MA PERFORMANCE – MUSICAL THEATRE
Validated by University of East Anglia
Application Deadline: May 8 2026 at 9:00AM
2026/27 Course Fees
Audition Fee (in-person) : £50Audition Fee (online) : £40
UK/ ROI students : £21,020
International students : £24,925
Explore the course:
Course Overview
Mountview is recognised as one of the best places in the world to train for a career in musical theatre, and our alumni dominate the industry.
Our intensive 1-year MA programme delivers focused, culturally engaged, practical performer training. The course enables graduates to confidently enter the industry, fully prepared with the skillset to assuredly navigate the demands of any performance space.
With a strictly limited number of places available each year, early application is strongly encouraged.
Students receive over 30 hours of direct teaching time each week, with a maximum of 17 students per class.
Over the first two terms you will undertake skills training split equally between the three essential musical theatre skills – acting, singing and dance – including one-to-one singing lessons and classes in acting for camera in term two. In each term, the skills work is then applied to performance projects. These projects include work on non-musical contemporary texts, and classic and contemporary book musicals.
There will be additional lectures and seminars on devising, autobiographical and solo performance, as well as on concepts such as intersectional feminist, post dramatic, queer and critical race theories, socio/political theatre practices and the performance of knowledge.
Through the first and second term, all students undertake the Creative Project, creating an original piece of theatre or film, performed at the end of term two. The Creative Project is supported and developed by one-to-one tutorials and influenced by the concepts discussed in the seminar/lecture programme.
Course Content
Acting
Approaches to Acting
Acting for Screen
Approaches to Text (Working with Text, Shakespeare)
Essential Skills
Voice & Speech
Singing, Music & Repertoire
Dance & Movement
Projects
The Open Space Project
The Bridging Project (Contemporary Scenes & Musical Scenes)
Book Musical
Performance
Public Production
Generative Musical Performance
Creative Project
Performance
Project Map
In the third term, students perform in a professional showcase for agents, casting directors and other prominent industry professionals, as well as a fully staged public production of a musical.
Students also work closely with Mountview’s Industry Liaison Manager to prepare for life as a working performer.
Full Module Specifications document: MA Performance – Module Specifications 2025-26
Course Dates
2025/26 Term Dates
Autumn term 8 September – 12 December 2025
Spring term 5 January – 27 March 2026
Summer term 7 April – 7 August 2026
2026/27 Term Dates
Autumn term 7 September – 13 December 2026
Spring term 4 January – 25 March 2027
Summer term 5 April – 6 August 2027
Our Graduates
Recent graduates of MA Performance have gone on to work for the National Theatre, National Theatre of Wales, National Theatre of Scotland, Donmar Warehouse, Globe, Royal Court, Edinburgh Lyceum, Lyric Belfast, Turun Kaupunginteatteri Finland, Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Foro Shakespeare Mexico, Shanghai Grand Theatre and across the West End.
On screen, recent graduates have worked for BBC, ITV, Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros and Disney. Many have also created their own work, for companies including Bush Theatre, Royal Court, Soho Theatre, Theatre Peckham and Lyric Belfast.
"My year in Mountview was a big turning point in my life. The MA Musical Theatre course not only taught me the performance skills I needed to navigate through the industry but also provided me a diverse community of creatives who I still collaborate and work with until today."
Entry Information
Admission onto the course is by audition. Applicants must be aged 21 years or over at the start of the course. Students who do not hold an undergraduate degree will need to undertake an access assignment to establish suitability for undertaking the MA.
If an applicant requires a student visa and their first language is not English, they will need to prove their knowledge of the English language before applying for their student visa. This must be demonstrated by passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider or having a GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English, gained through study at a UK school that they began when they were under 18.
Mountview welcomes applications from people with disabilities and is keen to support all applicants to achieve their best. If applicants have any special requirements or access needs, these should be discussed with the course leader/administrator.
Mountview is committed to a comprehensive policy of equal opportunities for students in which individuals are selected and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities. No applicant will receive less or more favourable treatment on grounds of sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnic origin, disability, religion and marital/parental status or any comparable grounds.
Fees
| Audition Fee (in-person) | £50 |
| Audition Fee (online) | £40 |
| UK/ ROI students | £21,020 |
| International students | £24,925 |
All fees listed are for 2026/27 entry.
Additional costs include grey palette active wear for workshops, dance shoes and dancewear – allow around £250. Headshots and Spotlight membership – allow around £350.
Please note that at this stage, Student Finance Scotland and NI do not currently fund Mountview’s postgraduate programmes.
Funding and ScholarshipsAuditions Info
MA Performance auditions will take place in-person over a full day, with the first round taking place in the morning and successful candidates being invited to stay for their recall the same afternoon.
For international candidates and those with exceptional circumstances, the option of an online audition is available.
There is a £50 audition fee for in-person MA Performance auditions and a £40 audition fee for online MA Performance auditions, with waivers and reductions available for candidates with a household income of less than £21,000.
For detailed information on what you need to prepare for auditions and for audition dates visit:
Auditions and Interviews
