From first-year nerves to centre stage | Degree Show Stories
08 June 2026
Welcome to Degree Show Stories, our summer series where we go behind the scenes with our final year students and learn about the ideas, techniques and collaborations behind their Degree Show projects.
Every year, our final year BA(Hons) Musical Theatre students take to the stage to put on a series of public performances of a chosen musical production. This year’s cohort performed The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a hilarious musical whodunit loosely based on Charles Dickens’ famously unfinished novel of the same name.
We caught up with final year students Lottie Prowse and Malichi Campbell at one of their rehearsals to hear about their love of live performance, the importance of audience participation in musical theatre and their transformations from nervous first-years to confident professional performers.
Lottie Prowse - BA(Hons) Musical Theatre
“I'm Lottie Prowse, and I'm on the Musical Theatre course.
I'm playing Edwin Drood, who's the title character of the show. He's really arrogant; he just loves all the light on him. But it's a really fun show!
“Falmouth has done an incredible amount for me. Coming here over these three years has really built my attributes towards musical theatre. It's not easy, and it's not an easy journey for someone to go through.
“Coming out of the other end of it, I realised that if I had never done any of this, I would not be who I am today and have the confidence I do have today, and I feel like I'm a confident, strong performer. And if you'd asked me that in first year, I would've said no.
“It's such a kind and safe-feeling environment. It's an amazing experience. I don't think I'm ever going to experience anything like this again.”
Malichi Campbell - BA(Hons) Musical Theatre
“I'm Malichi Campbell, studying Musical Theatre, and I am the chairman in The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
“Performing gives me the biggest rush of adrenaline every time, as soon as I step on the stage. This is such a unique musical in that you need to constantly be on the ball with bringing the audience into this world and showing them the show within the show.
“I've loved being in Falmouth. The thing I most enjoy is giving an audience a sense of confidence in their part in what we're doing, and then I like the idea that the audience are involved and will leave saying, ‘Well, I had an impact on what happened today.’
“When it comes to learning all the disciplines, I could act and I could sing a little bit, but it was the dancing that would really take me out. So, I feel like it's like juggling, and as long as you don't drop one ball, you should have all three going at one time.
“With any performance you do, you really don't know what's going to happen in live theatre, but that's the beauty of it, and that's what I enjoy.”
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