BA (Hons)
In Musical Theatre

Now taking applications for 2024

Course Duration 3 Years Full-Time

Course Hours Up to 35

Course Places 20-30 each year

Arts1 is located in Milton Keynes, just 30 minutes from London Euston

Course Structure: Year 1 – Higher National Certificate, Year 2 – Higher National Diploma & Year 3 – BA (Hons) Top Up*

*subject to validation

Overview

OverviewWhat You'll StudyThe QualificationOpen daysMasterclassFacilitiesStaffEntry requirementsFees & scholarshipsGraduates

open days apply

Course overview

Our intensive and practical 3 year course aims to create highly skilled triple-threat performers who through our professional training programme will develop a high level of skill in Dance, Singing and Acting. Working across Contemporary and Classic styles you will leave equipped with the skillsets to perform in a wide range of productions on the West-End, Broadway and around the globe.

The courses development is a response to the changing landscape of full-time training in performing arts and the need for a more individualised approach. It has been developed using our 15 year experience of creating programmes for performers to thrive and grow into the very best version of themselves through access to some of the UK’s leading coaches and Industry figures. Our Signature Masterclass programme provides hands on access to world class educational experiences with industry professionals who hold international reputation.

The training is delivered through an equally balanced timetable of lessons and workshops across the three key skill areas. This course has the highest intensity of course hours in the UK with up to 35 contact hours per week. This intensive contact hour requirement provides the time for maximum skill and mindset growth in our aspirational environment. Through our programme we work with you to develop your individuality and voice as an artist and how to translate that into a career. Working with a small group of students in each year group means you can train for the industry, not just take class in a big institution.

In the final year alongside your training, you will collaborate with industry creatives, choreographers, directors and musical directors in three productions: A full-scale Musical, a London Showcase and a Bespoke Digital Portfolio – this season of work provides you with a platform to develop your brand and content to launch your career into the industry.

Please note: we are unable to accept applications from international students at this moment in time.

Sound good?

Check out the entry requirements

What You'll Study

Year 1

Song and Dance Project

Work with a Musical Director and Choreographer in a rehearsal setting exploring material from a wide range of Musicals to professional performance standard. This application class provides the feel of an industry rehearsal room where you can apply all of the skills learned in your technique classes in performance.

Year 1

Acting Fundamentals

Acting takes the top priority throughout each of our disciplines, and is the core foundation for our training. Acting Fundamentals finesses the art of storytelling, encompassing various methods and techniques.

Year 1

Technical Dance Skills

Study a wide range of dance styles including Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Contemporary and Commercial. Throughout the first year, the main focus is understanding and shaping your core technique. This in turn will allow the opportunity to mould and cement technique and artistry as you move between different styles of movement. Musical Theatre encompasses an incredible range of choreographic requirements. This training will provide a space for you to grow your skills to achieve your potential in dance.

Year 1

Estill Voice Training Level 1

Introducing a cutting-edge approach to voice training at the UK’s only Estill Educational accredited Musical Theatre degree. You will learn how to create an incredible range of vocal qualities to create sung and spoken word that fits a range of professional contexts. This module will provide you with an additional Estill Voice qualification, further developing your career post-training.

Year 1

Acting Through Song

Mind-blowing performances are not built by luck, chance or prayer – they are crafted through an exploration and application of technique and artistry. Working with sung material from key composers you will learn how to approach material in a systematic way and create performances that your audience remembers for a lifetime.

Year 2

Swing Module

The role of a swing is key to the sustainability of professional theatrical productions throughout the world. It’s highly technical and makes very specific demands of the performer. Working with a team of experienced industry swings you will approach a piece of Musical Theatre Repertoire and analyse the performance tracks to create a working document that would make it possible to perform any of the roles at short notice.

Year 2

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking within acting training involves developing the ability to analyze, evaluate, and interpret scripts, characters, and performances. It goes beyond simply memorizing lines or following directions, instead encouraging actors to question, explore, and make informed decisions about their craft.

