Train as a professional musical theatre performer through intensive, triple-threat conservatoire training in acting, singing and dance.
The BA (Hons) Musical Theatre at Italia Conti is a three-year, full-time vocational programme for students aged 18+ (17+ for applicants from Scotland), designed to prepare you for the demands of the contemporary performance industry. You will develop as a versatile, responsive and employable performer, with the technical control, artistic instinct and professional discipline required to sustain a career across stage and screen.
Training is rooted equally in acting, singing and dance, with a strong emphasis on integration from the outset. You will build secure technical foundations, develop performance range and adaptability, and learn to apply your skills in increasingly complex rehearsal and performance contexts.
Across the three years, your training moves from technical development to full integration and finally into industry-facing practice. You will work on a range of intensive projects and productions, culminating in fully staged performances, a West End Industry Showcase, and direct engagement with agents, casting directors and industry professionals.
Alongside studio training, you will develop the wider skills required of a professional performer, including audition technique, self-taping, industry knowledge and independent creative practice. You will graduate as a confident, adaptable and industry-ready performer, equipped to enter the profession and sustain a career in musical theatre.
In first year you focus on the fundamentals of the core disciplines and early skill integration. You develop the triple threat skills of Acting, Singing, and Dance, initially building each discipline in isolation to establish secure technical foundations as a musical theatre performer.
Core disciplines include Dance (Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Commercial), Singing (Singing Tech, Singing Rep, Musicianship, Ensemble Singing and Acting Through Song), and Acting (Acting Skills, Improvisation, Scene Study, Voice and Text). You will attend three musical theatre workshops that focus on ensemble performance: song and dance, ensemble character development and scene into song. You will also recieve a weekly 1:1 singing lesson to work on vocal technique development focusing on the fundamentals of voice production.
Each week you will take an industry guest workshop which invites a range of further singing, acting and dance styles and industry professionals into the studio to work with you.
Contextual Practice develops reflection and critical thinking. You apply historical and contextual study directly to studio work and develop as a thinking performer. You will explore health and safety as an emerging performer in theatre. This focuses on areas such as safe practice in class, injury prevention and overall positive health, and well-being. Lessons are also used to contextualise the landscape of musical theatre and themes covered in other classes.
Typical projects in this year may include:
In second year core technical training continues at a more advanced and integrated level. Project work becomes more sustained and intensive, with the three disciplines working in full interdependence.
Core disciplines include Dance (Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Commercial), Singing (Singing Tech, Singing Rep, Ensemble Singing and Acting Through Song), and Acting (Acting Skills, Voice and Accents, Scene Study, and Voice and Text). You will attend three musical theatre workshops that focus on ensemble performance skills including swing, small ensemble performance and song and dance. You will also recieve a weekly 1:1 singing lesson to work on vocal technique development focusing on on more advanced voice production including extending vocal range, vocal flexibility, riffs and runs, and mixed voice.
Guest workshops continue into second year to ensure students continue to meet with current industry practitioners, performers and creatives.
You are required to sustain character across longer and more demanding rehearsal and performance contexts, developing professional performance practice through projects which may include:
Within Contextual Practice, you study the history of musical theatre, focusing on Musical theatre as a social and political influence and the chronological development of theatrical trends. Lessons are also used to contextualise the landscape of musical theatre and themes covered in other classes.
In third year the emphasis is on preparing students for a career as a professional performer. This final year bridges the gap between professional training and the industry.
You will continue to study core skills of ballet, jazz tech, jazz performance, commercial, singing rep, and acting through song to keep your performance skills match fit and ensure you are ready to audition for and perform in professional contracts. You will study acting for camera focusing on both screen acting skills and self taping for auditions. You will have a weekly 1:1 singing lesson to ensure your voice is industry-ready.
You take part in:
Industry connection continues through:
You perform in the Italia Conti Christmas Carol Concert.
