Musical Theatre

at Wilkes Academy Limited

Study options

Award

BA (Hons)

Key facts

UCAS code:
W316
Location:
Wilkes Academy Limited
Study option:
Full-time
Duration:
3 Years

Expand your expertise

Cultivate your professional skills in all aspects of musical theatre studying with Wilkes Academy

Practice and theory

Combine practical and academic study to get a fully rounded musical theatre experience

Expert industry tuition

Study with industry professionals with extensive real-world experience in musical theatre

In partnership with Wilkes Academy, we're offering you the chance to pursue a degree level qualification in Musical Theatre. Develop your practical skills as a performer across all aspects of musical theatre, take part in a range of productions and learn the background to the genre and how the industry works.

The BA (Hons) Musical Theatre degree at Wilkes Academy is a distinctive course offering excellent vocational training that stands out from the rest. This course that will prepare you to become a successful professional within the performing arts industry.

The course is delivered by extremely experienced musical theatre practitioners who are well-known and respected in the sector. Wilkes Academy prides itself on giving students the ultimate musical theatre experience. You will participate in a range of practical and informative workshops and seminars. These are enhanced by a range of supporting activities and contextual studies that will help you gain confidence and become a rounded musical theatre professional.

The course is intensive and we have high expectations of all students, helping to instill in you the discipline, training and professional standards and expectations that the industry demands.

Embarking on a course at Wilkes Academy marks the start of what we hope will be a lifelong love for, and career in, a creative industry which opens doors to the future!

Wilkes Academy is based in it's own bespoke premises in Swindon. It is fortunate to have fantastic state of the art studio space. We’re very proud to have created the optimum environment for our students to learn, grown and develop their own creativity.

We are incredibly proud of the facilities available to our students. The twelve spacious studios – complete with over 1000 squared metres of Harlequin Floor, are complemented by seminar and social spaces which are used by students on the course.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BA (Hons) Musical Theatre

Course content

The course is designed to develop you are a well rounded musical theatre practitioner, combining practical skills development with an ongoing academic exploration of all aspects of the genre and the broader creative industries.

Through this course you will develop your knowledge and understanding of contemporary musical theatre practice and learn about the fundamental principles of working in the performing arts sector. You will be encouraged to reflect on how this learning supports the development of a sound base of skills and professional practice. The course is designed to enable you to appreciate the scope and complexity of musical theatre in a range of performing arts industry contexts and the professional demands associated with this. You will learn to adopt a mature and informed approach to personal and career development, and to question, discuss and debate professional practice, theoretical premise and areas of social and cultural interest

In the first year you undertake a range of practical modules which are designed to consolidate and build your practical skills in singing, dance and performance for musical theatre. Other modules also start to introduce you to the skills, techniques and approaches to academic study within the performing arts perspective. There are also a range of performance opportunities throughout the year.

In the second year you continue to enhance and develop your practical skills working across a variety of approaches and techniques in musical mheatre. You explore the genre of musical theatre further by examining the history and context of a range of performance approaches. You also participate in 2 major assessed performance pieces, drawing on traditional and contemporary musical theatre genres.

In the final year you have the opportunity to showcase your skills both individually and as part of a company. You take part in both individual performances and also feature within a major final production. You are required to reflect on your own development as a performer and explore your own future career plans. You also explore how you can promote yourselves to the wider industry. You develop your own promotional materials - including show reels, industry CV's etc - which demonstrate the range of skills and approaches you have developed, which you can then use to promote to the external industry.

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module.

Year 1 compulsory modules
Year 1 compulsory modules
21St Century Performance 40 credits
Performance Skills In Context 60 credits
Toolkit For Success 20 credits
Year 2 compulsory modules
Year 2 compulsory modules
Contemporary Performance 40 credits
Personal Practice 40 credits
Traditional Performance 40 credits
Year 3 compulsory modules
Year 3 compulsory modules
Creative Company 40 credits
Final Performance 40 credits
Professional Practice 40 credits

Entry requirements

Minimum of 96 UCAS points.

For equivalent entry requirements in your home country, please see the information on our country pages.

Choose your country

Check our entry and English language requirements for your country.

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Careers

This course will support you to develop the entrepreneurial skills which will allow you to flourish as a musical theatre practitioner, pursuing a career as an individual performer or within a creative company context.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

We know that our students learn in different ways. To help everyone get the most out of their studies, we teach through a combination of lectures, workshops, and practical sessions. In addition, you will have timetabled meetings with your personal tutor (or equivalent) at least twice a year to help support you in your studies. You will be taught in high-quality learning spaces throughout your course, and of course will have access to virtual learning environments to enhance your learning opportunities. Many of our courses are accredited or recognised by professional, statutory or regulatory bodies.

Assessment

Your course will provide you with opportunities to test your understanding of your subject informally before you complete the formal assessments that count towards your final mark. Each module will give you a variety of opportunities to receive informal feedback from your tutor. These may include classroom discussions, discussions in the virtual learning environment, presentations, milestone assessments, and practice assessments. Informal feedback is developmental and any grades you may receive for these do not count towards your module mark. There is a formal or ‘summative’ assessment at the end of each module. This includes a range of coursework assessments, such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations, final year, independent project and written examinations. The grades from formal assessments count towards your module mark.

Feedback

You will normally receive feedback on formal coursework assessments within 20 working days following the date of submission. Examination feedback may take a variety of formats, including one-to-one discussions with your tutor. However, as a minimum, generic feedback will be made available to all students who take written examinations.

Staff

You will be taught by a staff team with extensive professional experience within musical theatre and the broader creative industries.

Year 1

59% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
41% of time in independent study
0% of time in work based learning

Year 2

63% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
38% of time in independent study
0% of time in work based learning

Year 3

59% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
41% of time in independent study
0% of time in work based learning

Year 1

63% practical assessments
37% coursework
0% written exams

Year 2

80% practical assessments
20% coursework
0% written exams

Year 3

60% practical assessments
40% coursework
0% written exams

Fees

For the course starting on 2 September 2024 the tuition fees are:

Tuition fees for BA (Hons)-Full-time
Study option UK / Channel Islands International
Full-time £9,250 per year of study £16,750 per year of study

UK and Channel Island students: This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation. If the UK government passes appropriate legislation, the fee for subsequent years of study may increase in each academic year. But this increase will not exceed the rate of inflation as measured by RPIX**. Any change in fees will apply to both new and continuing students. The University will notify students of any change as early as possible. Further information about fee changes would be posted on the University’s website once this becomes available.

**RPIX is a measure of inflation equivalent to all the items in the Retail Price Index (RPI) excluding mortgage interest payments.

International students: Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course, as long as you complete it in the normal time-frame (i.e. no repeat years or breaks in study).

Apply

Location Award Study option Start date Apply Link
Wilkes Academy Limited BA (Hons) Full-time 2 September 2024 Apply now

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