Previous Posts
MARCH 2010 – AN ANNIVERSARY OF AN ANNIVERSARY As I write this column, I’m filled with warm thoughts of the graduates, for exactly one year ago we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of our Department. It was a weekend of memories that culminated with a 3-and-a-half hour concert filled with musical numbers and guest speakers, punctuated by almost non-stop applause, laughter and indeed, occasional tears. Any program which ends Act I with “In My Own Lifetime,” Act II with “Make Our Garden Grow,” and jumps from LOVE LIFE to RENT to THE WIZ to SHE LOVES ME along the way, and then features Jerry DePuit accompanying “Time After Time…..” Well, it’s simply destined to become legendary (if it hasn’t already!). I hope that all of you have been able to get a copy of the picture-filled Anniversary souvenir book – a few copies are still available by contacting Rosalind Martin in the Department office, at rpmartin@umich.edu A TOAST TO HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS The Musical Theatre Department is finally winding down the auditions for the year. A record number of high school seniors applied this year, much to our surprise. We actually scheduled fewer audition days, thinking that the current economy would reduce the number of applicants. Well, we missed the boat on that prediction, and on some days had over 70 people to see. That’s a huge number when you consider that we’re determining whom to invite here for the next 4 years. We’re now finalizing the list of admitted students, and scholarships will be determined at the end of the week. Meanwhile, tuition creeps higher and higher, and surprisingly, the final amount isn’t announced until the summer, when everyone has already determined their plans and budgets. All I can say is, be glad that you’re not a senior in high school. OR, the parents of a high school senior! WINTER TERM EVENTS: AN OVERVIEW The last few months have been a whirlwind. Here are some of the highpoints: Our annual lab with Martin Katz. This year we gave Martin quite a gift: Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, and Adam Guettel, along with 5 marvelous seniors. He was in heaven ---- and so were we. The Collage Concert in Hill Auditorium. This year’s MT entry was “And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out)” from our fall production of EVITA. Junior Carlos Valdes and the rest of the company made an enormous impact, enhanced by Linda Goodrich’s staging and the music direction of Catherine Adams. A marvelous lab with casting director Jennifer Rudin, whose credits range from animated films like “The Princess and the Frog” to stage works like Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID. The annual Freshmen Revue with the Class of 2013 (I know, I know --- I can hear each of you saying, “I feel so old.”). As befitting their year of graduation, they opened the show with a Michigan version of Jason Robert Brown’s title song from THIRTEEN. Not only were all of the performances spectacular, but I challenge anyone anywhere to find a more receptive audience! (I’m surprised we weren’t arrested for disturbing the peace!). A return visit from casting director and teacher Dave Clemmons, who worked with sophomores, juniors and seniors on audition songs. MUSKET’S winter term musical MAN OF LA MANCHA, which featured choreography by junior James Tolbert and performances by MT majors. A master class in vocal coaching with former faculty member Grant Wenaus, who left Michigan 9 years ago for NYU, and we still miss him! A lab with sound designer/engineer Scott Stauffer, who discussed working with various elements of miking, and the relationship between actors and sound designers. Many of you may recall that Scott designed the sound for our Anniversary Concert last year. Scott is the designer for the American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center this season. LOST IN ANN ARBOR, our annual presentation by the seniors at the Kerrytown Concert House, featuring selections which were explored but ultimately deleted from our Senior Showcase repertoire (the title is taken from the LOST IN BOSTON albums, highlighting songs which were cut in their out-of-town tryouts). A lab with actor Tony Freeman, who, among his many credits, has totaled 6 years in THE LION KING, playing both Zazu and Scar. Tony came from Boston on his day off to work with the seniors on cold readings. A return visit from MT grad Todd Buonopane, who worked closely with the senior class, selecting repertoire for the Senior Showcase. Shakespeare’s ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL, Malcolm Tulip’s production of our studio play in the Arthur Miller Theatre. A question: How does Malcolm do it? With barely a month of rehearsals (interrupted by a mass migration by the cast to the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera auditions on tech weekend!), he annually leads the cast of these productions to imaginative, thought-provoking interpretations of plays that can challenge and confound actors twice the age of these undergraduates. With no budget, Malcolm focuses on the play and on the performances, always with results that amaze and astonish. Malcolm has inherited the Studio mantle from Philip Kerr, who guided these productions for years, again with challenging repertoire and memorable performances (and who remains on the faculty teaching and directing in other slots). RAGTIME, our Power Center musical, opens on April 15th, with Mark Madama and Cynthia Westphal at the helm. Rehearsals on this gigantic undertaking only began in the second week of March, interrupted by another pilgrimage, this time