MSM Musical Theatre Program

Manhattan School of Music

“

NEW YORK CITY AT LAST HAS A FORMAL CONSERVATORYBASED DEGREE PROGRAM IN MUSICAL THEATRE!” – K ELLI O’HAR A TON Y AWA RD W IN NER

“TO BE INVOLVED WITH CREATING AND

DEVELOPING A TRULY INNOVATIVE MUSICAL THEATRE DEGREE PROGRAM IS EXCITING ENOUGH, BUT TO HAVE IT

AT MSM MAKES IT A BONA FIDE PASSION PROJECT!

MSM WAS THE START OF MY THEATRE DREAMS AND CONTINUES TO AFFECT MY CAREER TO THIS VERY DAY. WITH MSM’S CENTENARY JUST A FEW YEARS AWAY, THIS NEW PROGRAM IS CAUSE FOR EARLY CELEBRATION. BRAVO, MSM!” – SHULER HENSLEY (BM ’90, Hon. DMA ’14), TONY AWARD WINNER

THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to

has assembled an Artistic Advisory Committee

Manhattan School of Music’s new Musical Theatre

for the new program that is comprised of many of

Program, which provides students with a fully

Broadway’s best and beyond, a who’s-who list of

accredited Bachelor’s degree. Remarkably, it serves

musical theatre professionals that reflects the full

as New York City’s first-ever conservatory-based

range and scope of what’s possible within the art form.

degree program in an art form that was birthed

Although MSM has many alumni active on

on Broadway and has, since the early part of the

Broadway, in pit orchestras and on stages

20th century, become inseparable from this city

(including Artistic Advisory Committee members

in the popular imagination. Like jazz, which MSM

Shuler Hensley, Jose Llana, and Joseph Joubert),

introduced to its academic programs in 1984,

and although the School has long provided related

musical theatre is New York, part of the city’s

training via its superb American Musical Theatre

heartbeat. It’s the “great” in the Great White Way.

Ensemble, this new program is the School’s first

MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC LAUNCHES A NEW YORK CITY FIRST.

degree program in the art form. Each student will

In becoming the first independent music

now had to make do without a conservatory-based

conservatory in New York, and only the second in

program in the art form with which Broadway is

the country, to offer a Musical Theatre Program,

synonymous, it is equally noteworthy that it is MSM,

MSM dramatically furthers its mission to provide

just a few years shy of its centenary celebrations,

excellence in education, performance, and creative

that ends that drought. I am truly delighted to have

activity, while providing students with all the

the honor as MSM’s President to see the lights

advantages that New York City and the Broadway

at last coming up on such a program. Raise the

community can offer. This is evidenced by the

curtain, cue the orchestra, and let the show begin!

receive a solid foundation in fundamental musical and theatre skills, as well as a broader background in practical courses, literature, and humanities.

If it is remarkable that New York City has until

program’s amazing artist-teacher faculty, outlined within these pages. As you will also see, MSM

James Gandre President

MORE THAN A MAJOR: A EXPERIENCE Manhattan School of Music’s Musical Theatre

shows, both on stage and behind the scenes. The

Program benefits from its New York City setting

curriculum includes four years of voice/speech/

– the School is literally situated “on Broadway”

diction, in both private and group settings; four

– attracting an artist-teacher faculty active in the

years of dance, covering ballet, tap, jazz, and

professional life of the city and furthering the MSM

other movement styles; and four years of acting,

tradition of strong community outreach, distance

including general acting, acting for camera, and

learning, and entrepreneurship. Students will enjoy

audition techniques.

the kind of opportunities for performance and real-

Significantly, the program also ventures beyond

world experience that only New York can provide.

technique, offering students courses in musical

Indeed, given its proximity to the center of all

theatre repertoire and history, drama study and

things musical theatre in this country, MSM

analysis, and technical production training.

has unparalleled access to an artist faculty and

Finally, the program is rounded off with a core

master class guest artists comprising the best

of humanities courses, providing each student a

performers, directors, choreographers, and coaches

fully accredited Bachelor’s degree in addition to

– distinguished theatre professionals all – working

the richest possible professional training. MSM is

today. This stable of talented artists and educators

committed to providing a Musical Theatre Program

will share their knowledge and experience, offering

that gives a full range of training, turning out not

students a unique working perspective of musical

merely the next generation of triple threats but

theatre at the top levels of the craft.

