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Program Overview

Train in acting, singing, dance, stage combat, puppetry, audition techniques, and more in the studios of the iconic Dominion Theatre…the same studios where they rehearse West End shows! You will workshop West End shows with current West End cast members, go backstage in West End theaters, and see a West End musical as a group every week, giving you the unique opportunity to see your instructors onstage doing the same material they’ve been working on with you in class!

Weekday classes run from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., followed by an hour for lunch and workshops in the afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Saturdays are longer masterclasses such as mock auditions with casting directors and agents, and Q&As with directors and other theatre professionals. Performing Arts Abroad’s London site director will lead excursions for the group every week, such as a tour and performance at Shakespeare’s Globe, a tour of Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms, and afternoon tea as a group.

To view and download the complete day-by-day itinerary from Summer 2022, please click here. Summer 2023 details will be added closer to the start date, but we do not anticipate any big changes.

To view and download a list of instructors who taught on this program in Summer 2022, please click here.

“I really enjoyed this program. You will learn a lot about the theatre industry and what it is actually like to work as an actor. It was incredible to work with actual West End performers and learn from their experiences. My favorite thing about this program, though, was going with a group of other people and getting to know them over the course of the three weeks. You really become like a family and grow as performers together. It made the experience so much more worthwhile to come out of it with friends who share your passion for the art form.”

Performing Arts Points of Interest

Royal Court Theatre

Hailed by the New York Times as “the most important theatre in Europe,” the Royal Court Theatre is located next to the Sloane Square Station. The theatre is known for being a huge proponent and supporter of local playwrights in order to cultivate an authentic, diverse selection of plays for the public.

“The undisputed epicenter of new writing in this country.” -Time Out

“It’s hard not to rave about the Royal Court.” -Guardian

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre was built in 1599 by William Shakespeare’s company the “Lord Chamberlin’s Men” and was rebuilt in 1614 after a fire destroyed the original. The latest version of the theatre, renamed “Shakespeare’s Globe,” opened in 1997. Travel back in time and attend a Shakespeare play in the unique open-air theatre.

English National Ballet

The English National Ballet is one of the four major ballet companies in Great Britain alongside The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the Scottish Ballet. The company employs an internationally diverse group of dancers and a symphony orchestra known as the English National Ballet Philharmonic. The company has performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London as well as international tours. The English National Ballet offers classes ranging from beginner to advance as well as dance workshops.

Queen's Theatre

One of the many famous West End theatres, Queen’s Theatre is in the Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square area of London. The theatre is most notable for housing the world famous musical Les Miserables since 2004 after its run at the Palace Theatre for 19 years prior.

Rivoli Ballroom

The Rivoli Ballroom is one of the last remaining ballrooms preserved in the 1950s style architecture. The ballroom attracts an eccentric, enthusiastic crowd looking for a fun night of dancing and dressing up from “night out” clothes to David Copperfield inspired costumes. Open infrequently to the pubic, check the website and Facebook to find out their next event.

The Rivoli Ballroom has been a location for many TV shows, movies, and music videos. Musicians such as Kings of Leon, Florence and the Machine, and The White Stripes have used the ballroom for music videos and gigs.

The Place

Hailed as one of the most exciting, innovative dance spaces The Place, is a space that houses the London Contemporary Dance School, the Richard Alston Dance Company, and a 280 seat theatre. The Place offers classes, workshops, and other professional development opportunities for artists young and old. Performances are open to the public year round as well as festivals and special events. The Place is a member of the European Dancehouse Network aimed to support UK artists.

PAA Home Base

All training on this program will happen in the studios of the iconic Dominion Theatre, a truly remarkable West End theatre seating over 2,000 people. The Dominion recently hosted the hit musical Dirty Dancing, and is staging Grease the Musical during the 2023 program. Every day you walk through the doors of the Dominion, you will be training in the same studios where they rehearse West End shows, and many of your instructors will be members of current West End casts!

About the Location

London is one of the most vibrant cities for musical theatre in the world, and the West End is the center of it all. Perhaps no other area in the world can boast the variety and quality of musical theatre performances as one will find in the theaters of the West End, such as the renowned Lyceum Theatre, London Palladium, Dominion Theatre (where you will be training every day), and Apollo Victoria Theatre, which seats over 2,500 people.