to St. Louis for the MUNY auditions. Speaking of RAGTIME, isn’t it time for some of you to visit Ann Arbor in the spring? This promises to be a phenomenal event, and would be well worth the trip. RAGTIME plays only 4 performances, from the 15th to the 18th, and very few tickets are still available. If you’d like to come, let me know, and I can help with getting seats. As I review all of these activities, taking place in just a couple months, along with daily classes and homework, I’m proud of what we accomplish in the course of a day. And I can’t help thinking, no wonder I’m always behind on my e-mail! ALL THE NEWS THAT’S FIT TO PRINT….. For news about the graduates, in addition to the postings on this website, visit on the web by clicking here. If you have information that isn’t posted, contact Marisa Meyer or me. Because this is a School of Music website, it’s not updated daily, but if you send us something, I guarantee that we’ll get it listed before long. MAY 11TH ---- SHOWCASE AND REUNION It’s not too early to highlight your calendars with May 11th, the date of our Senior Showcase in New York. Performances are at 3:00 pm and 6:30 pm at the Alvin Ailey Theatre on West 55th, and we certainly want to encourage graduates to attend. I’ll have detailed information available soon about making reservations. Later that evening, we’ll have our annual New York MT Graduates Reunion at the Marriott-Marquis Hotel in Times Square. It’s a Tuesday night, and things will get underway at about 8:15, so everyone will have plenty of time to catch up. NEW MEANING FOR THE WORD ‘FRIENDS’ At one time it was a monumentally successful television show, but long before that, it was (and continues to be) the name of our valuable donor group, The Friends of Musical Theatre. What an impact this group has on the education of the students! I should mention that our Department has no budget of its own. We are given supplies for teaching, and a set amount for productions (controlled by University Productions), and that’s it. All of the guests that were listed above, every performance of the Senior Showcase in New York, and scholarship support which is vital for us to attract the top applicants --- all of these are made possible by donors. Interestingly, over 5000 people annually see our Power Center musicals, raving about these for months and sometimes years, but our Friends group has barely 200 members. I’m not certain that people realize the importance of this group. Musical Theatre programs are springing up around the country, often with a funding base that considerably surpasses our own. This is not an especially lucrative time for arts support in Michigan. If you’ve ever considered giving support to our Department, now is a great time. I’ve always tried to stay out of the development component of our School because I don’t want to risk having this aspect seem to color my relationship with the graduates. However, as I think about it, my goal here is simple: Just to share information about the value of support. If this is something which you’d like to pursue, here’s a link for more information. Be sure to specify Friends of Musical Theatre in any correspondence or donations. A REMINDER WHICH IS WORTH REPEATING ‘ONE MORE LAST TIME…’ As this column and this website gain momentum, it’s important to me to thank Marisa Meyer again. She has diligently championed this marvelous site to fruition. We’re striving to make this of value to all of the graduates. (Is it working?) If you have news or suggestions, don’t hesitate to contact either of us: info@uofmmt.com As we celebrate the arrival of spring and prepare for Year 27, I send best wishes to all of you ---
DECEMBER 2009
– News of a very special lab... Remembering SEE ROCK CITY…. The annual dance
workshop… Plans for next semester….
HAPPY
HOLIDAYS!
As we think of friends and family at this
time of year, and celebrate beautiful memories, I’m reminded again of the
wonderful friendships that have developed over the last 26 years. I can’t
begin to tell you how grateful I am for the opportunity to have shared so many
extraordinary experiences with such special people. What a gift this has
been! And what better time for being in touch than in a season in which we
celebrate togetherness. Writing this
column is meaningful to me at any time of year, but I’m especially pleased this
month to take a moment to wish all of you a marvelous holiday season and great
happiness in the new year.
A TOAST TO
Not
only was SEE ROCK CITY a new musical, which makes it special enough, but it
also turned into a major ‘event’ because of the two independent casts (see last
month’s column for the details). In
fact, it was possible within the 2-show Saturday and Sunday schedule to see the
two casts in one day, and a number of
people took advantage of this unique opportunity. Seeing the same show interpreted in two
different ways was an unusual experience, especially with each so thoroughly
and beautifully realized. Perhaps this
was the most memorable for the actors themselves, who saw the other cast on the
final Sunday.
Brad
Alexander (music) and Adam Mathias (book and lyrics) were in town for the
performances and spent considerable time interacting with the cast
members. We had two talk-backs with the
writers and audience members, so that each cast could participate.
Several
days after the show closed, both casts reassembled with the 6-piece band in the
recording studio in the Duderstadt Center for an all-day session to make a cast
album. Once the recording is edited, I
hope that we can make it available so that all of you can hear this marvelous
score performed by these sensational students.
