MENU
LOCATION: Cambridge
DRAMA FOUNDATION - MUSICAL THEATRE

Drama Foundation – Musical Theatre

A three-term Musical Theatre training program, designed for students determined to succeed in the performing arts. 

Success in the competitive world of Musical Theatre requires focus and determination, as well as refined work across several disciplines. The Foundation program at CSVPA offers students the wonderful opportunity to specialise before starting university; to begin the process of undergraduate skill development while preparing their drama school and university auditions. 

  • The Musical Theatre programme is modelled on Conservatoire-style training  
  • You will enjoy up to 25 hours a week contact time with teaching staff.
  • Every week you will receive one-to-one sessions with acting and singing tutors, to develop your knowledge of repertoire, style, and audition pieces.
  • Weekly group classes will further challenge you in subjects like Acting, Movement, Dance, Physical Theatre, Text, Voice, and Scene Study.
  • Class groups are small, allowing for intensive work that can be adapted to meet your needs and allow for personalised feedback and guidance.
  • Our teaching staff are highly trained with experience in professional theatre.
  • The teaching team is dedicated to helping you discover your full creative potential as unique performers.
  • We are a community of developing artists who support each other, encouraging all to take risks, push boundaries, and grow as performers.
  • Performing Arts programs offer opportunities for performance throughout the academic year. 

WHAT TO EXPECT

The Musical Theatre program at CSVPA provides students the opportunity to grow and thrive within a genre which itself was crafted and shaped in the hands of some of the most creative minds and gifted performers the stage has ever known. Musical Theatre is the opportunity to find a connection between words and music and movement; to discover all the ways a story can be told and combine them into one performance. The process of discovery for a Musical Theatre performer is that of understanding the song, voice, body, mind all contribute to the communication of one character within one context. The opportunity to transport an audience into a different world for the brief time a story is told. 

At CSVPA we offer our Musical Theatre students classes in Dance, Singing, and Acting, while encouraging them to understand that dramatic context within any monologue, song, or dance will be the most important element. Technique within all three disciplines is addressed across group classes and one-to-one tutorials. It is a challenging program that expects students to demand the absolute best of themselves. 

This programme offers weekly dance classes in the following styles: 

  • Jazz
  • Ballet
  • Commercial Dance
  • Contemporary Dance 

THE AWARD

At the end of the year upon successful completion, you will be awarded the UAL Level 4 Professional Diploma in Performance. 
 

“Whilst studying at CSVPA, what inspired me the most was how hard people really worked. That definitely helped me when I moved onto the professional field in Los Angeles.”

Tiana – Musical Theatre student

VIDEO

HIGHLIGHTS

OVERVIEW

Course Location 
Cambridge 

Course Length 
1 year (3 terms) 

Course Start 
September 

Tutor Support 
Up to 25 hours per week 

Studio Access 
Students have access to our studios 7 days a week, from 8:00 am to 8.00 pm, Monday to Friday and from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm at weekends.  

Awarding Body 
University of the Arts London Awarding Body 

How your Work is Assessed 
Performed and written assignments and projects following the specification set by UAL, the awarding body 

English Language 
Up to 5 hours per week if required 
 
Progression 
Drama School, Conservatoire or University 

ENTRY

Age 
17  years + 

Educational Level 
Completion of High School is needed or a minimum of 1 x Level 3 qualification, preferably in a relevant creative subject (i.e. A level) and 3 x GCSEs at grade 4 or grade C, including Maths and English and at least one of which should be in a creative arts subject. 

Students who do not meet these entry requirements will still be considered on their own individual potential to succeed. Please refer to the Audition Process tab for more information. 

English Level for International Student
IELTS 5.5+ (no element under 4.0) 

Audition 
An audition piece is required for entry to this course. Please refer to” What We Look for in an Audition” for more information. 

STRUCTURE

SUBJECTS

ACTING 
In these classes be prepared to challenge your thinking, what does it mean to act, and what is the role of the actor? There will be a mix of acting theory, drawing on several critical perspectives, and practical work involving movement, voice and all the tools of self-expression. We will workshop a variety of material with tutors, peers, and guest lecturers all in support of your application process for university or drama school. 
 
VOICE 
A stalwart of all actors training is working with speech. Develop a healthy and robust speaking voice that can tackle the most challenging of situations with precision and clarity. 
 
