I have been accepted to a few MA Musical Theatre Programs in the UK and I am having a very hard time deciding between the programs.
I’ve narrowed my choices down the The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS). I didn’t get good vibes from the schools based out of London.
Appreciate any insight.
@GottaSingQ, I believe both MA programs are fairly new, so I’m not sure you will get much insight here. My D is doing the MA for Classical Acting at LAMDA so I can’t help there! The MT major itself is more unusual in the UK. Traditionally, the UK Acting major has focused on all aspects of acting, including singing, voiceover, film, some dance, some MT etc.
Are you British or American? IF American I’d check to see if they have US Showcases and/or connections with US agents/reps, as it will be highly unlikely you will be able to stay in the UK after graduation. If British, then I’d check their London or local Showcases, and the placement of their actors. If you can talk to recent grads, that would be great. Of course, so much will be personal. And Wales is quite different from Glasgow. Good luck!
I have a few former students who have gone through the MA program at RCS. They have very much enjoyed the program and thought the training was solid. RCS does do an American showcase.
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s program is approx 15 months long (2 summers and 1 school year.) – their year culminates in the program performing a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They do have a NYC Showcase, in addition to others in Glasgow and London. I think the program also spends time (a week?) at the Globe Theatre in London, but that might be the Acting program, and not MT…
As an American it’s very hard to stay in the UK after your student visa expires.
My son is a current BA MT student about to graduate. If you have any questions about RCS, or Glasgow (which is an amazing city…love it!) please ask. I’m happy to answer Qs.
Hoping to revive this thread a bit, SU88BFA, am I right in thinking that BA programs in the UK are a bit more like BFAs in the states in terms of there being a strong focus on the main subject of study rather than a lot of time on other academics?
If you plan to study for one year instead of doing the 3 year diploma I think both schools are good options. I would choose RCS based primarily on actors in the West End. why did you narrow to only these schools? You really have to consider what your goals are and what exactly you want to do after school. What are your reasons to choose a MA in MT in the UK?
In 2016 I did a research based on the actors working in the West end and their schools, probably this could help you:
schools actors
Arts Educational School London 48
Guildford School of Acting 35
Laine Theatre Arts. 30
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts London 27
London Studio centre 16
The Urdang Academy 16
Performers Arts College. 14
London School of Musical Theatre 14
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama 11
bird college 10
Italia Conti 10
The Royal Academy of Music 10
Royal Conservatory of Scotland 6
Sylvia Young Theatre School, London. 6
Millennium College of Performing Arts. 4
LAMDA 3
RADA 3
Rose Bruford College. 3
Phil Winston’s Theatreworks 2
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama 2
the mta london 2
Tiffany Stage Academy and Performers College, EsseX 2
Hammond School 1
Leicester College of Performing Arts 1
The McMahon School of Ballet and T 1
Birmingham School of Acting. 1
Carlton Television Workshop 1
Colin’s Performing Arts 1
Dance School of Scotland 1
Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts 1
Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts. 1
East 15 Acting School. 1
London College of Music. 1
Morgan Aslanoff Stage School. 1
The Arden School of Theatre. 1
The Elmhurst School for Dance and Performing Arts. 1
Hello @KatMT what were the reasons for your students to do a MA in RCS? I heard this one is a very good program. Did your former students improved their skills and were they accepted in MT shows after studying at RCS?