Overview
This intensive one-year MA programme trains postgraduate (or equivalent) students for a career in musical theatre.
It provides a direct link into the profession by combining regular class work and one-to-one tuition with practical opportunities.
The course has been highly successful in providing a multi-skilled training programme at the highest level in a professional environment. Graduates enjoy outstanding success in major West End shows and international productions.
Classes and Activities
Singing
You will have a 60-minute individual singing lesson and a 40-minute individual repertoire coaching session each week. In addition, there are group coaching sessions, ensemble singing projects and audition technique classes. Informed by the latest physiology research, we explore all aspects of your singing voice.
Acting
These classes and tutorials provide a supportive environment in which to grow and practise your skills as a company. We cover improvisation, acting through song, text work, sight-reading, building a character, the rehearsal process, audition work and more. You will apply your learning in the rehearsal and performance of scenes as well as whole plays, musicals and revues.
Spoken Word
These classes cover voice science and its practical application to speaking and singing, and include a weekly 20-minute individual tutorial. We cover such components as speech and accent, text and language including Shakespearean verse, and vocal health. The integration of the speaking voice with the singing voice is fundamental to the programme and directly supports the work of the singing teachers.
Integration of Acting and Singing
In this weekly class you will be encouraged to match your vocal quality and texture to the acting demands of a song, and to develop your individuality, with a particular emphasis on extended voice technique. Audition repertoire, strategies and technique are practised throughout the year, as well as the assembling of a strong audition repertoire ‘bible’.
Dance
The dance course concentrates on three vital elements: musicality, empathy and technical ability. You will learn to replicate dance combinations demonstrated by a choreographer or teacher. We aim to give you confidence in dance, and the ability to translate musicality and style to the appropriate task.
Movement
These classes are designed to build confidence and cultivate a sense of physicality. We take a creative approach to the work, offering a safe environment in which to try things out and stretch boundaries without fear of ‘doing it wrong’. Looking at solo and ensemble movement, including contact and partnering work, we aim to create complex choreography from simple building blocks. In the first term the focus is on telling a story through movement. Later in the year you will start to combine text and song with movement.
History of Musical Theatre
In these weekly sessions we listen to and discuss musicals from the Gershwin and Cole Porter era to the present day.
Industry Development
You will have the opportunity to work with professionals in performance, direction, casting, musical direction, choreography, performance coaching and psychology to formulate and practise strategies for breaking into the industry. How best to prepare and strategically bridge directly into the Musical Theatre Industry as a Musical Director is fundamental to this course.
Masterclasses
Visiting performers, composers and directors give masterclasses and workshops during which they share their insight into the industry. Sessions held by representatives of professional bodies and mock auditions with guest professionals are also arranged. In 2021-22, guests included Claude-Michel Schönberg, Pippa Ailion, Hadley Fraser, John Bucchino, Jenna Russell, Imelda Staunton and Cynthia Erivo.
Projects
Practical projects are rehearsed and performed throughout the year, allowing you to put everything you have learnt into practice. They are selected according to the individual needs of students and the company as a whole and are directed by top industry directors, both established and emerging. Past projects have included musicals, revues, concerts, cabarets, plays, showings of devised work, interdepartmental collaborations and recordings.
Agents' Showcase and Production
You will take part in a showcase with an invited audience of agents and casting directors, as well as full-scale musical productions. Recent end-of-year productions have included Nine, Assassins, Spring Awakening and Into the Woods. These are all accompanied by the Academy Musical Theatre Orchestra in the Susie Sainsbury Theatre.
Entry Requirements
- Performance: Applicants should have a performance standard at least equivalent to that of a recognised music performance diploma.
- Academic: Applicants should also hold a Bachelor degree in any discipline (RQF Level 6) at lower second-class honours, or higher. Otherwise an international qualification of an equivalent standard.
See Entry Requirements for further information.
Scholarships
The Academy offers the Disney Scholarship to Musical Theatre students.
- Who it’s for: Students applying for the MA Musical Theatre course who identify as being from an underrepresented background.
- The Benefit: Full tuition fee waiver and support for living costs.
- What to do: You will be invited to apply for this award following a successful audition.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours a week will I study?
This is a highly intensive course and core classes and some independent study time are scheduled from 9am-6.30pm each weekday. During term time there are also frequent evening and weekend masterclasses, rehearsals and competitions.
How many productions will I work on during the course?
Each term culminates in public or industry-facing performance/s in the Susie Sainsbury Theatre. There are also project and competition performances in each term for invited guests.
What are my career options after graduation?
Most of our graduates go into the Musical Theatre industry as a performer or MD (depending on their pathway on the course), most benefitting from agent and industry relationships that they made during their final two terms. Some also go on to act in non-musical theatre and/or screen productions, to create their own work, to teach singing or to work in other roles within the stage and screen industries.
Auditions
We want you to view your audition as a collaborative workshop rather than a rigid test. Our panel is looking for your unique musical personality, your versatile pianistic skills, and your potential for growth as an director and educator. Try to relax, focus on your communication with the actors, and let us hear who you are as a musician.
The Musical Direction and Coaching selection process consists of two stages: a Round One digital video screening followed by a Round Two practical recall audition.
Your Audition Repertoire (Round One)
Round One of the assessment process is conducted entirely by digital submission. You must upload your video recordings and supporting documentation to the specialist Acceptd portal by the designated deadline.
Video Portfolio Guidelines:
- Keyboard and Vocal Performance: A recording of yourself playing the piano and singing two contrasting musical theatre songs. One song should be a traditional show tune (pre-1970) and the other should be from a contemporary musical theatre score.
- Coaching Demonstration: A brief video of yourself coaching a singer on a musical theatre song of your choice. The footage should highlight your communication style, constructive feedback, and how you work with an actor to improve their interpretation.
- Conducting or Ensemble Leading (Optional): If you have footage of yourself conducting an orchestra, leading an ensemble, or directing a rehearsal from the keyboard, you are encouraged to include it as supplementary material.
What to Expect at the Audition Recall (Round Two)
Following the panel's evaluation of your Round One video portfolio, shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a live Round Two recall assessment.
1. Practical Elements & Workshop Assessment
The live recall is an intensive practical session held at the Academy in London. During this session, you will be expected to demonstrate:
- Score Reading and Transposition: Playing selected musical theatre extracts at sight and demonstrating your ability to transpose a short passage into a different key on demand.
- Live Coaching Session: Working directly with an Academy musical theatre student in front of the panel, showing how you diagnose vocal and interpretive challenges under rehearsal conditions.
- Sight-Reading: Real-time sight-reading of standard musical theatre piano-vocal scores, including keeping a steady pulse whilst managing complex rhythmic structures.
2. Specialist Interview
Your practical assessment is paired with a formal interview with the Head of Musical Theatre and senior coaching staff. This conversation will explore your professional experience, your knowledge of musical theatre repertoire, your administrative capabilities, and how this intensive programme will support your career trajectory.
Digital Profile Requirements
In addition to your performance videos, all applicants must ensure their Acceptd digital profile contains the following core elements:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV): A detailed CV highlighting your professional experience, musical background, and a list of theatrical productions you have worked on.
- Spoken English Introduction: A brief recorded verbal introduction introducing yourself and detailing your background to the panel.
Please note: This structured audition process applies uniformly across our Postgraduate Certificate, Master of Arts, and Postgraduate Diploma pathways. Your final course placement remains flexible; the entry requirements and course length can be discussed and adjusted with the panel during your Round Two assessment to ensure it aligns with your professional background.
For more information see auditions.