MTI 2025 SCHEDULE coming soon!
OPEN JAR INSTITUTE’S GUEST ARTIST CORREY WEST IS BACK!
Correy West is a native of Dallas Texas and attended Northwestern State University. His credits include: Broadway- Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations (Imperial Theatre), Nice Work If You Can Get It (Imperial Theatre), South Pacific (Lincoln Center); National Tours- Love Never Dies (1st National-US Premiere), Anything Goes (1st National), 42nd Street, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Chicago/Toronto); NY Theatre- The Ballad of Johnny and June (Workshop- Des McANuff), The Right Girl (Workshop- Susan Stroman), The Gay Divorcee (Workshop- Jeff Whiting), Showboat (NY Philharmonic/Live from Lincoln Center), Lunch (NYMF), An Evening With Jason Robert Brown (The Cooper Union); Regional Credits Include- American Prophet (Arena Stage Company), Oliver (Virginia Stage Company), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Arkansas Rep Theatre), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Capital Rep Theatre), Shrek (NSMT).
Overview
Musical Theatre Intensive
Region 8 is thrilled to offer the Musical Theatre Initiative and Cabaret at Conference 57! (formerly “festival”)
The goal of the Initiative and Cabaret is to celebrate and recognize outstanding musical theatre students within Region 8 and offer educational opportunities for working with musical theatre professionals. Selected performers will participate in a cabaret performance to be held at the end of the week at the awards ceremony.
KCACTF MTI Fellowship Program
National Program Description
The National KCACTF Musical Theatre Fellowship program is designed to celebrate, recognize, and foster outstanding musical theatre students from colleges and universities throughout the nation. The National Musical Theatre Fellowship cohort will be comprised of at least one student selected from each of the eight regional festivals. Selected students will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the KCACTF National Festival at the Kennedy Center to participate in the Musical Theatre Intensive Fellowship. The curriculum is designed and led by KCACTF representatives and D.C. Theatre professionals.
The National Fellowship will include, but is not limited to:
- Experiential singing, dance, and acting workshops and master classes with D.C. and national artists
- Panel Discussions with professional Musical Theatre performers, directors, and musicians
- Individual coaching sessions
- Attendance of D.C. area professional musical theatre productions
- Participation in a group number performance
- Showcase of solo performance and group numbers as a part of the National Festival’s Irene Ryan and Musical Theatre Fellow Showcase.
Applicants for the Musical Theatre Intensive Fellowship are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Singing ability
- Stage presence
- Demonstrated mastery of an expressive vocal and physical instrument
- Ability to urgently pursue strong, clear objectives through song
- Ability to make varied, specific, and bold acting choices while singing
- Coachability
National Awards
One or more students from the National Musical Theatre Fellowship Cohort will receive an all-expenses paid scholarship to the Open Jar Institute Summer Intensive – five days of high-intensity workshops in acting, singing, dance, and audition technique – all taught by Broadway professionals. Additional awards may be offered in the future.
Regional Programs
Musical Theatre Intensive programming may vary from Region to Region, but all Regions will invite Guest Artists (possibly including a rep from Open Jar) or Faculty from outside their Region to serve as selectors who will use the above criteria to determine which student(s) will represent their Region at the National Musical Theatre Intensive Fellowship. Regional programming may include any or all of the following:
- Preliminary Round of MTI Auditions
- Semi-Final Round of MTI Auditions
- Final Round of MTI Auditions
- MTI Cabaret and/or Final Public Showcase
- Dance Auditions and Dance Showcase
- MTI Coaching Sessions from Guest Artists
- MTI Feedback Sessions
MTI Information
● Participation is open to all students.
● Every student who participates receives feedback for each round.
● In-person feedback is preferred.
● Preliminary round takes place live at the conference a.k.a. festival (strongly encouraged but understood based on scheduling and circumstances).
● Strongly suggested to use live piano accompaniment if possible.
● Material may come from the musical theatre canon or musical theatre-adjacent.
● Prelim round: one 90 second cut
● Semi-Final round (optional): two cuts up to 4 minutes
● Final round: one of those full songs.
● Must provide coaching to finalists, logistics are up to each region.
● Strongly suggested to provide different selectors at each round.
● Strongly suggested to provide an opportunity for a final performance of packages; logistics are up to each region.
● Dance is not a requirement for MTI.
● Each Region would host an OJI rep who would:
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- Serve as a member of the selection team in at least final round.
- Offer at least one workshop.
- If a coaching workshop is offered the OJI rep is one of the coaches.