Year 2

Creative Masterclass Project

Working in a group to create an original piece of musical theatre, you will explore the different roles required on stage and behind the scenes to develop the work. Performing the piece to an invited industry audience, you will take the work on a full creative process from page to stage.

Year 2

Solo performance project

Establishing your strengths as a performer you will create a solo showcase to demonstrate your skills in a range of styles. Understanding where your strengths are is a key aspect to recognising the path to a sustainable career in performance.

Year 2

Industry Connections

Developing industry links and building your understanding of industry conventions is essential for an aspiring performer. This series of seminars and workshops will bring you face to face with Agents, Casting Directors, Producers, Wardrobe, Stage Managers, Company Managers and many more, where you will explore the challenges graduates face entering the industry. This module finishes with mock auditions and feedback with an expert panel.

Year 3

Developing Professional Practice

Taking classes is a habit that is part of the eco-system that working professionals build into their lifestyle. Whilst third years are focussed on preparation for productions, you will also take a programme of classes designed to specifically facilitate your development. Tracked into Dancer/Singer and Actor/Singer, you will choose specific programmes of classes are targeted to you.

Year 3

Digital Showcase

Work with an incredible team of film makers, cinematographers, sound engineers, photographers, and creatives to make a professional digital portfolio that becomes your business card and brand. As a school we have a longstanding reputation for outstanding production standards and we use this team to create, elevate & capture your performance.

Year 3

The Musical

A full-scale Musical production for final year students to rehearse and perform with a professional industry creative team. Experiencing the many roles and processes that are part of staging a musical is important as many of the departments contribute to the success of the performer on the stage. Learning to work collaboratively is a key quality in creating a sustainable career.

Year 3

London Showcase

Performing in the heart of London’s West End, you will work with a creative team on curating your talent to share with agents and supporters. The process of selection and rehearsal of pieces will help us to showcase you as a performer and the potential you have to take into the industry. Collaborating with our marketing department you will prepare your CV, Media Package and Spotlight profile for agents and casting directors.

ESTILL EDUCATION AFFILIATE

Arts1 will be the only Estill Education Affiliated Musical Theatre Degree in the UK.

As well as providing world-class voice training in both spoken and sung, students will gain an additional qualification upon leaving.

Every student will have 2 x 30 minute 1-to-1 singing lessons each week consisting of 1 technique class and 1 repertoire class.

The Qualification

The Musical Theatre degree course at Arts1 has several qualifications nested within it as part of the study programme.

Year 1

Higher National certificate (Level 4)

Year 2

Higher National diploma (Level 5)

Year 3

BA(hons) (Level 6)*
*subject to validation

This is an industry standard approach to a degree qualification. We want our students to get into professional work at the earliest opportunity, this structure means a student could take a professional job whilst studying on the programme and be able to leave with the qualifications completed so far and return at a later date to complete the course.

We are proudly partnered with USP College* for our level 4 and 5 Diploma. We are in the process of designing and writing the 3rd year of our programme for delivery in 2026 and will be announcing our validation partner for this shortly - watch this space.

*Subject to approval & validation.

Our open days

To view our online open day, register your details and we'll send you the link to watch! You'll learn more about our individual approach to singing and what you can expect from Arts1.

Register for our open days

Our online open day is available to watch on demand and on certain dates will have a live Q&A

Meet your teachers, current students
and view the facilities

Signature masterclasses

Our signature Masterclass Programme is at the heart of our course and creates the connection between training and industry. Working with some of the world’s most renown figures, you will explore and innovate in the areas of our industry that are ready for your impact.

Ivano Turco

Nikki Bentley

Rosalie Craig

Nikki Woollaston

John Rigby

Gabriela Garcia

Jai Ramage

Caroline Kay

Matteo Johnson

Our facilities

Arts1 is launching an incredible studio complex in 2024 for all our students to enjoy. Featuring a studio theatre, air conditioned dance studios, coffee shop and arts library in a performing arts facility that has been designed for the next generation of theatre training.

