BA Hons Musical Theatre workshop guide

Workshop schedule

Our workshop and interview day is an opportunity for you to get an idea of what is involved in our Musical Theatre course and to experience the way you would work in this area at the University of Portsmouth.

We believe that this is an important part of informing prospective students of our unique offer and so we require all applicants to participate in one of these afternoons before we will make an offer of a place.

This year, we are planning for our workshops and interview days to be in person (apart from one online date via zoom), in well-ventilated studios so we can offer the best experience possible.

For everyone's safety, we are asking that everyone wear a face covering when attending the interviews. Depending on local circumstances, the workshops may also involve the appropriate use of sensible precautions, such as working in smaller groups or the use of Perspex screens for singing work.

More information will be provided as necessary nearer your visit.

Workshop preparation

For this workshop, we are going to work with excerpts from the song ‘One’ from the musical A Chorus Line (1975).

We have provided two backing tracks for use in your own preparation and in the workshop itself, to ensure that everyone will sing to the same music. There are two files for your use: one is a melody-line track to help you learn the song, while the other is an accompaniment for independent preparation, while we use a full backing track or live piano accompaniment in the workshop itself. We will also use the backing track for this year's virtual workshop offering. You will be given further details nearer the time if you register for our online-only workshop day. Because of technological constraints, we cannot play one track for everyone in a virtual workshop, so for your participation in the workshop, please make sure you are able to make use of the backing track when you attend.

While copyright restrictions mean we cannot materially distribute copies of the printed sheet music for this song, we've attached a page of the line to help with your preparations. The musical is very well-known and so, if you would like to source some sheet music for accompaniment, it will likely be available from your local library. All applicants will be required to know the song from memory ahead of the workshop, and as part of their preparation, we'll ask the following:

If possible, find a version of the movie adaptation and watch it before your workshop. At the very least, please watch this Youtube excerpt of the song you will work with. For your workshop, we will focus on the section from 2 minutes 12 secs to 3 minutes 20 secs.
Research the original musical, and find out the following:

Who were the creative team behind the show?
What source material is used for A Chorus Line and how is this evident in the show itself
What might this song mean in the context of this show? What does it do for characters?