London’s exciting energy is contagious and will have you hooked the moment you arrive. In addition to the vibrant theatre scene, you will have the chance to explore the historical, political, and cultural landmarks of the city with other participants. From Big Ben to the London Bridge, learn what it means to call London home. The abundance of theater groups and organizations, and the reasonable price of theatre tickets (especially compared to everything else in the city!) makes this a worthwhile destination for even a short visit, and the ideal place for a training program in musical theatre.

Housing

Housing is in Prince Consort Village in Central London. Enjoy your own acoustically treated, fully furnished en-suite room with a private bath. Make full use of state-of-the-art facilities including a free-to-use gym, on-site laundry, 24-hour practice rooms and more. Prince Consort Village is located in Zone 1, meaning you will have access to some of the best sights in the city! All flats are in a secure building with 24-hour access. The facilities have internet access, a shared kitchen for cooking meals, and a shared living area. You will be within walking distance to public transportation with access to buses as well as the London Underground. This is how you will get around London and also the way you will commute to the studios and theatres.

Basic amenities such as grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, etc. will be easily accessible, but please be aware that you may have to take a bus or walk a few blocks in order to do grocery shopping; this is normal for most Londoners.

Roommates

All bedrooms/bathrooms are private for your use only. You will share a “pod” or hallway with up to 10 other participants, with a communal lounge area and two shared kitchens. The Performing Arts Abroad group size is usually between 15 and 20 people of varying ages averaging 18 to 25, who join a dozen or so additional international participants who come to London individually for the training sessions. In the past, there have been participants from many different countries, including the United States, Australia, Singapore, Germany, Finland, Denmark, United Kingdom, Italy, France, China, Spain, and many more.

A Day in the Life



The Participant Experience

Imagine waking up to the sounds of the London streets below you, and heading off to train in the studios of one of the West End’s most iconic theatres. Your mornings will be spent taking classes at your level in acting, singing, dancing, stage combat, audition techniques, and puppetry, and your afternoons will focus on workshopping scenes from famous musicals with members of the current casts on the West End. In the middle of your first week, you will get an exclusive backstage tour of a West End theatre, and tickets to a show where you will see some of your instructors performing on stage in the same scenes and choreography you’ve been workshopping in the studio with them. Weekends will feature masterclasses where you will have the opportunity to perform a song or monologue for agents and casting directors, followed by a Q&A with a London theatre professional.

The skills you gain from this program’s training are only the beginning. You will also walk away with a much deeper knowledge of the theatre industry in London, and what it takes to be a professional performer at a high level.

On Arrival

You will book your flight to arrive at Heathrow Airport in London (LHR) between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on the Saturday of arrival. Our Site Director will be waiting at a pre-arranged meeting point where the group will gather. Once the last person reaches the meeting point (around 1:00 p.m.), you will travel together to the housing where you will have some time to unpack and freshen up, and then you will gather for a quick housing orientation with the housing supervisor. After this, our Site Director will lead the group on a walking tour of the neighborhood and will point out important sites such as ATMs, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc. Following the neighborhood tour, you will go out to dinner and have an orientation about the program, health and safety, the city of London, and British culture. At that point, you’ll be exhausted and ready for bed! The next day is a free day to explore the city on your own or with your new friends before diving into the training on Monday.

A Typical Day

For the remainder of the program, you will have training from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., followed by an hour for lunch and other classes or workshops in the afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. After the training session, you are free to explore London with other program participants, and we will also provide excursions such as a tour of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, a show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and afternoon tea as a group. We will provide tickets to several shows for the entire group, but you will also be encouraged to see shows on your own. Many past participants have seen over a dozen shows during their few short weeks in London!

To view and download the complete day-by-day itinerary from 2022, please click here. The specific itinerary for the 2023 summer sessions will be shared with the group a few weeks before departure once we know the (ever-changing) schedules of the industry professionals who will be working with you.

