Musical Theatre Program

Musical Theatre Studio offers rising high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to train in an intensive pre-college musical theatre program. Applicants selected for the program attend challenging singing, acting and dance classes to learn the art of performing live musical theatre. During the five-week program, students refine and perform audition pieces and musical theatre scenes. Students who complete the program will have an opportunity to showcase the musical theatre skills they have learned.

Please note: This program is designed for students who want an accelerated musical theatre training experience, have respect for the rehearsal process, and understand how to manage their time and complete assignments both in and out of the classroom. Students entering grades 11 and 12 who are between the ages of 16 and 18 as of July 6, 2013 and who have the desire and maturity to receive constructive criticism about their work and give helpful feedback to others during the program are encouraged to apply.

Program Features

Musical Theatre Studio focuses on developing and strengthening performance skills and knowledge of musical theatre. Students who participate in this program:

• Enhance vocal and physical awareness through acting and musical assignments
• Analyze song structure and techniques for breaking-down a song
• Strengthen skills in song, text and character analysis
• Strengthen overall dance techniques, abilities, and vocabulary by practicing various dance styles
• Study several decades of musical theatre history, its development and its various forms
• Discover, prepare and build a repertoire of songs suitable for auditions
• Receive individual voice training and coaching
• Build confident stage presence and excellent audition techniques
   

Musical Theatre Showcase

Students who complete the program will have an opportunity to perform in a final showcase performance scheduled for Saturday, August 10, 2013. The final showcase performance gives students a chance to demonstrate the musical theater skills they have learned through the program.

Program Dates and Costs

Program Dates (including required orientation): July 6–August 10, 2013
Showcase: August 10, 2013
Move-out day for on-campus students: August 11, 2013–by noon

Musical Theatre Program per student: $3,795
Lunch, Monday through Friday, is included in the program fee.

On-Campus Housing per student: $3,195

Non-refundable application fee: $30
Musical Theatre Studio Priority Application Deadline: March 15, 2013

Who May Apply

Musical Theatre Studio is designed for students who want an accelerated musical theatre training experience, have respect for the rehearsal process, and understand how to manage their time and complete assignments both in and out of the classroom. Students entering grades 11 and 12 who are between the ages of 16 and 18 as of July 6, 2013 and who have the desire and maturity to receive constructive criticism about their work and give helpful feedback to others during the program are encouraged to apply. Each candidate for the Musical Theatre Studio Program must submit the required application form (completed and signed), a non-refundable $30 application fee, and the following required documents.

• Student Statement of Purpose: In one or two pages, please describe: 1) what you hope to achieve during the studio program, and 2) an event you feel has prepared you for the pre-college program.
• Essay: In one page, discuss a musical theater production and/or artist that you believe has most influenced or inspired your stage work.
• Teacher Recommendation: Please submit at least one recommendation, completed by a teacher who knows your work, in a sealed envelope with the teacher’s signature across the back seal. If possible, the teacher should know your work in the field to which you are applying.
• Photo and résumé of your theatrical experience

An audition is not necessary for candidates who apply to the Musical Theatre Studio Program. However, all applicants who are accepted into the program will be required to perform musical theater pieces at a performance skills assessment during the first week of the program.

At the assessment, program instructors will evaluate each student’s dance, vocal, and stage performance skills. All Musical Theatre Studio students will be expected to participate in the following required assessment activities:

1. Dance routine: Students will be taught a brief dance combination by program instructors and asked to perform the routine within a specific time period.
2. Vocal presentation: Each student must perform—from memory—excerpts from two different musical theater songs. Each excerpt should consist of 16 measures. One excerpt must come from a song written before 1965. We recommend that you bring such contrasting selections as a ballad and uptempo. All students should bring sheet music for the songs they plan to sing. An accompanist will be provided. Please prepare in advance, and practice accordingly.

We will accept applications through June 17, 2013. Admission to Emerson College's Arts and Communication Pre-College Programs is on a rolling basis. We suggest applying early, as space is limited. Admission decisions are made frequently.

The priority application deadline for Musical Theatre Studio is March 15, 2013.

International Student Applicants
International student applicants must provide additional application materials. Read international student information for applicants to pre-college programs.

Musical Theatre Classes

Musical Theatre Acting
The Musical Theatre Acting class provides a focus on strengthening acting skills and audition technique. The first week is devoted to establishing a foundation of fundamental acting skills such as script and character analysis, ensemble work, and improvisation. The second and third weeks focus on how to find, prepare, analyze, and perform a monologue. Week four is given to various acting scene study assignments. Week five provides a focus on ensemble musical theatre work and preparation for the final showcase.

Musical Theatre Synthesis
The Musical Theatre Synthesis class is the core performance aspect of the Musical Theatre Studio Program. Here students explore how to integrate acting, singing, and physicality into a cohesive musical theatre performance. Each week, students study and perform solo songs that coincide with the era and/or one of the composer/lyricist teams discussed in Musical Theatre History. This allows an understanding of song genres and styles on both a scholarly and practical level. Students learn text, musical, and character analysis, how to break down a song, vocal techniques, physicality, and audition etiquette. Additionally, students build a song varied repertoire which will be of great assistance once they begin their college audition process.

Musical Theatre Dance Styles
In the Musical Theatre Dance Styles class students strengthen their overall dance technique, and fuse a practical and kinetic understanding of musical theatre dance by learning original choreography transcribed from major musicals and influential choreographers. Students are introduced to the work of major theatrical choreographers (i.e. Agnes de Mille, Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett, etc) and the evolution of musical theatre dance.

Musical Theatre History
In the Musical Theatre History class students receive an overview of the various key historical points in the development of the American Musical. Through lectures, documentaries, archival footage, group discussions, articles, and handouts, students examine and study productions, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers, producers, and performers from the turn of the 20th century to present day. Additionally, every week students practice their research and public speaking skills and present a brief written and oral report on a musical theatre personality. The five weeks of study are broken down as follows:
Week 1 – Early Musical Comedy: Turn of the Century–1930s
Week 2 – Musical Theatre Comes of Age: 1940s–1950s
Week 3 – Modern Musical Theatre: 1960s–1970s
Week 4 – Contemporary Musical Theatre: 1980s–Present
Week 5 – Rehearsals for Musical Theatre Showcase

Musical Theatre Vocal Coaching
In Musical Theatre Vocal Coaching students practice a range of vocal methods and techniques aimed at strengthening and expanding their vocal abilities. These skills include: basic anatomy and physiology of singing, proper breathing, projection, pace, articulation, posture, freeing the tone, resonance, extension of the vocal range, and vocal health. Students receive individual training and coaching on solo songs assigned to them in Musical Theatre Synthesis.

Musical Theatre Master Classes
Each Saturday students participate in a master class with a specific topic. Various teachers and industry professionals provide additional information about musical theatre performance. And two Saturdays are spent on a major group field trip and musical theatre performance project.

Schedule

Schedule is subject to change.
Monday–Friday,
9:00 am–5:00 pm
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
7:00--9:00 pm
Tuesday and Thursday evenings: rehearsal and homework time as assigned by instructors
Saturday, 9:00 am–12:00 pm

EMERSON COLLEGE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE ANY PROVISION OF THIS PROGRAM AT ANY TIME. THE COLLEGE SPECIFICALLY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE ITS TUITION RATES AND ANY OTHER FINANCIAL CHARGES. THE COLLEGE ALSO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REARRANGE ITS COURSES AND CLASS HOURS, TO DROP COURSES FOR WHICH REGISTRATION FALLS BELOW THE MINIMUM ENROLLMENT, AND TO CHANGE INSTRUCTOR ASSIGNMENTS.