<p>Can anyone comment on recent SU alumni? Are they working? Where?</p>
<p>Hi Racmom.</p>
<p>My name is Mikey and I am a sophomore here at Shenandoah Conservatory. As far as Musical Theatre alumni, they are performing everywhere!</p>
<p>From last year's senior class (MT) of about 16 students, there are many showing off their talents in theatre all over.</p>
<p>*Sara Ruzicka is in the first national tour of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical"
*Emily Cara Portune is in the national tour of "Beehive: A 60s Musical"
*Mauricio Perez is playing the role of Juan in "Altar Boyz" that has played at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park & now playing at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
*Tara Michelle Newinsky is in the national tour of "Anne Frank the Musical"
*Joey Chancey has his own production company and is playing in the pit for "The Wedding Singer" national tour.
*Faith Boles is playing Pocahontas in a children's theatre touring company that is putting on "The True Story of Pocahontas"
*Vanessa Callahan is touring with Matt Davenport's "Broadway Review" show
*Michael Updike is working at the Bohemian Theatre Ensemble in Chicago
*Erin Aubrey Richardson is performing a one woman show at Universal Studios, Florida
*Amanda Pulcini is working at the Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster, PA
*Sharon Viola Patterson is on a children's tour of ""The Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe"
*Natalie Ness is in a tour right now of "A Christmas Carol" </p>
<p>All of these students have also performed in regional theatres during some of their summers also.</p>
<p>At Shenandoah, we have our own regional theatre company "Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre" and many of the Shenandoah students have been employed there as well.</p>
<p>So as you can see, we have a alumni working everywhere out in the world!
Other recent alumni our working:
*As the cat in the hat a national tour of "Seussical The Musical"
*Member of the Chicago Cast/National Tour of "The Color Purple"
*Member of the national tour of "Cats"
AND MORE and MORE I just haven't been here long enough to know. </p>
<p>But I hope this helps! :)</p>
<p>And, we just found out today that a boy in my class, Jim Rodriguez, has just been cast in the 1st National Tour of "Spring Awakening"!</p>
<p>Thanks. My daughter is trying to research schools and I'd like her to look at schools where the kids are getting out and getting some work. Your comments have been helpful. </p>
<p>I understand you have a new dean of the MT program. Have there been changes to the program? What do you like most/least about the program?</p>
<p>We don't have a new dean, we have a new chair of the musical theatre department. His name is Jonathan Flom and he came to our school from Lyndon State College. He recieved his BFA in Musical Theatre from Penn State and then obtained his MFA in Directing for the Musical Theatre Stage from Penn State also. </p>
<p>He is a fantastic guy and all of us students absolutley adore him. He is also in his late twenties so he can relate to the students very well and he knows how to talk to us. </p>
<p>Many changes have been happening to our program. We now have more classes being offered such as: Acting Through Song (basically sophomore song study), Business of the Business, CCM Vocal Class (dealing with all different techniques and styles of singing), and Stage Combat.</p>
<p>We also are going to have more workshops this yeat. We are continuing to have our "Journey of the Song" masterclass with heads of musical theatre departments/professionals from different schools. We are also hopefully having: a dance workshop with a member of A CHORUS LINE to teach the opening, a dance workshop with a member of HAIRSPRAY to teach a dance, we are having dance workshops for Jerome Robbins style and Fosse style, musical theatre workshops with Jason Robert Brown, Brian Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan!</p>
<p>Besides our usual productions every year (two musicals, two theatre for youth shows, two straight theatre shows, one opera and one musical theatre ensemble show, we are now adding a concert version of the musical AMOUR at the end of our school year.</p>
<p>We also have added an extra-curricular program called "Playwright's Performance". Students can submit plays that they wrote, and a director gets chosen and a cast puts on that show all within a weeks time! WOW! It is going to be something very new and exciting to watch our students works being shown on the stage!</p>
<p>Things I like the most about our program: the friendly atmosphere!! Out of the schools I looked at I thought Shenandoah was the nicest atmosphere. I love the students so much here. We are always in support of one another and help each other out. My class is sooo close, and I absolutley love that. We have about 20 musical theatre majors of my class. 11 girls and 9 boys! The faculty is great at Shenandoah and I absolutley love our facilities! The conservatory if just beautiful and so nice to work in!</p>
<p>What I like the least: Not being in a city! GAH! I would have loved to have gone to a school in the city. Also, seniority is a big thing at Shenandoah. Not saying that you can't get cast as an underclassman (I was cast in my freshman year spring musical), but seniority is really big. The upperclassmen have better luck at being cast. But I bet you when I am an upperclassmen, I won't complain about that! :)</p>
<p>Hope this helps! :) If you have more questions, ask away! :)</p>
<p>thanks managy88</p>
<p>Anytime racmom! :)</p>
<p>Some updates:</p>
<p>*Mauricio Perez will be playing Juan in ALTAR BOYZ off-broadway starting on May 30th!
