BA Musical Theatre

• Marjory Watson
• Arlene Rolph
• Claire Thomas

• Rowan MacGregor
• Courtney Bailey Alan
• Megan Peasgood
• Dr Lucy Weir
• Alan Greig
• Giullia Montalbano
• Sarah Wilkie
• Suzanne Shanks
• Salma Faraji
• Darren Brownlie
• Freya Jeffs
• Michelle MacIsaac

• Laura McIntosh
• Andrew Nunn
• Matthew Brown

• Hilary Jones
• Melanie Drake

Applications are made through UCAS Conservatoires website. The UCAS Conservatoires application system is separate from the main UCAS undergraduate application system. If you wish to apply to conservatoires and universities within UCAS, you will need to register for both services.

There is a UCAS application fee of £26.50 to register to use UCAS Conservatoires.

To begin a new UCAS Conservatoires application, you will need to register. You can read the UCAS Conservatoires’ advice on completing the UCAS Conservatoires application.

If you need assistance with your application, you can contact UCAS Conservatoires team by telephoning (Monday to Friday, 8.30 — 18.00). Phone 0371 468 0470 from within the UK or +44 330 3330 232 if you are calling from overseas.

The deadline for all applicants is 26 January 2022. If you submit your application after this date, we cannot guarantee that it will be reviewed.

Once you submit your UCAS Conservatoires application, please then upload your audition recording to Acceptd – https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs.

If you submit your application after this date, we cannot guarantee that your audition recording will be reviewed by the audition panel. If you do want to submit a late application, you must contact admissions@rcs.ac.uk in the first instance to check we are accepting late applications

We do not offer deferred entry. If you wish to commence in 2023, you must apply next year.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland institution code is R58.

You will also require the following programme code to apply:

BA Musical Theatre: 202F — Drama Performance

There is a UCAS Conservatoires application fee of £26.50. In addition to the application fee, each conservatoire charges an audition assessment administration fee. For RCS, the audition assessment administration fee is £55 per programme applied for. Fees are not refundable. The fees are paid via the UCAS Conservatoires website and not directly to RCS.

Audition Assessment Administration Fee

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland charges an audition assessment administration fee of £55 per course.

We recognise that auditioning and interviewing for conservatoires, drama and ballet schools can be costly. The audition assessment administration fee charge allows us to offer a thorough and positive experience to all applicants and we encourage you to get in touch to ask the panel questions and find out more about the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to see if it is the best place for you.

We are committed to ensuring fair access to a conservatoire education for students who have the talent and potential to benefit from it, regardless of their background. In support of this, audition fee waivers are offered to applicants whom financial hardship may be a barrier to auditioning. Please see the audition fee waivers document for more information.

It is your responsibility to ask two separate referees to write references and ensure that these are sent to RCS.

The references must be written by two different people and we will not accept references from family, other relatives or close friends. You can submit your UCAS Conservatoires application form and send your references at a later date, but they must be received prior to your audition date.

UCAS Conservatoires provides reference forms for you to download and send to your referees for completion.

For September 2022 entry, we are currently planning for in-person auditions to take place in Glasgow and in London on our BA Musical Theatre programme, as well as continuing to offer auditions in an online format for those who are not able to travel to an in-person audition. We have many years of experience of conducting online auditions and have a well-established format and process in place, so no applicant will be disadvantaged by auditioning in this manner. We will continue to respond to ongoing governmental guidance as to how we can hold in-person auditions in a way that is safe for our applicants as well as staff, and these will be subject to change dependent on alterations in governmental advice. Please visit our Auditions section for more information.

With the safety of our students, applicants and staff as our priority, all BA Musical Theatre first round auditions will take place via audition recording. The deadline dates to apply and submit your audition recording can be found in the table below –

Once you submit your UCAS Conservatoires application, please then upload your audition recording to Acceptd – https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs.

Preparation for audition

The audition process considers the four key elements of our programme: exploring skills in acting, singing, dance and musicality. Importance is weighted equally in these four areas and we will be looking for a strong ability in three and trainable potential in all four, although it should be noted that the panel will look for the ways in which creativity, connection, and authenticity inform all four disciplines.

Please prepare the following portfolio of recordings for your BA Musical Theatre Audition.

We ask that you give your name and programme clearly to the camera before each section. After that, please don’t feel that you need to perform to the camera through any section of the recordings. The first recording should include a brief overview of your background and why you are interested in studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Please do not worry about the quality of the recording – recordings on a phone/iPad are absolutely acceptable. Please record each section separately and when uploading each section, please clearly title each section.

Please complete all sections, we cannot consider your audition portfolio if all sections are not uploaded and submitted.

Singing

You should prepare three songs for your audition portfolio. These should showcase your vocal range and your ability to use your skills to explore different styles common to Musical Theatre repertoire. You should include two contrasting MT songs, and one song not from a musical (this may be pop, rock, blues, gospel, jazz, folk etc). We understand that working with an accompanist may be challenging and therefore we ask that, if possible, you look to use a piano/backing track for one song (YouTube is a great source for this), and the other 2 can be a cappella. Each song should be approximately 1.5 to 2 minutes long.

