Important Information

Please note, the MA Musical Theatre (Performance) programme is currently paused for recruitment and therefore not accepting new applications for academic year 2024/25 at this time. The information on this page is intended to allow current MA MT students to reference elements of their programme.

The MA Musical Theatre (Musical Directing) programme is open to new students and welcoming applications for entry in 24/5.

Programme structure (for current students)

A skills-focused term, with high-level taught classes in Acting, Voice, Singing and Dance. These will be supplemented with Performance Classes and Artist in Development seminars, through which you’ll be encouraged to set your own goals and work autonomously and collaboratively towards achieving them. The integration of these core skills will begin towards the end of the term, where there will be an opportunity to engage in a public performance of a Christmas concert.

The integration of skills will continue through project work in Term 2. You’ll work with both faculty and industry professionals on sections of materials from different styles/forms, with a focus on practice-based research and the rehearsal process. The development of new work may also be explored in this term, with consideration being given to how new and existing work relate to each other within the 21st Century musical theatre landscape. Performance classes and Artist in Development workshops continue, with an embedded focus on personal sustainability and well-being.

In the third term, our focus begins to look outwards and how you as individuals want to engage with audiences and industry professionals. There is space created in this term for the creation and rehearsal of solo cabarets, which will then be performed for public audiences in an external venue. Preparations will begin for the Term 4 and professional practice will be developed through industry masterclass and panel events.

The final term culminates in the rehearsal and performance of a fully realised musical at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This project is designed to replicate the demands of a professional experience of rehearsing and performing in a musical over a sustained period of time.

Additional Staff

Singing Lecturers
  • Marjory Watson
  • Arlene Rolph
  • Claire Thomas
  • Phillip Shades
Voice Lecturers
  • Hilary Jones – Lecturer in Voice and Voice for Media (SDDPF) and the Centre for Voice in Performance (CViP)
  • Bill Wright – Lecturer in Voice (SDDPF) and the Centre for Voice in Performance (CViP)
  • Melanie Drake -Lecturer in Voice (SDDPF) and the Centre for Voice in Performance (CViP)
Dance Lecturers
  • Rowan MacGregor
  • Courtney Bailey Alan
  • Dr Lucy Weir
  • Alan Greig
  • Giullia Montalbano
  • Suzanne Shanks
  • Salma Faraji
  • Freya Jeffs
  • Michelle MacIsaac
Acting Lecturers

Campus and Facilities

Classes take place across the Renfrew St and Wallace Studios campus, giving students access to award-winning dance studios, six professional performance venues, student IT suite and one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of performance materials for dance, drama, music, production and film in the Whittaker Library.

Take our virtual tour.

The Student Experience

“Their understanding and their care is what really makes RCS stand out from other schools”

We chatted to students studying on our MA Musical Theatre programmes (Performance and Musical Directing) about their experiences of studying with us.