Musical Theatre with Professional Placement

Elevate your skills as an industry-ready artist, ready to take to the stage.

Channel your love of musical theatre on a degree that sets you apart as an industry-ready performer. From day one, you’ll focus on rigorous physical training across acting, singing and dance to give your performances a professional polish that will help you stand out at audition.

Under the tutelage of experienced staff, you’ll hone your craft alongside a creative, inspirational community of fellow actors, musicians, dancers, technicians and storytellers. A core part of this degree is the guidance to help you flourish in the professional sphere, building core skills, as well as your portfolio, CV and personal brand.

At every opportunity, you'll be encouraged to take part in boundary-pushing performances and experiences that give you the professional confidence to thrive as a sensitive, expansive and joyful performer.

You will:
Become a well-rounded, versatile and industry-ready performer with a portfolio to match
Learn in industry-standard facilities, including extensive sprung-floor dance studios, practice rooms, recording studios and a live performance venue
Study within AMATA’s creative and dynamic performing arts community, where actors, musicians, dancers and technicians collaborate on real performances
Benefit from AMATA’s year-round performance programme, which attracts top artists and performers
Work with highly skilled and experienced staff with expert knowledge of the performing arts industry

This course is an accredited degree with Spotlight and Equity. Students are eligible to join Spotlight in the first term of their final year. Inclusive of their membership, they have a wealth of support, content and events tailored explicitly towards this membership group from Spotlight.

As part of this vibrant musical theatre degree, you’ll learn acting skills, develop your voice and singing range, and advance your dance techniques in ballet, jazz and tap. Growing your knowledge and understanding of the genre, you’ll engage with and reflect critically on all aspects of it, together with an awareness of emerging forms.

You’ll extend your personal repertoire in singing and dance, learn to perform confidently in live theatre and explore digital technologies. Professional development workshops will enable you to focus on strategies for future employability, developing your personal profile and potential.

Year one:
You’ll build core skills in all disciplines, developing your vocal capabilities and learning how you use your body as a tool to tell stories. You’ll also explore specific techniques to extend your range of skills in singing and dance alongside character development and text analysis.

Modules
Movement & Singing: Foundational Techniques
Histories & Contexts of Musical Theatre
Acting & Voice: Foundational Skills
Dance & Movement: Core Skills
Singing & Voice: Core Skills
Acting & Text: Core Skills

Year two:
In your second year, you’ll continue your development, deepening your knowledge and understanding of technique, while building your portfolio of repertoire.

You’ll work on scene studies and broaden your detailed knowledge of specific genres within musical theatre, as well as latest industry practices.

Finally, you’ll study a range of self-marketing tools for building a successful career in musical theatre such as developing your CV, personal websites, self-taping, building your online profile and professional audition techniques.

Modules
Dance & Movement: Developing Techniques
Singing, Acting & Voice: Developing Techniques
Musical Theatre Project
Dance & Movement: Integrated Skills
Singing, Acting & Voice: Integrated Skills
Professional Preparation

Year Three:

You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the employability team. Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying.

How you’ll study during your professional placement

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks.

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation.

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth.

Year four:
You’ll really get to grips with what it means to be a professional performer and engage with the ways in which you can create opportunities and manage a sustainable career. You’ll get insights and insider knowledge via masterclasses, guest speakers and practitioner talks.

You’ll consider current trends and possible futures of musical theatre, as well as engage in a full-scale musical theatre project and showcase. By the end of your final year, you’ll be an independent Musical Theatre performer with an excellent working knowledge of professional contexts, practices and opportunities.

Modules
Professional Development & Employability
Musical Theatre Futures
Musical Theatre Public Performance
Musical Theatre Showcase

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.

You are assessed individually either through solo or ensemble performances, or practical tasks. When your work is being viewed within an ensemble performance, tutors take note of your personal demonstration of the skills being assessed by the learning outcomes, and you are given an individual mark.

You’ll be assessed through a combination of written coursework, practical coursework and practical performance assessments.

Assessment methods:
Written coursework
Practical coursework
Practical performance assessments
Online submissions of websites, journals, self-tapes and showreels
Constant formative feedback from tutors in class 
Formal verbal and some written feedback after assessments
Assessments generally take place at the end of each module. Practical assessment performances receive formal verbal feedback and submissions receive written feedback.