Within this material the panel will look for:

• Evidence of vocal technique including flexibility, intonation, pitch and musicality
• The ability to communicate intention, emotion, and character through song
• The ability to make stylistic choices appropriate to Musical Theatre repertoire

Acting 

You should prepare and film two pieces for your audition portfolio, each no longer than two minutes in length:

• 1 contemporary monologue
• 1 piece of heightened text (spoken word, poetry, Shakespeare, Greek, etc.) This piece may be in a language other than English.

Please prepare and learn these carefully and make sure your work is supported by a good understanding of the entire play, not just your monologue. You may be asked to talk about your choices later in the process.

During this material the panel will look for:

• The ability to bring a character to life with believable thoughts, feelings and actions which are appropriate to the chosen text
• The ability to engage an audience through verbal and non-verbal communication
• The ability to work with both naturalistic and non-naturalistic styles
• The ability to work with heightened language and/or circumstances, as inspired by the text

Dance/Movement

Via the video below, you will be led through a set of tasks that comprise your dance audition, which includes elements of jazz, ballet and contemporary styles. We ask that, to the best of your ability, you learn and replicate the warm-up sequences and combination.  We would recommend you use a safe space to work through this process and look to film the combination as clearly as possible. The short video can be viewed here – https://youtu.be/uK4mo6-kuRo.

Within this material the panel will look for:

• The ability to use the body as a means of expression
• Evidence of technique, style and the physical fitness to cope with the intensive demands of the programme
• The ability to synthesise and re-create choreography.

Music

If you play an instrument, please prepare a short piece or section of music (no more than 2 mins) demonstrating your musicality. If you do not play an instrument, please tell us about any experiences you have had with music and how this influences your work as an actor, singer and dancer.

Within this material the panel will look for:

• Elements of potential in musicality, including the ability to communicate through music without voice
• Evidence of skill and level of accomplishment on your chosen instrument (or multiple instruments)
• If you do not currently play an instrument, we would encourage you to work towards demonstrating an attempt at a simple skill. For example, you could demonstrate: a basic melody/chord sequence on piano, guitar, or ukulele.

Recall Audition

Applicants who proceed past the recorded portfolio stage will be invited to attend a further audition, either online or in-person in Glasgow or London, dependent on your location and preference. If you are successfully recalled, you will be emailed directly with what to prepare for the recall audition.

All decisions will be posted on UCAS Conservatoires following your audition via UCAS Conservatoires Track,  (you will need your username and password). You will also receive notification from UCAS Conservatoires when decisions on all your choices are available.

Please see below for an explanation of UCAS Conservatoires codes:

Guaranteed Unconditional (GU) RCS is satisfied from the information you have given, that you have already met the conditions for entry. Unless your application and/or qualification are subsequently shown to be fraudulent, a guaranteed unconditional offer is binding.

Guaranteed Conditional (GC) RCS has made the offer subject to you meeting certain conditions such as examination results. Conditions can be viewed via UCAS Conservatoires Track. Unless your application and/or qualifications are subsequently shown to be fraudulent, the offer is binding if you accept the offer and meet the conditions. You must meet the conditions of the offer by 31 August, unless an earlier date is specified. If your conditions include obtaining IELTS (English Language test), you must meet this condition by 31 May.

Reserve Unconditional (VU) RCS is satisfied from the information you have given, that you have already met the conditions for entry and you have been offered a place on our reserve pool.

Reserve Conditional (VC) RCS has offered a place on its reserve pool subject to you meeting certain conditions such as examination results. Conditions can be viewed via UCAS Conservatoires Track.

Unsuccessful (R) RCS does not wish to offer you any type of a place.

If you have received a ‘reserve’ outcome, it means that RCS is not able to offer you a guaranteed place at the time of making our decision.

A ‘reserve’ outcome indicates that RCS would like the opportunity to review its outcome to you in the light of acceptances/declines to its guaranteed offers.

You will become part of a ‘pool’ of ‘reserve’ candidates and RCS may choose to make you a guaranteed offer if a suitable place becomes available. Reserve does not mean that a place has been ‘reserved’ for you.

If RCS chooses not to make you a guaranteed offer, you will not have a place to start at RCS.
If you have been given a ‘reserve’ outcome, in order to be considered for a guaranteed place (should one become available) you will need to accept the outcome (and meet any conditions if applicable).

Reserve outcomes remain active until the end of August. The decision to wait and see whether a guaranteed place becomes available, or to accept an offer at another conservatoire is entirely at your discretion. As soon as your situation changes, this is updated on UCAS Conservatoires.

As soon as a decision is made, UCAS Conservatoires will let you know. You must reply online via UCAS Conservatoires Track. Your reply date is displayed on Track. If you do not reply by the date given, your offers will be declined automatically. The reply date may be different to other applicants as it is based on when you receive your last decision.

Please see the UCAS Conservatoires website for more information on replying to offers. If you make an application through UCAS Conservatoires, UCAS or UCAS Teacher Training, you cannot hold more than one confirmed place. A confirmed place in UCAS Conservatoires is a guaranteed unconditional offer as your first choice (GU1) and in UCAS and UCAS Teacher Training it is an unconditional firm (UF) place. If you receive more than one confirmed place, UCAS will ask you to accept one offer and withdraw from any others.

We have a number of policies and statements which you should read when applying to study at the Royal Conservatoire.

Please select the links below to read each policy.

• Feedback policy
• Equality and diversity
• Applicants with disabilities
• Guidance for applicants with criminal convictions
• Admissions policy