*Anthony Wayne is playing Richie in the National Tour of A CHORUS LINE!
*Sara Ruzicka was just cast as the understudy for Ms. Gultch/Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz National Tour!
*Joey Chancey will be touring with the National Tour of The Wizard of Oz playing the piano!</p>
<p>More recent updates:</p>
<p>*Ian Campayno has just been cast in the national tour of CATS!
*Gregory Michael Castoria has just been cast in FLAT STANLEY National Tour.
*Harold Perrineau has been playing Michael Dawson in the hit ABC show LOST! </p>
<p>"Perrineau starred on stage in Suzan Lori Parks' 2001 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Topdog/Underdog, for which he won an NAACP Image Award. On the big screen he was most recently seen in 28 Weeks Later, and was featured in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, as well as in The Best Man, opposite Taye Diggs and Nia Long. For that role he received an Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Additionally, he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Rashid Cole in Wayne Wang's critically acclaimed Smoke.</p>
<p>Other feature film credits include Woman on Top, opposite Penelope Cruz, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, Lulu on the Bridge and Lee Tamahori's The Edge, opposite Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. He recently wrapped production on Felon, co-starring Val Kilmer, and Your Name Here, opposite Bill Pullman.</p>
<p>On television Perrineau played the wheelchair-bound Augustus Hill on Oz. His other television credits include a role in the TV movie An American Tempest, as well as guest appearances on ER, Law & Order and The Cosby Show."</p>
<p>-Thank you abc.com for this little bio. ;)</p>
<p>*David Fiorello just got cast as the music supervisor for the national tour of SWEENEY TODD and he will be understudying The Beadle and offstage instruments for Pirelli and Fogg!</p>
<p>*Ryan Bailey will be joining Ian Campayno as Gus/Growltiger in the national tour of CATS!</p>
<p>Kathy Voytko- Was Ellen in MISS SAIGON at The MUNY this summer. She was also in the concert version of SHOW BOAT at Carnegie Hall this summer. </p>
<p>J. Bobby Spencer- Is now in NEXT TO NORMAL in DC playing opposite of Alice Ripley. He just left JERSEY BOYS (original Nick Massi) and has a film coming out soon!</p>
<p>Gregg Goodbrod- Just finished playing Jesus in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Maine State Music Theatre and is now getting ready for ALL SHOOK UP at the Carousel Theatre in Akron, Ohio. He has also appeared on Broadway in Thoroughly Modern Millie. He was in City Center Encores! of APPLAUSE, TENDERLOIN, BROADWAY BASH, Carnegie Hall's SOUTH PACIFIC and Broadway Bares!</p>
<p>Garrett Long- SOUTH PACIFIC revival at Lincoln Center. Off-Broadway: The Spitfire Grill (Drama Desk nomination, Drama League honor). First national tour: Seussical (Gertrude McFuzz). Regional: She Loves Me (Amalia, the Guthrie), Shenandoah (Ann, Ford's Theatre), Of Thee I Sing (Mary, Paper Mill Playhouse), Cats (Grizabella, plus many more at the Music Theatre of Wichita), Guys and Dolls (Sarah, Cape Playhouse), Floyd Collins (Nellie, Signature Theatre), Just So (Kolo Kolo, North Shore). </p>
<p>Michael Crea and Justin Yllanes are in the Theatreworks tour of "If You Give a Pig a Pancake". Also, Michael Crea just got the national tour of SEUSSICAL through Theatreworks.</p>
