Join this one of a kind, professional course for a year of first hand knowledge and professional hands on experience from the industry’s top directors, casting directors, acting coaches, and more! Get live on-set experience and build your network, all at the hub of West End, TV, and Film Castings and Rehearsals - City Academy Studios. You’ll leave with remarkable credits and professional results that’ll get you noticed and already have your Screen Acting career launched by the time you complete the course!
Get Seen by the Best Casting Directors
Get seen by and work directly with the industry’s leading casting directors. They’ll help cast you on this course, plus you’ll have regular opportunities to audition and showcase your skills. Gain insights, feedback, and build lasting connections with the people who are making the big casting decisions.
Martin Ware – Nina Gold office
Emmy and BAFTA award winning Casting, most recently for Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, with Nina Gold.
Kristina Erderly
Known for casting Emmy winning film The Brutalist, Eaten By Lions and The Actor.
Rowland Beckley
BBC Studios Executive Committee. Casting for iconic BBC shows such as Eastenders, Casualty and Doctors.
Work with Top Directors
Learn from directors who’ve worked with the biggest stars on top shows like Netflix and BBC. You’ll gain invaluable experience in real audition processes and when working on professional showreel footage and the professional short film project. The perfect way to refine your skills and get noticed!
Course Highlights
Spotlight & IMDB Credits – Throughout the course, gain professional credits that will help give you the credibility you need to kickstart your Acting career.
Make a professional Short Film - Get cast, directed and act in a Short Film, all to its highest quality. Feel what’s it like to be on an actual set and see your film being entered into film festivals.
Attend your Film Screening – Feel what’s it’s like to be amidst the glitz and glamour, by attending your very own Film Screening with Casting directors, Directors and Agents invited.
Course Highlights
Proximity to Industry Professionals: Regular interactions with working casting directors, agents, and directors who lead masterclasses, workshops, and provide invaluable feedback.
Live Casting Opportunities: We offer you real-world audition experiences, allowing you to audition for current productions in the West End, TV, and film projects.
End of Course Screening – Showreels played, short film played and get to preform in a live acting showcase with top industry professionals invited. Invite Agents that you’d like to sign with. A night to celebrate and get noticed by key decision makers in the industry.
Mid-Course Internal Showcase – You’ll get to invite industry connections you’ve made, to see your progress.
On-Set Experience – Get a behind-the-scenes look at how professional sets and casting sessions work, either as work experience or runners. Experience the action on real film sets.
Professional Showreel Footage – Minimum of 3 varying scenes suiting your casting type, shot throughout the course.
Flexible Learning – Online classes once every fortnight + 4-day week schedule.
Drop in Sessions – Drop in for improv work or take a day off and make up time on weekends.
Networking - Build industry connections and get taught how to.
Headshots Included - Professional headshot package worth £600 included from an expert photographer.
Confidence and Mindset Coaching – Work on personal development, and how to build your own brand/self as a professional actor. Get expert guidance on how to market yourself to get the best results.
Previous Productions include
Have a look at an example of what we’ve created here at City Academy previously. This can be you next!
Professional Actors
You may recognise some familiar faces! Get a chance to be seen be some of TV and Film’s greatest and rising stars. You’ll have a chance to workshop some scenes and be given guidance. Be prepared for the industry and gain insights with Q and A’s. Find out what life on the big screen is really like and be inspired.
Antonio Aakeel
Known for Apple TV’s Emmy winning Slow Horses, Tomb Raider and upcoming TV series Sherlock and Daughter.
Rula Lenska
Known for her role in British Soap Coronation Street, Cluedo, and The Kingdom by the Sea.
Hayley Mills
Disney Legend and Oscar winning Actress. Need we say more!
Aimee Kelly
BAFTA and BFI nominated. Known for Apple Tv’s Hijack, Platform 7 and Wolfblood.
Robert Lindsay
BAFTA winning and 2 x Olivier Award winner, known for Iconic TV show My Family.
