The East Coast of Australia lands a new Bachelor of Music Theatre

Victorian College of the Arts, MEDIA RELEASE, Friday 18 July 2008 The East Coast of Australia lands a new Bachelor of Music Theatre "It is exciting that Melbourne is finally able to offer such a fantastic full-time course. For students to be nurtured in the midst of such a wonderful arts community is fabulous." Marina Prior.....read on... The Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts at the University of Melbourne is proud to announce a new full-time three year Bachelor of Music Theatre degree commencing in 2009 In exciting news for the Australian arts industry, from next year the Victorian College of the Arts – Australia’s leading visual and performing arts training and education institution - will offer a full-time Music Theatre degree. The VCA Bachelor of Music Theatre degree course is called Music Theatre – The Triple Threat and comprises an intensive skills building program throughout the three years across the principal disciplines, or ‘triple threat’, of singing, acting and dance, in a nurturing workshop environment. Students will be able to apply these skills in fully staged musical theatre shows in the latter stages of their training, in addition to experiencing the collaboration involved in staging new works. The course offers significant industry contact and mentoring through workshops and master classes, an Artist-in-Residence Program and the breadth of professional performing artists teaching in the program. The Bachelor of Music Theatre is being introduced as a three-year program next year in response to the strong level of interest shown in VCA Music’s highly-successful Music Theatre evening course which has been running for six years. The VCA is thrilled that Music Theatre will begin a new life as a degree course in 2009. As the Faculty considers future options for its degree programs, music theatre will stand as an important component in any future degree offerings. Music Theatre co-course coordinators are Martin Croft and Margot Fenley. VCA Music Theatre – The Triple Threat: Applications for the 2009 intake open through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) on 4 August and close 30 September 2008. With the VCA situated in Melbourne’s famous Arts Precinct and surrounded by The Arts Centre, The National Gallery of Victoria, The Malthouse, Chunky Move, The Melbourne Recital Hall and The Melbourne Theatre Company, and the principal musical theatres nearby, students will immediately feel embraced by and part of the exciting industry for which they are training. Over the three years of the course, through various performance projects, students will be constantly exposed to producers, directors and agents as they follow their progress and development through to graduation. The Bachelor of Music Theatre at the VCA provides some of the finest professional practitioners, teachers and facilities for intensive training in the three core disciplines of Music Theatre. It is directed towards educating and training students to become professional artists of excellence and international standard. They will graduate with all the skills required for a successful career in Music Theatre and become sufficiently flexible to contribute to the changing needs of the artistic community. They will be creative leaders who can generate, develop and perform new work. Co-Head of Music Theatre at VCA, Martin Croft said: “The launch of the Bachelor of Music Theatre for 2009 marks a new phase for Music Theatre at the VCA. The industry now demands highly talented and multi-faceted performers who can sing, dance and act with skill and ease. The VCA is a perfect place to provide this intensive learning, performance experience and industry exposure over a three-year degree”. For more details about the Bachelor of Music Theatre at the VCA please visit http://www.vca.unimelb.edu.au/musiccourses Application Applications must be lodged through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). 2009 applications open Monday 4 August and close Tuesday 30 September. Auditions Entry into the course is by audition and interview. Applicants will be required to prepare two monologues, two contrasting musical theatre songs and attend a dance audition. Brisbane (1 & 2 November with call backs on the 3rd) Melbourne (from 15 November) Sydney (1, 2 & 3 December with call backs on the 4th) VCA Open Day Sunday 17 August, 10am until 4pm. Music Theatre staff available all day. Performance session 12 – 1pm, VCA Music, Room 109 Scholarship The $20,000 Dobell Music Theatre Award: $10,000 Dobell Scholarship / $10,000 Dobell Prize. This award is generously provided by the Ron and Margaret Dobell Foundation. (Inaugural winner of the 2008 scholarship worth $10,000 is Rebecca Moore, a final year Foundation Music Theatre student – the precursor of the new degree). VCA Music’s Music Theatre evening course has been a huge success, with alumni working across the spectrum of the big shows and internationally including… Erin Cornell - Elphaba - WICKED - Japan, DAMN YANKEES, SHANE WARNE THE MUSICAL Ross Hannaford – WICKED, SHOUT, WE WILL ROCK YOU, MAMMA MIA Winston Hillyer - Simba - THE LION KING – Germany Laura McCulloch - Jennyanydots – CATS - World Tour Leah Lim and Ed Deganos - MISS SAIGON – Australia Danielle Matthews – RESPECT - Australia Emma Rule - DISNEY CRUISES – North America Sheona Urquhart - PACIFIC CRUISES – South Pacific Caitlin Fowler – LITTLE SECRETS – debut CD of original songs Teagan Wouters – FOLL IES, THE THREEPENNY OPERA VCA Music Courses Foundation Program (Music Performance) Bachelor of Music Performance (Three Streams: Repertoire, Improvisation & Practical Composition) Bachelor of Music Performance (Honours) Bachelor of Music Theatre (commencing 2009) Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance Master of Music Performance (by Research)