READ College’s full-time, vocational Foundation Course in Musical Theatre is now entering its 13th year, and graduate destinations have included Arts Ed, Mountview, Urdang, Bird, Laine, Central, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and many more. As a registered charity, we support students from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds with bursary funding towards tuition fees through our Access to The Arts ™ programme.
Students benefit from at least 27 hours of contact time per week, and study the full range of skills required in Musical Theatre under the guidance of leading industry tutors. Dance styles taught include ballet, jazz, commercial, tap and contemporary. Acting classes include improv, classical theatre, audition repertoire and physical theatre, and our singing training is made up of weekly one-to-one classes, ensemble singing, music theory and vocal tech. Students also benefit from regular masterclasses with guest tutors from all of the major degree-level courses, to prepare them for auditions.
Our Foundation students graduate with the Level 4 ATCL Diploma in Performing, awarded by Trinity College London.
Over 98% of our Musical Theatre graduates have been offered places at leading degree-level courses since the college opened, and our alumni can now be found working throughout the industry. Courses run from September to July, and applications are now open for our 2021 intake. Open days take place throughout the year, and we also run regular taster courses in the school holidays.
To find out more, please visit the link below or contact admissions on 0118 9666275.
With pathways in Stage Management, Production Management, Lighting Design and Sound Design, this course offers practical and vocational training in our professionally equipped theatre and studio space.
Key features
- The Northbrook Theatre – our on-campus professional theatre
- Studio 21 – double truss studio space for rehearsals and performances
- ETC ION Lighting Desk and extensive selection of intelligent and generic fixtures
- Digico SD Series consoles
- Counterweight, hemp, motors and truss for flying and rigging
- Prompt desk, radio comms and cue lights
- Ten on-campus rehearsal studios
- AV mixer, projectors and video mapping software
This two year course will provide you with realistic yet demanding training in all areas of production for theatre.
You will follow a generic course that looks at lighting, sound, stage management and design. Areas of study also cover arts administration and a theoretical study of the performing arts. It will offer you a range of performance project work, both at College and in external venues. This practical work is underpinned with theory and skills-based training in technical, management and design.
The course focuses mainly on practical assessments with evidence generated through research and development log books. Classroom assessments will be, where possible, linked to production work carried out during your course of study.
Possible progression opportunities include entry into specialist drama colleges including Guildford School of Acting and RADA. Careers in stage management, costume design, lighting/sound design or technical.
Our MA Musical Theatre Creatives is an individually-tailored MA for anyone interested in creating new musical theatre and a professional career as a creative in the industries, whether as a composer, writer, choreographer, lyricist or something that has yet to be defined.
This unique course focuses on students' particular needs to develop their skills in their field (composition, dance and dramaturgy etc), whilst simultaneously generating work as a collective with other creatives across the MAs.
Working with leading institutions from across the North and with practitioners that include composers, lyricists, and book-writers (the creative team of a musical), students will leave the course with a portfolio of work to take into the industry, to peers to build a creative team with, and leave with a unique artistic voice to shape the theatre of tomorrow.
The Musical Theatre Company course combines rigorous conservatoire training with continued, collaborative, student-led development of new work, preparing students not only to gain employment in the musical theatre industry, but as artists creating their own work.
With weekly classes in a range of dance styles, voice, acting, and singing (including audition technique), students will form a company and use these skills to engage in continued and collaborative development of new work (alongside students from the other MAs), guided by leading directors and practitioners working in the industry today.
Working towards public performances at the end of the year, students will leave prepared for auditions, the rehearsal process and the life of a working actor, having developed the knowledge, skills and contacts necessary to succeed in this highly-demanding industry.
Our MA in Musical Direction is designed to fully-prepare highly-skilled musicians to embark upon a career as a musical director. With tailored one-to-one classes, students will hone their musicianship and be exposed to a wide-range of working practices, working alongside key practitioners, companies and industry professionals from across the region.
This MA encourages students to interrogate the role of the musical director and redefine it for themselves, through the continued collaborative, student-led development of new work across the year.
With collaboration and individual artistry at the heart of all of our Theatre MAs, students will leave this course not only fully equipped to adapt to the changing face of theatre, but also with the skill set and tenacity required to drive that change.
Set, lighting, sound, props, costume. These are a few of the considerations required to put together a production. The Production Arts Extended Diploma course programme focuses on developing the broad range of skills necessary for progression to work or further study at degree level in technical theatre. The qualification has been designed to meet the needs of the creative and cultural industries.
This course looks at each of these and more develop skills that are transferable from an arena sized concert or a theatrical production all the way to small scale touring theatre. Employment has grown alongside technology in this area and so there are job and higher education opportunities for students who complete this course of study.
The emphasis is on practical skills underpinned by theoretical understanding and industry standard health and safety practices. Much of the work will be in support of the wide range of performances in theatre, dance and music that take place each year as well as having opportunity to speak to industry professionals, take part in production workshops and visit local and regional theatres. Each project you complete is designed to be realistic to what you would expect in industry.
In addition to your main programme, you will also engage in activities to develop your English, maths and employability skills.
