Course summary

Recently named one of the top 50 institutions in the world for studying the performing arts QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, Goldsmiths prepares you to create musical theatre and to find work in the performing arts sector. 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. Rather than training as individual performers, we train as a company, where you’ll be part of a close-knit community of creators and collaborators sharing the responsibilities of producing theatre – from acting to choreographing to publicising to ticketing. We believe that this maximises your artistic experiences and your professional opportunities once you leave. You'll take one-on-one singing lessons with our lecturing vocal coach, who has trained performers who have worked in many West End shows. You'll study movement fundamentals, jazz, and tap. Our tap teacher brings their West End experience to the classroom as they teach all levels of students. We supplement our dance courses with dance workshops and we regularly supplement our singing courses with master classes with visiting artists. Goldsmiths has a range of studios from the George Wood Theatre, where we produce mainstage musical theatre productions; to several black box studios; to the dance rehearsal studio; to the outdoor stage. These facilities are regularly available for student booking as you develop your own work. The programme focuses on a series of performance benchmarks that involve different genres of professional musical theatre performance. Your first year culminates in a cabaret, usually held at an off-West End venue; your second year involves actively developing a new piece of musical theatre; and the third year involves a major production of a licensed show. You will have the opportunity to develop your own work. The department offers competitive grants and associate artist positions, as well as our rehearsal studios, to help facilitate student work. Modules in musical theatre history and theory will help you to think critically about musical theatre, performance, and representation. At Goldsmiths, we think through the ethics of musical theatre and understand where musical theatre has been so that you can take it to new places in the future. We are proud partners with IRIE! Dance Theatre, whose work embodies many African Dance traditions and contemporary dance styles and with whom we share workshop experiences. As a university in London, Goldsmiths is a 15-minute tube 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.