Refine your talent, show it off, and launch your career.
Sheridan's new Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance gives students theoretical and practical training in three core disciplines of acting, singing and dance through a comprehensive and holistic approach that will prepare you to perform in an international landscape.
A special focus on business and entrepreneurial skills prepares graduates to assume leadership roles in the entertainment industry or to create their own production companies.
Sheridan has one of Canada’s best-known musical theatre schools, so our students get more attention—from instructors, audiences and performing arts industry recruiters. You’ll be held to high standards in this rigorous musical theatre program, but you’ll refine your talent while performing in professional surroundings before paying customers. You will enjoy:
- Personalized instruction and coaching in acting, singing and dancing, with plenty of face time with instructors
- Professional guidance to polish your auditioning skills and work ethic
- Opportunities to showcase your performing arts talent in high-profile settings
This degree program offers tremendous challenges and rewards — including a career path that might lead you to stages in Toronto, Broadway, London and beyond.
No Business Like Show Business
No other performing arts school offers Sheridan’s degree of professionalism. You’ll have classes in acting, singing and dancing five days a week, plus weekly one-on-one sessions with faculty in acting and singing. In addition to studio work, you’ll get instruction in scriptwriting, music theory and theatre history.
And you’ll receive support and mentoring from classmates and faculty alike, forming relationships that last throughout your performing arts career.
All that hard work will pay off when you take the stage. The musical theatre program puts on six musicals a year in Theatre Sheridan at the Trafalgar Road Campus in Oakville, as well as a number of theatrical productions in the Studio Theatre. In addition, every student has individual performances in acting, dance and commercial singing.
By the time you earn your Music Theatre Performance degree you’ll be a genuine “triple threat”—acting, singing and dancing—with solid audition skills and a list of performing credits. And you might already have a name and a reputation among professional artistic directors and recruiters.
Sheridan Music Theatre performing arts classes are held at Sheridan's Trafalgar Road Campus, Oakville, Ontario.
Program Learning Outcomes
The successful completion of the program will enable the graduate to:
- Research the history of music theatre in order to develop a personal acting, vocal and dance repertoire that is informed by, and responds to, trends in the evolution of the art and its industry.
- Create a professional repertoire that reflects a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the nature and requirements of the North American music theatre industry.
- Perform a wide variety of styles of material required by today's theatrical and music industries at the entry-level professional standard expected by the industry.
- Generate creative individual and collective music performances informed by inquiry, research and scholarly writing, using appropriate methodology.
- Generate acting, vocal and dance performances that engage the audience, reflecting strong narrative, characterization and believable relationships among characters.
- Create believable characters with fully developed physicality and voice, informed by psychology and based on thoughtful research and critical analysis.
- Refine musical literacy in order to interpret, through performance, the intent and methodology of the composer.
- Integrate meta-cognitive practices and systems of knowledge in order to enhance one's personal vision and one's relationship with the audience during performances.
- Develop aural acuity that reflects the multidimensional nature of musicianship by integrating constructs music knowledge with listening skills.
- Develop original and unique artistic performances by engaging in critical and creative problem-solving and decision-making.
- Foster personal development and collegial working relationships that conform to established industry hierarchy, professional etiquette, and protocols through self-reflection, effective communications and collaboration strategies.
- Generate a personal physical regimen required to maintain effective acting, vocal and dance technique, for success in music theatre and commercial performance.
- Generate a personal methodology and approach to work required of the field of study and the Music Theatre industry.
- Design comprehensive, cogent, and creative entrepreneurial strategies related to self-promotion and marketing that incorporate effective presentation, communication and technological skills, where appropriate.
- Incorporate, where appropriate, current and evolving technologies, into individual performances and collaborative projects.
