Bachelor of Dramatic Art (VCA)

The Bachelor of Dramatic Art is a three-year intensive actor training program.

The structure of the course provides intensive skills training, performance making projects, studio productions and a wide variety of performance situations. The structure of the course: skills classes in the morning and rehearsals in the afternoon.

The objectives of the course are:

• to produce professional theatre practitioners including actors, directors, animateurs and actor-trainers;
• to produce actors who can perform the classical and contemporary dramatic repertoire;
• to produce actors who can work with ease in a film and television industry;
• to produce practitioners who have a kinaesthetic and conceptual understanding of the relationship between form and content;
• to produce creative leaders who can generate, develop and perform new work;
• to foster a clear understanding of, and respect for the ethics of theatrical practice;
• to foster a spirit of enqiry towards the development of new work;
• to encourage collaborative practice between actors, directors, writers, production personnel and animateurs;
• to encourage students to develop an awareness of their relationship and responsibility to their cultural environment and society by providing opportunities for informed critical enquiry, social interaction and cultural exploration during their studies.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Applicants are required to have satisfactorily completed VCA or Year 12 equivalent with a study score of at least 25 in Units 3 and 4 English/English Language/ Literature or at least 30 in ESL. An audition and interview is required.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

At the completion of the course students should be able to:

• exhibit extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of their discipline including relevant professional knowledge, skills, discipline and ethics as they relate to a practising visual/performing artist;
• demonstrate capacities for artistic imagination, creativity, transformation and interpretation;
• demonstrate practical skills in respect of critical analysis, problem solving, report writing, team work and oral and written communcation;
• demonstrate a flexible and innovative approach to the national and international challenges for the professional visual/performing artist in the 21st century;
• work at various levels, both as an individual and as a team member, in a wide variety of visual/performing artistic environments;
• contribute to a range of visual/performing arts environments as artistic collaborators and leaders;
• demonstrate an open, independent and inquiring attitude towards contemporary cultural developments and new ideas;
• critically and creatively engage with topics of cultural significance across communities;
• understand and appreciate how the visual and performing areas connect with the broader society and contribute to its social and economic development;
• understand their relationship with and responsibility to their cultural environment and society.