This full time course is designed for 16-18 year olds who aspire to make musical theatre their professional career; be it working in the West End, performing for companies, cruises, cabaret shows, the list goes on. There are many options for a professional career in musical theatre and this two-year course will predominantly focus on singing and acting skills for Musical theatre (both ensemble and one to one lessons) but will also provide the high quality dance training needed to set solid foundations in commercial dance, street dance, jazz, ballet, contemporary, tap, Latin, choreography, and much more.
Working in partnership with Stamford College we place teaching and learning at the heart of what we do, all of our staff are still working in the industry to ensure our students get current training that is relevant and effective. Our staff work in many areas in the industry including choreographing for X Factor, West End and The Royal Ballet and have performed in all areas of the industry, including West End musicals such as 42nd Street, Wicked, Chicago, Sweet Charity, along with many commercial artists like Anne-Marie, Zara Larsson, Rita Ora, and Camila Cabello.
During each year of training our dancers can audition to take part in main stage and showcase performances at Move It London (UK biggest dance convention attracting an audience of 70,000), CYD? Super Convention, Mass Movement and perform in a variety of UK venues as part of our Winter Tour. All students will also take part in termly shows. Alongside these performances throughout the course, students will study four mandatory modules as follows:
- Performing arts skills development
- The performing arts industry
- Personal performing arts profile
- Collaborative performing arts project
Once the BTEC Extended Diploma qualification is completed the students then have the opportunity to audition for a Higher Education course; enabling the performers to complete their training fully qualified and ready for the industry.
Our BTEC in Dance is run in partnership with Stamford College therefore course fees are fully funded and the awarding body for the qualification is Pearson.
Are you interested in shaping the future of the arts and cultural sector? This long establish and forward-thinking MA in Arts, Festival and Cultural Management will allow you to gain a better understanding of the management of cultural organisations and the individual factors that influence the environment in which they function.
The course will appeal to a range of individuals and will qualify you for a broad range of management positions within a wide spectrum of cultural organisations and festivals.
The may interest those already working in the sector who want to gain a formal qualification as well as undergraduates, of perhaps arts and humanities courses, who have not studied management previously and who are looking for a career change.
The course is delivered both full and part-time with start dates in September and January and offers the flexibility to develop your skills and knowledge whilst in employment.
Excel backstage with this creative course. You will also gain technical skills in lighting and sound, understanding how the different disciplines of theatre production work in tandem to create a captivating audience experience. You’ll also acquire knowledge of production skills such as technical theatre, set and props, and stage management.
- Prepare for a performing arts production as part of a technical team.
- Develop production skills in technical theatre.
- Get to grips with stage management and how to run a successful production.
- Focus on your professional development by creating a portfolio of work.
MA Performance: Theatre Making at Wimbledon College of Arts invites you to re-imagine the possibilities of theatre and performance and expand the horizons of your practice.
MA Performance: Theatre Making will enable you to develop your creative and critical practice. It will encourage you to become a confident and articulate theatre maker and researcher.
Performance at Wimbledon is approached through questions of politics and ethics as well as aesthetics and practice. The course asks you to examine them through practical investigation and experimentation in a studio context.
You will think critically about your theatre making. You will want to place it in the context of contemporary performance and visual culture.
The course focuses on:
- Theatre-making as an integrated, multi-disciplinary practice. Combining, for example, writing, design, acting and dramaturgy.
- Developing innovative compositional strategies for performance-making as a studio-based, embodied and material practice.
- The creation of post-dramatic and politically engaged performance.
- Collaboration.
An Artistic Director is a key leadership role, responsible for shaping the artistic vision of a company and/or venue. They will oversee the programme for the theatre, often direct shows, as well as manage funding, budgets and staff, sometimes alongside an Executive Director.
While you do not need a degree for this role, here are some useful subjects and courses that you can study to gain knowledge and experience:
Search theatre training courses to help you get into theatre here
There’s not a one-way path to becoming an Artistic Director, however, having previous experience of producing, directing and creating new work is ideal. Working in any role for a theatre venue or company can also be a good way to learn about this role and work towards it. While most Artistic Directors have a background in directing, it is not the only path. Many Actors, Producers and Writers have also gone on to become successful Artistic Directors.
Read this job description for Sherman Theatre’s Artistic Director to learn more.
As a top leadership role, pay for an Artistic Director can range anywhere from £40k - £100k+* depending on the theatre and your personal experience. This role will often be PAYE, meaning you are a paid member of staff with employee benefits.
*The above is a guide. Pay, salary or fee can vary depending on the theatre or company, as well as your personal experience. National institutions or commercial productions can pay in excess of the above, with charities or community theatre paying less.
You can find theatre jobs via The Stage Jobs here
https://www.mgcfutures.com/artistic-director/
Updated: 13th Aug 2026
