Acting and devising 1
Want to grow as an actor? The course helps you develop presence, sensitivity, improvisation skills and original creative expression.
Programme description
Discover a unique theatre course where creativity, movement, music, and ensemble work come together in an inspiring international learning environment—housed in a new, modern facility purpose-built for actor training at Campus Levanger.
Through practical classes in acting, movement, voice, music and devising, you explore how body, space and imagination shape performance. You’ll work physically, experimentally and collaboratively - guided by practitioners using the Lecoq-inspired approach.
Want to grow as an actor? The course helps you develop presence, sensitivity, improvisation skills and original creative expression. You also learn how to create engaging new scenes through structured devising tasks, strengthening both your craft and artistic independence.
Apply for the exchange semester and join an ensemble that values curiosity, courage and play. Push your creative boundaries—and experience theatre training in beautiful Levanger at Nord University.
Career opportunities
Students who complete the course acquire practical skills in acting, movement, voice, music and devising, which are relevant for further studies and a variety of artistic contexts.
The competencies developed—such as ensemble collaboration, physical expressiveness, improvisation and creative scene development—are applicable in theatre training programmes, performing arts projects, and community‑based artistic work.
The course strengthens the student’s ability to participate in innovative stage productions and supports progression toward more advanced programmes in acting and artistic creation.
Teaching methods
Acting: You develop creativity and core improvisation skills through play. The work focuses on how physical behaviour expresses inner life and introduces the Neutral Mask to build presence, awareness, rhythm, and responsiveness. This strengthens your physical, vocal, and psychological range as a performer.
Voice and Movement: You develop functional and expressive use of your voice and body.
Music: Practical classes focusing on ensemble singing, rhythm, listening, and ear training, with no prior theoretical knowledge required.
Devising: You follow a series of tasks that teach you how to create original and engaging scenes. The short scenes you produce help assess your progress and encourage critical reflection on devising theory and practice.
Higher education entrance qualification. English language proficiency. View general admission and documentation requirements.
Exchange students are admitted on the basis of nomination by their home institution. The student must first be nominated by their home institution before they can apply to the semester package. After the nomination is received by Nord University the student will receive information about the admission process.
Please go to Nord’s student exchange site for more information about the admissions process and requirements at Nord University.
Applicants are required to submit their CV, a letter of motivation and two online self-tapes.
The candidates must pass up to 30 minutes of interview and up to 60 minutes of audition, in addition to the general admission requirements.
Online interviews and auditions for the autumn semester: May 2-14, 2026
Acting and devising 2, spring, undergraduate, campus Levanger.
Upon successful completion of both courses, Acting and devising 1 and 2, students may be considered eligible to apply for admission to the second and third years of the bachelor’s programme Acting and Artistic Production.
A student who has completed the education has the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:
Knowledge
The student:
- Has a basic understanding of acting as an embodied process.
- Has experience and finer awareness of how movement and body language create dramatic play.
- Has a basic understanding of how to play with space, time, relation, action, reaction, rhythm, timing, scales, balance, and imbalance.
- Has a basic understanding of anatomy and functionality in voice and movement, and an awareness of their personal strengths and weaknesses.
- Has a basic understanding of how to actively research and imaginatively engage in methods of acting, alone and in groups.
- Has a basic understanding how to work collaboratively in exploring the subject of acting.
- Understands how openness, curiosity and courage facilitates learning and quality in acting work.
- Has a basic knowledge how to work collaboratively in ensemble.
- Has a basic knowledge how to use play and acting to develop a scene.
- Knows about research and development in the artistic field and has an awareness of interdisciplinary influences in the arts.
- Has a basic knowledge how to update their knowledge of the artistic field.
- Has a basic knowledge about artistic processes.
- Has knowledge of creative processes within music.
- Has knowledge the function of music in theatre and film.
Skills
The student:
- Can play alone and with others on stage intuitively and truthfully.
- Can use non-verbal communication, movement, and voice to interact with space and other partners in improvised and text play.
- Can play with Neutral Mask.
- Can use observation and imaginative identification as an acting process.
- Can develop a character from different sources: movement, text, psychology and identification with elements and materials.
- Can improvise and explore imagined situations individually and with others.
- Can embody thoughts, feeling and intentions physically and vocally.
- Can place their voice (breath support).
- Can move efficiently and safely.
- Can use articulate movements and play with dynamics of moment.
- Can do basic acrobatics and stage combat.
- Can release unnecessary tension in movement and vocal work.
- Can manage group dynamics to make a good working environment.
- Can use listening skills to understand other people’s ideas.
- Can formulate and express their own idea clearly.
- Can make creative propositions with their acting skills.
- Can apply their critical reflections to find creative solutions in acting.
- Can sing with technique and voice care.
- Can keep time in rhythms.
- Can achieve group musical performance tasks.
- Can perform musical material.
- Can compose musical material.
General competence
The student:
- Knows how to prepare mentally, vocally, and physically to be ready to improvise, devise, rehearse or perform.
- Knows how to sustain a level of awareness and listening to work effectively.
- Knows how to work as part of a group in exploring theme through improvisation.
- Can play using movement, text, psychology and identification with elements and materials.
- Knows how to develop skeletal alignment for efficiency in movement and voice.
- Can work as part of team to conceive, plan, create and perform a short scene.
- Can exchange points of views and experiences, and contribute to the sharing of knowledge, new thinking, and innovation.
- Has insight into the ethics of artistic production.
No tuition fees. Costs for semester registration and course literature apply.
Exception: Students with citizenship from countries outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland must pay tuition fees.
Tuition fees for international students
In addition to the semester fee and curriculum literature, it is assumed that the student has a laptop computer at his disposal.
Material fee NOK 1,000 per semester.
