On Course: BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre University of Wolverhampton

Launched in 2011, this course is firmly a university rather than a conservatoire option. About one third of its content is academic with assignments closely tied into the other practical two thirds.

‘Each student has around 12 hours of teaching contact time per week, plus a weekly one-to-one singing lesson which we regard as one of our USPs,’ says James Lovelock, course leader both for this course and for the University of Wolverhampton's BA (Hons) in Drama and Musical Theatre. ‘That twelve hours, though, is only about a quarter of what the student needs to do. The other three quarters of his or her time is needed for research, reading, rehearsal and a lot more.’

The size of the cohort varies from year to year but is usually between 35-60. ‘Some lectures are delivered to the whole year group’ explains Lovelock. ‘But for all the practical modules students are taught in subdivided groups ranging from four to twenty, depending on the subject. Dance, for example, might be in a class of twenty.’

Lovelock continues: ‘Our staff members have professional industry experience as musical directors, choreographers, performers, dramaturgs and writers.’ He and his colleagues also bring in professionals to lead frequent masterclasses. Past visitors include Layton Williams (Billy Elliot, Hairspray, Rent), Cleve September (In The Heights, Hamilton) and Matt Rawle (Evita, Pippin) as well as musical theatre writers and producers.

The course is taught on the University's Walsall Campus over three years although there is also an interesting part-time option to take it over 6 years which might appeal to an older student or one who needs to work a substantial number of hours while training.

Entry qualifications and application

Applicants usually need BBC grades at A level or BTEC QCF Extended Diploma grade DMM; BTEC QCF Diploma grade D*D*. Rockschool Level 3 (RSL) Extended Diploma in Creative and Performing Arts grade D is also acceptable as is an HE Diploma full award (Pass of 60 credits – of which a minimum of 45 credits must be at level 3 including 18 at Merit or Distinction). None of this, however, is set in stone. Relevant experience or other qualifications are sometimes admissible in lieu. Prospective students are advised to contact the university to discuss it.

Application is through UCAS. Applicants are shortlisted for audition before offers are made.

Career pathways

This is not a conservatoire course. Its main aim is to develop skills and enhance employability rather than to produce ‘industry ready’ performing graduates. Instead they might go on to employment or further training in a range of areas. ‘A lot of our students go on to work in theatre-in-education and many of them set up their own companies’ says Lovelock, explaining that the course also covers business and company management skills.

In the past, graduates have also gone on to work as private teachers, FE lecturers, youth/community leaders, directors, writers, community theatre leaders, arts outreach workers, theatre administration or in arts marketing.

‘And they are very well placed to go on from here to do an intensive post-graduate conservatoire course in performance – often at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama or Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – if that's what they're focused on’ says Lovelock. ‘We have five this year who are intending to apply for that. So yes, a handful do end up as performers but it isn't the majority.’

Lovelock also stresses that graduates from this course, equipped with a university degree, are also well placed to apply for any graduate level jobs requiring communication, confidence and other skills. Previous graduates have developed careers in marketing and retail management or in commercial activities such as in promotion companies and venue administration.

Notes for teachers

• Institution code: W75. UCAS code: W312
• Fees: £9,250 per year This course is offered through University of Wolverhampton's School of Performing Arts which is part of its Faculty of Arts
• Course modular content is described on the website as Level 4, Level 5 and Level 6. This simply refers to the first, second and third years of the degree.
• James Lovelock has a background in secondary school music teaching ‘because they used not to teach musical theatre in universities’. He became a visiting lecturer – teaching creative musical theatre – at University of Birmingham while he was doing his PhD and has been at Wolverhampton for six years.
• The Walsall campus has a purpose-built performance hub including five dance and drama studios, a recording studio and a black box theatre.
• Walsall is well placed for the West Midlands theatre scene including Wolverhampton Grand, Birmingham Hippodrome, Alexandra Theatre and Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
• The University of Wolverhampton operates on four campuses of which Walsall is one. The other three are in Wolverhampton itself and in Telford and Burton.

https://www.wlv.ac.uk/