Overtures - The Casting Session

Ryan looks on as Allison audition.

People get nervous. This is a regular part of life. Day in and day out, people the world over fret and stress over a variety of things both of worth and of inconsequential value. It should be no surprise then that performers get nervous as well. 

Overtures students support one another
throughout the casting session.

Auditions can be terrifying. As a performer myself I know the stress and anxiety that goes into the preparation and over-analyzation of an audition and all it entails. There is just so much to think about and let yourself get caught up in. Am I prepared? Am I dressed appropriately? Do I have all of my headshots, resumes, and paperwork in order? Am I on time and in the right place? Are my monologues and songs memorized and in perfect order? Is my music binder neat and organized? Did the casting director like me? Was I too engaging? Did I not talk enough? Etc, etc, etc till you make yourself sick with worry.

Signature's Walter Ware II looks on
throughout the casting session.

Ashley receives a bit of feedback from
the casting panel.

The Overtures students got to experience a casting session yesterday and dealt with some of these minor worries and woes. (And made it through the session with smiles on their faces and knowledge to use in future auditions.) The session itself was made up of casting directors and producers from the DC area that included Alan Paul from The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Amelia Powell from Arena Stage, Danisha Crosby from Round House Theatre and our very own Walter Ware III.

Each and every Overtures student presented two 32 bar pieces and a short monologue to the casting panel and then received feedback on their performance, composure and how they presented themselves both on the stage and on paper. The advice was far ranging from student to student, but the lessons learned were invaluable. These talented young men and women essentially went before a, albeit supportive, firing squad of casting directors. They all presented themselves brilliantly and I am proud to have them represent Overtures this year.

This Saturday, June 28th is the final day of Overtures. With this final day comes the Overtures Showcase, where these 19 amazing people show off all of the training they have been through over the past two weeks. The performance begins at 11:00 AM in the MAX Theatre at Signature Theatre. Doors open at 10:30 AM. There will be a brief reception following the performance. The event is unticketed and free.

By Matt Strote

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Overtures - Eric Schaeffer

Eric looks on as Neil presents "Try Me" (She Loves Me)

Yesterday, the one, the only, the Artistic Director of Signature Theatre, Eric Schaeffer joined the Overtures students for the second of two master classes on musical theatre performance. We were so very lucky to have Eric with us as he has so much information and experience to pass on to these young performers as they start their careers.

Joe sings a cut of "I Could Be
In Love With Someone Like You"
(The Last Five Years)

Underneath Eric's leadership, Signature Theatre has won 90 Helen Hayes Awards and received 340 nominations for artistic excellence in theatre. Over the course of his career, Eric has directed over 80 productions at Signature and received 6 Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Direction and 28 nominations. Eric has directed over 80 productions at Signature Theatre and served as the Artistic Director of the Sondheim Celebration at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he directed Sunday in the Park with George, and Passion. He also directed Mame, First You Dream: the Music of Kander and Ebb, and Follies at the Kennedy Center. On Broadway, his productions include Putting it Together starring Carol Burnett, Glory Days, Million Dollar Quartet and the Tony-nominated Follies. In the West End/London, he directed The Witches of Eastwick and Million Dollar Quartet. He has also directed at the Mark Taper Forum, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage and Disneyland. He currently has productions of Million Dollar Quartet in Chicago, Las Vegas and on national tour. 

Leah presents "Passover" (Elegies)

This second master class with Eric was a relaxed and enjoyable experience for all. As the students presented cuts of songs they would be performing for an upcoming casting session, Eric interspersed words of wisdom and suggestions. Some of the most potent adjustments included things such as emotional vocal variation throughout a piece, visualization of whom you want to be singing a song to, and contextualizing an audition song. To Eric and other theatre heads around the DC metro area, one of the most important skills a performer can demonstrate is the ability to remain versatile throughout a performance / audition. As Eric stated, when you are auditioning for someone for the first time it is likely the first time they are seeing you. "The first time someone meets you is the only first impression you'll get to make on them." Therefore, it is best to leave a solid impression on those behind the casting table in regards to you. You want to be seen as flexible, supportive, and most importantly easy to work with.  