RSL Level 3 Diploma in Performing and Creative Arts (Actor Musician Pathway).
Each term has a different focus and tutors - giving you the chance to stretch and improve your skills. It is intensive and requires a full commitment. The 2021 year ends in a big public show at the Wilde Theatre in Bracknell (July 2021 is Disney's Beauty and the Beast). You will also appear in an acted play for National Theatre Connections (Bracknell and London theatres), and up to three additional full scale productions (Easter, Summer and Pantomime) with South Hill Park (subject to audition).
The course specialises in Musical Theatre for actors who play instruments, but the course is blended and offers Acting, Singing, Screen Acting, Dance, Performing with instruments and technical aspects. You will share many classes with our Musical Theatre and Producers pathways, but also have classes unique to your specialism.
Taught by industry professionals including Sam Spencer Lane - West End choreographer and former head of musical theatre at Mountview and Jonathan Ashby Rock - CEO of Hounslow Arts Centre. We will prepare you for the next level of your training!
You will have one to one weekly meetings with a mentor tutor to help you apply to the right course for your next stages, and arrange real work experience. You will have support with UCAS, and preparation for auditions for any creative university courses.
Foundation: BTEC Foundation Diploma in Production Arts Practice (with Performing) 1 year. Accredited full time gap-year and vocational prep performing arts training for actors, musical theatre performers and producers/events managers aged 16-19.
This blended course is designed for performers who already have a Level 3 Performing Arts Qualification and/or who would like to learn to form their own companies and create shows, as well as still working on their own performing skills. You must be able to either act, sing or dance to a high level as you will be performing some or all of in the shows you produce.
Each term has a different focus - giving you the chance to stretch and improve your skills. It is intensive and requires a full commitment. The 2021 year ends in a big public show at the Wilde Theatre in Bracknell (Disney's Beauty and the Beast). You will also produce and appear in (or direct) a National Theatre Connections play, which will perform in Bracknell and London, with the chance of being chosen to perform again at the National Theatre.
The college specialises in Musical Theatre, but the course is blended and also offers Acting, Singing, Screen Acting, Dance and technical aspects.
You will work on real productions as producers and organisers, including cabaret shows in a club, studio theatre shows (National Theatre Connections or a Festival piece), and other real events for paying customers at both South Hill Park and Hounslow Arts Centre. As well as producing the shows, you will appear and perform in them OR choose to run tech and production.
Your principal tutor is Jonathan Ashby Rock - Artistic Director of Hounslow Arts Centre (London) and professional producer. Other teachers include Sam Spencer-Lane (West End choreographer, musical theatre specialist and former department head at Mountview), Adrian McDougall (Artistic Director and Producer Blackeyed Theatre), Brad Clapson of Omni Theatre (writer and producer) and many more. ALL our teachers are practicing professional artists and well thought of in their field.
Units will include (but are not limited to): Understanding the Events Industry; Understanding how to Research and Report Information to Plan and Organise an Event; Understanding Operational Event Planning; Understanding Health, Safety and Security at Events Sites.
This course is accredited (you will get L3 qualifications if you complete it), and it is for students who want to prepare for university courses, or have a university place already but would like a years intensive vocational training first.
The course is taught at second year Level 3/professional prep. It is designed for young people with experience of performing who have a deferred university place, or would like to re-apply to vocational higher education, but do not feel prepared or ready currently, or who have maybe chosen a different career pathway and would like one last full year doing what they love.
Our graduates have gone on to Russell Group universities, Mountview, GSA, Birmingham Conservatoire, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, UAL, PPA, and more (including scholarships!).
Accredited full time gap - year and vocational prep performing arts training for musical theatre performers who have completed year 13. RSL Level 3 Diploma in Performing and Creative Arts (Musical Theatre Pathway, with Screen Acting)
The course specialises in Musical Theatre, but the course is blended and also offers Acting, Singing, Screen Acting, Dance and technical aspects.
Taught by industry professionals including Sam Spencer Lane - West End choreographer and former head of musical theatre at Mountview. We will prepare you for the next level of your training!
Units will include (and have many other options): Musical Theatre techniques; vocal techniques; singing techniques; conditioning; ballet (beginners and company class). The work is vocational and practical - but you will also have to undertake written coursework and homework as part of the evidence needed for the course. As far as possible this takes place during the college day, and supervised study periods are timetabled to help get this done.
In addition to the qualifications there are dance and show-choirs you can audition to join as part of the college week. These companies perform for the public and attend competitions and events. Outside college time - you can join our Acting company Medusa Pro, Musical Theatre Company, Cheer squads and senior Hip Hop. All free for college students.
This course is accredited (you will get a L3 qualification if you complete it), and it is for students who want to prepare for vocational drama/musical theatre university courses, or have a university place already but would like a years intensive vocational training first.
The course is taught at second year Level 3/professional prep. It is designed for young people with experience of performing who would like to re-apply to vocational higher education, but do not feel prepared or ready currently, or who have maybe chosen a different pathway at uni and would like one last full year doing what they love.
Our graduates have gone on to Russell Group universities, Mountview, GSA, Birmingham Conservatoire, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, UAL, PPA, and more (including scholarships!).