MTI Region 8 – Participation and Application Information
There are two ways to participate in the Region 8 Musical Theatre Initiative
- Audition for the MTI Singing Cabaret
- Audition for the MTI Dance Showcase
Students may audition for one, or both events. If selected, students may participate in one or both events. Students selected to participate will come together to present their work in the Musical Theatre Cabaret and Dance Showcase performance on Thursday evening at the conference (festival).
Selection Criteria for Singing Performers
- Ability to play urgent, strong, and clear objectives as an actor throughout the song. Students must create an arc to the song(s) in terms of believability and storytelling, with a clear beginning, middle, and ending.
- Ability to make varied, specific, and bold acting and singing choices, which are expressed throughout the performance lyrically and musically.
- Ability to perform the song with vocal excellence, exhibiting a healthy and varied vocal instrument through which the student makes varied, informed musical choices that add texture and layers to their overall performance. Must exhibit a strong understanding of the lyrics and orchestrations; musicality is strongly considered.
- Ability to physically connect to the song, making strong, motivated, and varied choices expressing their character fully physically as well as emotionally.
Students display strong physical movement that is connected and informed by the given circumstances, music, and lyrics of the selection (if choreography or movement is utilized).
MTI Singing Event Details
We encourage all actors/singers to showcase their work. This will be a solo, audition-style intensive. Please see the guidelines for entry below.
The process for this event will work as follows:
- Any KCACTF-eligible student may audition with the certification of a faculty member from their college or university. All entries must be solos.
- You must complete an Intent to Participate Form by 5:00pm (PST) Monday, January 27, 2025.
- Participants will present their 32-bar (90 second) cut of a song in the preliminary round in person.
- From the Preliminary round, musical theatre guest artists will select students to advance to the semi-final audition in person.
- For the Semifinal round, you will present two contrasting cuts of songs (the time limit is up to 4 minutes). Your time will begin after you slate.
- From the semi-finalists, guest artists will select a group of finalists who will be showcased in the Musical Theatre Initiative Cabaret to be held at the end of the week.
- Finalists will present a full song from their semifinalist round. The Musical Theatre Initiative finalists will also work with a guest artist on their material during a coaching session before the cabaret performance.
- Internal cutting is permitted, as long as cuts are clearly marked.
- All selections at the festival must be performed with live piano accompaniment. A pianist will be provided. All music must be clearly marked and performance ready. Limited time will be given for explanation prior to the audition.
- Students must also bring a hard copy of their sheet music in the correct key, clearly marked with any accompanist notes, and not cutting off any necessary bass line notes, key signatures, or other musical markings, in a binder. No reflective sheet protectors, please.
- There will be a response session during the festival for those not invited to participate in the Cabaret.
Song Selection Criteria:
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- The preliminary song may be from a musical, revue, or song cycle. Your song cut for the preliminary round should not exceed 90 seconds.
- If you are selected to continue to the semi-final round, you will be asked to sing two contrasting songs not to exceed 4 minutes.
- The Semifinal round can include a song from the “pop” genre. For our purposes, “pop” songs may include but are not limited to pop, rock, country, rap, bluegrass, folk, jazz, etc. These songs can be considered Musical Theatre Adjacent. Selection criteria will be the same no matter which song genre you perform.
- Finalists may select which song (from the semi-final auditions) they would like to perform for the Musical Theatre Initiative Cabaret. Your full song for the final performance should not exceed 4 minutes in length.
MTI Dance Details
The Musical Theatre Initiative Dance event gives students a chance to learn and perform choreography taught by a guest artist. Selected dancers will perform in an ensemble dance number at the Musical Theatre Cabaret.
The process for this event will work as follows:
- Each participant MUST fill out an intent to participate form by 5:00pm (PST) Monday, January 27th, 2025 5:00pm (PST). Walk-ins at the conference will not be allowed.
- Any KCACTF-eligible student may audition with the certification of a faculty member from their college or university. Students should have intermediate to advanced experience in musical theatre dance styles for a successful audition.
- Auditions will be held on the Tuesday morning of the festival week.
- Auditioners will be taught a short musical theatre dance combination. Dance finalists will be announced later that evening.
- Then, the finalists will rehearse the entire number and perform it at the Cabaret performance at the end of the week.
- Students must wear proper dance attire for the audition. No baggy pants or t-shirts. For the performance, students will be asked to wear all-black dance clothes. Please bring appropriate dance attire with you to the festival.
- General feedback will be provided during the audition.
To audition for the Musical Theatre Initiative Singing and/or Dance Audition, please complete the form below in its entirety. Note that on the form, required fields are marked and must be completed to submit. Submissions will only be accepted until 5:00pm (PST)Monday, January 27, 2025.
Contact Details
MTI Region 8 Coordinator –Sarah Ripper [email protected]
Remember: to participate in this event, you must also register for the conference (festival)