"What? Like it's Hard..." - Studying Musical Theatre at University

**Disclaimer!!! A year and a half of my course was during COVID, which A) gave me time to think about the course a lot more and B) made me work differently/well and truly saw the course for what it was and who it is and isn’t designed for.**

How It Started:

For those wondering how did you study Musical Theatre at a university and not at a drama school? When I was applying to study I asked myself the same question. I did look around and auditioned for various drama schools, including the university I eventually went to. If I’m being completely transparent, the drama school audition setting was not for me. After receiving my fair share of rejections I started to feel lost in what route to take, as theatre was the thing that I knew I wanted to study. Then along came the uni I chose to go to. Before starting my course I was convinced that I wanted to perform and that was what I was going to work towards. That I was going to get the academic side of things out of the way and then move on to the performing side. However, the more I studied the more I changed my view on what was out there for me.

Why it worked for me personally and the change of career paths:

Credit where credit is due, without this course I never would have discovered a new career path. Like I said before actually starting uni I convinced myself that I wanted to go into the performing aspect of the industry, that I was going to go to drama school and live out the typical “Lead Actor Fantasy” every young performer has. But as I learnt the very hard way that this wasn’t meant to be. My passion and dedication to performing will always be there - hence why I’m still in the industry - but it has now been enhanced in a different way. Another point to add, is that this course in the first place was never advertised as nor was it designed to be a mimic of a drama school.

PROS:

There were a few positives that came out of this course, although I didn’t know fully at the time how valuable this course would be, as without it I would never have found this new career path. It wasn’t until we had a talk with a Dramaturg from Disney Theatricals, that I found my calling (you could say). I found what I wanted to do, it was the perfect balance of english, history and of course theatre.

This course and lecturers alike threw us into the academic deep end. Yes, we did have some classes and modules during the first year about how to write academically and how to cite correctly (Harvard APA 7 - you will be forever my enemy), but within the first semester essay’s were expected to the university standard which, rightfully so, was a shock to the system.

I was challenged both academically and personally. This was a good thing as although we had less contact hours, which meant that we had to find our own answers to our own questions. However, this didn’t mean that we were left stranded. Office hours, emails and the academic office cupboard was always there when we needed support. Many times, I went into the office crying to my personal tutor because I was stressed, confused or just lost in my journey as a young scholar and eventually came out with a clearer understanding after having a one-on-one, breaking down the content or pointed in the right direction for readings or research.

They really encouraged us to follow along with our own independent projects. They taught us that if you want something and want experience you certainly have to hustle for it. Nothing will come easily. If we wanted to have experience in tech work then we would have to make the first move, if we wanted to put on an in-house performance we would have to get the conversation rolling, along with (risk assessments, requirements etc) and I think it was those extra skills that I value most after graduating.

Lastly, the different ways to complete a dissertation. Although the long form research essay was an option, we also had the option to complete a presentation/Practice as Research Project or the “performance” route. As I said, most of my degree was completed during the pandemic so things, such as the London showcase, were cancelled. Having the different routes really worked in a lot of our favours. For me, I am Dysgraphic. So, having the mixed option between the academic and the creative demonstration of research was the perfect combination for me and ultimately allowed me to achieve the highest mark possible.

CONS:

For the performance side of things, it didn’t exactly give the needed training nor subject specific training to help us with a performance career path. Although, I auditioned in my first year for a choral scholarship (which I managed to get) that gave me an extra year of 1-2-1 singing lessons with a vocal coach. It definitely was lacking in the performance department. Yes, we had a chamber choir that was compulsory (gave us useful sight reading/sheet music and harmony skills) and the Dramatic Musical Society (which gave us the ensemble/audition skills) there wasn’t much else to help us in that retrospect.

I need to say that I am only speaking on behalf of my cohort - 2018 to 2021 - things may have been different for other years.

As mentioned before, there were less contact hours than you normally would with your typical drama school courses and more lecture/seminar based classes and a lot of independent learning. Which might not be the best style of learning for everyone. Once you were settled into the routine, it would feel very strange when we had Intenstives or other long periods of practical work.

You were trusted completely to find your own way both during and after graduation. Albeit, the University itself does offer a plethora of careers advice, however, hardly any of it is designed to help those wanting to enter the entertainment sector of the arts industry. This again could be because of COVID that we didn't have a careers advice session or the relevant people come in and speak to us. So, after graduation I definitely felt extremely lost in the deep waters of the real world and to be perfectly honest nearly two years later… I still am!

The Final Score:

Overall, it is clear to say that this course certainly wasn't and isn't for everyone. All the people of my course have found their own kinds of success and regardless of whether it is within this industry or not, I am incredibly proud of us. It was an incredibly rocky road but we came out the other side with probably one of the most expensive pieces of paper we own...

There have definetly been some experinces that I will be so grateful for and skills that will help me later in life, not just in the career side of things but the personal as well. Uni isn't for everyone, but neither is drama school, but whatever path, route or journey you chose to embark on make sure that you take as much as you can away from not only you tutors, but you classmates and yourself as well.