Course summary
This postgraduate Musical Theatre Company course combines rigorous conservatoire training with continued, collaborative, student-led development of new work, preparing students not only to gain employment in the musical theatre industry, but as artists creating their own work. With weekly classes in a range of dance styles, voice, acting, and singing (including audition technique), students will form a company and use these skills to engage in continued and collaborative development of new work (alongside students from the other MAs), guided by leading directors and practitioners working in the industry today. Working towards public performances at the end of the year, students will leave prepared for auditions, the rehearsal process and the life of a working actor, having developed the knowledge, skills and contacts necessary to succeed in this highly-demanding industry. Please note this is a postgraduate course. If you wish to apply to our BA (Hons) Musical Theatre you will need to submit an application via UCAS Undergraduate. Assessment You will be assessed at the end of each of three trimesters on Applied Musical Theatre Context, Skills for the Musical Theatre performer and the Performance Project. These practical assessments will focus on putting into practice the skills received during that trimester. This will include dance, singing, acting and audition technique, as well as your collaborative process in the Performance Project. Finally, you will be assessed on your Major Project, which culminates in a production/s in third term. This assessment will cover the Project's inception, development and performance/s, largely based upon a dissertation you will produce.
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.
Primary instrument/specialism
- Musical Theatre
Modules
Creative and Collaborative Thinking Students will explore various methods of creative thinking and problem-solving, which will become the initial starting points for later development of new work. Weekly sessions will focus on case studies of performers, work or artists to critically analyse how research is used in the development of new work and in the telling of personal narratives or stories. Case studies may include practitioners such as Kate Tempest, Frantic Assembly, Pablo Helguera, Javaad Alipoor, debbie tucker green, Lin-Manuel Miranda or other contemporaries. This work will be student-led, tailored to the student’s area of interest. Students will interrogate the actor's role in the creation of new work, through collaborative work with the other MA’s. Skills for the Musical Theatre Performer In this module, students will embark on intense training in each discipline of Musical Theatre; ensemble singing (acting through song is covered in Applied Musical Theatre Context), acting, and dance. These skills will develop students into fully-rounded professional musical theatre performers who can hold their own in this highly-competitive industry. In dance, there will be core training in ballet, jazz and commercial dance to develop secure techniques that are required musical theatre performers. Alongside this emphasis on technique, students will explore who they are as individual artists throughout these disciplines, allowing them both to fit into an ensemble and develop characters themselves. Performance Project Working with Acting and Actor Musicians alongside the Musical Theatre Creatives, this module gives the students opportunities in small companies, to develop early performance material as part of a short non-décor festival. These pieces will be semi-directed/tutor-led but will be developed from stimuli founded within the group. By developing original material (or reproducing existing material) in a collective setting, students will develop the all-important collaboration skills necessary in the creation of new theatre. Within the sessions, students will then work with their assigned tutor/director in developing new performance material which should be appropriate for small-scale touring. In developing these particular skills, students will have, upon graduation, material which they could tour or develop further. Applied Musical Theatre Context The focus for the musical theatre performers is to explore and develop their own performance in audition scenarios, working alongside the Musical Directors and Musical Theatre Creatives. Musical Theatre Company students will take part in weekly acting through song and musical theatre context classes. They will develop audition technique and etiquette, explore repertoire and build a personal song portfolio to take out into the industry for auditions. They will also develop analytical skills on how to approach texts and songs through dissecting the key components of song and lyric in relation to their place and time in the musical theatre landscape. They will study style and genre and use this as a starting point to prepare and perform (and potentially develop) work of their choosing. Major Project The Major Project will be developed over a term and will be a based on the student’s area of interest, culminating in a performance and/or sharing . Major projects can be in collaboration with other MA students from across the Theatre MA’s or something entirely individual. Each student will also choose how they want to present their work for assessment, either as practical performance, theatre-making or written dissertation. Students will also reflect on their work through a spoken viva voce exam and reflective writing.
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.
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:
- W42F
- Institution code:
- L31
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
International applicants
Please visit the international page on our website for further information: https://www.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk/courses/international-applicants/
Entry requirements
A good honours degree in any subject, with a 2:2 classification or equivalent, usually theatre, music or theatre/music-related, but qualifications in other fields will also be reviewed and considered OR Equivalent professional experience may also be accepted and reviewed at application and audition stages
Additional entry requirements
Audition
Interview
Portfolio
English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 with no subtest below 5.5
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 |
---|---|---|
Online or in Person (All Applicants) | No fee charged |
Joint principal specialism assessment
Location | On-time Fee | Late Fee |
---|---|---|
Online or in Person (All Applicants) | No fee charged |
Additional information
Leeds Conservatoire wants to ensure that our application and audition process is fair and accessible to all. For this reason we do not charge an audition fee for any of our courses and are able to refund travel expenses for applicants from low income households for in-person auditions. Please see https://www.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-study/audition-information/ for up to date details of our audition process.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
England | £15400 | Year 1 |
Northern Ireland | £15400 | Year 1 |
Scotland | £15400 | Year 1 |
Wales | £15400 | Year 1 |
Channel Islands | £15400 | Year 1 |
Republic of Ireland | £15400 | Year 1 |
EU | £20100 | Year 1 |
International | £20100 | 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
Provider information
Leeds Conservatoire
3 Quarry Hill
Leeds
LS2 7PD