Rebecca Sarker
Known for being Soap regular in British Soaps, ITV Emmerdale, Coronation Street and BBC’s Eastenders.
Bhasker Patel
Known as Soap legend in ITV’s Emmerdale, Anuvahood and BBC’s Doctor Who.
Agents
Every professional Actor needs an agent. We’ve only gone and rounded up some of the best agents in the industry. Get a chance to be seen and work with these agents and gain valuable tips and how to get the best agent for you.
Coached by Industry Experts
Our acting coaches aren’t just great teachers - they’ve worked in the industry, studied at top acting schools, and have experience as actors and directors themselves. Learn from the best, and get guidance that’s tailored to your unique talent and career goals.
Our Venue - Your Opportunity
Expect tons of networking opportunities - brush shoulders with the people who are shaping the industry every day!
Being in this prime location means you’ll benefit from:
- Collaborations with Industry Networks. Our connections give you exclusive access to upcoming auditions, projects, and rehearsals, helping you build the right relationships early in your career.
- By being in the centre of where the action is, you'll not only develop as an actor but also make invaluable connections with industry professionals that could lead to your next big role.
- Find out first hand industry knowledge, find out about auditions and have the opportunity to audition in open auditions happening at City Academy.
City Academy, 10 Herbal Hill, London
All at the heart of the industry’s top castings and rehearsals - City Academy Studios.
What more could an actor want? Hit the ground running.
- Professional experience
- Real, professional environments
- Access to industry pros and get seen by them
- Professional credits
- The first premium course of its kind
A Year of Professional Screen Training – Structured for Career Growth
Our one-year Professional Screen Acting Course is divided into four progressive modules, each carefully designed to build on the last. From technical screen craft and in-depth character work to genre versatility and industry readiness, every quarter offers focused, high-impact training tailored to the real demands of today’s film and television industry. You'll move from refining on-camera skills to performing in a professionally produced short film, culminating in a final industry showcase. This structure ensures a well-rounded, immersive experience that prepares you not just to act — but to work.
Module 1: Refining On-Camera Fundamentals
- Screen-Specific Technique Hone your craft by mastering the nuanced demands of screen acting, including stillness, presence, and detail work for HD close-ups and cinematic storytelling. Focus on the transition from stage-trained habits to the precision required for screen.
- Technical Integration for Performance Work intensively with camera setups, framing, eyelines, and on-set continuity. Gain confidence hitting marks, adjusting to lighting setups, and delivering consistent takes across multiple angles and setups.
- Voice and Physical Control for Screen Develop advanced vocal modulation and body control tailored to screen work. Learn how to deliver performance with minimal movement while maintaining emotional impact and clarity on camera.
- Scene Study & Direction Engage in rigorous scene work from screenplays used in professional productions. Receive detailed direction and feedback from working directors and actors to align your performance with industry expectations.
Train with working professionals
Use real scripts and set-ups. Master the technical precision required on professional film sets.
Learn how to perform for the lens, not the room.
Develop camera awareness and consistency across takes. Hone subtle movement, stillness and emotional restraint for screen.
Bridge the gap between rehearsal and real-world film production.
Train in eyelines, framing, and on-set spatial awareness. Deliver authentic performances that hold up on the big screen.
Module 2: Character Construction & On-Set Practice
- Character Design Through Technique: Use Meisner, Stanislavski, and Hagen-based methods to build authentic, psychologically detailed characters. Apply these tools practically across diverse screen texts.
- Improvisation in Industry Contexts: Strengthen your adaptability for live sets by developing improvised performance techniques. Prepare for commercials, high-pressure shoots, and on-the-fly adjustments with directors.
- Professional Set Protocols: Train in professional on-set conduct, including collaborating with camera teams, adjusting performance under direction, and navigating multi-take environments with focus and consistency.
- On-Set Simulation Projects: Execute scenes in a controlled, on-set environment. Rotate through rehearsal, blocking, and multiple takes under director supervision, reflecting professional working conditions.
Build layered characters using industry-recognised acting techniques.