| CODE |
TITLE |
CREDITS |
| |
|
|
| TERM 1 |
|
|
| THET10330 |
Fundamentals of Acting |
3 |
|
- Lecture: Acting Theories & An Intro to Shakespeare
- Studio: Acting Techniques, Impulse & Archetypes
- Studio: Improvisation
- Studio: Classical Monologue |
|
| THET13921 |
Fundamentals of Vocal Technique and Theory |
3 |
|
- Lecture: History of Musical Theatre I (Golden Age)
- Studio: Vocal Technique I
- Studio: Music Theatre Vocal Performance I
- Studio: Music Theatre Repertoire I (Golden Age)
- Studio: Commercial Vocal Performance I |
|
THET13431
|
Fundamentals of Dance Technique
|
3 |
| |
- Lecture: History of Dance
- Studio: Ballet I
- Studio: Jazz I
- Studio: Tap I
- Studio: Styles I
|
|
| THET10036 |
Aural Concepts and Music Theory |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: History of Music
- Lecture: Music Theory I
- Studio: Ear Training I |
|
| ENGL17889GD |
Composition and Rhetoric |
3 |
| |
|
|
| TOTAL |
|
15 |
| |
|
|
| TERM 2 |
|
|
| THET13314 |
Principles of Contemporary Acting |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: History of Western Theatre I (Ancient)
- Lecture: Text Analysis
- Studio: Scene Study I (Contemporary)
- Studio: Universal Mask & Voice & Text I (Contemporary)
|
|
THET15892
|
Vocal Technique: Physiology and Anatomy |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: History of Musical Theatre II (Contemporary)
- Studio: Vocal Technique II
- Studio: Music Theatre Vocal Performance II
- Studio: Music Theatre Repertoire II (Contemporary)
- Studio: Commercial Vocal Performance II |
|
| THET10049 |
Dance Technique: Physiology and Anatomy |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: Physiology & Anatomy
- Studio: Ballet II
- Studio: Jazz II
- Studio: Tap II
- Studio: Styles II |
|
| THET16859 |
Fundamental Musicianship |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: Music Theory II
- Studio: Ear Training II
- Keyboard I
- Music Technologies I |
|
| |
Breadth Elective
|
3 |
| |
|
|
| TOTAL |
|
15 |
| |
|
|
| TERM 3 |
|
|
| THET20918 |
Principles of Classical Acting |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: History of Western Theatre II (Classical)
- Lecture: Acting Shakespeare
- Studio: Scene Study II (Classical)
- Studio: Voice & Text II (Classical)
- Studio: Stage Combat |
|
| THET23314 |
Vocal Performance: Context Analysis |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: History of Musical Theatre III (Early Forms)
- Studio: Vocal Technique III
- Studio: Music Theatre Vocal Performance III
- Studio: Music Theatre Repertoire III (Early Forms)
- Studio: Commercial Vocal Performance III |
|
| THET27198 |
Dance Project |
3 |
| |
- Lecture/Studio: Principles of Choreography/Styles III
- Studio: Ballet III
- Studio: Jazz III
- Studio: Tap III
|
|
| THET23921 |
Contemporary Concepts and Applications of Musicianship |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: Music Theory III
- Studio: Ear Training III
- Choral Ensemble I
- Keyboard II
- Music Technologies II |
|
|
Breadth Elective |
3 |
| |
|
|
| TOTAL |
|
15 |
| |
|
|
| TERM 4 |
|
|
| THET25142 |
Principles of Modernism in Acting |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: History of Western Theatre III (Modern)
- Lecture: Acting Chekhov, Ibsen, Strindberg, Shaw & Wilde
- Studio: Scene Study III (Modern)
- Studio: Voice & Text II (Modern)
- Studio: Clown & Character Mask |
|
| THET25436 |
Styles in Vocal Performance |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: History of Musical Theatre IV (Tin Pan Alley)
- Studio: Vocal Technique IV
- Studio: Music Theatre Vocal Performance IV
- Studio: Music Theatre Repertoire IV (Tin Pan Alley)
- Studio: Commercial Vocal Performance IV |
|
| THET23672 |
Dance: Artistry, Interpretation, and Expression |
3 |
| |
- Lecture/Studio: Artistry, Interpretation and Expression in Dance/Styles IV
- Studio: Ballet IV
- Studio: Jazz IV
- Studio: Tap IV |
|
| THET20587 |
Music Performance: Notation, Transcription, and Scoring |
3 |
| |
- Lecture: Music Theory IV
- Studio: Ear Training IV
- Choral Ensemble II
- Music Technologies III |
|
| |
Breadth Elective |
3 |
| |
|
|
| TOTAL |
|
15 |
| |
|
|
| TERM 5 |
|
|
| TBD |
Acting Styles and Media |
3 |
| TBD |
Commercial Vocal Repertoire Development |
3 |
| TBD |
Styles in Dance Performance |
3 |
| TBD |
Music Industry: Professional Practice |
3 |
| |
Breadth Elective |
|
| |
|
|
| TOTAL |
|
15 |
| |
|
|
| TERM 6 |
|
|
| TBD |
Post- Modern Acting Theories |
3 |
| TBD |
Music Theatre Vocal Project |
3 |
| TBD |
Dance Repertoire Development |
3 |
| TBD |
Production I |
3 |
| |
Breadth Elective |
3 |
| |
|
|
| TOTAL |
|
15 |
| |
|
|
| TERM 7 |
|
|
| TBD |
Music Theatre Master Class |
4 |
| TBD |
Audition Techniques in the Music Industry |
3 |
| TBD |
Production II |
5 |
| |
Breadth Elective |
3 |
| |
|
|
| TOTAL |
|
15 |
| |
|
|
| TERM 8 |
|
|
| TBD |
Music Theatre Capstone Project |
4 |
| TBD |
Audition Master Class |
3 |
| TBD |
Production III |
5 |
| |
Breadth Elective |
3 |
| |
|
|
| TOTAL |
|
15 |
|
|
Graduates of Sheridan's prestigious Music Theatre Performance program are highly sought-after in the industry for their cultivated skills, sophisticated professionalism, and consummate practical performance experience. Upon graduation, most often over 80% immediately find representation by major agents and/or contractual employment, often in major Toronto, West End and Broadway commercial resident productions or national tours of such musicals as Jesus Christ Superstar, Spring Awakening, Rock of Ages, American Idiot, West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables, Rent, Tommy, Beauty and the Beast, Mamma Mia! and Phantom of the Opera.