Rehearsal Rooms

Dance Studios

Singing Studios

Rehearsal Rooms

At Arts1, our spacious rehearsal rooms serve as dynamic spaces for preparation and performance. Many of these rooms are equipped with their own sound and lighting setups. Our largest rehearsal space is generously sized, allowing us to replicate the stage setups you'll find in theatre spaces in MK and at Arts1.

Dance Studios

In our dance studios at Arts1, we've thoughtfully equipped them with sprung flooring, professional-grade barres, expansive mirrors, and a user-friendly sound system ready for you to plug in your preferred device.

Singing Studios

Our 1-to-1 singing lessons at Arts1 happen within our dedicated singing studios. These studios are meticulously designed to create an optimal environment for your vocal journey. Each room is equipped with sound systems and a piano. Our focus is on providing you with a comfortable, private space where you can nurture your vocal talents.

Love MK

Milton Keynes is a thriving and growing city, with London’s West End just over 30 minutes away on the train which is perfect for industry connections, trips to the theatre or in Year 3 when you have professional auditions.

About Milton Keynes

Meet the staff

Allyson Ava-Brown

Allyson Ava-Brown, born in the UK, is a reputed singer and actress, and is best known for her role of Beatrice in Bear Behaving Badly. More recently, she has been Angelica Schuyler in the West End production of Hamilton.

Theatre credits include: Baby Shelduck in Julia McKenzie’s Honk! The Ugly Duckling at the National Theatre; Mimi Marquez in Phil Wilmott’s Rent; Eponine in Matthew Ryan’s Les Miserables; title role in Joyce Brannagh’s Cinderella at the Watford Palace Theatre; Liz de Souza in Graham Devlin’s Passports to the Promised Land (Nitro Theatre Company); Georgina Big in Tim Supple’s The Villains Opera at the National Theatre; Joyce Lane in Josette Bushell-Mingo’s Simply Heavenly at the Trafalgar Studios/ATG; Bunny in Karl Howman’s Hairy Fairies (Fick Productions); Habibah/understudy Iras in Gregory Doran’s Anthony and Cleopatra at the RSC/West End/Tour; Goddess/understudy Francisco in Rupert Goold’s The Tempest at the RSC/West End/Tour; Caesar’s Servant/Calpurnia/understudy Portia in Sean Holmes’ Julius Caesar at the RSC/West End/Tour; Fantine in Trevor Nunn’s Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre/Cameron Mackintosh; Reno in Terry Johnson’s Reno (CMP Limited); Evilene/Glinda in Jossette Bushell Mingo’s The Wiz at the West Yorkshire Playhouse/Birmingham Rep; Monsa/Martha in Paul Robinson’s The Swallowing Dark at the Theatre 503/Liverpool Playhouse.

Meet the staff

Gavin Spokes

Credits
Theatre includes: Kerry Jackson (National Theatre) Hamilton (West End) A Very Expensive Poison (Old Vic) Company (West End) Quiz (West End/Chichester) Against (Almeida Theatre) Carousel (ENO/Coliseum) Guys and Dolls, Olivier nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (West End); One Man Two Guvnors, (National Tour/ West End/National Theatre); 1984 (West End/Headlong UK Tour/Almeida Theatre); The Wind in The Willows (Northampton Theatre Royal); Laurel and Hardy (Watermill Theatre); She Stoops to Conquer, (National Theatre); Noises Off (New Wolsey); Up on the Roof (Oldham Coliseum/UK tour); Guys and Dolls (Salisbury Playhouse/Theatre Clwyd/Ipswich); Flashdance the Musical (Uk Tour); Emma (UK Tour)

Television includes: House of the Dragon (HBO) Slow Horses(Apple TV), Andor (Disney+), Better (BBC), The Ipcress File, Out There (ITV) Will (TNT), Hitmen (SKY), Man Down, Utopia (Channel 4), Casualty, Holby City (BBC), Obsession, Hollyoaks, The Cast, Lunch Monkeys, The Bill.

