MUSICAL THEATRE AUDITION & PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES

• Faculty Catherine Walker

• University of Michigan

A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES 

This workshop will explore a variety of the technical and artistic skills required to successfully navigate musical theatre performances across the decades. This will include postural or movement-based methodologies; a variety of vocal and technical strategies; acting through song and phrasing from the lyric; and the impact of compositional components on song interpretation.

WHAT TO PREPARE

Please prepare two contrasting MT songs and one pop song (optional) approximately one minute in length. Be sure to have a copy of the entire song in addition to the cut.  Each student will have the opportunity to work on one song in a group masterclass.  

BRINGING THE UNIQUENESS OF YOU TO YOUR WORK!

• Faculty Leonard Leibowitz

• Otterbein University

BRINGING THE UNIQUENESS OF YOU TO YOUR WORK

In this workshop, Lenny will help you bring clarity, honesty, freedom, courage, and passion to your songs through strong actions, personal paraphrase, and Laban based movement. He will also offer suggestions of alternative song choices.

 WHAT TO PREPARE

Please keep your selections to 1-Minute. They can be either 16-Bar or 32-Bar cuts.

THE SINGERS TOOLKIT

• Faculty Melissa Treinkman

• University of Southern California

As singing actors, we need to have a solid vocal technique that will allow us make all of the sounds we desire, in service of telling a story. In this class, we will look at the building blocks of vocal technique and you will be given vocal exercises to increase the strength, flexibility, and versatility of your voice. We will also apply vocal technique concepts to songs. 

 WHAT TO PREPARE

Please think about two aspects of your voice that you LOVE and two things you'd like to IMPROVE.  Please also bring 1-2 contrasting cuts (under 1 minute each) of songs you'd like to work on from a technical standpoint. Please also bring accompaniment tracks.  

HOW TO SHOW WHO YOU ARE IN YOUR AUDITIONS!

• Faculty Jeremy Mann

• UCLA

The class will begin with a thorough vocal warm-up using a straw, so please have one on hand. We will also have a brief discussion of College Musical Theater Audition do's and don'ts, focusing specifically on the singing audition. Each student will then present their two contrasting audition songs, with supportive feedback and coaching tailored to your strengths and uniqueness as a performer. My goal is to help you bring utmost truth, passion, joy and specificity to your songs!"

 WHAT TO PREPARE

Please prepare two contrasting songs, each roughly one minute in length. Each song should feel good to sing, tell a story you love to tell, and play to your strengths as a performer.

JUST BREATHE!

• Faculty Rebecca Karpoff

• Syracuse University

JUST BREATHE!

Breathing happens every second without us giving it much thought. But in times of stress (think auditions!) we can sometimes feel like we have no control over our bodies or our breath. In our first session, we will explore how the body functions for breathing, some exercises that we can use to gain better control and awareness, and how that awareness can infuse our performances with life and intention. In the next sessions, we’ll work on your audition repertoire from the perspective of using breathing techniques to enhance both sound and story in your auditions

 WHAT TO PREPARE

Please bring a 32-Bar Uptempo and two 16-Bar Ballads

THE COLLEGE AUDITION CALLBACK

• Faculty Kevin Ramsey

• Hartt

So, you have made it past the pre-screens...now what? This masterclass will demystify the college callback process and instill confidence and a better sense of self within the auditioner. In our time together, we will examine how a student reveals not only their amazing performing skills, but also who they are as amazing humans too! Through a mock audition process, each student will show their callback material, perfect their college interview technique, and further investigate what they, themselves, offer a conservatory program like Hartt. We will examine audition material in greater detail, discuss best practices while in the audition room, and unearth confidence building techniques while under the pressure of getting into the college program of their dreams!

WHAT TO PREPARE

Each student should prepare a Hartt Theatre Division callback for the program of their choice. Hartt offers both BFA Musical Theatre and Actor Training programs. Please prepare the following material and bring it ready to showcase: 

• Two contrasting songs OR one song/one monologue that best show you and your artistry. Please also bring a headshot and resume. .

SCORING THE MUSICAL MONOLOGUE

• Jesse Carlo

• Pace University

In this Intensive Master Class Students will be introduced to the marriage of lyrics, musical composition, and storytelling

WHAT TO PREPARE

• Several copies of the sheet music of the song you will present during the workshop

• A soundtrack recording of your song

• Headphones 

• Paper and Pen

SINGING/ACTING SONG REPERTOIRE

• Faculty Gary Kline

• Point Park University

Gary is a noted Voice Teacher at Carnegie Mellon's School of Drama, having taught dozens of Broadway's finest. Gary's Classes will deal briefly with Vocal Scales and Patterns for warming up your voice and strengthening one's instrument. Additionally, Acting Games that personalize the content of Song Lyrics to allow a deeper, more vulnerable connection will be employed. Finally, the choice of Repertoire that best represents your authentic self while avoiding the overused and mundane will be discussed. 

A Final Product is not the goal- but rather how can we enhance your own process together to continue to grow in this Musical Art Form?

 WHAT TO PREPARE

Bring your cuts and recordings of your songs to class and let's get to work! But also, be willing to explore fresh song material.

HOW TO TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR CREATIVE CAREER!

• Faculty Wendy Kurtzman

• Chapman UnIversity

This class will address all facets of a creative career. How to market your talents, correspond with the industry, pick material that highlights your artistry, self-tape/prescreen tricks and skills, impactful acting choices that stand out, the works! Wendy has worked in production, development, writing and performing. Come ready to work, write, perform, and grow as an artist. 

WHAT TO PREPARE

1.       A “meet me” video that can be used for prescreen prep. Tell me about yourself! Video must include: your name and year in school. Can include interests outside of Musical Theatre, stories about yourself and/or your family, your hobbies, and fun facts. Video should be no longer than 1 minute.

2.   A 32-bar cut of a song

3.   A 1.5-minute monologue

• INTRO TO JAZZ STYLES AUDITION TECHNIQUE

• Faculty Kirkora Franklin

• Penn State University

In this class, students will use the foundations of jazz dance and practice audition techniques. Jazz dance emphasizes body alignment, flexibility, strength, and rhythm and is commonly a form used in college audition settings. Students will engage in movement that emphasizes the fundamentals of jazz dance technique, encourages individual expression, and promotes clean execution of choreography. The class will consist of a warm-up, movements across the floor, and short combinations that students will perform in an audition-style format. Students will be encouraged to embrace their strengths, find their unique voice, perform with confidence and joy, and sharpen their audition presentations.

WHAT TO PREPARE

Students should wear dance clothes and/or flexible clothing in which they can move freely and comfortably, jazz shoes or jazz sneakers.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

• Faculty Vicky Bussart

• Oberlin College

Making all the pieces of the audition puzzle work for YOU!

WHAT TO PREPARE

Please bring 2 contrasting cuts (under 1 minute each) of songs you LOVE to sing along with accompaniment tracks.  

SCENE WORK!

• Faculty Lisa Velten-Smith

• Carnegie Mellon University

This workshop will provide the actor with tools necessary to understanding and interrogating scene work.  Using the Stanislavski Method, the student will learn how to read a script for clues as to what the character wants, why they want that, understanding conflict, among others.  Once the elements are identified, students will then learn how to put what they’ve discovered into truthful action. Velten Smith strives to provide a relaxing and fun atmosphere where students feel free to play and discover.

WHAT TO PREPARE

Nothing to prepare as a script will be provided.