Portfolio advice for MA Acting applicants

Portfolio Requirements

Auditions for our MA Acting degree are typically submitted as self-tapes. If you would like to attend an in-person audition, please contact our Admissions team. For online auditions we ask that you submit a portfolio including four self-tapes:

1. The first self-tape should be a monologue from a 20th or 21st Century play and have a running time of 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes maximum.
2. The second self-tape should be a monologue or soliloquy from an Elizabethan or Jacobean play and have a running time of 1 minute to 1 minute and 30 seconds maximum.
3. The third self-tape should be a duologue from a film or television screenplay and have a running time of 1 to 2 minutes. Please use a friend, family member, or fellow actor to play the other role off camera.
4. The fourth and final self-tape should be 2 to 3 minutes maximum and is an opportunity to tell the panel about yourself; your acting experience to date, why you have chosen to apply for MA Acting at UCA, what your aspirations are for your future career etc. 

Your audition pieces should be off book, and you should have read the whole script. Please do not select pieces written only as audition monologues, they should be selected from a full text. Most importantly, pick pieces that you connect with and are excited to perform.

You can film your self-tape on a video camera or smartphone. Make sure you film in landscape, not portrait. You should film your audition material in a quiet space and check that the device is picking up your voice clearly.

Use natural light where possible, and soft, diffused practical lighting if required. Your lighting source(s) should not be in shot or behind you and please avoid the casting of shadows. 

Try to find a plain background to film against and place your camera at eye-level, framing the shot in a mid-close (including your chest to the top of your head). 

You can choose to perform looking directly into the lens or to a character on either side of the camera making sure your whole face is still visible. Only use props that are essential to the performance. Try to avoid too many takes - trust your work and enjoy the experience.