“quadruple threats” as well, equal parts actors,

All students will have opportunities to participate

singers, dancers, and artistic leaders.

in master classes, workshops, and fully produced

“WHAT DO YOUNG THEATRE COMPOSERS NEED BESIDES THE TALENT TO WRITE GREAT MUSIC AND LYRICS? THEY REQUIRE YOUNG MUSICAL THEATRE ACTORS TO PERFORM THEIR WORK WITH SKILL AND ARTISTRY. THIS NEW

PROGRAM AT MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC WILL HELP NURTURE MANY NEW THEATRE PERFORMERS,

WHICH WILL PROVE TO BE A GIFT TO THE COMPOSERS.” – MICHAEL A. KERKER VICE PRESIDENT OF MUSICAL THEATRE & CABARET, ASCAP

TIMES SQUARE/THEATRE DISTRICT

& OVERVIEW Manhattan School of Music is deeply committed to excellence in education, performance, and creative activity; to the humanity of the School’s environment; and to the cultural enrichment of the larger community.

Recognized as one of the world’s leading music conservatories, MSM inspires and empowers highly talented individuals to realize their potential. We take full advantage of New York’s abundant learning and performance opportunities, preparing our students to be passionate performers, composers, and teachers, and imaginative, effective contributors to the arts and society.

Founded as a community music school by Janet Daniels Schenck in 1918, today MSM is recognized for its more than 950 superbly talented undergraduate and graduate students who come from more than 50 countries and nearly all 50 states; a world-renowned artist-teacher faculty; and innovative curricula. The School is dedicated to the personal, artistic, and intellectual development of aspiring musicians, from its Precollege students through those pursuing postgraduate studies.

Offering classical, jazz, and musical theatre training, MSM grants Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, as well as the Professional Studies Certificate and Artist Diploma. True to MSM’s origins as a music school for children, the Precollege program continues to offer superior music instruction to young musicians between the ages of five and 18. The School also serves some 2,000 New York City schoolchildren through its Artsin-Education Program, and another 2,000 students through its critically acclaimed Distance Learning Program.

“I AM DELIGHTED THAT NEW

YORK CITY IS AT LAST HOME TO A CONSERVATORYBASED DEGREE PROGRAM IN MUSICAL THEATRE, AND I AM PROUD TO CONTRIBUTE TO ITS DEVELOPMENT IN MY ROLE AS ARTISTIC ADVISOR.” – BEBE NEUWIRTH TWO-TIME EMMY AND TONY AWARD WINNER; ARTISTIC ADVISOR, MUSICAL THEATRE PROGRAM

ADVISORY COMMITTEE LUIS PEREZ* (Associate Dean and Chair) SHULER HENSLEY* (BM ’90, is the former Director of the Musical Theatre Program

Hon. DMA ’14) is an accomplished triple threat and

of Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing

winner of the Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics

Arts. A former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet,

Circle, and many other awards.

he has enjoyed a multi-faceted career on Broadway as

JOSEPH JOUBERT* (BM ’79,

a performer, choreographer, and fight director.

BEBE NEUWIRTH* (Artistic Advisor) is

MM ’81) is a pianist, arranger, conductor, and

an actress, dancer, and singer. She is a two-time Tony

performed in New York City’s major concert halls.

and Emmy Award winner.

MICHAEL KERKER* is Vice President,

TED CHAPIN* is President and Executive

Broadway orchestrator and musical director who has

Musical Theatre & Cabaret at ASCAP, where, among

Director of Rodgers & Hammerstein: An Imagem

other things, he coordinates ASCAP and Disney/

Company and has spearheaded over 20 award-

ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshops.

winning Broadway and London revivals.

GRACIELA DANIELE, elected to

JOAN LADER* has worked as a voice therapist and teacher in private practice for more than

the American Theatre Hall of Fame, is a dancer,

30 years, working with leading singers and actors from

choreographer, and theatre director with 19 Tony and

Broadway, film, opera, R&B, rap, and rock.

Drama Desk nominations.

CHRISTINE EBERSOLE is an

NORM LEWIS is a singer and actor with a long list of leading roles on Broadway, including

actress and singer who has enjoyed many leading

a Tony-nominated performance opposite Audra

roles on stage, film, and television. She has won two

McDonald in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess.

Tony Awards.

JULES FISHER is a celebrated Broadway

JOSE LLANA (’95) is a Drama Desk Awardwinning singer and actor with a wide range of roles

lighting designer and producer, who has won nine

to his credit, including, most recently, opposite Kelli

Tony Awards for Lighting Design.

O’Hara in the Tony-winning revival of The King and I.

SETH D. GELBLUM* (Co-Chair) is

MARIN MAZZIE is a three-time Tony

Chair, Theater, at Loeb & Loeb and was named to Thomson Reuters’ list of the Top 100 Super Lawyers.

He specializes in theatre, television, and film.

TIMES SQUARE/THEATRE DISTRICT

Award nominee, a singer and actress who has starred in numerous Broadway and West End productions.

JAMES NAUGHTON is an actor, singer, and director who won Tony Awards for his roles in City of Angels and Chicago.

KELLI O’HARA is an acclaimed singer and actress, a six-time Tony Award nominee who won the award for her performance in the Lincoln Center Theater revival of The King and I.

