Why I chose to study Musical Theatre at Falmouth

This article was written by Musical Theatre BA(Hons) student, Ethan.

Hi! My name is Ethan, and I am a third-year Musical Theatre BA(Hons) student here at Falmouth University. Choosing the right course and university for you can feel like a daunting part of the process – trust me, I was in the same position three years ago, so I understand how it feels. That’s why I’m here to share how and why I chose Falmouth University for my training in Musical Theatre and hopefully help make the process easier for you! 

Gaining insight and information from current students

As both a Cornish and mature student, I was already aware of Falmouth, the courses it offered and the University’s environment. However, what really helped me to gain an insight into both the university as a whole and the Musical Theatre degree was the chance to join the Tremough Follies Musical Theatre Society as an associate (non-student) member. This allowed me to meet current students from Musical Theatre as well as from other courses at Falmouth. I also had the opportunity to reach out to a current Student Ambassador through Unibuddy to ask questions that I may not have been able to find the answers to on the course page. This was integral to my decision, as I was able to get an idea of what the course would entail from those who had experienced it firsthand. 

Dance & Movement: Integrated Skills module 

The Dance & Movement: Integrated Skills second year module instantly drew me to Falmouth and it ended up becoming one of my favourite modules across the degree. In the performance element of this module, you work to prepare and perform a series of ensemble Musical Theatre pieces involving acting, singing and dance. One of these pieces is also based around “swing” work (a “swing” is a performer who covers multiple parts in a show, learning all the choreography, vocals, and blocking for each part they cover). I had to learn 13 different parts in a 5-minute piece, which, although was challenging at the beginning, turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of the degree so far.  

This module helped me to significantly improve my skills in learning choreography, music as well as time management, as each week, we would receive a new casting and would be required to come to the next session ready to perform the routine so far in that character before learning the next section. For the assessment, we performed this piece twice, firstly in a casting we received the week prior, with time to prepare, and then again in a new casting we received during the assessment, with only 30 minutes to prepare individually before performing. This was genuinely such a rewarding experience and significantly improved my skills as a performer and creative. It was by far my favourite module so far!

Other course opportunities 

In addition to the continuous development of our skills as performers and creatives, Falmouth's Musical Theatre degree also provides a range of valuable opportunities for its students. These have included:

• Masterclasses with working industry professionals (commercial dance, heels, stage combat and tumbling)
• Learning about the process of recording songs and vocal reels, with the opportunity to record our own vocal reels with one of our technicians 
• Developing valuable skills required for working in the industry, including how to record self-tapes for auditions, in-person audition etiquette and technique through the completion of mock audition scenarios 
• Workshopping new musical content in its research and development phase (this can sometimes lead to you gaining what may be your first professional credit as a performer. The graduate class of 2024 workshopped content from Tom Fletcher’s musical The Creakers and were credited in the show’s programme.