Musical Theatre | Royal Academy of Music

Hone Your Skills and Prepare for a Fulfilling Career With a One-year Postgraduate Course in Musical Theatre Performance, or Musical Theatre Musical Direction & Coaching

Rigorous training will give you an embodied understanding of the profession and equip you with the skills you need to succeed.

Applications 2025/26

Applications for MA/PGCert Musical Theatre 2025/26 entry open in July 2024.

In the meantime, discover more via the following:

'I moved from New York to London to study musical theatre at the Academy and it changed my life – I would do it all again in a heartbeat'

Paige Smallwood, alumna

The Musical Theatre Department functions as a theatre company. Our day-to-day acting, voice, speech, dance and movement tuition is taught by current practitioners, offering a direct link to the industry, with projects and masterclasses being led by top professionals.

We have created an environment in which individuality is nurtured and diversity embraced. Opportunities to perform throughout the year are a priority, enabling students to learn by doing. Our aim is to create artists with a voracious appetite for investigation and ongoing discovery.

Recent Musical Theatre graduates have been cast in productions including Hamilton, Les Misérables, Cabaret, Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera and Tina in the West End/London, The Crucible and Hex at the National Theatre, and The Magician’s Elephant for the RSC. Tours include Les Misérables in the UK and USA, and Aladdin, Miss Saigon, Avenue Q and The Phantom of the Opera in the UK. Television includes Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream (ITV.)

Musical Directing graduates’ recent credits include Guys and Dolls (Bridge Theatre), My Neighbour Totoro (RSC), Oliver (Leeds Playhouse), and The Lion King (UK tour.)

Scholarships and Bursaries

Students may be eligible for financial help in the form of a bursary or scholarship. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, and bursaries are given to students based on financial need.

Scholarships for Musical Theatre include the Disney Theatrical Productions Scholarship, which was established to encourage greater ethnic and cultural diversity in the industry, and to enable outstandingly talented artists from underrepresented backgrounds to take advantage of the world-class training and opportunities the Academy has to offer.

For further information on scholarships and bursaries, including the Disney Scholarship, please see the Scholarships and Bursaries page.