Musical Theatre Performance (The Hammond) BA (Hons)

This module introduces students to the historical, social and cultural development of Musical Theatre.

Students will explore developments in the genre and the historical, political and social issues that were prevalent at the time. The focus will explore key practitioners and musicals that defined the genre and inspired future composers, librettists and choreographers. This module will facilitate awareness of key technical concepts and methods in the genres studied and will outline some of the key concepts applicable to the origins and traditions of musical theatre performance, offering an overview of cultural, social and political contextualisation through investigation of exemplar practitioners. 

The module will explore music theory to underpin the knowledge gained and inform the students’ understanding of the creative industry and the skills required to perform. It will also establish the research and study skills required for self-directed learning. This will include research methodology along with academic writing and referencing skills.

The aims of the module are as follows: 

• To contextualise and reinforce students’ understanding of technical and artistic performance.
• To develop students’ knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the many facets of musical theatre, including music theory.
• To orientate students with key practitioners, practices, and works and to actively engage students in critical analysis of both historical and current work.
• To apply students’ skills of intellectual enquiry through the introduction of a range of research and study skills underpinning self-directed learning.
• To develop students’ written and oral communication skills.

This module introduces students to core singing foundations in musical theatre.

This module provides a core of key technical concepts underlying voice in both a singing and spoken context relevant to musical theatre, and will enable students to establish a firm technical skill base, supported by safe practice.

It begins the student’s technical and artistic development in musical theatre performance and provides a broad-based foundation for future training, including a focus on vocal anatomy and function.

Students will expand their awareness of voice use and skills through regular practice, application of feedback and reflection, and by reflecting on and analysing exemplary practitioners and their contribution to musical theatre. 

The aims of the module are as follows:

• To explore the capabilities of the student's voice, developing responsible performers with an understanding of the importance of safe practice. 
• To apply technical and artistic skills in voice.
• To analyse performance skills through artistry, technical skills, musicality, expression, projection, communication, and versatility in performance.
• To apply concepts of reflective practitioners by engaging in evaluative practices of their own and others' work.

This module introduces students to the principles underlying various dance/movement techniques and styles relevant to musical theatre.

Students will establish a firm technical base supported by safe dance practice which includes both physical and emotional health, and will expand their awareness of physical and artistic skills through practical participation, personal practice and application of feedback and reflection. Students will develop an understanding of posture, placement and alignment, the importance of effective and safe warm up, artistic awareness of co-ordination, musicality, dynamic energy and performance expression projection. The module will support an understanding of the key technical concepts and methods in dance genres, outlining key concepts applicable to the origins and traditions of musical theatre performance through investigation of exemplary practitioners and assessing their contributions to musical theatre. 

The aims of the module are as follows:

• To identify foundation techniques in dance styles that underpin musical theatre
• To develop autonomous performers by providing opportunities for the acquisition, improvement and application of technical and artistic skills
• To promote the development of reflective performers by providing opportunities for students to engage with evaluative practices of their own and others' work
• To apply and analyse safe dance practice
• To develop the ability to work as both a solo and ensemble performer

This module introduces students to acting principles relevant to musical theatre. 

Through tutor-led workshops, students will develop understanding and skills of key technical concepts and artistic development in musical theatre performance and a broad-based foundation for future training, including analysis of exemplar practitioners and their contributions. Students will expand their awareness of acting techniques, methodologies and relevant practitioners through regular practice and reflective application, including the exploration of devised work, improvisation and textual analysis, and will demonstrate a developed understanding of the origins of musical theatre. 

The aims of the module are as follows: 

• To apply technical and artistic skills in acting.
• To develop autonomous and responsible performers with an understanding of how to work as a company member.
• To apply evaluative and reflective skills by evaluating practices of their own and others' work.

This module introduces students to the essential skills and knowledge of an apprentice performer.

The module develops understanding of professional ways of working and skills for future employment. Students will be involved in all aspects of theatre performance including performance skills and technical skills. Students will review practices and processes by which a professional performance is created and realised 

This module aims to provide the opportunity for students to experience the processes involved in the realisation of a rehearsed performance, enabling students to encounter the demands of the profession through rehearsing and producing practical work. 

