Musical Theatre and Politics

Musical theatre and politics is a striking combination, but one with genuine intellectual coherence. Musical theatre is a collaborative, emotionally powerful art form that draws on performance, music, storytelling and spectacle to explore human experience and social themes. Politics examines how power operates, how societies govern themselves and how ideas compete in public life.

The two fields intersect in important ways: musical theatre has long been used to challenge authority, voice the marginalised and explore political themes, from the New Deal-era musicals of Broadway to contemporary shows addressing race, gender and inequality.

At Liverpool Hope University, this four-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year, a work placement and a year abroad. The musical theatre strand develops your performance craft across singing, acting and movement, grounded in the traditions of musical theatre and developed through production work and professional skills training. Liverpool's vibrant theatrical community provides an exceptional context for this kind of training.

The politics strand introduces you to political theory, comparative government, international relations and the analysis of political systems and behaviour.

The combination develops creative ability and critical thinking in parallel. You will work on productions and professional projects alongside analytical and research-based academic work, building the versatility that careers in arts, education and civic life require. The year abroad provides the opportunity to experience musical theatre culture and political contexts in another country.

Graduates go into careers in musical theatre and performing arts, arts education and drama teaching, community arts, cultural policy, arts administration, political communications, journalism and campaigning. The programme is also good preparation for further professional performance training or postgraduate study in performance, drama, politics or cultural management.