From September 2021, RWCMD will offer up to 18 places on its new three-year undergraduate programme in Musical Theatre.

Students on the new programme will receive training in acting, vocal, movement, singing, dance and creative skills from an established team of staff with regular input from visiting professionals. This intensive and immersive training experience will equip and enable them to take advantage of the diverse employment opportunities within the rapidly expanding and increasingly international musical theatre industry.

The new programme will be the first of its kind available in Wales, placing students at the centre of the national conservatoire’s creative community, working in close collaboration with acting, music, production and design departments.

Since 2010, the College has been providing specialist musical theatre training through its one-year masters programme. It has established strong links with leading employers, creatives and casting agents in the industry and its graduates have appeared in West End musicals including Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and Blood Brothers, as well as numerous smaller scale and touring productions in Wales, the UK and overseas.

The College has also 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, due to premiere at The Watermill Theatre in 2020.

The new programme incorporates unique opportunities for students to explore and contribute to the creative process through a series of dedicated performance-based projects.

In the final year, students will rehearse and perform a series of fully staged musicals in front of a public audience as part of the Richard Burton Company. They will also take part in Showcase performances in Cardiff and London for an invited audience of agents, employers and casting directors. Students from the US will have the opportunity to perform in the College’s New York Showcase.