Not to date myself, but when I was coming up as an
aspiring singing actor, we had to get our training willy-nilly as
best we could. In college, I majored in
piano since classical singing held little appeal for me then. I took all my electives in the dance and
drama departments. In NYC after
graduation, I sought out further training in acting, weekly dance classes,
voice lessons, coachings and auditioning classes. I took a weekend seminar on The Business of
Singing, which taught me how to attract a manager or agent, how to do my taxes
(so important to know what you can deduct!!), and basically how to run the
business side of things. I haunted the
Lincoln Center Performing Arts library taking out scores and listening to
original cast recordings. I bought a
book about getting the right pictures and resume. I educated myself in MT history by seeing
shows and reading books about theatre artists of the past who interested
me. And most of all, I learned by
doing. I got a tremendous education by
actually working – and learned from colleagues, directors, friends, and the
experience of being “on the boards.”
Now that I am on the faculty of two college Musical
Theatre programs, I am sometimes jealous of all the training and information the
students get – seemingly handed to them on a silver platter and tied up in a
neat little bow! I’m embarrassed to say
that it wasn’t till I was past my teens that I even knew (no youtube or wikipedia
back then) that Richard Rodgers had a partner before Oscar Hammerstein
III! There was no course in Music
Theatre history. I didn’t really know
how to dress appropriately for my type at auditions. I didn’t know how to put together a viable
“book” of music. It was a lot of
trial and error!
You have a tremendous advantage. Yes, it was a great adventure when I was
coming up, but you are so much better prepared for the business than we
were. By the time you graduate, you will
not only have great training, but you’ll have a good, organized book,
professional pictures and resumes, have done at least one agent/casting
director showcase and have benefitted from the collective wisdom of all your
instructors, most of whom are professionals in the field. “I wish…”
Now I’m not saying that you MT majors should all be
abjectly grateful, nor am I saying it doesn’t still take real work on your
part. But I am strongly suggesting that
you really take advantage of all the
training and opportunities available to you in such a systematic way all under
one roof in your college years!
This doesn’t mean your learning is at an end once you’re
done with school of course. You will
continue to learn throughout your performing life – there is so much to know
and experience! But also be aware that
every year, newly minted MT graduates pour into NYC (“another hundred people
just got off of the train…”) who have a similarly polished level of training
and knowledge, so the whole playing field is at a higher level, and competition
is fierce. It’s up to you to figure out
how to stand out from the crowd, how to be a unique talent, how to reveal YOU
through all the skills. I can’t wait to
see how it all unfolds for you!
