Students showcase their talent at the Theatre Royal

The first graduating cohort from the Sim Balk Lane campus’ BA Acting for Stage and Screen degree exhibited their highly impressive drama skills by performing a series of short scenes from contemporary plays.

Captivating extracts from Closer by Patrick Marber, The Effect by Lucy Prebble, Sixty Five Miles by Matt Hartley, Eigengrau by Penelope Skinner, Consensual by Evan Placey and Bird by Katherine Chandler were all played out in front of industry professionals on the lookout for talent.

A video of the performances will also be sent out to agents who were unable to make the Showcase.

Commenting on the event, Programme Leader and Acting Lecturer James Harvey said: “The Graduate Showcase was a culmination of two years of professional actor training and gave our first cohort of actors an opportunity to present their work to the industry, which will launch them into successful careers for many years.”

York College University Centre is just one of around 20 education providers in Great Britain and Ireland affiliated to the prestigious Spotlight Graduate Membership Scheme

The only other one in Yorkshire is based in Leeds and the course is regarded as a professional actor training programme by the industry.

The degree is run in partnership with the Theatre Royal and Screen Yorkshire, who helped finance the iconic BAFTA award-winning film This is England, as well as the hugely popular TV series’ Peaky Blinders and All Creatures Great and Small.

Students immerse themselves in professional acting training all day, every day on a course that is overseen by Harvey, who is currently developing a musical with West End collaborators.

Harvey is assisted by a highly talented team of working professionals, boasting bags of experience in the industry, including Voice Lecturer Yvonne Morley-Chisholm, who regularly works at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Movement Lecturers Jen Malarkey and Gemma O’Connor, Professional Development Lecturers Niall Costigan and Cassie Vallance and Screen Acting Lecturer Kate Chappell.

External industry experts are also frequently invited to share their knowledge with students and the Royal Shakespeare Company recently delivering a workshop on motion capture.

For more information on York College University Centre’s BA Acting for Stage and Screen degree, please click here