Performance Preparation Academy: top-quality acting school launches new course
Boasting state-of-the-art facilities in the heart of Guildford, PPA has expanded its training offering even further, with its BA (hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen with Foundation Year
Since its foundation in 2008, Surrey’s Performance Preparation Academy – PPA for short – has earned a reputation for providing top-quality training in a rigorous but nurturing environment. Boasting state-of-the-art facilities in the heart of Guildford, the institution already provides a range of training options – and it has just expanded its offering even further.
Now – to accompany its three-year BA (hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen, its three-year BA (hons) Performance in Musical Theatre, and its three-year Professional Diploma in Musical Theatre – PPA is introducing a BA (hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen with Foundation Year.
This four-year course expands PPA’s popular, existing three-year BA (hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen to include an integrated foundation year, which has been specially designed to equip aspiring actors with the tools and techniques they need to make the most of further training.
What makes PPA’s foundation year unique, though, is that – unlike a lot of other foundation courses, which have to be self-funded – it can be funded through student finance. This means that the course is not an exclusive option, but a training programme open to everyone, course leader Lucy Stewart explains.
‘PPA’s motto has always been simple: Work hard and be kind’
Often, students begin degree-level training without the necessary knowledge, skill set and self-confidence to succeed, says Stewart. The aim of PPA’s integrated foundation year is to develop those essential attributes. If they pass all four foundation modules on the course, a place on PPA’s popular BA (hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen awaits.
“The foundation course is split into four modules,” Stewart continues. “The acting module focuses on building core skills in a wide range of performance techniques. The voice and movement module helps students realise the full potential of their voice and their body. The Routes to Performance module teaches them how to apply those skills in different rehearsal and performance settings. And the Contextual Studies module helps them understand how all that fits into the theatre landscape.”
Through those four modules, Stewart adds, PPA’s foundation course provides students with the technical, practical and professional expertise that is vital when embarking on a degree-level training programme. Once they have completed the course, students are welcome to audition elsewhere – but enrolling on PPA’s BA (hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen is a natural progression.
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PPA was founded in 2008 by director Louise Pieri, and was validated by Leicester’s De Montfort University in 2016. Graduates from its two degree programs – the BA (hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen, the BA (hons) in Musical Theatre – and its three-year Professional Diploma in Musical Theatre have gone on to achieve acclaim in a range of projects on stage and screen, including in the West End productions of Les Misérables and The Book of Mormon.
From the beginning, its ethos has been to provide thorough and relevant training in a friendly, fun and supportive environment. Class sizes are deliberately kept small, with between 10 and 20 students per year, to ensure that students receive the individual attention they need to grow as both people and performers. PPA’s motto has always been simple, says Stewart: “Work hard and be kind.”
PPA has always focused on employability, too. Its faculty of experienced industry professionals know what it takes to succeed in the performing arts industry, and make sure that knowledge is passed on to their students. PPA’s in-house agent Clare McCreadie – an alumnus of PPA herself – represents students through the PPA Agency as soon as they enrol, and students are free to take on professional work during their studies, should the opportunity arise. Graduating students work closely with McCreadie to make sure they are ready to enter the world of work, too – with headshots, stage names, agent showcases, workshops, Agent Panel days and Equity and Spotlight introductions all included (www.ppacademy.co.uk/agency).
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All of PPA’s courses are taught at its purpose-built, 30,000 sq ft base in Guildford, where facilities include 13 fully equipped studios, a 120-seat theatre, dressing rooms, changing rooms, costume store, prop store, workshop, library, cafe, and more. There is even on-site parking for PPA’s staff, commuting students and visitors. “The facilities here are brilliant,” says Stewart.
Guildford is an ideal place to train, too, continues Stewart. It is a thriving town with a big student population – as well as PPA, it is home to the University of Surrey – and an exciting arts scene. It is only a half-hour train ride from central London and all the wonders of the West End.
The town offers a variety of accommodation options for students at PPA, ranging from purpose-built student villages to standard house letting. PPA can help: the institution has excellent relationships with Guildford’s landlords and estate agents, and ensures that students find the living situation that suits them best. PPA’s designated welfare and disability officer is always on hand to offer confidential support and guidance to any student that requires it.
’At PPA we strive to develop a nurturing and supportive environment in which every single student is valued as an individual’
PPA’s three degree-level courses – the Professional Diploma in Musical Theatre, the BA (hons) Performance in Musical Theatre, and the BA (hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen – plus its new foundation course – are all full-time programmes, spread across three terms, with an average of seven hours of classes, lectures, workshops or rehearsals every day. Studying at PPA is a serious business for those who really want to work as professional performers, says Stewart.
The admissions process is simple. For the two BA (hons) degrees – plus the BA (hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen with Foundation Year – prospective students should apply through UCAS and the PPA website. For the Professional Diploma in Musical Theatre, students can apply through PPA directly. Applicants will then be invited to auditions, which take place on a rolling basis throughout the year.
“We are not looking for the finished product,” says Stewart. “We are looking for that spark of talent, coupled with that drive to work hard, become part of a big family, and have fun at the same time.”
PPA’s BA (hons) in Acting for Stage and Screen with Foundation Year is currently open for applications for starting in September 2023. For more information, please email admissions@ppacademy.co.uk, visit www.ppacademy.co.uk, or call 01483 459 080
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