The one-year Certificate in Musical Theatre offers a conservatory and holistic musical theatre program, one that not only concentrates on a participatory performance perspective but also prepares students for a wide and exciting range of careers available in the performing arts industry.

While performance remains an integral component of the program, students are also prepared for the vast array of work that supports and produces performance. Our musical theatre modules cover; directing and staging, creating written material for performance, production, management, marketing and funding of the performing arts.

The Musical Theatre program is based around live theatrical performance, whilst also preparing graduates for further study in all cognate specialisms in musical theatre, as well as the required preparation skills for the professional industry.

In this one-year program, students are introduced to the fundamental concepts of Acting, Music and Dance techniques. Students are given the opportunity to put these techniques together in weekly production classes which are showcased to the public at the end of the academic calendar.

The program also serves as preparation for students to matriculate onto the second year of ACD’s BFA in Musical Theatre or Performing Arts, or onto other bachelor programs in the performing or liberal arts and related areas.

The program’s structure combines conservatory training and academic classroom modules. Approximately two-thirds of total weekly contact hours consist of modules devoted to practical aspects of performance. Students are tutored in the required musical theatre modules -Music, Dance and Acting respectively, including private weekly tuition in vocal technique and vocal repertory. Student's progress involves the development and accumulation of material for a portfolio which provides evidence of their achievement of the program’s required learning outcomes and functions as a basis for individual assessment. The remaining one-third of weekly contact hours concentrates on class-based academic instruction that supports and contextualises the ascending levels of practical training and includes such subjects as theatre history, performance theory, drama and politics, creative writing, management and marketing.

In this one-year foundational program, students are introduced to the fundamental concepts of Acting, Music and Dance techniques.

Along with the academic knowledge students receive throughout their program, they will also acquire and develop transferable career skills from their degree discipline.

These skills include:

Communication
Writing skills
Creativity
Effective presentation techniques
Management, marketing and fundraising abilities
Interpretational and compositional competency with written texts
Organisational skills
Research skills
Time management

These are applicable not only in the context of the many career paths within performing arts but also in a wide variety of social, cultural and business vocations.