BA (Hons) Musical Theatre Practice at Liverpool John Moores University

As a student on the innovative BA (Hons) Musical Theatre Practice at Liverpool John Moores University you will have extensive opportunities to develop your creative and performance skills using our dedicated drama centre and newly refurbished drama studio, and also through our links with leading theatre companies and drama organisations in Liverpool and beyond. You will have opportunities to explore a range of skills and then develop a focus on a personal specialism for your final year of study in preparation for either employment or further study upon graduation. Although this is a new course it is housed in Liverpool Screen School’s Drama department and the record of its BA (Hons) Drama provision provided here affirms the values and ethos which underpin this exciting new course.

For millennia, groups of people from all corners of the earth and from all cultures have come together to watch others act out stories. Performing takes us to places through characters so far from ourselves that it helps us learn about what makes us tick.

Above all, the study of all theatre and its practices prepares us to be better citizens. Musical theatre, in particular, has the capacity to transport audiences into imaginary worlds of deep feeling and social significance. The course views the term ‘musical theatre’ as broadly as possible, and aims to question what we mean by the term, recognising its unique expressive characteristics and potential, just as much as it provides opportunities to develop skills in creating and performing.

This course is based on the idea that, as a community of passionate artists, we are interested in telling stories through musical theatre and are on a journey to find out how we can get better at it.

Moreover we want to not only acknowledge the traditions and discoveries of the past but also seek to make new work that is relevant for our futures.

The course believes that the best practice is also informed by the best thinking and so throughout we integrate aspects of both theory and practice in all aspects of your learning. It also believes that you are the best person to discover how best to learn for yourself and how to apply that in planning for your future, so all our work has one eye on what you might do when you graduate.

​The course believes that the best practice is also informed by the best thinking and so throughout we integrate aspects of both theory and practice in all aspects of your learning. It also believes that you are the best person to discover how best to learn for yourself and how to apply that in planning for your future, so all our work has one eye on what you might do when you graduate.

From year one, the course marries the study of performance and production fundamentals with an introduction to a range of practical analytical models and ways of thinking about musical theatre. You then study its application in creative practices with some options for individual choices in second year, to a defined specialism (acting/directing/writing/technical/production) allied to personal research and professional preparation in your final year. The course is designed to allow each student to define their own journey through the opportunities afforded and to create their own focus and responsibility for their potential employment.

Throughout and where feasible we seek to work in collaboration with external bodies and artists to provide real world experiences in preparation for work.

There are few better places to study drama and theatre than Liverpool, a city with many theatres and a rich tradition of producing some of the country’s best-known playwrights and theatre artists. Presently we use the Royal Court theatre, Unity and Everyman/Playhouse for a range of productions and events during the year, but perhaps more significantly often use other venues and locations for developing and presenting site-specific work. As an example, in 2019 the BA Drama programme developed a large scale 2 hour walking performance through the dunes at Formby for the National Trust. The new BA in Musical Theatre Practice will seek to continue this adventurous tradition.

Many of our BA Drama graduates have gone on to success in the industry in a wide range of roles as well as often forming their own companies and forging distinctive identities. Most recently a graduate company (Ugly Bucket) won three awards at the National Student Drama Festival (2019) and have gone to win wide critical acclaim, now on their third full length show since graduation.