Apply Meisner, Stanislavski and Hagen methods to screen-ready roles.
Train for spontaneity and precision with high-pressure on-set scenarios.
Master the art of adjusting performances mid-shoot without losing focus. Become a director’s actor — responsive, grounded, and ready.
Develop the agility to handle last-minute script changes and redirections.
Learn how to navigate set hierarchy with confidence and professionalism. Practise set protocols that mirror professional film and TV environments.
Module 3: Genre Versatility & Performance Depth
- Genre Mastery: Explore and refine your screen acting technique across major genres including drama, comedy, thriller, sci-fi, and period. Tailor your emotional and physical range to meet specific stylistic demands.
- Subtext & Emotional Command: Tackle emotionally complex material with clarity and depth. Use subtext, inner monologue, and psychological technique to sustain character integrity under the camera’s scrutiny.
- Advanced Scene & Dialogue Work: Sharpen your control over high-stakes dialogue, focusing on beats, emotional layering, and reactive listening. Execute sophisticated scripts with technical precision and compelling delivery.
- Short Film Production: Collaborate with a professional film crew on a fully produced short film. Apply your training on a real set, working to professional standards in a filmed piece for your showreel and portfolio.
Master the tonal shifts required across screen genres.
Adapt your acting style for drama, comedy, thriller, sci-fi and period roles.
Train for genre fluency — from subtle realism to stylised performance.
Unpack emotional layers and make subtext work on camera. Learn how to sustain complex inner life throughout a take.
Execute dialogue with rhythm, realism, and responsiveness.
Push your emotional range while staying technically sharp.Elevate your scene work with precise beats and reactive listening.
Module 4: Industry Readiness & Career Launch
- Audition Strategy & Professional Self-Taping: Train rigorously in audition technique across genres and formats. Build a portfolio of self-tapes and participate in mock auditions with casting professionals to refine your approach.
- Career Navigation & Industry Networks: Learn how to secure and maintain industry relationships, from agents and managers to casting directors. Gain real insight into contracts, submission etiquette, and long-term career planning.
- Brand Development & Actor Marketing: Define your casting type and brand as a screen actor. Produce a polished headshot, develop a strategic online presence, and craft a tailored actor’s reel using professionally filmed material.
- Final Showcase & Industry Presentation: Present a curated performance at a professional showcase event attended by agents, casting directors, and industry guests. Graduates leave with a ready-to-share portfolio, including a professionally edited showreel, career plan, and actionable next steps.
Refine your audition craft with industry-led feedback.
Master self-taping to meet modern casting expectations.
Build a versatile audition portfolio across genres and styles.
Learn how to navigate the business side of the industry with confidence. Establish lasting relationships with agents, casting directors, and managers. Understand contracts, submissions, and long-term career planning.
Define your casting type and craft a distinct actor brand.
Create a professional presence across headshots, showreels, and socials. Graduate with a complete, polished portfolio to launch your career.
Ready for theScreen? Submit Your Audition Today
Auditioning for our one-year Professional Screen Acting Course is your gateway to an incredible year of training, performance, and career development — and it’s completely free to apply. All we ask is for a short video showcasing your talent, and in return, you'll receive thoughtful, personalised feedback from our expert tutors. This is your chance to make a bold first impression, demonstrate your passion, and take the first real step toward working in the screen industry. Audition places are limited and fill fast, so we encourage you to act quickly. Ready to show us what you’ve got?
Find out exactly what we’re looking for and how to submit your video on the next page.
Some of our clients
We work with the top casting agencies and production companies in the UK and around the world, from the BBC to the West End!
Register your interest
We will be publishing new class dates soon - please register your interest and we will be in touch with more information.
Select your Entry Level:
Register your interest
We will be publishing new class dates soon - please register your interest and we will be in touch with more information.
Select your Entry Level:
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All City Academy tutors are experienced professionals from theatre, film/TV and performance industries. So whilst they're training you they may also be rehearsing for a West End show or working on a movie. We like that and we do believe it makes a difference in class.
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