The aims of the module are as follows:

• To employ knowledge of professional working practice.
• To identify and develop performance skills through understanding of the artistic intentions and interpretative requirements of the work.
• To apply understanding of performer/audience rapport and communication, and personal identity as a performer.
• To develop students’ awareness to the technical and supporting roles involved in theatre performance.

This module seeks to explore student knowledge of historical contexts relevant to musical theatre and seeks to identify and recognise perspectives. Students will hypothesise relevant contexts in relation to key practitioners, seminal works and the developing social, political and economic climate and will analyse and elucidate precise understanding and application of technical concepts and methods in the development of musical theatre. 

In this module students will critically examine theoretical debates that are central to the study of musical theatre, and will undertake an analysis of musical theatre developments and recognise competing perspectives. Students will analyse and explicate some critical theories relating to the history of musical theatre, including interrogation of the cultural, social and political contextualisation by analysing the impact of exemplary practitioners and events. 

This module will enable students to apply the research and study skills required for self-directed learning. This will include research methodology along with academic writing and referencing skills.

The aims of the module are as follows: 

• To analyse and evaluate technical and artistic performance training.
• To critically analyse a range of techniques in musical theatre.
• To evaluate arguments pertaining to key practitioners, practices, and a range of relevant works
• To apply students’ skills of independent research and self-directed learning.

This module facilitates student analysis of the principles underlying voice in both a singing and spoken context relevant to musical theatre.

Students will expand and apply their technical skill base and knowledge of the voice’s capabilities supported by their own safe practice and continue to apply these in performance. Students will expand their knowledge of musical theatre repertoire by examining exemplary practitioners whilst developing their skills as a performer, by evaluating a wide range of vocal setups and styles leading to mastery of musical theatre repertoire. 

The aims of the module are as follows:

• To facilitate advanced techniques for the student to use in performance.
• To foster confidence in the student to explore the full capabilities of their voice.
• To further the student’s knowledge and understanding of performance skills: artistry, technical skills, musicality, expression, projection, communication and versatility in performance.
• To critically reflect and evaluate performances.
• To apply an independent approach to identify and address student needs, identify solutions, and undertake relevant further learning.

This module enables students to explore the variety of dance repertoire in musical theatre.

The module enhances knowledge and performance skills and builds understanding of what is required in the creative industries by developing and applying technical concepts and processes. 

Students will advance their technical and artistic skills in dance to enable versatility and adaptation of style, including analysis of musical theatre repertoire and exemplary practitioners and their contributions, sophisticated artistry and performance skills. Students will expand their knowledge of the importance of combining the two skills of singing and dancing through application of feedback, reflection and independent practice.

The aims of the module are as follows:

• To facilitate student exploration of the importance of marrying vocal with dance and to encourage the development of stamina needed to combine dance and singing.
• To evaluate dance ensemble skills with a focus on stylistic awareness.
• To analyse different dance styles and genres in the world of musical theatre.

This module develops advanced application of the principles underpinning acting.

Students will expand and apply their technical skill base in mind, body and voice and learn to apply these in performance. The module will facilitate evaluation of acting techniques, methodologies and relevant, exemplary practitioners through intensive practice and reflective application, including the critical analysis of naturalism, character development, text work, and acting for camera.

 Students will analyse and debate practices and processes by which a professional performance is created and realised.

The aims of the modules are as follows:

• To critically evaluate sophisticated technical and artistic skills in acting through physicality and voice.
• To analyse, review, reflect, and apply a variety of materials and forms.
• To interrogate the student's role in collaborative work in preparation for performance.
• To facilitate reflective performers by providing opportunities for students to engage with evaluative practices of their own and others' work.

This module develops and enhances students’ knowledge and critical understanding of the principles of performance.

The module advances student understanding of professional ways of working, creating a clear benchmark for standards required in the professional world of performance. Students will analyse and debate practices and processes by which a professional performance is created and realised, including the explication of critical theories and contextualisation relating to musical theatre. 

