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BA (Hons) Musical Theatre

  • Placement year available
How to apply Come to an Open Day

Introduction

Develop as a triple-threat performer who excels at singing, acting and dancing, with our BA (Hons) Musical Theatre degree course in Cambridge.

Ryan Murphy playing a grand piano

Meet Musical Theatre BA (Hons) Course Leader Ryan Murphy

ARU Senior Lecturer Practitioner Ryan Murphy shares his experiences of, and passion for singing, composing, acting and more.

Meet your Course Leader
Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2023 logo

Study at an award-winning university

We're the Times Higher Education (THE) University of the Year. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.

As a prospective student, you and a guest can claim free tickets for our enchanting Year 3 musical Alice By Heart. Join us at the Mumford Theatre, 2-4 May 2024: email [email protected] to find out more and claim your Golden Ticket.

As a Musical Theatre student at ARU, you’ll train with industry professionals, take part in showcases and productions from Year 1, and gain real-world experience.

On our BA (Hons) Musical Theatre degree you will gain skills unique to musical theatre training, specifically actor-musicianship, physical theatre, dance, and choreography.

Your tutors will include established musical directors, artistic directors, and choreographers – and you’ll learn in professional performing arts facilities including our Mumford Theatre.

With a buzzing creative scene, and opportunities to perform in renowned local venues, Cambridge is the perfect place to study Musical Theatre. You can even choose to study abroad for a semester, with funding on offer to help cover the cost.

Join a course that scored 92% for Assessment and Feedback and 90% for Student Voice in the National Student Survey 2023.

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Course options

Key facts

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Entry Requirements

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Fees and Paying for University

Facilities and showcase

A grand piano spotlighted on a stage

Professional facilities

As part of your Musical Theatre studies at ARU, you’ll have access to all of our creative facilities including:

  • dedicated drama studio, with highly flexible black-box performance space
  • full-size on-campus professional theatre
  • large rehearsal space with audio playback facilities, piano, LED lighting rig, portable dance mirrors, gym mats and rostra/modular staging
  • Students’ Union-run dance studio
  • radio mics
  • podcast and video capture system.
Students around a table discussing a model of a moose

Futures Lab and workshop equipment

Our new digital workshop includes a variety of computer aided manufacturing machines, helping you learn up to date manufacturing and design processes as well as supporting many traditional techniques. These technologies include:

  • 3D printers and scanners - FDM printers; material-specific extruders; SLA Formlabs printers; SLS Formlabs Fuse1; structured light 3D scanners
  • 2D printing and cutting machines - laser cutters; Roland BN20 vinyl printer & cutter; Gerber substrate cutter; Mimaki TX300P sublimation printer.

Opportunities

As a Musical Theatre student, you’ll have the opportunity to:

  • take part in showcases and musical theatre productions from Year 1
  • experience being part of a professional troupe with our Community Theatre Company
  • train with established musical directors, artistic directors and choreographers
  • use our working theatre, the Mumford Theatre, which is at the heart of our campus in Cambridge.
A grand piano on a spotlit stage

ARU Musical Theatre podcast: MT chairs at MT Tables

MT chairs at MT Tables is a Podcast all about Musical Theatre. Join students, academic, and technical staff from the Musical Theatre degree course within the Cambridge School of Creative Industries at ARU as they discuss their hot topics, dive into their favourite sings and test their knowledge in a weekly musical quiz!

Artwork by Cami Rouhonen - a person' s head seen in profile with the top of the head portrayed as a mountain peak; on the mountain a person is looking through a telescope

Take a closer look

Our Creative Showcase shines a spotlight on what makes ARU creative and cultural – our spaces, places and people. Find out more about our community, the difference we make, the stories we tell, and the things that inspire us. You can also explore the work of our graduating students in our digital graduate showcase.

Accreditation

Training Recognised by Spotlight graphic

Recognised by Spotlight

Our Musical Theatre course is recognised by Spotlight, meaning you can join them at a discounted membership fee for two years. Spotlight connects performers with roles in theatre, television and film productions around the world. Casting professionals choose Spotlight to cast their projects because performers on Spotlight are recognised as the industry’s best.

Careers

Our BA (Hons) Musical Theatre degree prepares you for a variety of roles in the performing arts, and the wider creative industries. Our wide choice of optional modules means that you'll be able to specialise in a particular area, if you choose to.

Find out more about our placements and work experience, or the faculty's employability support.

Creative industries
You can work as a musical theatre performer, director, choreographer, or stage manager or you could choose to focus on technical theatre. You could also create your own company, produce new work and tour it globally.

You can access jobs within arts organisations and management, acting as a theatre producer or event organiser, or join theatre and companies' marketing teams. You may develop as an arts journalist or critic or you could work in arts fundraising.

Education
As a graduate you’ll have access to numerous job opportunities in education, pursuing a career as primary or secondary school teacher, or as a workshop facilitator for a variety of communities. You can work as a musical theatre assistant, supporting school and students' productions; you might also have a role touring schools to use musical theatre to educate student groups.

Health
A growing number of roles in the health sector look at the role of drama in wellbeing. If this area interests you, you might want to train as a dramatherapist with our MA Dramatherapy. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Employability and personal career development

Informed by employers, our courses support an integrated approach to employability. You’ll have opportunities to develop the skills and abilities they are looking for and gain a deeper understanding of how your academic learning relates to the world of work through Live Briefs and Ruskin Modules.

To amplify your career ambition, you will need to actively dedicate time outside of your studies, whether you choose to explore placements, internships or volunteering. Or you could make a social impact by collaborating with our partner organisations through our volunteer scheme Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE). These all give you an edge, providing you with experience that you will be able to evidence on your CV and talk about in interviews.

Our Employability and Careers Service offers a range of expert advice and support to build your unique professional profile, including tailored career appointments, advice on writing your CV, and help to complete job applications. You’ll have 24/7 access to the Careers Centre, our comprehensive online digital resource, which empowers you to start building a Personal Career Development Plan from the very start. Design your future at ARU.

A grand piano on-stage in a theatre, with purple lighting Rose's highlights of studying Musical Theatre

Performing on the big stage in Cambridge

BA (Hons) Musical Theatre student Rose Tkaczuk discusses performing on campus in the Mumford Theatre, and the employability support and the industry connections at ARU.

Musical Theatre student Sarah Jane Walter Hear about Sarah Jane's experience at ARU

Falling in love with the theatre

Musical Theatre student Sarah Jane Walter talks about industry-standard facilities, connections with industry, and the best show she's ever been in.

Apply now for BA (Hons) Musical Theatre

Buildings and courtyard on Anglia Ruskin University's Cambridge campus

Life in Cambridge

Our friendly, bustling campus is a stone’s throw from the centre of Cambridge, often described as the perfect student city.

Our favourite places in Cambridge Did you know...? Facts about Cambridge Watch: Our Cambridge

Want to talk to someone?

Do you have a question that we haven't answered so far? Talk to our application experts. You can also ask our Student Ambassadors about life at ARU.

We're here Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm (please note we close at 3.30pm on the first and third Thursday of the month for staff training), and Friday 9am-4.30pm.

Drama student in front of a rehearsal on stage

Prepare for your audition

Applying for one of our music or drama courses? Get information and insider tips on preparing for your audition.

Audition information by course

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