Host Group

The West End is London’s equivalent of Broadway, and arguably more prestigious. Our program’s founder—herself a West End veteran having appeared in numerous shows including Les Misérables, the Sound of Music, and Billy Elliot coupled with extensive work on BBC television—heads a core of instructors who have in-depth experience performing as well as teaching. Thus, you will be working with some of the most accomplished stage actors in the world, as well as highly skilled dancers, stage combat instructors, and other staff working through the West End’s education and outreach programs. For the workshops based on West End shows, your instructors will have been or will currently be performing in that very show. Classes will be held in West End studios, and you will be provided with tickets to shows, and a backstage tour of one of the West End theaters.

To view and download a PDF of instructors from the 2022 program, please click here.

Support Staff

Support Staff

Support Staff

Support Staff

Videos

Testimonials

“Thanks to PAA, I was able to travel to a city I’ve always wanted to go to, to do what I love most. Along the way, I met some amazing people,watched some beautiful pieces of theatre, crossed a number of things off of my bucket list, and made some lifelong friends.”

“Having the opportunity to work with professionals that were currently performing in West End shows was so unique, and it really helps you learn what they have to do on a daily basis. We got to learn choreography from active West End shows, and then in some cases went to see the shows and could see what we’d learned being performed.”

“I had a great time while studying abroad. I learned so much. I would honestly do it again if given the opportunity. I met a lot of amazing people and I hope that what I learned serves me well in the future.”

Program Dates

Summer 2025

Session Application Deadline Start Date End Date
Three Week Session Apr 15 2025 Jul 12 2025 Aug 03 2025
Two Week Session Apr 15 2025 Jul 12 2025 Jul 27 2025
One Week Session Apr 15 2025 Jul 12 2025 Jul 20 2025

Important Summer 2025 Dates

Program Cost

Description Cost
Three Week Session (estimated) $6,850
Two Week Session (estimated) $5,200
One Week Session (estimated) $3,995

Apply today — How the process works

APPLY ONLINE
Submit a simple online application

INTERVIEW
Schedule a live video interview with a Program Coordinator

MATERIALS
Upload program specific materials to an online portal

ACCEPTANCE
Receive your aceptance decision and begin your journey!

How the process works

To apply, click the “Apply Now” button on this page. You will fill out a simple initial application online and pay a non-refundable application fee that will be applied toward your overall program cost if you are accepted. We will review your initial application and contact you within a week to let you know if we are inviting you to the final step. At that point, we will ask you to send us a resume or CV demonstrating your experience in the field of musical theatre, as well as an online form with more detail about your background and why you are applying to this program.

 

Apply Now

Application Tips

  1. Make sure your resume is up to date and includes all relevant theatrical experience.
  2. For dancing and singing classes, an advanced course will be offered and those interested in taking the advanced level will be asked to submit an audition video. This video is not required for acceptance to the program, and is due May 15th. The video must be uploaded to YouTube as ‘unlisted’ to allow easy access for program administrators. For advanced dance, you should have had dance lessons previously for a minimum of five years in jazz/modern/ballet or musical theatre. You should be confident at technique work such as pirouettes and picking up choreography. For the audition videos, you will upload 3 videos of you dancing to include: 1. Pirouettes (both sides) 2. Kick sequences of your choice from the corner (demonstrating kicks on both legs) 3. One to two minute dance routine showing technique. For advanced singing, you should have knowledge of different vocal parts and how the voice works – larynx and vocal mechanisms, breathing, etc. You should have had singing lessons for a minimum of 2 years or relevant experience. For the audition videos, please send us videos of you singing 2 contrasting songs that show your technique and range. At least one needs to be from a musical.
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Eligibility Requirements

  • Age

    Participants must be 18 or over the day they begin the program.

  • GPA / Student Status

    There is no GPA requirement for this program, students and non-students are welcome to apply.

  • Language

    There is no foreign language requirement for this program, all instruction will be in English.

  • Experience

    We give preference to applicants with at least one year of performing arts experience. All applicants will be automatically placed in beginning level courses and given the option to submit audition videos for singing and/or dance. Decisions about levels will be made in early June.

  • Motivation

    We are looking for open-minded, flexible applicants who can clearly convey their passion for musical theatre and an acute interest in international travel and exposure to new ideas.

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