Professional Preparation and Employability workshops will hone audition technique to ensure that you have all the skills necessary to embark upon a successful professional career. This also extends to preparation for all wider soft-skills and supporting areas for professional practitioners including sourcing and choosing headshots, joining and populating Spotlight, creating personal showreels and meeting with leading industry creatives, agents and casting directors to begin networking.
You will also complete a practical Independent Performance Project (dissertation) in the third term where you can put your devising skills into practice as you write, rehearse and perform your own piece of theatre, encouraging independent and professional working practices in the development of your own work in response to question, theme, or stimulus.
Tuition Fees | £9,790 per academic year, paid in advance in termly instalments.
Student Finance | Student finance is available, including access to a Tuition Fee Loan and a Student Maintenance Loan.
Audition Fee | £45 (non-refundable).
Deposit | A deposit of £275 is required to hold and accept a place on the programme.
Fee Waivers | Audition Fee and Deposit Waivers are available for eligible applicants.
An outline of associated programme costs and more Info on Fees Waivers are available on the Fees and Funding page
Scholarships are awarded upon outcome of audition. You may apply for a bursary after receiving an offer of study by contacting admissions@italiaconti.co.uk
For further information on international student fees, please see our International Applications page.
Applications are made directly to Italia Conti and do not require a UCAS application. You must complete the application form and pay a non-refundable £45 audition fee to be considered. These fees act as both an administration fee for processing your application as well as a non-refundable deposit for a place on an audition day.
You are only required to apply for one programme, and encouraged to express on the form if you have interest in any other programmes, in addition to the programme directly being applied for. All applicants are considered for the respective One Year Fully funded CertHE Foundation Programmes, by standard.
Places on our programmes are limited; it is usual for drama schools to make more offers than there are places. Acceptances are dealt with on a first come first serve basis and so early acceptance is advised. Once a programme offer has expired, an offerholder will be moved to the waiting list.
The application deadline for this programme is 28 February 2026. Late applications may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
Self Tape Recorded Audition
After completing the application process, you will be invited to prepare, record and submit an audition self-tape where auditionees will be required to demonstrate a variety of skills. First round applicants will receive the result from their audition submission within 4 weeks of receipt. This is to ensure that every submission deserves our full time and attention.
In Person Audition Day
This stage enables us to explore your work in greater depth, assess your responsiveness to direction, and understand how you engage within a training environment.
The recall day is also an opportunity for you to experience the ethos of the school, meet the faculty and students on our programmes, and gain insight into the training you would undertake. Recalled applicants will receive the result from their recall audition within 2 weeks.
Full information on what to prepare for your auditions can be found here
Check back soon for recall dates for September 2027 entry.
Entry to BA Musical Theatre requires the following:
Admission through recognition of non-standard entry qualifications/experience may also be considered on a case-by-case basis for candidates who demonstrate exceptional talent or who can satisfy the panel of their ability to successfully complete the programme. Non-standard entry is assessed at audition and interview. Students without a Level 2 English qualification may be asked to complete a non-standard entry written task.
Applicants must have the legal right to reside/study in the UK for the full period of the programme.
1st September – 11th December 2026
4th January – 2nd April 2027
26th April – 23rd July 2027
Check back soon for term dates for September 2027 entry.
Join us at an Open Day to learn more about the BA Musical Theatre programme
Italia Conti offer a range of Audition Ready short courses to prepare for auditions. These programmes allow students to work with full time faculty, gain feedback, and experience a mock recall audition for the programme.
Italia Conti offers fee waivers to eligible applicants who meet set criteria, helping to ensure that financial circumstances do not act as a barrier to applying.
What really swept me to Conti was the fact that on my audition day, it was the friendliest school that I’ve been to, and I really loved it on the audition day. And I just felt like, oh yeah, this is my people, this is where I want to be.
There are smaller classes in order to allow the teacher to have that closer bond, relationship, one-on-one time with the students and really give them feedback, not generalised feedback, feedback that they need.
Musical theatre training at Italia Conti is very hard work, high energy, but I would say it pays off every single time. each week you can kind of see how much you’re being pushed and how far your training is going and you’re improving like day by day, week by week
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