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Trinity Vs Guildford School of Acting for Musical Theatre Degree?

My son is having difficulty deciding between Trinity and GSA. Any thought?
Reply 1
From the point of view of personal safety, I would suggest GSA every time. The campus is safe and there is 24 hour security patrols and a manned centre who can be contacted day and night. The pastoral care is amazing and there is a lot of support for students.

Look at the crime figures in the area for Trinity Laban. It is a dangerous area.

From the point of view of the course content and structure, then students on those courses would be better able to advise.
GSA is one of the most sought after institutions for Musical Theatre. It's had a few issues in recent years (with a strange audition process and unrealistic academic grades requested) but I think these have been addresssed and if your son has been offered a place there he's be mad not to accept.
Given the way GSA has been closing courses for 2019 entry (and for existing students) I would recommend getting some serious reassurance from them that there’s no risk to the musical theatre course
The courses that have been closed were ones that were never really part of GSA, they more academic with a practical element based courses at Surrey, rather than professional training (for example they didn't have an agent showcase unlike the Musical Theatre and Acting courses) and from what I gather, wern't that popular and were brought under the remit of GSA in an attempt to save them (which failed)
Original post by welcometotherock
The courses that have been closed were ones that were never really part of GSA, they more academic with a practical element based courses at Surrey, rather than professional training (for example they didn't have an agent showcase unlike the Musical Theatre and Acting courses) and from what I gather, wern't that popular and were brought under the remit of GSA in an attempt to save them (which failed)


The Dance degree?
Guildford - without question. Runs one of the best respected Musical Theatre courses in the UK.
Agents go there to pick talent and you'll find GSA graduates in every West End musical.

Trinity is mostly music and is not 'theatre' focused. And is not 'known' for training for theatre.
Yes, the dance degree was not seen as professional training, it had no agent showcase which other professional trining dance degrees and diplomas do and graduates were not eligible for Spotlight Entry. It was a more all round general dance degree course unlike the MT course.
Reply 8
It is correct to say that Theatre and Performance and Dance were not originally under GSA. They are both established degrees renowned for their success and presence both within Surrey University and across the wider UK arts industry. Other universities even teach modules that study the work of the lecturers who teach on Surrey’s Theatre and Performance course. GSA merged with the university of Surrey in 2009, enabling them to receive better resources and an upgraded building from the university of Surrey. The decision to merge the university’s Theatre and Dance courses was nothing to do with popularity of the courses. The decision was to do with the university’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences becoming too big, which includes subjects such as Music and Digital Media Arts, as well as BA Dance and BA Theatre and Performance. Thus the faculty was broken up into smaller parts and Theatre and Dance joined GSA. The differences between these two academic degrees and ones such as the MT course are very clear, but the difference does not make one higher value of the other. The reasons for no showcase for theatre and performance is very simple: students do not require one. Students are industry ready and already have established contacts due to the placement year they undertake. Students have worked work with The National Theatre, The Vaults, Battersea Arts Centre, Southbank Centre, Theatre Deli, Norwich Arts Centre and many more. A showcase for Theatre and Performance would be redundant as the course moulds students into becoming practitioners, programmers, producers, directors, casting directors etc. There is a really useful article by the stage which describes the distinction between courses such as Theatre and Performance and Conservatoire based ones such as MT which I will link below. It is also good to note that while the recent cuts have meant the two academic courses at GSA are being withdrawn, the cuts are due to a wider issue concerning the university’s management, so there is a lot of uncertainty across the university as a whole. The cuts have also lead to staff redundancies which has had a big impact aswell, so I would take that into account. Hope this clarifies some things!

https://www.thestage.co.uk/advice/2017/how-university-theatre-courses-differ-from-drama-schools/#
Original post by welcometotherock
The courses that have been closed were ones that were never really part of GSA, they more academic with a practical element based courses at Surrey, rather than professional training (for example they didn't have an agent showcase unlike the Musical Theatre and Acting courses) and from what I gather, wern't that popular and were brought under the remit of GSA in an attempt to save them (which failed)

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