Course summary
Why study BA (Hons) Musical Theatre at BNU? Taught by the industry This BA (Hons) Musical Theatre is led by a dedicated and experienced course team. Benefit from their industry knowledge and the industry links they bring to the course. Many of our guest lecturers are industry-experts and alongside your lecturers, they’ll nurture your learning and professional development. As well as this we seek to bring your work into the wider world and to bring the world into the university. During your time at BNU you’ll have the opportunity to perform at external venues and take part in workshops with leading companies, both on and off campus. We also have access to the Wycombe Swan Theatre and Wycombe Town Hall as part of our Wycombe Swan Residency. Inspiring facilities We’ve invested in a range of state-of-the-art facilities to help you bring your ideas to life on the musical theatre degree. You’ll benefit from our dance studios and our drama and performance studios, all are kitted-out with everything you’ll need, including; tiered seating sprung floors lighting and sound systems black-out drapes Props and performance blocks You’ll also have access to high quality camera equipment, a greenscreen room and lighting rigs and sound recording facilities, all suitable for film and TV screening. As well as this you’ll also have access to our props store where you can find everything you’ll need to bring your performances to life. What will I study? This course is also offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme. The notion of the ‘thinking practitioner’ is central to our approach on this course, the ability to understand yourself as a performer and have the confidence to engage creatively and thoughtfully with the industry, and its innovations, is at the heart of our working ethos. Throughout this musical theatre degree, you will be exploring both the practical and theory of musical theatre. The production module strand will require you to engage with increasingly demanding productions within genres such as: Pre-1950 Classical, Contemporary Broadway, Variety and Cabaret and Political Musical Theatre. You will take part in fully realised productions as a key part of your BNU Musical Theatre education, often performing in large-scale productions. These are created in an intensive ‘timetable takeover style’ which mimics the experience of producing a show in a professional setting. The course is a high-quality practical training designed to hone your performance skills and stimulate your creative thinking. You’ll focus on acting, singing, and dancing throughout the course. You’ll become a member of our repertory musical theatre company, producing both studio and theatre performances. As well as this you will engage with industry professionals via a programme of workshops, seminars, lectures and performances. You will work collaboratively with a professional creative team to design, create and produce high quality productions. Experienced professional lecturers will tutor students in a range of acting, singing and dance styles, closely aligned to the industry’s constantly evolving sense of genre. The course progression will develop those skills necessary for entry to the performing arts industry. These will include the knowledge and skills you need to manage a professional freelance creative career and develop promotional materials such as showreels, an online portfolio and self-taped auditions. You will also take part in our Graduate Showcase. Upon graduating from this course you’ll be able to show you are a versatile performer, with valuable industry connections, experience and knowledge towards making your passion a career.
Modules
Year one Core Modules Foundations in Dance Technique Development in Dance Techniques Singing and Applied Voice Actor Training Theory Variety and Cabaret Year two Core Modules Dance Progressions Ensemble Singing The Broadway Musical The Political Musical Year three Core Modules Advanced Dance Performance Performance Showcase Independent Project The Classical Musical
Assessment method
Assessment is varied, catering for different learning styles and enabling students to develop a wide range of academic and performance skills. During your musical theatre classes you will attend tutor-led skills workshops which will enhance your skills in acting, text, ballet, jazz technique, singing and voice. Learning is largely practical and involving a balance of technical and interpretative skills. Some modules involve group work and others will be focussed on the solo performance. We're passionate about giving our students as many opportunities as possible so you’ll be able to work on several exciting projects. You’ll learn to develop your own response to open briefs, giving you independence and creative control over your work. Throughout the course you’ll connect practical and theory work, showing an understanding of the key links between the two. You’ll also have the opportunity to take part in workshops to develop practical and production skills, seminars and lectures, performances (some of which are formally assessed) where you will perform to an audience or be mediated (i.e. for camera) and study trips, research-driven essays, live presentations and a dissertation.
How to apply
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- MT02
- Institution code:
- B94
- Campus name:
- High Wycombe Campus
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
International applicants
Visit bnu.ac.uk/international to find out more about applying to BNU as an international student!
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - 88 - 112 points
A level - BCC - CCD
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DMM - MMP
Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course
Additional entry requirements
Audition
All suitable candidates will be invited to discuss their work during an audition and interview that will last approximately 15 minutes. The interviewing tutor will be looking for: the ability to articulate your views on your own work a commitment and enthusiasm for the subject the potential for sustained professional development the ability to form and present opinions on other performing art work, either as a performer or audience member. Your audition piece At interview, you will be required to perform one short monologue (either modern or classical) lasting between 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. You should prepare your piece from a published play of your choice. The chosen piece needs to be prepared in advance of the audition so it is ready to be performed on the day. The audition is an opportunity to show your skills and development potential in these areas. However it is more important that you display the correct attitude, rather than aptitude. All candidates will also need to display their motivation, enthusiasm and work ethic. What you must bring with you For the audition please ensure that you are wearing appropriate clothes and footwear. Formal attire is not required. Information for overseas students Please note, students who live overseas and are unable to attend an interview/audition should submit a DVD or YouTube/Vimeo link in place of attending in person. The chosen piece needs to be prepared in advance, recorded and sent over to us electronically at least one week before your interview slot.
Interview
English language requirements
Test | Grade | Additional details |
---|---|---|
IELTS (Academic) | 6 | We require an IELTS score of 6.0 (with no element lower that 5.5) or a recognised equivalent. |
If English is not your first language or if you have studied in a non-majority English-speaking country, then you will typically be required to demonstrate your English language ability (speaking, listening, reading & writing) by way of a test such as IELTS.
BNU English Language Requirements
Student Outcomes
The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
Channel Islands | £9250 | Year 1 |
Republic of Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
EU | £15150 | Year 1 |
England | £9250 | Year 1 |
Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
Scotland | £9250 | Year 1 |
Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
International | £15150 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Sponsorship information
There are several ways you can fund your studies, including sponsorship and student loans. You may be able to use ELCAS credits for some of our courses. We also have scholarships and bursaries to help support our students.
Provider information
Buckinghamshire New University
Queen Alexandra Road
High Wycombe
HP11 2JZ