Other venues for employment include:
- major Canadian summer theatre festivals (such as Stratford, Shaw and Charlottetown)
- major Canadian regional theatres (such as MTC, Neptune, Canadian Stage and Soulpepper)
- international cruise-ship lines
- television shows
- feature films
- Disney World, Tokyo Disney and other major theme parks
- industrial shows
PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent, including these required courses:
- One English, Grade 12 (ENG4U)
plus:
- Five additional Grade 12 subjects at the U or M level
- Minimum 65% overall average
or
- Two semesters of postsecondary education including required courses with minimum 65% overall average
APPLICANT SELECTION
Eligible applicants are selected on the basis of previous academic achievement (the average of their six highest senior-level credits, including required courses), and on their experience as demonstrated in a comprehensive audition.
Eligible applicants will be invited to:
- Submit a résumé and photograph listing performance and/or theatre experience and training
- Respond to a general information questionnaire
- Submit an artist's statement that outlines personal/professional goals
- Write a music theory quiz or submit documentation to support accreditation by the Royal Conservatory of Music (minimum Grade 2)
- Take a basic ear test
- Participate in a dance assessment class
- Perform an up-tempo song, a ballad and a monologue
- Be interviewed by members of the faculty
Note: There is an audition fee required at time of assessment. Students unable to attend an audition because of unusual circumstances may substitute a DVD or videotape audition. Contact the Program Coordinator for further details.
Applicants who do not meet the admission requirements for this program will be assessed and advised individually and may be considered for other, related programs.
PREPARATION FOR APPLICATION
It is highly recommended that students with a limited musical background enrol in a theory program through the Royal Conservatory of Music, and take the Preliminary Rudiments exam prior to auditioning. Exams are scheduled in May, August and December. Application forms are available at music stores, or through the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Sheridan has been granted a consent by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to offer this applied degree for a seven-year term starting August 30, 2010. Sheridan will ensure that all students admitted to the Bachelor of Applied Arts (Music Theatre Performance) Program during the period of consent will have the opportunity to complete the program within a reasonable time frame.
Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance – Degree Completion Program
Faculty: Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design
Code: PBAMB
Duration: 3 semesters
Designation: Degree Completion
Campus: Trafalgar Road
Start Date: May
Program Information
This Bachelor program is designed for graduates of a qualifying three-year music theatre performance advanced diploma program, who are looking to further their education and develop the additional skills and knowledge required for Sheridan’s Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program.
The degree completion program for graduates of Sheridan’s Music Theatre advanced diploma program, in 2006 and after, consists of a Capstone Project (2 week intensive), 4 Degree Completion courses, a 14-week industry placement, 1 mandated Breadth course and 7 Breadth electives (subject to applicant review, this program may be modified slightly for graduates prior to 2006 and graduates of other institutions). The program includes the following baccalaureate-level courses:
- THET 49014 – Capstone Project (6 Credits)
- THET 47198 – Acting: Historical and Cultural Analysis and Context (6 Credits)
- THET 40036 – Dance: Historical, Cultural and Kinesthetic Analysis and Context (6 Credits)
- THET 44310 – Music: Historical and Cultural Context and Analysis (3 Credits)
- THET 49599 – Music Theatre: Entrepreneurial Practice and Professional Portfolio (3 Credits)
- Total: 24 Credits
- Note: Courses subject to change
Upon successful completion of the above academic courses students will be required do a 14-week industry placement and complete 8 Breadth Courses (including the mandated ENGL 17889GD Composition and Rhetoric).
Career Opportunities
Graduates of Sheridan's prestigious Music Theatre Performance program are highly sought-after in the industry for their cultivated skills, sophisticated professionalism and consummate practical performance experience. Upon graduation, most often over 80% immediately find representation by major agents and/or contractual employment, often in major Toronto, West End and Broadway commercial resident productions or national tours of such musicals as Jesus Christ Superstar, Spring Awakening, Rock of Ages, American Idiot, West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables, Rent, Tommy, Book of Mormon, Mamma Mia! and Phantom of the Opera.
Other venues for employment include:
major Canadian summer theatre festivals (such as Stratford, Shaw and Charlottetown)
major Canadian regional theatres (such as the Citadel, MTC, Neptune, Canadian Stage and Soulpepper)
international cruise-ship lines
television shows
feature films
Disney World, Tokyo Disney and other major theme parks
industrial shows
Admission Requirements
Program Eligibility
To be admitted to the Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance Degree Completion Program, applicants must meet the following admission requirements:
Completion of Sheridan’s three-year Music Theatre Performance Advanced Diploma, with a minimum final GPA of 3.0, in 2006 or after. Applicants who received Sheridan’s three-year Music Theatre Performance Advanced Diploma prior to 2006 may apply for advanced standing and will be considered on a case–by-case basis.
Applicants for advanced standing from other colleges and universities will also be considered on a case –by-case basis.