Over the last several years I’ve followed the threads on C.C. Musical Theater pages. During that time I did a lot of research for my daughter in order to find for her a summer program that would be a challenging experience where she would be gaining concrete skills in her chosen field. Needless to say, my daughter is now a senior and will spend this upcoming summer working and saving for whatever college MT program she gets accepted to (keep your fingers crossed!)
But in our years researching and attending summer programs (and so many are incredibly expensive – you really want to do your homework) there is one that stands out. It is the Musical Theater Lab at the Vineyard Arts Project run by Elizabeth Parkinson and Scott Wise.
My daughter first attended the week she turned 15. She was overwhelmed by the support, encouragement and instruction. They only accept 26 auditioned students – this is not a big program – and they really get to know your child. This program is an intensive. The kids are working from morning until night with Broadway professionals. They attend vocal technique classes with Joan Lader and Andrea Green. Dance classes taught by a variety of teachers such as Donald Byrd, Andrew Palermo, Lara Teeter and Scott or Elizabeth. Notable Broadway guest artists come and share their expertise. And it honestly becomes like a family.
My daughter has attended for the last three summers. The first and second year we received generous financial aid. The third year, my job changed and our finances changed and we sent her anyway because in her opinion this program has been the greatest experience of her childhood. It allowed her to get to know and see up close a professional couple making a very successful life in the theater. People she idolizes became real to her, and it made her feel that if she works incredibly hard and stays dedicated it is possible to make a life in this world. The teacher’s continue to be a part of her life. They send her facebook messages throughout the year when she is in a show or needs advice. This wasn’t just a summer program – it is a full on support system. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a competitive MT summer experience.
I did not know that Vineyard Arts offers a summer MT program. I’ve been there, however, because one summer my D was an artist in residence to develop a new musical she was working on at the time. I saw the workshop production there. She loved the people and the place and they are really dedicated to this field there. That leads me to believe that they bring in high quality artists for their educational programs as well.
@singoutloud thanks for sharing this. It sounds great and is a new program for me. i went to the website but cannot find the summer program info. Do you have a link? Thank you very much
Thanks for sharing!
www.musicaltheatrelab.com -this has info about the program, faculty and how to apply
My daughters did a dance theater program with Liz and Scott years ago for a couple of summers, not the same one as you, but I second how incredible they are!!! Simply cannot say enough about them!! Any program they run must be amazing!!! @singoutlouise
Cannot say enough about this program! The caliber of professionals that are working with the kids is amazing but the best part is that the support continues throughout the year. My daughter just attended Unifieds in NYC and she was asked about this program in almost every audition room. She reconnected with kids from the program and was able to audition for two of the wonderful people that she worked with at VAP…a wonderful experience!