<p>Jason Wooten- Just performed THE EXISTENTS a rock musical in North Carolina that he helped write with Douglas Crawford, Ty Taylor. The North Carolina concert featured Ty Taylor, Jason Wooten, Shoshana Bean, & Debby Holiday. The west coast premier last year featured Ty Taylor, Jason Wooten, Eden Espinosa, Carly Thomas Smith, Kyle Lowder, Debby Holiday and Douglas Crawford. He has also done Broadway :The Bob Dylan/Twyla Tharp production, The Times They Are A Changin'; The Rocky Horror Show Live! where he played Riff Raff, Eddie and Doctor Scott; Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon); Footloose (Bickle/Ren); and Dance of the Vampires. He recently starred as Galileo Figaro in the American premiere of We Will Rock You in Las Vegas.</p>
<p>Kathy Voytko- Was Ellen in MISS SAIGON at The MUNY this summer. She was also in the concert version of SHOW BOAT at Carnegie Hall this summer. </p>
<p>J. Bobby Spencer- Is now in NEXT TO NORMAL in DC playing opposite of Alice Ripley. He just left JERSEY BOYS (original Nick Massi) and has a film coming out soon!</p>
<p>Gregg Goodbrod- Just finished playing Jesus in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Maine State Music Theatre and is now getting ready for ALL SHOOK UP at the Carousel Theatre in Akron, Ohio. He has also appeared on Broadway in Thoroughly Modern Millie. He was in City Center Encores! of APPLAUSE, TENDERLOIN, BROADWAY BASH, Carnegie Hall's SOUTH PACIFIC and Broadway Bares!</p>
<p>Garrett Long- SOUTH PACIFIC revival at Lincoln Center. Off-Broadway: The Spitfire Grill (Drama Desk nomination, Drama League honor). First national tour: Seussical (Gertrude McFuzz). Regional: She Loves Me (Amalia, the Guthrie), Shenandoah (Ann, Ford's Theatre), Of Thee I Sing (Mary, Paper Mill Playhouse), Cats (Grizabella, plus many more at the Music Theatre of Wichita), Guys and Dolls (Sarah, Cape Playhouse), Floyd Collins (Nellie, Signature Theatre), Just So (Kolo Kolo, North Shore). </p>
<p>Michael Crea and Justin Yllanes are in the Theatreworks tour of "If You Give a Pig a Pancake". Also, Michael Crea just got the national tour of SEUSSICAL through Theatreworks.</p>
<p>Jason Wooten- Just performed THE EXISTENTS a rock musical in North Carolina that he helped write with Douglas Crawford, Ty Taylor. The North Carolina concert featured Ty Taylor, Jason Wooten, Shoshana Bean, & Debby Holiday. The west coast premier last year featured Ty Taylor, Jason Wooten, Eden Espinosa, Carly Thomas Smith, Kyle Lowder, Debby Holiday and Douglas Crawford. He has also done Broadway :The Bob Dylan/Twyla Tharp production, The Times They Are A Changin'; The Rocky Horror Show Live! where he played Riff Raff, Eddie and Doctor Scott; Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon); Footloose (Bickle/Ren); and Dance of the Vampires. He recently starred as Galileo Figaro in the American premiere of We Will Rock You in Las Vegas.</p>
<p>yaaay Mikey! He's so on top of things...keeping prospectives updated and such! :-P </p>
<p>(Mikey, this is Michael Ehlers, just so you know...) This website is amazing and Mikey is amazing for contributing to the Shenandoah threads! This school is so great and I'd love to answer questions as well for anyone who has any! I'm a freshman MT major this year...I love it. You will too.</p>
<p>:-)</p>