Published June 05, 2026
Autumn in London: A Semester with NYU and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
My Journey to London
Coming into NYU as an international student in a creative, studio-style major, I didn’t think studying away while maintaining an elevated course of artistic study would be possible. However, during my second year as a Drama student at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, one of my favorite professors introduced me to Tisch Special Programs. Namely, they told me about the Shakespeare in Performance program, created in collaboration with NYU London and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). This selective audition- and application-based program takes up to 16 artistic students, who then spend a full semester at NYU London. There, they hone their craft through a different cultural and creative lens. At the same time, they build relationships with faculty from two of the most prestigious acting schools in the world: NYU and RADA.
Before, I had never considered that I could utilize study away not just as an exciting cultural experience but also to develop my abilities and connections within my industry. Immediately after learning about the program, I got to work writing my application and booked my audition slot. A few weeks later, I got the email: I was spending my fall semester at NYU London!
Life at RADA
The classes at RADA were unlike anything I’d ever participated in before. We trained in poetic verse, clown, prose scenes, madrigal singing, and stage combat, among many other fantastical performance-based classes. Additionally, guest lecturers helped us understand things like Elizabethan history, Sonnet structure, and modes and manners of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Every day was filled to the brim with new and exciting challenges. What’s more, every student attended biweekly faculty panels to understand what areas we needed to focus on most.
I was pleasantly surprised by how frequent the performance opportunities were within this program. We presented new scenes in class almost weekly and participated in a full Shakespeare production of As You Like It. Furthermore, we collaborated in staged readings of the playwriting and screenwriting students’ projects from their study away classes. There were so many opportunities to get feedback, make connections, and take risks!
Outside of the acting classroom, we spent part of our week taking artistically focused general education classes at the NYU London campus, in the heart of the city’s theatre district. In these classes we viewed and analyzed the commercial success of London’s hottest theatrical productions, studied famous British art at the city’s vast collection of galleries, and broke down iconic British films under the tutelage of a world-class film editor. I didn’t even think about my academic classes when I decided to study at RADA. However, they quickly became one of my favorite things about my semester abroad.
A Semester to Remember
While I was prepared for my semester at NYU London and RADA to fundamentally change me as an artist, I didn’t expect the massive impact it would have on me as a person. Through this program I met 15 of my best friends. There are truly no words to describe how intertwined you become with the folks you spend a semester across the world with. With my incredible cohort of actors, I had the opportunity to see all the sights London has to offer. We went on many cool trips around Europe and the UK (Edinburgh, Malaga, and Seven Sisters cliffs were just a few of my favorites!). Together, we were immersed in a wholly welcoming artistic community that gave us access to a vibrant, unique theatrical scene that cannot be experienced anywhere else.
My semester in London through Tisch Special Programs changed my life in so many incredible ways. From building professional relationships with future collaborators to adventuring across Europe as a young person, I am so grateful that I got to have this opportunity. I encourage any NYU artists—or prospective NYU artists—to apply!
If you want to learn more about NYU Tisch’s Shakespeare in Performance program with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, check out their website here!
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