Diploma of

Creative Arts (Acting) with major in Music Theatre

The course is open to passionate performers of all levels. Entry is by audition, and JMC supports both developing and experienced artists.

The course offers a holistic, contemporary training model, with small class sizes, industry-active mentors, and opportunities to perform across multiple mediums.

Yes. You’ll perform in full-scale productions, cabarets, ensemble scenes, fully staged musicals, as well as TV shows and film work throughout the program.

Yes. Entry into the course requires an audition and interview where you’ll demonstrate your acting, singing, and dancing ability.

Graduates can work as actors, musical theatre performers, voice-over artists, screen actors, presenters, and performers in live or digital productions.

The course is offered at JMC campuses in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with intakes in February only.

Yes. 80% of your time at will be spent in practical classes and performances. At JMC, you learn acting four ways.

1. Learn by doing: This is where you participate in a practical acting exercise or activity in class or in a performance and this experience informs your acting process.
2. Learn though others: This is social learning. Here, you might witness a fellow student do an exercise of a performance, and through their experience, you might learn something about your own acting process. The other way we learn through others is by collaborating. When an actor plays a character, they only truly develop that character through listening and responding to their scene partner.
3. Apply your skills and knowledge: This is where you take all of your learning in the various subjects you do and you consolidate these skills and knowledge into your performance projects. This is the most sophisticated learning process you will enjoy at JMC Acting because this is all based on real-world performance projects. In other words – you learn to be an actor by doing what actors do!
4. Gain new knowledge: This is where we come together and talk about acting. Where we read about acting. Where we think about acting. This helps you to understand the process not only from a practical perspective but also from a theoretical perspective.

Yes. A Lot! Here are some of the main performance projects in the degree.

Tier 1:

Music Theatre Showcase

This project celebrates bravery and vocal proficiency! A presentation of high-stakes character songs (solo & ensemble), with choreography and staging, which challenge Actors to draw upon musical theatre storytelling techniques and voice craft to deliver performances with conviction and confidence. This showcase occurs in WEEK 10.

The Actor and the Text

This is where your acting classes progress from instrumental development to the application of craft, and you learn how to apply acting technique to a scene, which is performed to an audience of fellow students, family, and friends in WEEK 13.

Tier 2:

Theatre Company Production 1

Your first full-length play/musical, performed over THREE nights in our purpose-built Drama Studio in WEEK 9. It is a culmination of the acting, singing and dance training in Trimesters 1 & 2. This is an opportunity to collaborate as an ensemble to build and inhabit the world of the play. Working alongside a director and production team, you'll learn the process of rehearsing and performing in a live theatre production.

Actor as Filmmaker Project

Follow a process similar to that of the famous British film director, Mike Leigh, and work in a small team to create a short film from initial concept to final screening in WEEK 14.

Tier 3:

American Theatre Project

Learn a standard American accent and then work on a scene from the canon of American Musical Theatre. Perform this in week 7.

Voiceover 

Participate in workshops focused on teaching you the technical skills required for voiceover work, for commercial TV and animated films. 

Multi-Cam Studio

Develop, rehearse and perform scenes in a multi-cam environment. During this project, Actors learn how to respond to various elements in a film studio, and deliver authentic performances on camera.

Cabaret

This project includes mentorship and training for development of a cabaret performance. The theatrical work includes elements of singing, movement, and draws on extended storytelling techniques. The Cabaret project is designed to develop actors who can act through song, and create a cohesive performance experience.

Tier 4:

Theatre Production 2

This is the rehearsal and performance of a complex Musical Production, performed over FOUR nights to a public audience in our 100-seat auditorium space. The focus of this production is to instil an awareness of stylistic devices, theatrical conventions, and stagecraft in our Actors. The production includes heightened voice and movement work, and rigorous training for the development of stamina and consistency in performance. 

Actor as Creator Project

This project celebrates your individual creative talents and entrepreneurialism. Students choose a performance project that they create from beginning to end. These projects can be of any form or media and may include, writing a musical theatre scene, physical dance performance, cabaret, contemporary dance, film, and multimedia.

Tier 5:

Showreel

Work with a professional film crew, on location in a showreel scene. This is then professionally edited and circulated to agents and other industry representatives through our Acting Graduate Showcase on our website. The showreel will contain content ranging from audition song cuts to choreographed routines and screen acting scenes.

