Performing arts

Performing Arts Courses & Classes in London and Online

City Lit offers performing arts courses in the heart of Covent Garden in Central London during the evening, daytime and at weekends. Explore our range of subjects including acting(including accredited acting courses)danceradio and screen, and voice, speech and communication as well as a full range of music courses, such as pianosingingstrings and wind instruments to jazz and popmusic technologymusic theory and history

Our courses are labelled clearly for beginners or those with previous experience and you can speak to a specialist advisor to help you choose the right level. If you would you like some help or advice:

For music courses email music@citylit.ac.uk. You can also view our music auditions and advice page.

For drama, dance and speech courses email drama@citylit.ac.uk

Courses available both in-person and online

Join us in the heart of London for in-person classes. Our modern campus in Covent Garden is easy to reach and buzzing with creativity. With modern purpose-built facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, it’s the perfect space to support your learning journey. Explore our facilities >

Prefer learning online? Our live online courses bring expert teaching to you, wherever you are.

Whether you choose to study in-person or online, all our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. Wherever and however you want to learn, we’re here for you.

Courses available both in-person and online

We offer a range of long and short courses allowing you to choose between in-person and online learning.

Learn in the centre of London with our in-person courses. Our purpose-built facilities in Covent Garden mean we are ideally located and easy to get to. 

See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, we've got the class for you.

Filters

15 Items

per page
  1. Viola workshop
    Last Few Places, Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 6 Apr 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Robert Puzey
    Focus on technique and musicianship especially for viola: on playing on the C string, reading alto clef fluently, left-hand work and more. For viola players, and violin players who wish to add an extra string to their bow!
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £69.00
    Add to Compare
  2. Drumming: advanced
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 27 Apr 2025

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Mark Huggett
    Our advanced class is a great chance to practise all the essential popular grooves. Enhance and maintain your technique, reading and stamina. Sessions will be delivered online so you will use your own kit, acoustic or electronic.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £249.00 Concession £249.00
    Add to Compare
  3. Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £279.00 Concession £195.00
    Rating:
    97% of 100
    Add to Compare
  4. Contemporary dance: improvers
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 4 May 2025 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Francis Angol
    The course aims to give you a further embodied understanding of Contemporary dance that is underpinned by Somatics practice, and other contemporary dance techniques, to bring greater flow and dynamics to your expression as you allow yourself to move from your inner space and to negotiate the flow of weight, rhythm, breath, space and time.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £69.00
    Add to Compare
  5. Core energetics
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 11 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Kate Montague
    Core Energetics is a body-mind practice designed to enhance your self-awareness, aliveness, creativity and focus, and a means to opening up physically, helping you to become aware of your energy flow.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £48.00
    Add to Compare
  6. Storytelling: tell your personal story
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 11 May 2025 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  John Eastman
    Tell your own personal story to others, and in so doing gain some perspective on how past events have shaped your life and how they will affect your future, while at the same time inspiring and informing others about life choices. The course will take place in a safe environment in the college.
    Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £229.00 Concession £160.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    Add to Compare
  7. Shakespeare and the body
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 11 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sean Croft
    Unlock Shakespeares hidden physical language through the work of Lecoq, Meisner, Michel Chekhov and Grotowski as we discover a deeper, more physically rooted and emotionally driven connection with Shakespeares work. No experience is needed for this short intensive course however an openness to explore and to develop text and physical performance simultaneously is necessary.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £69.00
    Add to Compare
  8. Acting for radio and podcast dramas: advanced workshop
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 11 May 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  David Gooderson
    Fine-tune your audio skills by performing in a BBC radio drama on this weekend workshop in the media studio. For those with lots of previous experience, either through courses or industry.
    Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £125.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
    Add to Compare
  9. Mask technique and the physical body (level 1)
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 1 Jun 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sean Croft
    This playful and creative mask course, suitable for students at any level, introduces you to the mask. You will be carefully guided to explore the principals and techniques required to bring a character to life, to create speech with the body and without the voice. Masks will be provided but why not bring along some different style outfits and a variety of hats with you, then you’ll have more to play with on the day.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £48.00
    Add to Compare
  10. Acting Shakespeare (intensive)
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 29 Jun 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Laura Baggaley
    A one-day workshop exploring scenes from two Shakespeare comedies, Twelfth Night and Two Gentlemen of Verona. Broaden and develop your acting skills in an intensive encounter with Shakespeare!
    Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £89.00 Concession £62.00
    Add to Compare
  11. Directing theatre (intensive)
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 6 Jul 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Laura Baggaley
    Working with an experienced theatre director, explore the multiple aspects of directing theatre productions, including rehearsal preparation, text analysis and research, collaborating with the design team, and techniques for getting the best performances from actors.
    Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £179.00 Concession £125.00
    Rating:
    80% of 100
    Add to Compare
  12. Combining voice and Pilates
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 12 Jul 2025 (and 1 other date)

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Kate Montague
    This innovative and one-off workshop shows you how to integrate modified Pilates movements with voice training as a holistic approach to voice, starting at breath release and progressing into phonation and resonance. Through this combination you may begin to find a link between body and voice through the core muscles of support. A fun but intensive Saturday workshop in the college.
    Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £55.00
    Rating:
    90% of 100
    Add to Compare
  13. Mime: workshop
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 27 Jul 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sean Croft
    There’s so much more to Mime than the striped jumper, beret and box!



    The course will cover basic techniques in Mime towards developing and creating worlds alongside opening your body up to expressionistic styles. Through technique and improvisational based classes we will play and explore some of the most renowned exercises in Mime and build on them. Engaging your imagination and developing your awareness of your body as a tool for theatre craft.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £48.00
    Add to Compare
  14. World music: rhythm driven tunes from Brazil, Cuba, Ghana and Senegal
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 5 Oct 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sarha Moore
    Come to play tunes from several traditions and two continents, working with complex rhythms in related and contrasting ways. There is a musical narrative that begins in Africa, travels to the Caribbean and South America, then back to Africa, carrying musical styles and rhythmic patterns. We will explore samples of this rhythmic timeline.







    Piano places are limited to two so please check with the department prior to enrolling if you want to play piano on this course.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £104.00
    Add to Compare
  15. Transcribe jazz solos
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 12 Oct 2025

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Tim Richards
    A study and sharing group for experienced jazz players with a good working knowledge of harmony and experience of improvising. We will focus on in-depth listening and transcription of recorded examples by jazz musicians. Sessions will include demonstration and performance opportunities. The class meets at college once a month. Course dates: 12 October, 9 November, 7 December, 18 January, 15 February, 15 March.
    Full fee £269.00 Senior fee £269.00 Concession £188.00
    Add to Compare
per page

Can't see a course you want?

Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.

Add me to waiting list