Film includes: Cold Storage (Studio Canal,Jonny Campbell), Napoleon (Apple/Sony, Ridley Scott), Magic Mikes Last Dance (Steven Soderbergh, Warner Brothers) Scoop (Netflix Philip Martin) Daliland (Mary Haron), Brexit; The Uncivil War,The Resistance Fighter, Made of Honour

Meet the staff

Ben Papworth

Musical Director credits:
Titanic The Musical UK & International Tour; Pirate Queen Music Assistant (The London Coliseum); Aladdin Pantomime (Daryl Back, White Rock Theatre Hastings); Tori Scott Pickled (UK Tour); Little Women (Italia Conti); Stages Fest MT Cruise (Royal Caribbean); Piramania! (Edinburgh Fringe 2019); Misfit Warrior (Edinburgh Fringe 2019); Singeasy (Piano Works West End); Bad Girls (Upstairs At The Gatehouse); Zelda Workshop (The Other Palace Studio); The Big Smoke Festival (The Other Palace Studio); Keith Kat Klub (Phoenix Arts Club); The Wind In The Willows (The Alban Arena. St. Albans); Equinox (UK Tour); Island Song (Tristan Bates Theatre and The Nursery Theatre); Snow White and Beauty and The Beast (Rhodes Arts Complex, Bishop’s Stortford) and JMT (Arts Educational Schools)

As A Cabaret MD:
Divina De Campo, Steph Parry, Tori Scott, Drew Baker, Velma Celli, Keith Ramsay, Scott Hunter, Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW), Adam Dawson, Tim McArthur, Ryan Anderson

Orchestrating and Arranging credits:
Stages Fest MT Cruise (Royal Caribbean); Orchestrator for West End Musical Theatre (WEMT); Wind In The Willows (The Alban Arena, St. Albans); Equinox (Velma Celli Australian Tour) and Zelda Workshop (The Other Palace Studio)

Teaching: Institute of the Arts Barcelona (Lecturer in Singing & Musical Theatre); Arts Educational Schools, Arts Ed International, Associated Studios, Italia Conti Academy and Theaterschool T'extpierement (Oss, Netherlands)

Musical Director to:
Tori Scott, Steph Parry, Keith Ramsay, Divina de Campo, Velma Celli

Meet the staff

Emma Annetts

Prior to degree training, Emma competed for 10 years Nationally and Internationally as a British Gymnast and was invited to train with the prestigious Cirque du Soleil company in Montreal as a dancer and acrobat.

Emma graduated from The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts with a 1st Class BA (Hons). Upon graduating Emma was selected as one of only three UK dancers to join an illustrious cast of international artists, to create Celine Dion’s show ‘A New Day’ at The Colosseum, Las Vegas under the direction Franco Dragone and Emmy award winning choreographer Mia Michaels. Emma went on to perform with a wealth of International artists on both stage and screen including Elton John and Justin Timberlake.

Emma began a choreographic career in 2008 when she became assistant choreographer to Emmy nominated contemporary choreographer Stacey Tookey on hit TV show ‘So You Think You Can Dance Canada’. She continued to collaborate with Stacey for 4 seasons of the show and on a variety of International TV and Film projects for the next 5 years. Emma went on to assist renowned choreographer and movement director, Francesca Jaynes in varied settings, including ‘Guys and Dolls’ (New Wolsey), Comedy of Errors (Stafford) and TV commercials.

As a choreographer, Emma has developed a varied career, spanning contemporary dance, musical theatre, movement direction and film. Theatre credits include: Holes (Nottingham Playhouse, UK Tour), Kings of Broadway (Palace Theatre), NT Connections (Olivier Theatre), Bomber’s Moon (Park Theatre), Touched (Nottingham Playhouse), Beauty and the Beast (Huddersfield/Barnsley), Run (Polka Theatre). Emma worked alongside Oscar winning actor Jim Broadbent and multiple award winners, Jeff Goldblum and Lindsay Duncan on feature film ‘Le Weekend’, directed by Roger Michell.

