The Programme

London has great theatre. Acting majors in the College of Fine Arts at Boston University have a unique opportunity to spend a semester studying with Boston University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. The Academy, known as LAMDA, traces its roots back to 1861, making it the oldest theatre arts programme in the world. Boston University CFA Acting majors enrol directly into the LAMDA Acting Programme at LAMDA's headquarters located on Talgarth Road, Barons Court, approximately 15 minutes from Boston University's headquarters. This is an advanced intensive programme intended for students from conservatory-style acting programs, and students are expected to attend up to 35 hours of class a week. Upon successful completion of the programme, students earn 16 Boston University credits. LAMDA faculty offer instruction in:

Acting, Alexander, Flamenco, Historic Dance, Improvisation, Movement, Physical Theatre, Restoration Comedy, Scenes from Shakespearean Histories, Shakespearean Tragedy, Singing, Stage Combat, Textual Analysis, Voice

Also included in the timetable are events such as trips to West End Theatre and masterclasses.

Course Description

CFA DR 326- Acting (Restoration) – (3 credits)
CFA DR 327- Acting (Shakespeare) –(4 credits)
Students in these courses will develop a sustained focus in class work, rehearsals and scene showings, while learning to translate feelings and experience into characterization. Emphasis is placed on awareness of weight, space and time with respect to character, as well as liberated imagination, to develop freedom to explore a character. Improvisation and short scene study develop awareness of different classical styles of play writing, with research and presentation of different social relationships. Creating and sustaining characters and action in European and British plays, especially those of Molière, Restoration authors, Chekhov, and Shaw. Emphasis on organic interrelation of acting, speech, and movement. The actor explores deeply the demands made by form and content of each script.

CFA DR 338 Movement/LAMDA (3 credits)
This course will help students develop group interaction skills, focus skills, physical strength and posture, while encouraging disciplined skills in free movement and suspend and fall. Students will work on stretching, extending and strengthening skills, as well as retention and attention to detail in movement and dance. Further training involves complicit play and understanding of rhythms, interpretive movement improvisation, basic stage combat, technical movement in relation to mime, and comedic character movements. It explores various styles of movement. Further works in alexander techniques and improvisation supplement the teaching.

CFA DR 316 Voice and Speech/LAMDA (3 credits)
Students will develop an understanding of vocal anatomy and physiology (with particular reference to the organs of speech), an understanding of the International Phonetic Alphabet and Cardinal Vowels, as well as analysis of their own accents. In addition, students will develop knowledge and practice of Stage Standard English (Received Pronunciation), release of unhelpful vocal tension, develop an understanding of clear articulation, and the ability to phonetically transcribe nonsense words.

CFA DR 339 Historic- Dance/LAMDA – (3 credits)
Utilizing the foundation of movement, students will develop an understanding of the dances and social background of the Elizabethan period, the 17th through the 19th Centuries with sessions devoted to Flamenco. Students will develop spatial awareness, period empathy with respect to the techniques, poise and deportment, as well as achieving a recognition of poor posture, muscular tension, and release of energy and anxiety levels in a constructive way. Styles of dance including commedia dell'arte, court dance, and other period forms will be explored.