Musical Theatre

Why study BA Drama: Musical Theatre at Goldsmiths

This degree prepares you to create musical theatre and find work in the performing arts sector. As part of a close-knit community you'll develop your talents as a performer and in other areas, from director to arts administrator.

• Our programme encourages you to develop your talents not only as a performer, but also in other areas of musical theatre: as a director, choreographer, musical director, stage manager, writer, dramaturg, publicist, designer, or arts administrator.

• You will take small group and one-on-one singing lessons with singing tutors, many of whom have trained West End performers.

• You'll study movement fundamentals, including jazz, and tap, where you will work with specialist tutors with a range of professional experiences.

• Goldsmiths has a range of studios, performance spaces and workshops that you will have access to both for your class work and to develop your own performances.

• You will have the opportunity to perform in a range of contexts and settings, including in cabarets, performance showcases, an original musical, and a major production of a licensed show in Year 3 of the programme.

• Modules in musical theatre history and theory will invite you to think critically about performance, representation and ethics: you will learn about where musical theatre has been so you can take it to new places.

• Goldsmiths is a 15-minute journey from the heart of theatre in Britain, not to mention a range of museums, concert halls, cabaret and jazz clubs, and other cultural venues.

Year 1
In your first year you'll take the following compulsory modules:
Core Techniques in Musical Theatre
Performance Making Skills
Performance Making 1
Critical Writing
Contemporary Creative Industries

Year 2
In your second year, you'll study these compulsory modules:
Musical Theatre: Developing Your Craft
Performance Making Modes
Performance Making 2
The Goldsmiths Project

You will also choose one module from each of the following groups:
Workshop Facilitation: Theory and Practice
or
Global Theatre Topics

Year 3
In your final year, you'll take the following compulsory modules:
Musical Theatre and Professional Practice
Performance Making Laboratories
Performance Making 3 Projects
Research and Participation in Theatre

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

We incorporate a range of assessments into our curriculum. Performance assessments include a licensed book musical, an excerpt of a new musical in development, a cabaret show, a musical revue, as well as individual scenes and songs. Other courses culminate in a tap routine, a choreographed jazz dance, and written essays. Extensive support is provided in the first year to help students prepare to write essays.