Students will be involved in the rehearsal, performance and evaluation of practical work. Students are required to take greater independent responsibility for rehearsals and creative and technical direction, and will critically evaluate their technical, artistic, and reflective skills.  

The aims of the module are as follows:

• To critically evaluate the student's own technical skills.
• To interrogate the rehearsal and performance process and professional working practice.
• To analyse the impact of performance skills through greater understanding of the artistic intentions and interpretative requirements of the work.
• To hypothesise personal artistry.
• To critically evaluate research, reflective and evaluative skills, demonstrating integration of theory into practice which is relevant to the works performed.

This module is designed to facilitate confident, self-aware and reflective practitioners ready to embark on a range of careers.

The module is structured to provide variety and choice as students consider post-graduate options; content includes exploration of the audition process and self-promotion, evaluation and reflection of professional sustainability, pedagogical development in musical theatre theory, analysis of the ever changing world of performance.

Students will be guided to create a personal digital portfolio thereby developing an online collection of work that represents abilities and skills as a professional. This will also include understanding of the important of business acumen as a performer, as well as self-promotion, marketing and digital and communication skills. 

Students will take responsibility for identifying and planning for their personal and professional development, and will critically evaluate personal application of established methods and techniques and evaluate critical theories and contextualisation in their research. Students will critically evaluate the work of exemplary practitioners and incorporate into own research. 

The aims of the module are as follows:

• To analyse critical awareness of relevant professional skills, leading to proficiency of understanding of the creative industries. 
• To critically evaluate a valuable and viable personal set of options relating to the creative industries, including awareness of business acumen. 
• To facilitate autonomous student development of a finished and sophisticated piece of work.
• To utilise transferable skills of the professional world and to evaluate the application of them.

This self directed module allows students to initiate and develop their own performance based ideas and research skills appropriate to their area of study. The initial lectures help students understand the research methods and skills needed to achieve the learning outcomes. After the initial lectures, the focus is on the student to decide on the content and nature of their module, students will propose study and research areas to tutors and will then receive tutorial feedback throughout the process. 

Throughout the research stage, students will critically evaluate personal application of established methods and techniques, and will evaluate the social, cultural and political context, including evaluation of key exemplar practitioners. 

Content for this module will be based on each student's main interests, knowledge and skills. Location and numbers involved will be determined by an agreed topic.

The aims of the module are as follows:

• To accept accountability for the development of personal discourse and its practice.
• To critically evaluate concepts of professional practice, underpinned by a strong theoretical framework.
• To apply evaluative research skills and methodologies to study.
• To utilise specialist skills in emulating professional practice in taking small scale projects from conception to realisation.

This module gives the student the opportunity to research in depth and write at length about a topic of their own choice which is related to musical theatre.

Students will critically evaluate personal application of established methods and techniques, analysing and evaluating cultural, social and political contextualisation and will offer a personal critical reflection of the contribution of exemplar practitioners.

The aims of the module are as follows: 

• To identify a suitable research topic, derived from the content of the programme of study, and critically review it.

• To utilise specialist skills to apply appropriate methods and theories to the selected topic under consideration.

• To apply detailed articulation and evaluation in method of judgement making. 

This module creates the opportunity for students to advance their knowledge, critical and analytical understanding of the principles of performance, building on the skills and experience developed in the Performance Practice 1 & 2 modules. It provides the essential opportunity to understand the context within which performers work in the professional world.

The module demands a mature understanding of professional ways of working and students will gain experience of developing their leadership skills through being involved in the rehearsal, performance and evaluation of practical work. Students will critically evaluate personal application of established methods and techniques, and will offer a personal critical perspective on the contributions of exemplary practitioners. 

The module will facilitate student development of technical and artistic skills, sophisticated evaluation of the rehearsal process,  evaluative, reflective and research skills.

This module aims to:  

• Utilise specialist skills to critically evaluate the context within which performers work in the creative industries. 
• Transfer and apply diagnostic and creative skills to asses how to communicate with an audience.
• Take accountability and ownership of the professional experience in the rehearsal and performance process.