summer course also provided me with some useful tools which helped me prepare for the audition." Helene, 2019 attendee
