Musical Theatre

Students who would like to participate in this stream should be competent in at least one area of expertise – singing, dancing, or acting and have a strong desire to work hard to be a triple threat. 

We aim to provide all students with a strong foundation in the diverse range of skills and experiences that performing in musical theatre productions entails.

Our faculty consists of experienced performers and educators who share a passion for storytelling. They are dedicated to nurturing each student’s ability to perform at their best and helping them find their individual ‘voice’ within the context of a production.

And all during the course of a normal school day while continuing to work towards their HSC in an inclusive, safe, and supportive place that they enjoy coming to every day.

The sheer number of alumni who have performed in best-selling productions both in Australia and abroad is testimony to our world-class teaching.

Recent past productions have included 13 – The Musical, Babes in Arms, Bring it On, Copacabana, Eurobeat, Fame, Godspell and Grease.

What you will learn

Students experience a variety of classes and genres of performance, including:

• musical theatre repertoire
• drama skills
• vocal technique
• singing for both group and solo numbers
• dance in various forms
• performance
• audition technique and preparation, and
• history of musical theatre.

Performance opportunities

We offer our students a myriad of performance opportunities to help prepare them for real-world careers in their area of focus.

• High Performance Week
• Open Days, formal functions, and assemblies
• Local community organisations and commercial groups from time to time.

Where appropriate, performance excursions are offered during the year to glean the magic of musical theatre storytelling.

Every second year, our Musical Theatre students are offered the chance to visit the USA for the Broadway experience. This encompasses masterclasses and specialist workshops at the most prestigious studios in New York in addition to seeing Broadway shows and soaking up the vibes of the Big Apple. The trip also includes backstage workshops at Disneyland. Our next US tour is in April 2025.

In addition to the technical skills required to be a musical theatre performer, students will develop vital and transferrable ‘soft skills’ such as

• courage
• versatility
• empathy
• resilience, and
• teamwork.

Program structure

Years 3 – 6

Students in Years 3 – 6 are offered a taste of Musical Theatre on their elective Performing Arts day once a week.

Years 7 – 12

Students receive 10 hours of training per week.

Possible career paths

Musical theatre students will graduate as well-rounded performers, prepared for further education or ready to audition for professional productions. The beauty of musical theatre is that graduates can also choose to focus on a career in the discipline that they feel the most passion for.

• Dancer
• Actor
• Singer / songwriter
• Performers in musicals
• Choreographer
• Musical Theatre teacher / coach.

Some graduates purposely choose to tread a different path by undertaking tertiary study or successful careers in completely different arenas.

Get in touch with our Registrar

02 9752 0507 | registrar@mcdonald.nsw.edu.au