Musical Theatre I

You will be preparing two full musical theatre songs to workshop in class. These should be contrasting songs containing useable “32-bar” (roughly one minute) cuts that you could actually use for an audition and, ideally, songs you have not workshopped previously. You will first prepare the full song to share and workshop in class, then use the class feedback to inform a performance of your 32-bar cut in an in-class “audition.” For auditions, you will be expected to identify a show for which your song would be an appropriate audition selection and come to class dressed appropriately for said audition. For each song, you will complete a PROSE sheet with three possible options, a Minding the Music worksheet, and one additional worksheet of your choice. Paperwork must be completed for you to work in class. Everyone is expected to be prepared to work on the first of the two workshopping days for a given song; participants will be invited to volunteer for a workshop order or will otherwise be selected at random.

• Contrast each other in some way - that might be mid-century vs. contemporary, ballad vs. up-tempo, dramatic vs. funny, etc. The bigger the contrast, the more of yourself you have a chance to share in an audition.
• Be able to pare down to a coherent 32-bar (one minute) cut.
• Be from a musical (as opposed to a pop song - there's another assignment for that!)
• Be sung by a character you would reasonably play. (We aren't working from character on these songs, but singing something way outside your playable range - a song for a character 60 years older than you, for example - risks making you look like you didn't do your homework when choosing audition materials. There are exceptions in real life, but we're sticking to this for class.)
• Be from a show that isn't currently on Broadway and hasn't been on Broadway for the last five years.

Your musical theatre songs probably should: 

• Be from an actual show, not a cabaret song by an MT composer.
• Be sung by a character who is communicating with another character in the context of the show (rather than just telling a story). 
• Not tend to appear on "overdone" lists (things from Les Miserables and Heathers and most of the song's you'd find in the various Singer's Musical Theatre Anthologies tend to get done a lot, which doesn't mean you can't do them, but does mean you should only do them if you're confident your take is different than the take of the other ten people singing it that day.)

How can you find music?

• Talk to Lusie! (Or, when you're not in a class, to folks who know you and also know musical theatre.) Other people can make you recommendations that can either help you find pieces you love or give you a starting point to branch out from.
• Spiral. Find a working MT performer who shares your vibe and see what shows they've been in and what pieces they've performed at cabarets and see if there's anything for you there. Then, see who else has been in those roles or sung those songs and see what else they've done. Alternatively, identify a role you're right for and see who's played it, then work out from there.
• Look for work by creative team. See what else your favorite creatives wrote, look for pieces on music websites like New Musical Theatre and MusicNotes. If your creative team's identities are important to you, you can Google for specifics and see who you find - for example, someone compiled this PDF of musicals by BIPOC composers and list of contemporary BIPOC MT composers. (Pro tip: if you find sheet music on a sheet music selling site, pop over to the composer's website and see if they sell music directly. It's often cheaper.)
• Look for work by plot or theme. If you know you want to tell a certain kind of story, Google "musicals about x" or "musical theatre songs about x" - you'll end up with all kinds of lists, Wikipedia articles, etc. 
• Use streaming services. Go to something with playlists and/or a radio feature like Pandora or Spotify. Look for things you already like and see what the algorithm shows you as similar. 

For each of your songs (unless indicated otherwise) you'll complete a PROSE sheet for three options, a Minding the Music worksheet, and another of your choosing. 

When choosing options for personalization work, consider:

• The people to whom you might sing should be people who really exist with whom you really have specific, textured relationships. 
• In the given circumstances you are imagining, you're singing to someone who is physically present and able to respond.
• Your selections should include goals that really move you with stakes you really care about.
• The people and relationships are real; it's up to you whether you're living in real or imagined given circumstances. (It isn't necessary, for example, to have really had the experience of trying to hint to your best friend who hates surprises that their parents are driving you all to their surprise party without tipping off their parents to choose to use that for a song; having a best friend who you know dislikes surprises is enough.)
• It's perfectly fine if the tone or flavor of the circumstances you're playing with don't line up with what's happening in the show as long as they're justified. 
• Don't use relationships or given circumstances that draw on unresolved trauma. 
• Give yourself a variety of options in your choices. It's less interesting to choose to sing a love song to three past romantic partners than to consider what it might look like to sing, for example, to a romantic partner, a family member or friend with whom you connect deeply, and one of those people who's a recurring character in your life who doesn't know you exist.
• If you know you're going to choose to work on something heavy, make a self-care plan for after you work.

Throughout the semester, you'll be listening to new-to-you musicals. These musicals should be stage musicals rather than soundtracks for film or made-for-television episodes. You'll read a summary of the musical (or the libretto if you can access it), listen to the full cast recording, and then log your listening here and plan a short report to share with the class. Pay attention to what other people have chosen and be in communication with each other about your selections, because each musical can only be reported on once.

You'll generally choose your own adventure here, but over the course of the semester you must listen to:

• at least one musical written before 1965
• at least one additional musical written before 1980
• a Jukebox musical
• a musical that was never performed on Broadway

In class, you'll verbally offer a brief summary of the musical (when and where it was performed, the creative team, and a short synopsis of the plot, the musical style, and general tone) and your thoughts on it. You'll play a song or two or clips from a song or two that help us understand the musical's vibe. You should be prepared to answer questions. 

This is where you can find readings for class, as well as other potentially useful resources.

Audition Music Preparation

• If singing from your book, pages should be hole punched in binder or in matte sheet protectors.
• If singing from your book, make sure page turns are coherent and stops/starts are clearly marked.
• Make sure sheet music is in correct key and that all piano parts are clearly visible.
• Highlight key changes.
• 16- or 32-bar cuts can be mounted on a folder with no page turns.
• Clearly mark any cuts or cut and paste sheet music to show only what you're singing.
• Clearly mark how you would like your cut to start and end.
• If doing monologue first, write the last line of your monologue.

In the Audition

• Be pleasant to the accompanist. 
• Set your tempo by quietly singing your song.
• Give very clear instructions about how they'll know you're ready to start; it's best to avoid having to look at them and nod.

This is where you'll be able to find instructions and submission portals for the various reflections throughout the term.