RON RAINES* is a singer, actor, voice teacher, and frequent MSM Master Class artist.

He is a Tony and Emmy Award nominee with a distinguished history of leading roles in musical theatre, opera, and on television.

THOMAS SCHUMACHER is President, Disney Theatrical Group, where he oversees the development, creation, and execution of all Disney live entertainment around the globe.

SUSAN STROMAN* is a director, choreographer, and performer who has won five Tony Awards, five Drama Desk Awards, and eight Outer Critics Circle Awards.

TOMMY TUNE is a nine-time Tony Awardwinning dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, director, and producer. In 2015, he was awarded a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

*STEERING COMMITTEE

“I AM PROUD TO BE PART OF THIS NEW PROGRAM’S ARTISTIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND LOOK

FORWARD TO WATCHING FUTURE GENERATIONS OF BROADWAY TALENT COME OF AGE AT MSM.”

– NORM LEWIS, TONY AWARD NOMINEE

2016–17 Launching in fall 2016, Manhattan School of

and workshops taught by guest instructors from

Music’s first-ever Musical Theatre Program gives

Broadway’s highest ranks, as well as a core of

students a fully rounded foundation in musical

humanities courses, providing students with a fully

theatre technique, while also offering courses in

accredited Bachelor’s degree.

musical theatre repertoire and history, drama study

The culmination of the degree program is a high-

and analysis, and technical production training.

profile Senior Showcase, which will be attended by an

The program also offers a series of master classes

invited guest list of New York theatre professionals.

FOUR-YEAR OVERVIEW Voice Lessons

8 semesters

Acting

6 semesters

Diction/Speech

4 semesters

MT Acting

8 semesters

MT Ensemble

8 semesters

Stage Makeup

1 semester

Humanities

6 semesters

Acting for the Camera

2 semesters

Music Theory

2 semesters

Audition Techniques/MT Business 2 semesters

MT History

4 semesters

Technical Production

2 semesters

Dance/Ballet

4 semesters

Choir

1 semester

Dance/Jazz

6 semesters

Stage Combat

2 semesters

Dance/Tap

4 semesters

Entrepreneurship

1 semester

Dance/MT

1 semester

Script Analysis

1 semester

Conditioning

1 semester

Intro to Prof. Theatre

1 semester

Piano

2 semesters

Intro to Tech. Theatre

1 semester

“MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC WILL SOON CELEBRATE ITS 100TH BIRTHDAY, AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO GEAR UP FOR THAT MOMENTOUS OCCASION THAN WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS NEW PROGRAM? BREAK A LEG, MSM!” – KELLI O’HARA, TONY AWARD WINNER

SAKURA PARK IN MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, ADJACENT TO MSM

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

AUDITION REQUIREMENTS

A completed application, headshot, resume,

Applicants must audition live; no recorded

transcript(s), and two letters of recommendation

auditions will be accepted. The singing/acting

are required to be submitted online for application

audition will last three-to-five minutes and include:

to the program. All Musical Theatre students will

• a one-minute monologue;

• 32 bars of a ballad; and

Dates & Deadlines) for details.

• 32 bars of an up-tempo song.

The Musical Theatre Program is well-suited to

Songs should be age appropriate and chosen

enthusiastic, highly motivated, collaborative

from the musical theatre repertoire. Auditioning

individuals who bring a strong sense of self to

students may also be asked to participate in a

the audition. It is recommended that prospective

vocal assessment, lasting up to 15 minutes, with

students use the audition process to shine a

an individual faculty member.

light on themselves as individuals, and not try to

Auditions will include a dance call lasting

conform to a hypothetical idea of who they think

approximately one hour. Clothing should allow for

the audition panel will want to see. This program

ease of movement but not be too loose-fitting.

is designed to nurture performers who are unique

Character or jazz shoes should be worn.

and yet know how to “play well with others”; the

For specific details regarding MSM Audition Week,

begin as freshmen and attend MSM for four years.

See MSMNYC.EDU/APPLICATIONS (Application,

concept of theatre as a collaborative art form will be stressed throughout the four years of training.

as well as dates and locations of regional auditions*, please consult MSMNYC.EDU/ADMISSIONS.

*For regional auditions, please prepare 32 bars of two contrasting songs from the musical theatre repertoire and one 1-minute monologue. Please bring recorded accompaniment to the regional auditions (a playback device that supports CDs or digital media will be provided).

