The demanding ‘eight-show week’ schedule of many Musical Theatre jobs, often sustained over long periods, requires a versatile performer who is vocally and physically fit, and highly competent in all disciplines. They must be able to confidently deliver a wide range of vocal qualities and styles safely, together with good movement, dance and acting skills.
Our intensive and immersive training is firmly rooted in the current Musical Theatre industry and equips you to become a well-rounded professional adept in all the integrated aspects of Musical Theatre. Regular classes in acting, singing, spoken voice, dance and movement will run alongside projects led by external practitioners. We fully integrate your skills at a professional level and enable you to take charge of your creative future.
We place our students at the centre of our creative community and work in close collaboration with acting, music, production and design departments and create opportunities to develop a professional portfolio.
‘I knew on graduating I wanted to push the fold of what the industry norms and stereotypes were. For me it was being cast in roles that don’t suit my typical ‘casting’ and I have RWCMD to thank for that. The most important lesson that I was taught here was to be my authentic self, flaws and all! I learned to embrace what I saw as imperfections and use it to stand out from the crowd. I learned that it made me unique and should be celebrated.’
Caleb Lagayan, recent Musical Theatre graduate
Why study Musical Theatre at RWCMD?
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Our classes are small, consisting of hand-selected cohorts to facilitate intensive and immersive training. You will benefit from individual attention and enjoy a close working relationship with your peers. This also means there is a variety of casting opportunities across the programme.
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Participate in dance lessons everyday including Jazz, Tap, Ballet as well as classes in movement and contemporary dance forms to reflect the demands of the profession.
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We offer regular one-to-one technical singing and vocal coaching lessons as well as group lessons to develop your vocal technique and repertoire.
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Looking after your voice is important and we set you up with the tools to do that. You’ll take part in weekly Estill voice training from Wales’ only Estill Mentor and Course Instructor, Tim Richards. Estill Voice Training is a system focused on the development of the functional awareness of how the voice works, making connections between muscular use and connection in the voice.
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Employability in the contemporary musical theatre industry is at the heart of what we offer. Our courses are modelled on professional industry standards and carefully crafted to prepare you for work and the changing demands of the rapidly expanding and increasingly international musical theatre industry.
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Our department has established strong links with leading employers, creatives, agents and casting directors from industry and our recent graduates have appeared in West End productions including The Band’s Visit, Heathers, Jersey Boys, The Secret Garden, Phantom of the Opera, Bat out of Hell, Les Misérables, and, as well numerous touring and smaller scale productions including Hairspray, Blood Brothers, and Spring Awakening in the UK and overseas.
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Truthful and connected storytelling through the integration of music, acting and dance is key, and you’ll be guided by eminent teachers, performers and practitioners from the international world of Musical Theatre.
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Opportunities to perform are a priority; where students learn through practical experience in a variety of contexts including our regular popular foyer Cabaret performances as well as full-scale public productions as part of our in house production company, the Richard Burton Company.
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You’ll train in our amazing facilities, which include being an all-Steinway college, bespoke sprung and mirrored studios and multiple professional performance spaces including our state-of-the-art concert hall and Richard Burton theatres.
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We incorporate unique opportunities for you to explore your individual contribution to the creative process through a series of dedicated performance-based projects. These include projects in Approaches to Acting, Acting Through Song, New Writing, and an Agent Showcase and showreel.
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RWCMD has developed a distinct reputation as a champion of new writing, having commissioned and premiered over 30 new plays. In collaboration with Musical Theatre Network, we host annual pitching days to inspire and showcase new writing. Students have been involved in the research and development of several new musicals including The Wicker Husband, premiere at The Watermill Theatre earlier this year.
Led by an industry professional
Head of Musical Theatre Vivien Care’s performing career includes West End musical theatre, UK and international touring, studio recordings, television appearances, concerts, and radio.
She has been involved in several research and development projects for original work including Marguérite for Boublil and Schönberg, leading to a particular interest in new writing for musical theatre.
Performance highlights include the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, The Sound of Music at The London Palladium, and several repertory seasons at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre including HMS Pinafore, The Boyfriend and High Society. Appearances in Les Misérables include the Palace Theatre and Queen’s Theatre, the International Scandinavian production, the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables at the O2 arena, and a private performance at Windsor Castle by invitation of HM Queen Elizabeth II. In 2020, Vivien was awarded the ARAM associateship of the Royal Academy of Music.
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Find out more about RWCMD
- Our vibrant multicultural institution boasts 800 students from more than 40 countries. As an actor, you’ll have opportunities to work with many of them – especially those on our stage management and technical theatre and musical theatre courses – in a number of exciting performances and projects.
- Collaboration forms a huge part of what we do, allowing you to immerse yourself in new experiences with a broad range of disciplines and skills from across the college. Our unique student-led company REPCo, encourages students to work together to be bold, imaginative and entrepreneurial.
- RWCMD is a vibrant arts centre staging 500 performances a year (many of which are free) which are a combination of world-leading artists and student work, often side by side. Regular major events at RWCMD include BBC Young Musician of the Year, and BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and standalone events such as the World Harp Congress in July 2022.
- Our campus is right in the centre of Cardiff, the thriving, compact capital of Wales, which is only two hours by train to central London.
- You’ll practice, study and perform in a beautiful, inspiring setting, bordering Bute Park, one of the largest green spaces in the city. We have a chamber music hall with extraordinary acoustics, a glass-lined foyer and performance space, the Richard Burton Theatre, as well as state-of-the-art studios and rehearsal spaces.
- Cardiff was named as the most cost-effective city in the UK for students, according to the NatWest Student Living Index 2022.
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