<p>I see only one MT show scheduled this season: “How to Suceed in Business…” Does CMU only do one MT show per year or am I not looking at the right place on-line?</p>
<p>In terms of mainstage shows, I believe the answer is yes. But you have to understand that it is a small program and students can only audition and be in shows their junior and senior years and so this could mean being in one mainstage musical per year but that could be the case in some other school where there are more students and thus more musicals and you are in one that year (and perhaps a play or student run or directed show too or cabaret or at CMU, they have something called “Playground” with original works). BTW, at CMU, many MT students are cast in plays and also acting students are cast in musicals too. Remember, that CMU is a School of DRAMA and MT students gain a lot by being in plays and not just musicals.</p>
<p>Actually in my daughter’s current high school life we have also followed the one big show per year philosophy so she has time to be in dance class and grow her technique, unlike her theatre friends who go from show to show to show. Can freshmen & sophomores do straight plays if not musicals? Does CMU alternate the types of musicals every year? (such as a Phantom type one year and a Cabaret type another year). Thanks!</p>
<p>It is not as if CMU students do ONE show per year. I’m simply saying that their mainstage shows (which are not the ONLY production opportunity at most colleges anyway) has one musical. Perhaps a student in a given year is in the mainstage musical, a mainstage play, a cabaret revue, a student directed play, winter festival of new plays, and Playground (original works by students). </p>
<p>At CMU, you may not audition for or be in ANY productions the first two years. </p>
<p>Due to the above, I was saying that many juniors and seniors DO get cast because the program is small and there is room for many to be cast, when only a small number of juniors and seniors are vying for roles. </p>
<p>I don’t know if they alternate “types of musicals” but you could look up their production history or ask what shows they’ve done the past ten years. I would imagine great care goes into picking the shows and having a variety of experiences in that context. </p>
<p>I just looked at their archives of past seasons in the last ten years and musicals include: Urinetown, How to Succeed, Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Candide, Wild Party, Company, The Baker’s Wife, A Little Night Music, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. In my opinion, this is a very varied list within the genre of MT.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman MT at CMU. It is true that they do not audition for shows the first two years. However, they have plenty of opportunities to perform. In her first six weeks she has already performed for Mary Rogers (“Once Upon a Mattress” composer and daughter of Richard Rogers), a group of Hollywood big wigs including Steven Bochco, and others. At Parent’s Weekend last week the freshmen MTs were paired with senior MTs and each did a duet in a cabaret performance after a mainstage production of “The Grapes of Wrath.” She also is in rehearsals for a student-run dance showcase right now.</p>
<p>CMU’s program is extremely rigorous - much more so than my D thought it would be. She is so busy I think adding in a musical/play might put her over the edge right now! If your D wants a program that allows her to audition for and be in productions her freshman year, CMU is not the place. I will say, however, that my D is thrilled with the CMU program and is ecstatic to be there.</p>
<p>xatty, glad you posted. I find that many prospective students, when they hear a freshman can’t be in the shows, don’t want to apply. They don’t realize that there are many performance opportunities without full scale shows in the early college years and that the programs are so rigorous that adding the production schedule is tough for a freshman, let alone they often have to crew the shows. My D’s school did not allow freshmen to be in the shows but she was performing in many capacities that year anyway. When she was eventually in mainstage shows, she reflected that she could not have done that as a freshman and was glad for the policy. </p>
<p>But I understand how college applicants cannot imagine not being in a regular musical freshmen year at college, having been in them their entire lives. My D was as well but did not mind not being in a regular musical for 8 mos. that year (was in them during the summer anyway). But it is hard to convince some prospective students about what this is like in a BFA program!</p>
<p>This sounds great! Thanks Xatty for those details. I love the idea of the duets with the seniors. Do you have any more info about the dance showcase?</p>
<p>I’ll chime in here, as my D is choreographing a piece for “Dance Light”. It’s a collaboration between dancers and lighting, costume design and stage management students, and features a series of 3 minute original pieces. It will be performed on Friday and Saturday, the 23rd and 24th of January. If anyone has an audition slot for the 24th, they should check it out!</p>
<p>Regarding freshmen and sophomore performance opportunities: They perform in classes everyday, and are constantly preparing and rehearsing for them. My D could not imagine having time for a stage performance and rehearsals on top of the freshman and sophomore curriculum. Juniors and Seniors have it built into their schedules. It also seems that waiting to perform reduces competition at a time when students should be developing (and sometimes re-learning!) all the elements of their craft, and encourages bonding.</p>
<p>Xatty and/or mizlyn,
Were you in Pittsburgh last weekend? We went out for the Grapes of Wrath (my son is a junior actor) and watched the freshman/senior cabaret as well. Lots of fun.