2016–17 LUIS PEREZ (Introduction to Acting for

ANDREW GERLE (Music Theory) is a

Musical Theatre; Introduction to Professional Theatre;

composer, playwright, pianist, and educator. Among

Ballet; Showcase Director) is Associate Dean and Chair

other honors, he is the recipient of a Kleban Award for

of MSM’s Musical Theatre Program. He is Former

Outstanding Librettist, a Richard Rodgers Award, and

Director of the Musical Theatre Program of Roosevelt

the first Burton Lane Fellowship for Young Composers

University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. A

from the Theatre Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.

former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, he has enjoyed a multi-faceted career on Broadway as a

ANDREA GREEN (Private Voice) is a skilled

performer, choreographer, and fight director.

vocal technician, singer, and musician with one of

CLAUDIA CATANIA (Private Voice) has

the busiest private voice practices in New York City.

appeared in over 22 roles at the Metropolitan Opera,

Broadway’s biggest shows, including Hamilton, Kinky

and on Broadway and regionally in The Most Happy

Boots, Fun Home, Matilda, Book of Mormon, Something

Fella, The King and I, South Pacific, Titanic, and

Rotten, The King and I, The Lion King, and Wicked.

with Zero Mostel in Fiddler on the Roof. She is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Westminster College

J. JARED JANAS (Makeup) is a wig, hair,

of the Arts and at the Mannes School of Music, and

and makeup designer for theatre, TV, and film. His

teaches Singing for Actors at the American Academy

Broadway designs and consultations include The Visit,

of Dramatic Arts.

The Real Thing, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, The

JUDITH CLURMAN (Ensemble Voice,

Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Motown the Musical, Peter

Private Voice) is an Emmy- and Grammy-nominated conductor, vocal educator, and choral specialist.

DAVID LOUD (Musical Director) is a

She conducts Essential Voices USA, collaborates

distinguished Broadway musical director and vocal

with the New York Pops on the iconic institution’s

arranger. His Broadway credits include The Visit, The

Carnegie Hall subscription series, and maintains an

Scottsboro Boys, Sondheim on Sondheim, Curtains,

active vocal studio.

Ragtime, Steel Pier, Sweeney Todd, Company, and The

CATHERINE COX (Script Analysis) is

Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. He has served on the faculty

a Tony Award-nominated and Drama Desk Awardwinning actress and educator. Her Broadway credits

SUE MAKKOO (Costume Design) is a

include leading roles in Oh, Coward!, Footloose,

designer and costume director whose 25-year career

Baby, Rumors, Music Is, Whoopee!, Barnum, and

has taken her from the international fashion industry

One Night Stand. She is an adjunct professor for the

to Broadway. She has spent the past 11 years at the

Drama Department at Queens College and has taught

Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse developing

musical theatre performance for many years at the

new shows and participating in sending many of

American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

them to Broadway. She is a frequent lecturer at the

Her students are currently performing in several of

and the Starcatcher, All About Me, and Next to Normal.

of the Yale School of Drama and Fordham University.

University of California, San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance MFA program.

RIVERSIDE PARK IN MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, ADJACENT TO MSM

JOAN MELTON (Speech), an Associate

LAURA SAMETZ (Fundamentals of Acting)

Artist with New York Classical Theatre and the author

coaches young actors who come from all disciplines,

of three groundbreaking voice textbooks, is a pioneer

including opera, musical theatre, and dance. As a

in the integration of singing techniques and voice/

teacher, she stresses the importance of the written text

movement training for the actor.

and story. An actress herself, with numerous New York

ANDREW PARKS (Private Voice) is

theatre credits, she has developed a technique that

an actor, singer, and teacher with over 20 years’

true to the written word.

experience on musical theatre and light opera stages.

He is a former faculty member of California State

SCOTT STAUFFER (Sound Design)

University, Fullerton, with appointments in both the

has been sound designer and engineer for over 25

Theatre and Music departments, and Pacific Lutheran

Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, and has

University. His students appear on Broadway, in

been sound designer for Lincoln Center’s American

national tours, and at the Metropolitan Opera.

Songbook Series since 1999.

helps students discover their own voices while staying

TINA PAUL (Introduction to Acting for Musical Theatre) is an actress, dancer, director, and choreographer with over 25 years of Broadway experience. Her teaching experience includes nine years at Roosevelt University’s College of Performing Arts, numerous New York City studios, and a ground-breaking tenure bringing contemporary ballet, jazz, modern, and tap styles to China’s Academy of Dance in Beijing.

“DRAWING FROM ALL NEW YORK CITY HAS TO OFFER, MSM IS COMMITTED TO

DEEPENING AND ENRICHING THE NEXT GENERATION OF MUSICAL THEATRE ARTISTS. MUSICAL THEATRE IS A DISCIPLINE THAT HAS A TRADITION OF BEING PASSED DOWN FROM PERSON TO PERSON, FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT. FROM ITS PERCH ON (UPPER) BROADWAY, MSM IS PLAYING A KEY ROLE IN THAT TRADITION.” – LUIS PEREZ, ASSOCIATE DEAN AND CHAIR, MUSICAL THEATRE PROGRAM

Manhattan School of Music