Primary instrument/specialism
- Drama Performance
Course summary
The BA Musical Theatre programme at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland offers practical, high level vocational education for exceptionally talented students who are dedicated to becoming highly skilled and employable professional artists. We are unique because we offer a quadruple-threat, conservatoire-level tuition in acting, singing, dance and music. We offer an extraordinary combination of world class facilities, professional connections, and opportunities for collaboration, at a level and intensity that’s not available elsewhere. We keep all class sizes small so every student is nurtured and advanced through individual teaching and mentoring. You will train as a truly multi-disciplinary artist, so you will need to demonstrate high-level acting, singing, and dance ability, as well as additional instrumental skills. You will be very open to new ideas, ways of learning, and collaboration. You need to be eager to perform, ambitious, intellectually agile, and a fantastic communicator with a story to tell. You will spend time working with directors and writers on new musical theatre, as well as traditional and contemporary productions. You’re also likely to find yourself working in professional venues and rehearsal spaces, and we try and give you as many opportunities as possible to engage with the industry. In your final year you’ll present an industry showcase in Glasgow and London, and (by audition) for our North American students, in New York city. You will work regularly with students from across RCS; our music students form the orchestra of all of our major shows, production students provide the off-stage and backstage support, and, as well as filming with our film students in our studios and on location, you may find yourself on BBC production sets, with guidance and support from BBC Scotland.
Course details
Principal study options
During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:
Single specialism
Only one instrument is studied. It may be possible to study a further instrument formatively, but this will not contribute towards the qualification.
Instrument/specialisms
For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.
Modules
Year 1 – Focus on skill development Your contact and independent study time features core practical skills in acting, music, dance and voice. Each core skill involves various forms i.e. Music content includes Choir, Theory, 1to1 instrumental studies, piano lab. Underpinning this is a strong focus on your professional practice with theory, research, reflection, professional Development Planning, song & monologue portfolio development, personal marketing, collaborative practice and performance classes. This is effectively your fifth discipline. In Year 1 collaboration is a key component and you will be involved in a unique cross conservatoire module which gives you the opportunity to work closely with students from across RCSc to develop practical collaborative skills. You will assessed for each core module, in both continuous process and exam/submission formats. There will be written submissions for the more theory based subject areas and exams for more performance based skill areas. Year 2 – Focus on synthesis & Performance Process Core skills classes and professional practice modules continue to support new learning areas and project work including collaborative instrumental labs, songwriting, producing, budgeting, acting for media, musical theatre scenes and an opportunity for public performances of devised musical theatre work. You will also have opportunity to expand your learning via options modules offered across RCS. Year 3 – Focus on Performance and Professional Practice The final year concentrates on developing your performance experience, profile, marketing, audition techniques and industry connections. Skills classes augment dedicated rehearsal process for two main stage musicals (book and contemporary). You have the opportunity for an elective choice in actor musicianship performance or other choice elements. Professional practice modules continue to underpin your learning, with strong emphasis on employment skills.
How to apply
*If you are an international applicant, or you are applying for a postgraduate course, or are choosing certain assessment locations, the 'on time' deadline may be later in the year - please contact the conservatoire directly.
26Jan
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:
- 202F
- Institution code:
- R58
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
International applicants
Currently around 20% of our students come from outside the UK. Between them, they represent over 60 different nationalities and add a rich diversity to the Conservatoire.
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
Additional entry requirements
Audition
Please refer to our Guide for Applicants for what to prepare for audition - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/studyhere/how-to-apply/dramaanddance/
Assessment locations
In the event of a successful assessment, applicants may be invited for a further interview prior to being made an offer.
Remote assessment recordings may be accepted in the event that you cannot attend an assessment in person.
Single specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee | Late Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Recording | £55 | £55 |
Joint principal specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee | Late Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Recording | Not available at this location | |
Additional information
For further information on what to prepare for the audition, please see our website - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/ba-musical-theatre/.
Unistats information
Operated by the Office for Students
Student satisfaction
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
Go onto work and study
The student satisfaction data is from students surveyed during the Covid-19 pandemic. 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
| England | £9250* | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £1820* | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9250* | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9250* | Year 1 |
| EU | £18393* | Year 1 |
| International | £18393* | Year 1 |
*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
Additional fee information
For more information on fees and funding, please see our website - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/studyhere/feesandfunding/
Sponsorship information
The Royal Conservatoire is able to offer a number of entrance scholarships which are awarded as part of the audition/selection process on the basis of merit and financial need. Please see our website for more information - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/studyhere/scholarships/.
Provider information
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
100 Renfrew Street
Glasgow
G2 3DB