Acting and Musical Theatre

Acting and musical theatre together encompass the performing arts in some of their most complete and demanding forms. Acting develops the capacity to inhabit characters, to truthfully communicate emotion and thought, and to work with text, direction, and other performers in the collaborative creative process of making theatre and screen work. Musical theatre adds the additional disciplines of singing and dance, requiring performers to command all three art forms simultaneously and to deploy them in service of character, narrative, and the distinctive conventions of the musical form.

The combination is one of the most technically challenging and creatively rewarding areas of performing arts training.

At Liverpool Hope University, this four-year full-time programme begins with a foundation year, offering a supported route into higher-level performing arts education for students who are building their skills and confidence before progressing to the full degree. The programme, as the current description reflects, is designed to equip you with the skills, knowledge, and creativity needed to thrive on stage and screen, moving between the disciplines of acting and musical theatre with fluency and professional readiness. You will develop your acting craft through movement, voice, text work, and a range of approaches to character and physical performance, alongside singing technique and repertoire, dance training across relevant styles, and the rehearsal and performance work that brings all of these together.

The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, providing significant professional and international experience. Placement and work experience opportunities in professional theatre companies, production settings, or educational contexts allow you to develop your professional practice beyond the university environment and to build the networks that matter in performing arts careers.

Graduates from acting and musical theatre programmes pursue careers as professional performers in theatre, musical theatre, film, television, and other screen and digital media. The training also prepares graduates for related careers in performing arts education, community arts, arts administration, directing, casting, and stage management. Postgraduate study in performance, directing, or arts education is available for those who wish to develop specialist professional expertise.