Plan de Estudios
Bachelor's Degree in Performing Arts and Screen Acting

Approach to acting from a state of relaxation and with a firm sense of attention. Improvisation, imagination and observation as fundamental tools of the acting technique. Techniques to develop psycho-physical states and reactions to sensory stimuli. The conflict, events and active analysis of a text. Improvisation. Introduction to character work. Relationships. Words.

Introduction to the actor’s work in audiovisual media. Fundamental theoretical concepts that assist the actor in extracting the necessary elements from the analysis of a script to apply them in acting. Basic techniques and concepts of working in front of a camera, and in different shot sizes.

Performing from dramatic and comic scenes. The student's approach to the character and the conflicts created around him/her. Introduction to realistic acting techniques, based on an approach to the text through improvisation. Learning acting tools that build the foundations for further developments. Methodology geared towards a highly practical training, in which students mount different stage projects.

Introduction to the basic tools of vocal technique that allow the projection of the voice and its application to the scenic word, that is, to the spoken text.

Aspects of music, rhythm and hearing, vocal technique and hygiene, to teach the future actor how to maintain a healthy voice and bring it to peak performance.

Elements and techniques to build the relationship between expressive movement and acting. Course content includes the teaching of the principles of movement (balance, proprioception and coordination); the qualities of movement; movement segmentation and combination, association and dissociation; objective and abstract gestural acting; physical expressivity to project images or psychophysical states; ensemble work; and collaborative focus.

Introduction to the technical tools of different dance styles, for the purposes of integrating these resources into acting, and primarily for the correct use of the main acting methods: body and voice. Rhythm, spatial composition, improvisation, creation and performance of short choreographies that are meant to be properly integrated into a stage context.

Dramatic texts' immersion through the reading and grammatical, artistic and literary analysis of historically significant works. Introduction to the study of dramatic literature from its origins to the present day.

Introduction to the history of the performing arts from a chronological perspective covering their birth and conception to the present day.

Outstanding milestones in the history of cinema: pre-cinema (pioneers and first film narratives), European cinema (avant-garde, German expressionism, Soviet cinema), silent cinema in Hollywood, pre-war cinema in Europe, Italian neorealism, meetings of Salamanca and new Spanish cinema, nouvelle vague and renewal of North American productions.

This course works on the awareness of the expressive tools of each artistic discipline, and the ability to create and dialogue. Students manage their own creative project through to its completion, with teamwork, leadership and by relinquishing individual vision in favour of the result of the project, search for an individual and collective language, ethical values, shared responsibilities, creative freedom, critical thought and self-criticism.

Basic knowledge of hardware, software and internet applied to the needs of professionals in the Performing Arts. Office technology tasks in any format, as a collaboration and online, the commercial and marketing potential of social networks, creation of a web page, video editing, image and video resolution.

Tools to create solid and coherent characters, separate from the performer's own personality. Exploration of acting through play and facing one's own mistakes. Acting training, both physical and vocal, based on rythm, space and energy dynamics.

Application of realistic and basic tecniques for the audiovisual medium. Analysis of comedy and drama scripts; casting; practice of film and television scenes; dynamics of audiovisual filming; viewing and analysis of one's own work,

Performance and staging of classical and contemporary scenes, with particular consideration given to the construction of characters and staging, both individually and with the rest of the cast. In-depth character analysis. Students will learn physical and emotional techniques to achieve an authentic and honest interpretation.

Development of a psychophysical awareness, leading to the expansion of breathing capacity and range. Liberation of the sound channel. Strengthening of the voice, increasing sonority and resonance. Elements and techniques of vocal expression and their application to dramatic texts.

Vocal training, performance and modern singing techniques. Focus on the singer's posture, constriction versus retraction, psychomotor function of sound and conscious phono-respiratory coordination. Hygiene and resources for the conservation and care of the vocal apparatus. Introduction to musical theatre.

Stage presence developed through physical body habits as the essence of character. The mask as a tool to enhance the expression of the body, adding value to the stage work. Styles of expressive interpretative movement. The rehearsal and practice space as a means to create stage pieces.

Acting work with the body as a tool for the development of creative capacity. Contemporary dance techniques; collective choreography and improvisation. Understanding of acting skills linked to the physical movement required for a performance. Encounter between the message and the concrete emotions on both a theoretical and practical level.

Knowledge of the morphological and formal elements of the face for the characterization in acting, as well as make-up, hairdressing and styling that make possible the appropriate physical transformation of the actor. Stylism in theatre, photography, cinema and television.

Study and review of some of the most important dramatic texts in the history of literature, from the 18th century to the present day. Linking research to the social, political and artistic movements of aesthetic. Main authors; analysis and understanding of texts and artistic movements; introduction and discussion of modern dramatic literature from the 18th century to the new theatre and postmodernism.

Basic tools for playwriting. Short writing exercises based on artistic stimuli and external observation. Development of a sense of criticism and teamwork. Adaptation of a theatrical text to an audiovisual format using typical script narrative elements. Communication of an idea from the creation of the logline.