Tier 6:

Industry Theatre Production

Work with an external director and production crew on theatre production at an external industry venue. This production provides Actors with the opportunity to experience a professional-level process and hone their skills in musical theatre performance.

Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of opportunities in the acting and film industry. The industry is bigger than ever before and continues to grow at a healthy rate. Other than film, TV and musical and theatre opportunities, social media platforms offer countless avenues for actors and performers – there are countless blog’s, short films, web-episodes and channels, not to mention TikTok content. Plus the advertising industry is a huge employer of actors and performers thanks to ever-growing platforms and audience reach. 

It's also worth remembering that the skills acquired in acting and performing are also hugely transferable. Skills such as public speaking, corporate hosting, event management and retail and hospitality industries all require poise, self-confidence, and self-esteem. 

With society’s exponential hunger for content, screenwriters, directors, producers and cinematographers are in huge demand. Our film school students are in the industry of content creation, and that is a hugely profitable genre – think about the amount of content you see everyday, from TikTok ads to YouTube and Instagram, podcasts to mainstream news networks, current affair stories and self-help videos. Plus, there is vast capacity for on-demand TV and online content (Netflix/Stan). 

Ultimately though, hard work, motivation and recognising opportunities when they are presented to you are the most important factors for any graduate finding success. 

Yes. Our Music Theatre major runs typically over 3 – 4 days per week, longer during performances and productions. We believe that actors are best served in training by immersing themselves in their work. This allows for skills and knowledge to be consistently developed. Your work in one trimester informs your development in the next trimester. Whilst this is a substantial commitment, this also allows you to spend most of your time doing something you love! 

Yes, whilst this course is designed to teach you to become an industry ready music theatre performer, you will also learn the fundamental acting skills required for a variety of performance opportunities including stage and screen. JMC Acting has not only dedicated theatre performance spaces but also a fully equipped Multi-Cam Television Studio, Motion Capture suite, Rokoko Suits, Red Epic and Arie film cameras, state-of-the-art voiceover and sound recording suites, and a creative community that is all about inter-disciplinary collaborations to allow you to grow your skills in music theatre, film, tv, live theatre and new media. 

No, our courses are hands on and practical. Students are required to attend classes to receive ongoing mentorship, learn new skills and work with the equipment provided. We do encourage our students to use online study resources, however our courses would not be as immersive as they are without the practical component.

Yes. The JMC Academy is registered and regulated by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) which is Australia’s independent national regulator of the higher education sector, both public and private.

The ultimate benefit of studying at JMC Academy is the reassurance and relief in knowing that we are leaders in creative industries education and have been delivering quality education in the Creative Industries for over 40 years. We were the first to be accredited in Australia for education in Audio Engineering, Digital Television and Multimedia.

Our courses have always been practical, with hands-on projects and an intense focus on industry and outcomes undiluted by extensive, non-essential electives.  

In choosing to study at JMC Academy, our students are opting for the benefits of an intimate classroom size where the lecturer knows their name and learning needs. They are choosing to learn at an award-winning institution that fosters collaboration and creative vision. At JMC Academy the student's experience becomes an integral part of their learning and the institution's own values defined by quality, integrity, diligence and innovation indelibly become their own.   

JMC Academy is broadly recognised and accredited:

• Registered Higher Education Provider.
• Accredited by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA)
• Registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).
• Regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
• Member of the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA).
• Nationally recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework.

Our strong industry links also ensure that JMC Academy qualifications are recognised within the creative industries. 

Applicants who submit a complete application (including all accompanying documentation, including folio or audition if applicable) will usually be contacted within 24 hours to arrange an interview. After a successful interview, an offer letter will usually be issued within 24 hours. 

Many jobs in the creative industries are found via direct recommendations or referrals. At JMC Academy, many of these recommendations are made while students are completing their studies and via organisations that approach JMC for graduates. That is why we stress the importance of networking through our industry connected lecturers and taking advantage of the many work experience and internship opportunities that arise during your time at JMC. Throughout their studies, students are progressively adding to their portfolio of work, networking with lecturers and students, and learning how to run their own businesses. All of this directly contributes to their ability to generate an income in a field they are passionate about and enjoy.