Leeds Conservatoire: Could its new postgraduate courses help you develop as an artist?
Following the success of its BA degrees, Leeds Conservatoire has launched four full-time, one-year MA degrees in Dramaturgy, Musical Direction, Musical Theatre Company and Musical Theatre Creatives
Leeds Conservatoire has come a long way in the past three years, and it is about to go even further. Back in 2019, the institution – then known as Leeds College of Music – launched an undergraduate degree in musical theatre, then followed it up in 2020 with two more in acting and actor-musicianship. Now, it is introducing a suite of four full-time postgraduate programmes to go with them.
“Our first cohort of BA Musical Theatre students are about to graduate,” says senior lecturer and postgraduate programme lead Victoria Gimby. “And because those courses have been so successful, we have started a set of one-year master’s degrees so that students can keep studying and specialising in whatever it is they are passionate about.”
Like Leeds Conservatoire’s undergraduate degrees, the four new postgraduate programmes – MA Dramaturgy, MA Musical Direction, MA Musical Theatre Company and MA Musical Theatre Creatives – are designed to allow students to specialise in their own areas of interest and expertise, something that is essential to the institution’s ethos of encouraging everyone to develop as individual artists, according to Gimby.
“Of course, traditional jobs still exist in musical theatre, but increasingly the roles of musical performers, creatives and directors are evolving,” she says. “There is so much crossover now between writing, composing, directing, performing and producing, and our courses reflect that crossover. Our students will be able to define their degrees and artistry themselves, just like they will define their roles within the wider industry once they graduate,” says Gimby.
Take the new MA Dramaturgy, for example, which will be run in collaboration with Leeds Playhouse, one of the most respected and renowned regional theatres in the UK. On the course, students will learn the building blocks of drama, the skills of script reading and the ability to work with other artists and writers, as well as being provided with a range of practical projects to pursue simultaneously.
“When it comes to actually making work, they can either be in a rehearsal room with other artists, or they can work one-on-one with individual writers, or they can work solo,” says Gimby. “They get to try out different ways of working. They get to find out what suits them and focus on honing that craft.”
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The same is true of the three other postgraduate programmes. As well as developing their acting techniques and musicianship skills via classes and case studies, students on the MA Musical Direction, MA Musical Theatre Company and MA Musical Theatre Creatives courses will collaborate with each other, with those on the MA Dramaturgy course, and with other artists studying at Leeds Conservatoire to produce their own unique theatrical performances.
“Everyone on all four courses will focus on theory, practical skills and performance,” explains Gimby. “They will look at everything from how different musical styles work to how to write an Arts Council application to how to put a show together. They will study everything from Frantic Assembly to Lin-Manuel Miranda to people they haven’t even heard of yet.”
“Graduates will leave Leeds Conservatoire prepared for the theatre industry, with a portfolio to present to people and a group of collaborators with whom they can start making shows straightaway,” she adds.
To make sure the four postgraduate programmes reflect the industry as it is today, rather than the industry of a decade ago, their curriculums have been designed in collaboration with artists and practitioners currently working in theatre – and they will be led by them, too. Partner organisations – from Leeds Playhouse to Opera North to Slung Low – are heavily involved in both the design and delivery of all four courses.
“We have a whole array of successful theatre freelancers to help as well,” explains Gimby. “Lucy Hind, the choreographer of Girl from the North Country, has helped to develop the MA Musical Theatre Creatives course. Adam Stadius and Erin Carter are the acclaimed acting coaches who will be leading the programmes and loads of other experienced and acclaimed artists are involved as well.”
Students will also be offered the opportunity to do placements at some of the courses’ partner organisations – Leeds Playhouse, Opera North and Slung Low – but the bulk of their time will be spent at Leeds Conservatoire’s state-of-the-art campus in the cultural heart of the city, Playhouse Square.
“Leeds has got such an exciting, vibrant performing arts scene, of which theatre is a huge part and Leeds Conservatoire is right in the middle of it,” says Gimby. “We have a new, purpose-built facility with a theatre and studios, situated right next to Leeds Playhouse, Opera North, BBC Radio Leeds, Northern Ballet, Yorkshire Dance and other organisations.”
Gimby adds: “Students interested in studying one of Leeds Conservatoire’s innovative new postgraduate programmes do not necessarily need to come from a traditional musical, theatrical or academic background. What the conservatoire is more interested in is people with a story to tell and an interesting and imaginative way to tell it.
“We absolutely welcome applicants who have just graduated from undergraduate courses, but we also welcome people who have already spent some time in the industry and are looking to develop their skills, or people who are just entering the industry and have the attitude and ability they need to succeed,” she says. “If someone comes into the audition room and has talent and drive, then that is enough for us.”
Applications to attend Leeds Conservatoire are made via UCAS Conservatoires, and the admissions process involves the submission of a portfolio, followed by a round of interviews and auditions. Applications for entry in September 2022 are now open and the conservatoire runs regular open days both in-person and online for those who want to find out more about life as a student in Leeds.
“It is a really thrilling time to be living, studying and working in the creative arts in Leeds,” concludes Gimby. “The city is a hotbed of young artistic talent, from new bands to new theatre companies and beyond. So many people are doing such exciting and inventive work here and Leeds Conservatoire is the linchpin, right in the middle of it all.”
For more information, visit leedsconservatoire.ac.uk
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