MA Musical Theatre

Fees and funding

There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students

Fees

The fees quoted at the top of this page cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:

• Library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
• Access to programme-appropriate software
• Library and student IT support
• Free on-campus wifi via eduroam

Additional costs

Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:

• accommodation and living expenditure
• books (should you wish to have your own copies)
• printing, photocopying and stationery
• PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
• mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
• field trips (travel and activity costs)
• placements (travel expenses and living costs)
• student visas (international students only)
• study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
• academic conferences (travel costs)
• professional-body membership
• graduation (gown hire etc)

Funding

There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.

Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.

Employability

Further your career prospects

LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.

This programme is aimed largely at applicants who consider themselves musical theatre artists, whatever the context of their activities professional, amateur, or educational.

It will have an appeal for librettists, lyricists, composers, directors, choreographers, musical directors, performers and teachers though not exclusively so; anyone involved in and interested in getting better at making musical theatre (as well as meeting entry criteria, of course) is welcome to apply.

In addition, for those with backgrounds in composition, orchestration, playwriting, poetry, etc, it is an opportunity to apply those skills to the specific demands of the musical theatres dramatic and theatrical imperatives.

For directors, choreographers and musical directors who have experience across their specific disciplines, the course provides the opportunity to hone more general techniques to the specific demands of the genre, acquiring new languages and processes in developing effective practice.

This is a course with flexibility that is about mastering your specialism in a space where experimentation or play is encouraged. Its unique focus explores big critical ideas while realistically preparing you for a career in the industry.

Laura Corradi, current student

Teaching

An insight into teaching on your course

Study hours

Following a full-time, highly intensive induction week, the delivery of the programme is designed to give opportunities for those with other personal or professional commitments to structure full-time study in terms of their own time management. Full group attendance is required for only one whole day a week (at present Fridays 9.30am 6pm) in Semesters One and Two, although most students find it advantageous to allow two days per week (Thursday and/or Saturday added to the Friday classes) in which to be regularly on-site for tutorials or small group working. When project work kicks in, however, students may well find it advantageous to be on site much more frequently for group rehearsal purposes. However, with good planning and available transport, students are able to undertake this course without moving to Liverpool.

Teaching methods

The focus of our teaching and learning on the course is the Musical Theatre Laboratory, providing a dedicated safe space for students to explore their creative options and discover their unique expressive voice. Students should expect to be not only researching but creating material on a week-by-week basis which constitutes the activities of a very busy full-time MA programme of study. Following the end of Semester Two (late May/early June) students present a mini-Festival of work and conclude their year-long Dissertation and Project Module by the end of August as the culmination of the programme.

Applied learning

Practical work assessment is negotiated and agreed in a Learning Contract with tutors and will be appropriate to your specific discipline. Your ongoing progress will be fed back to you via regular one-to-ones with course tutors and other formative assessment in class and rehearsal.

Assessment

How learning is monitored on your programme

To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.

Assessments on this programme are a mixture of practical work, including performance, and written work, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate the required level of learning and achievement.

Entry requirements

You will need:

Qualification requirements

Undergraduate degree

• a minimum 2:1 honours degree in a performing arts-related subject

Additional requirements

• Relevant work experience

  or

  • a minimum three years professional training or significant musical theatre experience with demonstrable creative potential and critical thinking assessed through interview/audition and written submission

• Interview required
  • All applicants will be interviewed. Please refer to the Application and selection section below for further information about what to prepare and the interview.

International requirements

• IELTS
  • IELTS 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each component)

Further information

• Extra Requirements
  • to demonstrate that you have sufficient knowledge to embark on and complete the programme so you should provide evidence of your learning capability, study opportunity and commitment
• RPL
  • RPL is accepted on this programme

Application and selection

Securing your place at LJMU

To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.

ADMISSIONS GUIDELINES FOR INTERVIEW and Audition/Portfolio Presentation

All applicants will usually be called for interview in person or, where this is not possible, via video call.

Task 1

All candidates must prepare and present an audition song from the musical theatre repertoire. This is not to assess your ability as a performer per se, but to ensure you can undertake the work in the Musical Theatre Laboratory modules where we all work together in exploring what constitutes effective performance in musical theatre.

If you are interviewing live, you should if possible, provide sheet music for your two songs for piano accompaniment (a pianist will be provided on the day of your audition/interview). However you may audition to backing tracks or unaccompanied in both live and video interview contexts if you think that is more appropriate.

(If for any reason you are unable to undertake this task you should contact the Programme Leader n.l.phillips@ljmu.ac.uk in advance of the interview to discuss your circumstances.)

Task 2

Performers - For those whose primary interest is in performing you should also prepare a second contrasting musical theatre song.

For all other skills, please supply documentary evidence of work in your particular field as follows:

1. Librettists - ynopses or outlines of shows either written or in development, or sample script
2. Lyricists - your lyrics in either/both notated form (script) and recorded (audio or video) in rehearsal/performance. These can be recordings made especially for this presentation
   Composers - samples of musical theatre writing, usually in either/both notated form (piano/vocal score) and recorded (audio or video) in rehearsal/performance. These can be recordings made especially for this presentation
3. Producers or educators - any documentary or recorded evidence of at least two projects undertaken
4. Directors, MDs and choreographers - recorded evidence of your work in rehearsal or performance
   
   

In addition, all candidates should bring along a theatre CV outlining their relevant musical theatre and/or other performance experience in any capacity or role. Any other supporting material is also welcome.

In the interview, we will ask you to articulate not only your background and interest in musical theatre but also the reasons why you wish to undertake this course and what you hope to get out of it. You will also be expected to demonstrate your ability to articulate ideas and critique of musical theatre at a level appropriate to the Masters level of the course.

In the event of any query regarding preparation, please do not hesitate to contact the Programme Leader n.l.phillips@ljmu.ac.uk for further clarification.