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), dance, radio and screen, and voice, speech and communication as well as a full range of music courses, such as piano, singing, strings and wind instruments to jazz and pop, music technology, music theory and history
Most of our courses are currently delivered online. For more information about our live online courses, please see our guide to online learning . For face-to-face classes at the college, see our information about staying COVID-19 secure at City Lit.
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
- Play-readingCourse start date: Wed 27 Oct 2021 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
Come together with others to explore the work of different playwrights, share the spoken word and gain insight into differnet plays. These fun and friendly sessions are for people who would like to read and discuss plays under the guidance of a theatre professional. Working in a supportive atmosphere you will read out loud and discuss the main themes of a range of both contemporary and classic texts.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £73.00 - Acting for funCourse start date: Fri 17 Sep 2021 (and 3 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
An acting class purely for the joy of it! This course is suitable complete beginners, those with a little experience, and anyone wanting to enjoy acting exercises and scenes in a relaxed, low-pressure environment. Gain confidence, make friends, develop new skills and have fun. There will be fresh material and new scenes to explore every term.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £60.00 - Introduction to contemporary classical musicCourse start date: Mon 1 Nov 2021
Location on this date: Online
Discover key works of contemporary classical music, considering how they function as artworks and also the political and social context in which they were written.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £66.00 - Acting for radio: improversCourse start date: Wed 10 Nov 2021 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Explore microphone techniques and demands across different areas of acting work on radio. For those who have completed a beginners’ course or have previous relevant industry experience. This course will be online.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £189.00 Senior fee £151.00 Concession £129.00 - Topics in Ancient Greek musicCourse start date: Thu 11 Nov 2021
Location on this date: Online
Explore the history of music before Gregorian chant and discover how historians reconstruct ancient Greek songs and instruments from surviving evidence.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £109.00 Concession £66.00 - Christmas croonersCourse start date: Mon 6 Dec 2021
Location on this date: Online
Sparkly jumpers, snow and tinsel, a stool, a mic, and a crooner: join me in exploring the singers, arrangers and repertoire of sentimental but strangely compelling festive schmaltz, just in time to join in ourselves.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £18.00 - Introduction to electronic musicCourse start date: Tue 7 Dec 2021
Location on this date: Online
The course is an overview of the history of electronic music in the 20th and 21st centuries and the concepts, technology and aesthetic ideologies that underpin the developments that took place.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £39.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £24.00 - Medieval Christmas CarolsCourse start date: Wed 8 Dec 2021
Location on this date: Online
Discover the rich heritage of medieval Christmas carols. Learn about traditional forms of the carol and the history behind selected examples.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £18.00 - Great works: Mozart's Clarinet QuintetCourse start date: Thu 9 Dec 2021
Location on this date: Online
Explore this much-loved work by Mozart and learn about the performer and the instrument it was originally written for.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £39.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £24.00 - Music history book clubCourse start date: Mon 13 Dec 2021 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
The music history book club meets towards the end of each term to discuss novels and biographies with musical themes and references relevant to the music history programme. This term’s book is an important exploration of forgotten composers.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Great works: The NutcrackerCourse start date: Mon 13 Dec 2021
Location on this date: Online
Reluctantly created by the hit duo of Tchaikovsky and Petipa in 1892, The Nutcracker has become a perennial Christmas favourite worldwide. Let’s explore the plot, characters, music and choreography; prepare to be enchanted!
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £18.00 - Great works: Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the animalsCourse start date: Tue 14 Dec 2021
Location on this date: Online
Explore Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the animals, the comical musical microcosm of zoology.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £18.00 - Keyboard harmony and improvisationCourse start date: Mon 10 Jan 2022
Location on this date: Online
Develop your analytical, melodic and harmonic understanding with the help of improvisation, covering a wide variety of styles. You'll become a more confident player as a result. It is possible to join a later module if you have appropriate skills. For players at Grade 5 and above.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £121.00 - Introduction to musicalsCourse start date: Mon 10 Jan 2022
Location on this date: Online
From Showboat to Hamilton, this course surveys some key examples from the history of the modern musical and examines the way different styles of music, dance and words work on stage.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £109.00 Senior fee £87.00 Concession £66.00 - Piano/keyboards 4BCourse start date: Mon 10 Jan 2022 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Online (other locations are available)
For pianists with around three years' experience. Improve your finger technique, coordination, phrasing, music
reading, and your confidence.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £121.00
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