A
final word on the show: I want to
publicly thank Rachel Hoffman for alerting me to this script. She saw a workshop of the show last June in
New York, and contacted me afterwards, suggesting it as a suitable choice for
our studio musical. Interestingly, two
UM graduates were in this workshop, Stanley Bahorek and Jonathan Hammond. I should mention that I’m always on the
lookout for new scripts, and if any of you discover one that you think would be
good for us here at Michigan, be sure to let me know. Thanks to donors David and Joan Marshall, we
have funding for bringing the writers of new musicals to campus to work with
the students.
For
pictures of
If
you have information that isn’t posted, contact Marisa Meyer or me. Because this is a School of Music website,
it’s not updated daily, but if you send us something, I guarantee that we’ll
get it listed before long.
NOVEMBER 2009
– News of guests and master classes ... Remembering EVITA ... SEE ROCK CITY…. Student
Projects... and more…
Frank
Loesser wrote a classic song of the World War II years called “Spring Will Be a
Little Late This Year” and I thought that a good title for this month’s entry
would be “November Will be a Little Late This Year”! Though I intend to update this column at the
first of every month during the school year, keeping up with the activities of
80 undergraduates, along with classes and administrative work, doesn’t allow me
the flexibility in my schedule that I wish I had!
Our
fall production of EVITA in the Mendelssohn Theatre was a sell-out success. The show was in such demand, in fact, that
even the final dress rehearsal was nearly
sold out! You can see credits and production pictures by
visiting the site.
GRADUATES IN
Many
graduates have performed in Detroit this fall, and all have been able to visit
Ann Arbor. Cortney Wolfson and Alex Puette
were at the Fisher Theatre in the national tour of LEGALLY BLONDE. Jimmy Ludwig was at the Fox in the new musical
101 DALMATIONS directed by Jerry Zaks. And the national tour of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE
PRAIRIE is playing at the Fisher Theatre in December with no fewer than 4 UM
graduates: Kate Loprest, Lizzie
Klemperer, Jessica Hershberg, and Garen McRoberts.
AND IN
I
want to give special mention to the Broadway-bound new musical THE ADDAMS
FAMILY with a score by UM graduate Andrew Lippa, starring Nathan Lane and Bebe
Neuwirth. The show opens in Chicago on
December 9th at the Oriental Theatre. Fittingly, it began previews in November on
Friday the 13th! For more
information, click here.
And
for a feature story about Andrew and THE ADDAMS FAMILY, written by Bryan
Langlitz, a 2009 MT graduate, for the current issue of the Michigan Muse, click here.
AND ALL THE
PLACES IN BETWEEN…..
VISITORS TO
CAMPUS
This
has been a busy fall season for us, with numerous guests here on campus to speak
at labs, work with students in classes, or teach master classes. Highlights include the following:
Alan
Eisenberg,
the former Executive Director of Actors’ Equity (and a Michigan graduate!), and
John Connelly, the current Executive Director of Actors’ Equity,
Michael
Kirsten,
an agent with the Harden-Curtis Agency in New York City.
Jimmy
Ludwig
(mentioned above).
Lauren
Kennedy,
who was in the area to give 3 concerts in Kalamazoo, with music direction and
accompaniment by faculty member Catherine Walker Adams.
Brad
Alexander,
composer of SEE ROCK CITY (see below).
Mark
Esposito,
who choreographed EVITA.
And
last (but certainly not least!), Patti LuPone, who had a special
question-and-answer session with the MT senior class, sponsored by Bob and
Pearson Macek, and Ken Fischer, President of the University Musical
Society. Patti was in town for a concert
with pianist Joe Thalkin in Hill Auditorium and of course, all of the students
attended and were a very vocal audience!
She was actually here for an earlier concert many years ago, also in
Hill, and afterwards, she performed a memorable rendition of “Meadowlark” for a
select group of students at a private reception (a picture of her and the
students is included in the souvenir book from the Anniversary Concert). For a picture of Patti with the current
senior class, visit the photos section of this website.
A
WORD ABOUT THESE GUESTS: All of us,
students and faculty alike, are deeply grateful to the Friends of Musical
Theatre for making the visits by these guests possible. The contributions of this group truly
transform the educational opportunities we are able to give our students. (If any of you would like to know more about
the Friends, or to join the group, please contact Anna Sampson at asamps@umich.edu ).
SEE ROCK CITY: DECEMBER 10 - 13
Our
studio production in the Arthur Miller Theatre is the new musical SEE ROCK CITY
AND OTHER DESTINATIONS by Brad Alexander and Adam Mathias. The show is actually 6 short one-act
musicals, all taking place at different tourist locations. Though these stories seem unrelated at first
glance, they are all united by theme. ROCK CITY has been in development for several
years, winning two prestigious awards for new works: the Richard Rodgers Award and
the Jerry Bock Award.