History of art and the main aesthetic ideas through time, in a theoretical-practical approach with some emphasis on the theatrical and scenographic event. Lecture content focused on artistic practice, styles and specific creations; practical content focused on different creative exercises built on major concepts related to the theoretical reflection on artistic activity throughout history. Connection to contemporary issues.

History of stage acting: the major theories of the theatre since the 20th century, the contexts in which different methods appear, paradigms of acting derived from them, integration of proposed acting techniques.

This course prepares students to pass the TFI (Test de Français International) official language examen. Learning in groups according to language level. Students learn the main tactics and strategies for each of the two sections of the examn (listening and reading). Students that are in possession of a valid B1-level or superior French language level certificate accepted by the Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC).

Literary language and stage language. The Here and Now. Listening. Impulse. Organicity. Quality of movement. Conscious convention. Ensemble work. The technical-interpretive structure.

Analysis of complex scripts. Film narrative and editing. Development of complex characters. Screen acting by genre. Onscreen historical drama. Screening and analysis of artistry. Technical work with green screen and extreme situations. Utilities and examples in the industry. Practical introduction to virtual interaction.

Introduction to contemporary theater. Text and pretext. Introduction to stage dramaturgy and semiotics. Approach to the personal creation of a work. Specific work on a dramatic proposal. Phases of creation of a show.

The vocal process (phonation). From word to text. The voice on stage. Verse II: punctuation-pauses-phrasing.

Introduction to the history of musical theater. Singing and vocal technique applied to theater. Acting in musical theater. Theatrical and musical creation.

Body awareness. Objective gesture in acting. Abstract gesture in acting. Construction and application. Physical architecture. Creation of stage combat and character works using movement and space.

Techniques of choreography applied to musical theater. Classic ballet. Jazz dance. Modern dance. Contemporary dance. Theater dance. Ethnic dance. Folklore. Expressivity in dance.

The dramatic text: analysis and structure; process of evolution of a story, sequencing and climax; genre; fictional construction. Script: versions and types; structure (shot list and dialogues); development of an original script.

Narrative techniques. Camera and object movements. Continuity. Sequence. Space and time. Narrative voice. Pre-production. Production. Post-production.

Overview of the history of technology applied to the performing arts. Technologies according to field of application. Practical stage design project using technologies. Preparation throughout the course + presentation of the projects.

Intellectual property in relation to the performing arts and acting. Author’s rights. Tools used in the negotiation of artist contracts. International property rights. Phases of artistic creation from a legal standpoint. Collective management of author’s rights. Systems of protection of intellectual property rights.

Definition and history of the cultural and creative industries. Financing in the theatrical and audiovisual industries. Production processes. Exhibition and distribution channels, theatrical tours. Strategy analysis and orientation. Analysis of the national and international theatrical and audiovisual industries. Markets and fairs.

Specific work on a dramatic/audiovisual research proposal. Personal approach to an audiovisual and/or stage creation. Phases in the creation of a stage or audiovisual work.

Applied theater: definition; theater pedagogy; socio-cultural activity; coaching for actors; creation and improvement of companies and organizations. Business initiatives: strategic plan and definition; methodology. Cultural management: foundations; organisms; theatrical production; basic ideas of Technique applied to theater.

The role of TV host. Interviews: preparation, question list, techniques of interpersonal connection, listening techniques, improvisation, techniques for being interviewed. The program rundown. Reading the news: tone, rhythm and naturality; teleprompter; handling floats/live voice over; connections and disconnections; summaries. TV programs.

Theoretical foundations: brief history of dramaturgy and staging; semiotics of theater; nature and polysemy of the sign in theater; the stage code. Dramaturgy and staging: information and documentation; elements of dramatic form and theme, contemporary reading; aesthetic and style; instruments of stage signification. Application in practice.

The history of dubbing. Synchrony. Interpretation. Vocal pitch. Dubbing equipment and techniques. Dramatic films. Animated movies. Singing in dubbing. The narrator. Embellishing the voice.

Body, time-space: the silence of action; rotation on an axis; mental and muscle impulses; unsteady balance; falls and tumbles. Group compositions: simple acrobatic figures with catcher; articulated groups; synchronized fights; group fights. Objects: tumbles and falls on and with objects. Styles and their application: combat and geometry; the duel and mêlée; comic acrobatics and stage fighting; film acrobatics/stunts.

The purpose of business internships is to obtain practical experience that helps towards insertion in the labor market and raises the future employability of students, contributing to their full education and training, and providing them with knowledge of the work methodologies in the field of performing arts and screen acting and improving the development of technical, methodological, personal and participatory methodologies.

Attendance to artistic, cultural, student and cooperation events of the school, and artistic entrepreneurship.

In the Undergraduate Thesis Project, students produce an individual, original, and autonomous work under the guidance of a professor, in which they apply and development the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their Degree.