January 2010 New York City Musical Theatre Training Intensive and Mock Auditions with Broadway Guest Artists (see attached brochure for details)

7 current UM Musical Theatre majors recently participated in an invited  3-day Musical Theatre Intensive in NYC  arranged by the Amy Murphy Studio. Ms. Murphy works with UM Musical Theatre students as a voice teacher and on audition repertory, and worked with UM Theatre Chair to include UM students and alumni in this event. Utilizing her industry contacts through voice coaching for Disney and her NYC studio, Ms. Murphy created a 3 day workshop for 22 students from various theatre programs including 7 UM theatre alums living in NYC.

The workshops were characterized as a "bridge" into the profession and everyone who participated was inspired to keep training, auditioning and pursuing new possibilities.

The participants took dance, voice and acting workshops with professional choreographers and dancers, casting directors, vocal coaches and performers with Broadway and national tour experience; and all students pursued opportunities for private coaching on their songs with the various guest artists.

In one workshop, they learned the current dance combination taught at dance auditions for the musicals SHREK and IN THE HEIGHTS--quickly as in a professional auditions--and then performed it for the choreographer in small groups.

Another highlight was their being taught a song from the upcoming Disney Broadway musical LEAP OF FAITH by Musical Director B-A Huffman.

They also had a session on self-marketing for actors and participated in two mock audition workshops: one with a director and choreographer who work extensively at summer theatres and the other with one of the casting directors from Networks Tours (HAIRSPRAY, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, HAIR, etc).

After both auditions, they received group and individual feedback on their work and various suggestions. On the practical level, they traveled to 3 different studios around the city and were able to observe the process of other professional auditions while waiting in the hall to come in for the mock auditions.

All UM students stayed with UM theatre alumni in the city, which helped with costs but also gave them a “real world” sense of  commuting to auditions and work in NYC by subway from Brooklyn and Queens.  They were able to see some theatre in the evenings and soak in the city; which provided a window into their future lives and careers after UM.

The intensive concluded  with a social get-together attended by all the guest artists.  We expect this to be an annual event in NYC and are exploring the possibility of a Los Angeles intensive too including TV/Film as well as musical theatre!