How’s
this for a new approach to a production (even in 25 years, it’s one I’ve never
tried before): Because ROCK CITY is
largely 2 and 3-character scenes, and because of the extraordinary level of
talent within the Department, the production has been cast with two complete
sets of actors. The show is not ‘double
cast’ in the traditional sense. Both
casts have rehearsed independently (we call them the MAIZE and the BLUE casts!),
and until the final two performances, neither cast will have seen the work of
the other. Character interpretations and
staging choices are somewhat different in each production. My goal has been to give as many students an
opportunity as possible. ROCK CITY
originally called for a cast of 7, utilizing considerable doubling of the
roles. With the two casts and no
doubling, along with the addition of a 6-member ensemble, the Michigan
production has a cast of 32! None of the
students in ROCK CITY were in the cast of EVITA, so between the two productions
this fall, the vast majority of students has been active, to say the
least! (When Brad Alexander arrived to
speak with the cast and saw 32 student students ready to go, I’m sure he
thought that I had visions of becoming the next Cecil B. DeMille!)
For
any of you in the area, we’d love for you to see the show. It plays in the Arthur Miller Theatre from
December 10 – 13, with each cast featured in 3 performances. For information about specific times and
tickets, call the box office at 734-764-2538,
STUDENT
PROJECTS
With
80 ambitious and enterprising students in the Department, the number of
projects they undertake in one semester is truly astounding. A few highlights of the fall include:
*The
fall semester MUSKET production of HAIR, produced in the Power Center and
featuring many MT majors.
*An
original musical in Basement Arts with a score by juniors A.J. Holmes and
Carlos Valdez, and an enormous Facebook following.
*The
classic musical OKLAHOMA! at
A REMINDER
FROM LAST MONTH WHICH IS WORTH REPEATING
As we continue to welcome extremely talented students to the campus every year, the Department’s ability to attract the best students in the nation is largely due to our reputation. We don’t advertise, we don’t visit high schools throughout the country, and we don’t actively recruit ---not because we don’t want to, but because of the limited time of our faculty. (As you surely remember, it’s everything we can do to keep up with the 80 students who are here!) However, despite our limited interaction with high school students, you can help us. Every time you mention Michigan in a bio, especially in production playbills and in interviews, it’s gold in the bank for us. Prospective students scour these sources, and repeatedly tell us that their interest in our Department solidified when they learned of the activities of our graduates. PLEASE continue to keep Michigan in your bios. If ‘Graduate, University of Michigan Musical Theatre Department’ is too long for a bio (which I hear repeatedly), all you need to say is ‘BFA Michigan,’ and the message still works. This insures that the legacy you helped to create will stay strong for generations to come.
OCTOBER
2009 – The New Freshman Class ... Fall Production of EVITA ... 1st Tim
Millett Scholarship Recipient... Anniversary Concert Souvenir Book is
Still Available... and more…
Welcome to the launching of the MT Department Alumni Website. My
monthly column will feature news of our Department, written
specifically to keep the graduates informed about current activities at
the school. I’ll include updates about our productions, labs, guests, and events ---- anything that I think will be of interest. As the website continues to develop, if you’d like to share thoughts on anything you see here, I’d love to hear from you. As we say in classes, this is most definitely a ‘work in progress’! Let me express my gratitude to Marisa Meyer for initiating this inspired idea and for the great website design. If you have performance dates you’d like to add to the calendar, please feel free to contact Marisa at info@uofmmt.coM
Announcing the New Freshmen Class
Scholarship Concert
Master Class with Graduates
Our Department hosted a sensational master class in early September with
Department Studio Production
Anniversary Concert Souvenir Book
Our Anniversary reunion weekend in March was the ultimate event of events – one which indeed has already attained well-deserved legendary status. In addition to hosting a whirlwind 3 days of activities and memories, we produced a beautiful anniversary souvenir book celebrating 25 years of the Musical Theatre Department, with numerous photos and a history of the Department. These were distributed to all 4000 people who attended the Anniversary Concert, but for those of you who weren’t here, (or if you left yours at one of the many parties afterwards), we have extras, and would love to send you a copy. Just contact Rosalind Martin (rpmartin@umich.edu) in the Theatre/Musical Theatre Department Office in the
News of Graduates
Did you know that our Department website has a listing of current and recent activities of the graduates? It’s as up-to-date as I can make it, which is to say that omissions and inaccuracies are probably plentiful. Please send me any additions or corrections. This listing is especially useful to us for recruitment, and for donors. http://www.music.umich.edu/departments/mustheatre/alumni.htm
A Final Thought as We Embark on Year 26
As we continue to welcome extremely talented students to the campus every year, the Department’s ability to attract the best students in the nation is largely due to our reputation. We don’t advertise, we don’t visit high schools throughout the country, and we don’t actively recruit ---not because we don’t want to, but because of the limited time of our faculty. (As you surely remember, it’s everything we can do to keep up with the 80 students who are here!) However, despite our limited interaction with high school students, you can help us. Every time you mention
_______________________________________________________
