Short Courses / Acting
Actors' Ensemble, Actor Training
6 months / 7.00-9.30pm / 2 evenings a week / Tuesdays & Thursdays
A six-month-long course that applies the acting technique taught in a collaborative creative environment. Fully Booked
Overview
FULLY BOOKED for 2024
Actors' Ensemble is a six-month-long course that applies acting technique taught in a collaborative creative environment, including workshops and masterclasses with leading industry professionals and group trips to theatre productions including shows at The Gate Theatre and Abbey Theatre (subject to availability.). The course culminates in an ensemble sharing of work in The Lir Academy for family and friends.
OVERVIEW This six-month-long course is specifically designed for emerging actors who have been considering actor training but can’t yet commit to it full-time. The participants on the course will form a company of actors undergoing 4 months of intensive training followed by 8 weeks of rehearsals, twice weekly - culminating in a 2-night ensemble performance in The Lir Academy for family & friends.
Due to the performance focused nature of this course, it requires dedication and commitment from each member. Applicants will be serious and single-minded in their pursuit of the craft of acting. We welcome all applicants; enthusiastic novices as well as early-stage professional actors.
TWO-STAGE APPROACH For the first time ever, our Actors’ Ensemble programme will be delivered in two distinct stages. The first 4 months of the course will focus purely on training and technique; focusing on the core skills taught at The Lir Academy.
During the last 8 weeks of the course the ensemble will be in rehearsals for the end-of-course production including working with other departments including costume, lighting, design and tech rehearsals.
THE TRAINING Taking place twice weekly on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Actors’ Ensemble has been devised to focus on the key areas of actor training. The course is delivered by a highly experienced team of tutors which include core members of The Lir’s faculty who also deliver The Lir’s Foundation Diploma in Acting and Theatre & our Bachelor in Acting training programme. The Lir Academy’s teaching staff are highly regarded professionals who work extensively in Ireland, UK and beyond. You can see some of the profiles here.
FOCUS & APPROACH Training is focused on the development of ‘core skills’, which provide the foundation for the student’s creative expression. It will introduce students to the three primary areas of actor training:
ACTING - classes will focus primarily on the techniques of practitioners such as Stanislavski, Chekov, Le Coq, Meisner and Anne Bogart and the application of those techniques to a variety of modern and classical texts. This will provide the actor with a toolbox so they can embrace their spontaneity and playfulness. Helping the actor to “live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.”
MOVEMENT - classes will develop an understanding of the body as a vehicle for the discovery of the physical, psychological, and emotional lives of characters, their motivations, and actions.
VOICE - classes will explore how an actor’s interpretation of text and language is communicated through the vocal work. It will focus on classes in vocal technique and health - freeing, connecting and supporting the breath and voice in the performance space.
Students will cover the following areas over the duration of the course:
Improvisation
Characterisation
Text Analysis
Following Objectives & Super Objectives
Sensuality & Emotion
Vocal Technique
Breath Work
Speech & Articulation
Releasing the Body
Exploring Physical Rhythms
Physical Expression & Physical Characterisation
Additional Classes in:
Physical Theatre
Dialect
Classical Text
THEATRE VISITS
There will be opportunity to see a number of ensemble productions over the duration of the programme including The Lir Academy’s own productions and two professional productions in The Gate Theatre and The Abbey Theatre. All tickets are included in the cost of the course. All performances subject to availability.
TECH REHEARSALS
As part of the ensembles’ rehearsal time, the group will get the opportunity to work with a technical team including Stage Managers, Lighting Design, Stage Design and Costume Design for the groups’ end-of-course sharing of work.
THE PERFORMANCE The course will culminate in a 2-night sharing of work performance for family and friends in one of The Lir Academy's state-of-the-art-theatres. As part of the Actors’ Ensemble, you will perform to the audience using the skills developed on the course and drawing on them in performance with confidence. Please note that as policy we do not invite Agents or Casting Directors to short course student showings.
LEARNING OUTCOMES On completing the course, you will have a clear sense of the discipline required to progress into full-time actor training as well as establishing the foundations of your technique that will enhance your confidence in the pursuit of your acting career.
The Lir Academy is an inclusive environment and seeks to ensure access to our programmes for everyone. There are a limited number of bursaries available, which can be applied for once a place has been offered.
Applicants will be asked to take part in a group audition, this will involve warm-up, ensemble work and performing your prepared monologues. See more below for details on monologue selection. Auditon dates are July 13th and August 17th at 10.30am. In order to have the best chance of securing a place on the programme, we recommend attending the first workshop if possible.
If you are unavailable to attend the audition in-person, you will be offered an online audition.
Instalment payments are available with Humm Finance and directly with The Lir Academy. Humm offers the possibility of paying off your course in smaller amounts over a longer period of time. Instalment payments directly with The Lir Acdemy require the payments to be made over the six months of the course in three amounts. Contact shortcourses@thelir.ie for more information.
Entry Requirements click to
Candidates must have complete fluency in the English language.
Requirements
- Fluency in the English language is essential.
- The minimum age for admission is 18.
- A commitment to punctuality, discipline and preparation is required from every participant.
- Information on what to wear etc. will be sent to successful applicants once they have been accepted onto the course.
Application procedure click to
To ensure the quality of training, class sizes are kept to a maximum of 16 participants – in line with existing acting programmes at The Lir Academy.
Application is made through the enquiry form, outlining your experience to date. You will then be invited to an interview and audition.
All eligible candidates who apply before the closing date will receive an audition.
Procedure:
Apply using the form.
Select your audition date - this is a group audition with warm-up, ensemble work and performance of your monologue.
Each candidate is asked to prepare ONE monologue.
You need to prepare ONE monologue of NO LONGER THAN THREE MINUTES. Your monologue can be either:
- A CLASSICAL monologue by SHAKESPEARE (or another Elizabethan/Jacobean playwright).
- Or a monologue from a CONTEMPORARY play, ie a play written in the last 50 years.
You must memorize the monologue and be comfortable in performing it without a script.
Please note, acceptance onto the course is at the discretion of The Lir Academy. If The Lir Academy feels for whatever reason that a participant is not suitable for the course, they will not be accepted. All decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
Fees click to
The cost of the course is €3,000, which is payable in instalments.
Virtual tour click to
The Lir Academy Virtual Tour is available HERE. But first, make sure you're familiar with a few ground rules that will help you get the most out of this experience!
1. On the bottom left-hand corner you will find a play button.
You can press that button if you want to be taken to the building automatically, or you can just click through the building to move at your own pace. To move through the building, click on the walls, floor, or use the shortcut links to go directly to a selected part of the building.
2. Throughout the tour you will be guided by our students' voice-overs and have the option to watch videos and photo selections that will transport you straight into life at The Lir Academy. Here's a map for finding your way around this material:
- The purple buttons are voice-overs.
- The red buttons are videos and photo slideshows.
- The green buttons will present you will give some information you may not have known about The Lir Academy.
- At a few different points throughout the building, the green dots will present you with a shortcut to a different area of the building
3. Please note that if you have virtual reality glasses, you can use them to physically walk through the building. All you have to do is click the "View in VR" symbol on the bottom right-hand corner.
5. Want to share your excitement with your friends and family? You can click the share button on the bottom right-hand corner and help us spread the word on social media!
But most of all, enjoy your virtual tour of The Lir Academy!