For the past decade Emma has worked as a choreographer and lecturer at some of the most prestigious training institutions in the UK, including Guildhall School of Music and Drama, The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Credits Include: Urinetown (Claire Brown), Sister Act (Brodie Ross), Oklahoma, Parade, The Hired Man, Company, Carousel (Christian Burgess), Marathon ’33 (Rachel Grunwald), Merrily we roll along (Thom Southerland), A man of no importance (Adam Penford), City of Angels, Little Women (Lise Olsen). Emma’s unique and narrative approach to contemporary dance has lead her to produce dozens of commissions for The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), Rare Studio and The BRIT School, regularly presenting work on the main stage at MOVE IT, London Excel. Emma has also directed and choreographed three full length, original dance theatre productions for LIPA.

Emma is an experienced, passionate and positive dance facilitator, who strives to encourage individuality and artistic voice through dance excellence.

Meet the staff

Degree Entry Requirements

Applications to Arts1 will be done on an audition basis. Your audition day will give you the chance to show us your talent and get comfortable at our Milton Keynes home. The day will include a tour of our facilities and a chance to meet staff and students.

Applicants must be aged 18 or due to have turned 18 by the time the course commences.

Standard Entry Requirements

Applicants typically need to meet the following academic qualifications:

Completion of two A-level subjects or a BTEC ND
Completion of three GCSE subjects or equivalent qualifications
For non-native English speakers, proof of English proficiency is required, such as an ELTS overall score of 7, a TOEFL score of 100, an IELTS score of 6, or equivalent qualifications
A minimum of 64 UCAS Tariff Points

Exemptions for Non-Traditional Applicants

While meeting the audition criteria is essential for all applicants, individuals with non-traditional academic backgrounds may be exempted from the usual academic prerequisites. However, proficiency in spoken English remains a mandatory requirement for all courses.

Mature Applicants (Aged 21+)

If you lack the listed qualifications but have relevant work experience, you are encouraged to apply. Your application will be considered on an individual basis.

Auditions Process

Singing

Please prepare two songs:

1 x Musical Theatre
This could be a classical legit type ballad, or a more contemporary musical theatre song. Something that gives you a chance to showcase your acting through song.

1 x Pop or Contrasting Musical Theatre
We'd really like to see either a Pop here or a contrasting song to your MT one – we want to hear your voice. Our training provides full training in both Pop technique and Musical Theatre technique, so this is just to give us an idea on where your voice naturally sits.

Dance

All auditionees will take part in a group Jazz class which will contain technical exercises and a routine.

Whilst allowing experienced dance applicants to demonstrate their technical proficiency, the focus of this session will be on connection to movement, storytelling and individual expression

Acting

For your Acting audition, you should prepare 1 monologue from a play, modern or classical.

We will workshop your monologue with you on the day to see how you react to direction and different feedback.

Interview

As a way of getting to know you, your experience, and your aspirations, we will be sitting down with you for a short and informal interview. This could be with anybody from the Arts1 staff.

Degree Fees & Scolarships

£9,250

Degree Cost

(Per year)

£500

Deposit

(Upon successful admission)

Free

Audition Fee

Full breakdown

Check out maintenance fees & government funding

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Waitress

Come from away

Celestial

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OUR GRADUATES

Ivano Turco

is Jamie New in Everybody Loves Jamie

Graduating in 2020 Ivano debuted in the Original West End cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella starring as Prince Sebastian (Gillian Lynne Theatre). He was a part of ALW's Cinderella Original Album Cast Recording which received a GRAMMY Nomination as a ‘Featured Artist' for Best Musical Theatre Album in 2021. In 2021 he was the winner of the Black British Theatre award for Best Male Actor in a Musical for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella. In 2021 he starred as Mordred in Lambert Jackson's CAMELOT: In Concert (London Palladium); and was part of the original London workshop cast of ‘FANGIRLS' as Salty and Dance captain. He also appears on the studio album of Footballer's Wives as Salvo, featuring on the singles ‘Lonely Moon' and ‘Let's Dance'. And went on to alternate in the role of Bob Marley in the closing cast of ‘Get Up! Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical.' (Lyric Theatre).