One more note - freshmen can and do perform in Playground, the student produced shows. There are 40 or so shows - each half an hour to 45 minutes, over a three day period and they can be wildly creative and of a great variety. My son was also in Dance Light last year as a sophomore, as well as various cabarets in his singing for actors class. He has bonded strongly with several of the other actors, and they have formed their own troupe. I’m not sure they could have done that if they had been in shows from the start.</p>
<p>Pennmom – Yes, I was there. I thought Grapes was superb. I loved the cabaret - it was fun to see all the freshmen and their potential, but just as fun to see how polished the seniors are – gives me a glimpse into where my D will be in a few years.</p>
<p>We were on campus the prior weekend, because my D was in her first junior performance project. After 2 years of waiting and preparing, she was very happy and more than ready to be up there! (And we were more than ready to see her!) A very happy occasion for all of us…</p>
<p>But we just missed Grapes of Wrath - soooo bummed. I heard it was a beautiful performance.</p>
<p>pennmom, I can only hope that your son’s unique and wonderful troupe will have time to keep up with their original work, now that they’re juniors. They are one of the highlights of Playground - standing room only!</p>
<p>Mizlyn,
I hear the junior performance projects were also great. I wish we could see all the shows.
The troupe is continuing to meet and plan for this year’s Playground, although it’s been tough. The Grapes rehearsals were all consuming. But they have been getting together Sunday mornings (their only free time) and plan to spend some of their winter break working on this year’s show. Thanks for your comments.</p>
<p>pennmom - yes, you can see that the guys have a big fan! Good thing that Playground is in April this year…</p>
<p>Just to chime in, I know that the juniors and Seniors also are cast in the Grad students directing projects and the New plays by the Grad playwriting majors. My son directed his first year one act, and it was filled with MT majors. I saw it and I was blown away by the talent!</p>
<p>Mizlyn, I was at CMU this past weekend for the cabaret! Your daughter did an incredible job! So fun to watch! I hate that I missed jpp’s but my daughter asked me to come for the cabaret instead. I also heard Grapes of wrath was tremendous! Wish I could have seen it. Will be heading back in a few weeks though, for How to Succeed and then back again for the other junior cabaret. </p>
<p>I have to say that with all the performing that these kids get to do in their junior and senior years, I just can’t imagine them being able to keep up their freshman and sophomore class schedules AND perform too. My d is also doing 2 pieces for dancelight and she just doesn’t seem to have a break. CMU I think puts a very formulated plan in place to focus on getting these kids to their junior year to be able to take on all the performance opportunities that are there for them. </p>
<p>And playground is an incredible experience for all classes to perform! It’s running March 25-27th this year and I too, will be looking forward to the standing room only of pennmom son’s troupe!!! :)</p>
<p>Kaysmom, I’m glad you clarified the date for Playground. I have to start looking for some airline tickets…With all these performances coming up, I so wish that we lived close enough to see all of them. </p>
<p>And thank you! (Blush!) I was lucky enough to see a video of the performance, and can say that my daughter is really finding her “style” these days. Junior year really is a big payoff after all the preparation and guidance. I hear that the next junior cabaret will be held in the CLO Cabaret Theatre downtown.</p>