TEXT 
Establish a process for working with words as a starting point. The practice of finding the drama and making sense of any text. Particular attention will be paid to Shakespeare along with prose and a healthy dose of sight reading! 
 
MOVEMENT 
Discover your body’s expressive potential and have at your disposal the techniques which will allow you to achieve the physical and imaginative transformations required as an actor. The classes explore key movement influences, including Laban, Lecoq and Anne Bogart’s Viewpoints training. The focus of the classes is to embody movement with imagination at its heart, working on body awareness, improvisation and developing original performance and choreography that allows you to clearly express ideas, emotions and enrich storytelling. 
 
BALLET 
The ballet course provides students with strong technique and understanding of the basic requirements for ballet. Through a structured programme of floor work, barre and centre practice the students learn how to maintain correct posture and how to correctly use their turnout, while also developing a knowledge of the French vocabulary and common dance patterns. By the end of the year they will be confident in dancing short sequences and responding to a variety of music, leaving them well prepared for college auditions. 
 
COMMERCIAL DANCE 
In Commercial Dance classes, we aim to introduce everyone to the foundational steps of a multitude of styles. We do this to expand student knowledge within the style of Street dance. We will also look at freestyle and choreography in class as these skills are essential within the professional dance industry. 
 
JAZZ DANCE 
Jazz is one of the main building blocks of Musical Theatre choreography. Students will work on developing the foundations of Jazz technique through a variety of exercises focused on improving strength, flexibility, and performance skills. Students will be challenged by working on a range of jazz styles and contrasting routines in preparation for their dance auditions. 
 
GROUP SINGING 
Improve your overall singing technique while learning key skills for working within an ensemble, such as listening, tuning, timing, and holding a harmony. Surround yourself with the powerful sounds of an ensemble in song! 
 
VOCAL ANATOMY 
Discover more about breath and voice production as related to the anatomical elements involved in singing. Learn about the healthy voice, along with details of how to produce sound best and most efficiently. 
 
PLAY 
Join all Drama and Dance courses in a practical session exploring improvisation through play and games. 
 
PHYSICAL THEATRE 
These sessions will explore how through movement we can be inspired to tell stories in new and innovative ways. Unique movement vocabulary can be devised from unexpected starting points, and it is through this creative process that new choreography emerges. Students are led on a revealing and liberating journey, connecting narrative, emotion and character with movement. 
 
HISTORY OF MUSICAL THEATRE 
Examine the development of musical theatre across the 20th century to the present day, from Gilbert and Sullivan through to Broadway’s newest composers. The story of Musical Theatre is one of growth and connection; adding music and dance to a beautifully crafted story to embed it into the hearts of audiences. Of pushing boundaries and challenging people to connect with a heightened version of life’s ups and downs. 
 
1:1 TUITION 
Weekly 1:1 sessions in acting and singing will give each student the opportunity to explore new repertoire and develop audition material. 

FACULTY

AUDITIONS

HOW TO APPLY

Students can attend an audition in person by contacting the college to arrange an appropriate date. If an in-person audition is not possible, please submit a video audition in which the full length of your body is visible. 

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS

Students should deliver:

  • 1 x monologue (classical or contemporary), lasting two minutes, delivered in English and from memory. Examples of appropriate playwrights include William Shakespeare, John Webster, Lope de Vega, Anton Chekhov, Tennessee Williams, Caryl Churchill, David Hare, David Mamet, Martin Crimp, Sue Arnold, Clare Mcintyre.
  • 2 x songs taken from the musical theatre repertoire (one traditional and one contemporary). Examples of traditional composers include George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein. Examples of contemporary composers include Stephen Schwartz, Jason Robert Brown, Tom Kitt, Stephen Sondheim, Lin Manuel Miranda.

Candidates should deliver monologues appropriate to their age and should deliver them in their own accent. Candidate should be sure to wear loose and comfortable clothing. If you attend an audition at CSVPA, an accompanist will be provided for your audition. Please bring sheet music for your songs in the keys in which you perform them. 

AUDITION GUIDE

What We Look for in an Audition guide, to prepare fully for your audition at CSVPA.

RELATED COURSES

TALK TO US

Are you interested in Drama Foundation – Musical Theatre?
Maybe you want to know about our Performing Arts?

Do you want to find out more about CSVPA? Talk to our student advisors now.