MFA in Professional Voice Studies

This is an exciting and uniquely designed course providing the opportunity to undertake specialised voice training within an internationally-acclaimed theatre school setting. The course is eclectic in its approach, drawing on a range of approaches and practitioners. The School produces professional-standard productions in a wide range of theatre venues and you will have the opportunity to coach acting students on these productions as part of your studies. 

Watch a short interview with course leader Sue Cowen to hear more about why this course might be right for you.

Course Highlights:

• Learn to apply a range of practical approaches in coaching voice, speech and accent work.
• Coach acting students performing in the School’s professional-standard productions.
• Explore creative approaches to the performance of contemporary and classical drama, poetry, and political speeches.
• Pursue an independent research project in an area of particular interest to you.

Course structure

Over three intensive terms, the course will introduce you to a range of theoretical and practical aspects of voice work enabling you to coach and teach voice, speech, accents and text work within a conservatoire, university or professional company setting.

The course includes a range of theoretical aspects of voice studies work including vocal anatomy and physiology and phonetics, taught in the first and second terms. The emphasis, however, will be on the practical applications of theory through applied modules which run throughout the duration of the course. 

This work includes opportunities for you to work on your own voice and speech; to apply an eclectic range of technical and creative approaches to the performance of a wide variety of texts including poetry, Shakespeare and political speeches; and to develop your coaching and teaching practice through working with acting students in training. 

You will also undertake research on your own areas of interest. This research will conclude with a ‘practice-based research’ project which may be presented in writing or in an alternative form – for example a short film, a podcast, or presentation and viva.

Launching your career

The aim of the course is to produce self-reflective, entrepreneurial voice practitioners who will work within traditional fields, or go on to develop the practice into new areas. Following graduation, our alumni seek a range of voice-related roles such as voice or dialect coaches for theatre, TV, film or radio; voice directors for theatre productions; voice teachers within conservatoires or university acting departments; and as voice and presentation skills coaches for businesses and other non-performers.

Previous graduates of this course have been successful in securing teaching work at drama schools both in the UK, Europe, Australia and the US; coaching on theatre productions, including in the West End, at drama schools, and regionally; and private coaching for individuals, including both actors and business professionals. 

Find out more on the website:

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