Musical Theatre

Musical theatre in the cabaret tradition is a performance form with deep roots and a distinctive professional world. Cabaret draws on musical theatre technique, combining singing, acting and dance in performances that are typically more intimate, more varied in their sources and styles, and more immediately responsive to an audience than large-scale theatrical productions. It encompasses a broad repertoire, from classic American standards and jazz to contemporary pop and theatrical ballads, and the performer needs extraordinary versatility: the ability to shift between styles, to connect with an audience directly, and to sustain a complete performance solo or in small ensembles.

At the University of Chichester, this three-year full-time degree is described as the only course of its kind in the UK. It provides a traditional training in musical theatre, covering singing technique, acting, movement, dance and the craft of performance, while also preparing you specifically for the world of cabaret and stage entertainment: cruise ship performance, holiday resorts, and the broader variety and stage entertainment sector. This specific preparation is unusual and valuable, because the performance demands of these contexts are real and distinctive, requiring performers who can sustain varied programmes, adapt to different audiences and venues, and work with the professionalism and resilience that a commercial entertainment career requires.

You will develop your vocal and performance technique across a wide repertoire, build your physical performance skills, and develop the professional confidence and stage presence that audiences in cabaret settings respond to. Collaborative performance projects and public showcases give you experience of performing before real audiences as part of your training.

Graduates typically move into professional performing careers in cabaret, cruise ship entertainment, holiday and resort entertainment, musical theatre, variety, concert performance, corporate entertainment, and teaching and coaching in the performing arts.