Our MA Musical Theatre Writing is the first and only course in the UK specifically designed to develop the next generation of Musical Theatre composers, lyricists, and librettists. It is an individually tailored programme for anyone interested in creating new musical theatre and pursuing a professional career as a creative within the industry, whether as a composer, writer, lyricist, or any combination of the above.
This unique course focuses on developing your creative artistry in both solo and collaborative settings, offering opportunities to work closely with students and staff across our full suite of MA programmes.
By collaborating with leading institutions across the North of England and internationally renowned practitioners (including professional composers, lyricists, book writers, dramaturgs, and facilitators) students will graduate with a strong portfolio of work, a deep understanding of how to build and lead a creative team, and a distinctive artistic voice to help shape the Musical Theatre of tomorrow.
From day one, you will work directly with leading composers, lyricists, directors, and creative practitioners through tailored tutorials, workshops, and classes. Your training is shaped around your individual interests while giving you the full range of writing and compositional skills required to thrive in today’s Musical Theatre industry.
You will build confidence across all elements of Musical Theatre writing, strengthening your versatility and your ability to collaborate within a creative team. Your studies culminate in the creation and public presentation of your original musical, individually or as part of a team, at the annual Leeds Theatre Festival. This offers a major platform to showcase your work to industry professionals and audiences.
Collaboration lies at the heart of our MA. You will work with students across our postgraduate programmes to test new ideas, gain real-time feedback, and explore your work in a variety of performance settings. Through structured R&D processes, you will develop, refine, and elevate your creative output while expanding your specialist skillset.
You will also join shared modules with the School of Drama, where you will generate new work in a collaborative, student-led environment. This cross-disciplinary approach encourages bold experimentation and helps you discover and refine your unique artistic voice. Throughout the year, your developing projects will be shared across multiple performance opportunities, giving you practical experience and exposure in live creative environments.
This programme is designed to connect you directly with the professional world. Workshops, masterclasses, and creative projects are led by established industry figures and supported by the region’s vibrant theatrical community.
You’ll benefit from Leeds Conservatoire’s strong partnerships with renowned organisations including Leeds Playhouse, Red Ladder, Opera North, and Slung Low, as well as our wide-reaching professional network spanning the West End, the wider UK industry, and international Musical Theatre makers.
These connections give you unparalleled access to current industry practice, creative mentorship, and potential career pathways; equipping you with the knowledge, experience, and professional visibility to launch your career as a Musical Theatre creator.
Our campuses include a brand-new building at Playhouse Square, housing state-of-the-art specialist performance facilities. With a panoramic view over the city landscape, this £60m development contains bespoke facilities for our theatre courses, including state-of-the-art dance and drama studio spaces and music ensemble rooms.
Leeds is also rich with creative and artistic spaces which are invaluable in offering training which is embedded in the City. As an artist who is interested in developing new work you may be able use those environments to inspire your work.
This module is designed to introduce students to the principles and techniques behind successful, collaborative arts practice. The module will develop the students’ knowledge and understanding of collaborative performance settings, expanding their knowledge of how work is made.
The module emphasises the ability to critically analyse personal and professional experiences, allowing students to engage in deep reflection. Through this module, students develop as reflective practitioners who understand the value of their artistry in a collaborative setting and proactively seek to develop their skills.
Through this module, students will study the process of successful collaborators, who work across disciplines to make original performance. They will work together in interdisciplinary teams, using their individual experiences and expertise to generate ideas, creative responses to given briefs and present ideas to audience for funding/development support.
In this module, students explore musical theatre as a storytelling form and cultural practice, grounding their work in historical context, critical theory, and close analysis of sung narrative. Using key works as case studies, they will examine how songs heighten storytelling and shape character, structure, and meaning.
Students engage with narrative theory and the dramaturgy of song, alongside close study of musical and lyrical construction, and the ways style and genre emerge from specific cultural moments. A core strand of the module traces musical theatre’s lineage through opera and operatic traditions, considering musical theatre as an offshoot of – and ongoing conversation with – that earlier art form.
Alongside this historical grounding, students are introduced to contemporary critical frameworks, applying these perspectives to questions of representation, voice, power, and authorship in musical storytelling.
Assessment is through an extended critical essay on a chosen topic, supported by structured research skills teaching and seminar-based development of argument, methodology, and academic writing
This module aims to develop the core skills of each writer within their chosen field of study; composition, book writing, or lyric writing. It will also develop and challenge all writers to develop their understanding of the other specialist roles and develop a common language to collaborate on new work with, ensuring they can engage a broader range of artists and teams professionally. Writers will also work with the MA Directors together in skills development session that apply to all e.g. leadership.
Additionally, each creative has an area of specialism which they will explore by taking part in skills specific classes and shadowing opportunities both within the conservatoire.
You’ll bring everything you’ve learned on the course to life by writing and producing a full-scale original musical. From concept and composition to staging and performance, you’ll take a leading role in shaping a production ready for a professional audience.
Your work culminates in a public performance at the renowned Leeds Theatre Festival, where industry guests, employers and creative professionals are invited to experience your show. It’s a unique platform to showcase your voice, collaborate with peers, and launch yourself into the creative industries with a major credit already on your CV.
This is your opportunity to make a statement, build visibility, and graduate with a headline project that demonstrates your artistic identity at its boldest.
Throughout the course you will be assessed through a series of showings of your work, essays, reflective portfolios and academic reflective writing. Your final project will be assessed through performance in the Leeds Theatre Festival and a live ‘Viva’.
You’ll collaborate with fellow postgraduate artists from our MA Musical Theatre Company, MA Musical Direction and MA Directing programmes, working together just as you would in a professional creative team. Throughout the year, you'll help shape, adapt and write new material from a range of established and published musicals, bringing each piece to life through a series of exciting short performances.
You will help craft bespoke, reduced adaptations specifically for your company, giving you the chance to work on interpretations of well-known works while developing your versatility and understanding of the current canon.
This module leads to three studio-based and public performances, offering you multiple opportunities to showcase your talent, refine your collaborative practice, and gain the kind of real-world experience that prepares you for a professional career in musical theatre.
Our Performing Arts students benefit from bespoke new facilities in our brand new Playhouse Square building.
Teaching will take place at our St Peters Square, Mabgate and Playhouse Square buildings as well as external teaching spaces where necessary.
We are confirming teaching spaces for 2026/27, but teaching spaces in 2025/26 also included Slung Low Theatre Company in Holbeck, Dance Studio Leeds and Yorkshire Dance.
Take a look at our custom-designed studios with panoramic views over Leeds city centre.
See Performing Arts FacilitiesGraduates of the Musical Theatre Writing programme may go on to work in fields which may include:
Students will be taught by staff who are specialists within their field and include pedagogues, writers, composers, producers, performers, creatives, entrepreneurs and academics who work professionally in the theatre industry. All teaching staff must apply for and be granted Recognised Teacher Status by the University of Hull.
Course Type: MA Postgraduate Degree
Duration: 1 year
Study Mode: Full Time
Start date: September
Validated by: University of Hull
Alternatively you can apply directly to Leeds Conservatoire.
OR
All students requiring a visa to study in the UK must meet the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) department's English Language requirement of IELTS 6.0 with no sub-test less than 5.5
The audition process will be in 2 stages:
Find out more and read our full guidance on our Postgraduate Auditions page.
Full details on tuition fees are available on our Fees & Funding for Postgraduate study page.
Leeds Conservatoire offers the following discounts for taught on-site Masters courses:
For more funding options, visit our Postgraduate Scholarships and Bursaries page.
International Students
Details about tuition fees and scholarships for international students are available here.