With another masterclass under their belts, the Overture students are one step closer to the Showcase this Saturday at 11:00 AM. We would love to extend an invitation to you, to see these brilliantly talented young men and women perform on the MAX Theatre stage. The performance is free and unticketed. Doors open at 10:30 AM.

Emily gets into her performance of "How 'Bout a Dance?" (Bonnie and Clyde)

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Overtures - NBC's Dean McFlicker

Dean McFlicker leads the Overtures
students in a camera performance exercise.

Yesterday, the Overtures students had the pleasure of getting to work with Dean McFlicker. Dean comes to Signature Theatre's Overtures Musical Theatre Institute from California where he is Vice President and Creative Director of NBC Entertainment Marketing. An award winning producer, director, and choreographer of countless productions, Dean has worked on and created campaigns for some of the most successful shows on television, including The Voice, America's Got Talent, ER, Law and Order, Smash, Heroes, The Apprentice, The West Wing, The Biggest Loser, and The Sound of Music. 

Dean McFlicker works with Allison
and Christina.

Having such a talented and valued member of the Hollywood executive scene join us here in Arlington was a delight for all involved. Throughout the day, Dean helped explain and explore the world of film and television, how it differs from the world of theatre, and how to best adapt one's skills to new platforms. This was one of the initial takeaways from Dean's time spent with us. 

Performers must be able to adapt and translate their skills to new mediums and avenues, particularly in this day and age where options are so varied and plentiful. The lines of entertainment are blurring and performers need to be ready to take the stage in whatever form it appears, whether it is a television show, movie, short film, web series, play, musical, one act, music video, awards show, television special, live event, etc.

After an in depth primer on the do's and don'ts of auditions in the world of film and television, Dean flipped a complete 180 and taught a brief dance routine to the students. After learning the steps the students were then taught how to play out for multiple cameras in a space. As they kicked, shimmied, and moved around to the music, Dean called out and changed their areas of focus quickly to different cameras, always keeping them on their toes. Keeping in time, focus and rhythm with several cameras around you is incredibly difficult, but if you can conquer that as a performer you can do anything.

Dean's time spent with the Overtures students was fantastic and we were so lucky to have him. Be sure to check Dean out on his Twitter and Instagram.

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeanMcFlicker
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/deanmcflicker

Half of the Overtures students strike their first pose in Dean's dance sequence.

We hope to see you at the Overtures Student Showcase, this Saturday, the 28th at 11 AM in the MAX Theatre. The event is free and unticketed. The doors open at 10:30 AM.

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Overtures - Singing with Tracy Lynn Olivera

Tracy Lynn Olivera demonstrates good vocal technique.

Private vocal sessions are a wonderful and necessary thing to have and receive as a student studying musical theatre and performance. This one-on-one time with a vocal instructor gives the student the chance to ask questions and focus on problem areas that they might not otherwise be noticing on their own. Here at Overtures, in addition to a litany of other classes, workshops and master classes, the students each receives several private voice sessions with Tracy Lynn Olivera. Tracy is a singer, actress and teacher based in the Washington, DC metro area and has appeared on the Signature Theatre stages in Gypsy, Crossing, Company, Brother Russia, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Les Miserables, Merrily We Roll Along,The Happy Time and Allegro. 

Adrianna presents "An English
Teacher" (Bye Bye Birdie) to Tracy and others.

Tracy comments on
students' performances.

We are thrilled to have Tracy teach with us at Overtures. With a long list of teaching experience and venues that include Catholic University, Theatre Lab, Adventure Theatre-MTC, Imagination Stage, and her very own basement (for private coaching), Tracy brings a plethora of experience to the students here at Signature. In both her private sessions and group vocal sessions, Tracy is a constant delight. Her relaxed attitude and knowledgeable musical mind make the students at ease and realize they are in the best hands when it comes to vocal educators.

In one of her most recent group vocal sessions, Tracy put the students through a gauntlet of exercises as they presented their showcase songs. Tracy's side coaching throughout their performances as well as her suggestions on song presetatin helped amazingly. Whether it was a simple physical adjustment or vocal intonation change, the suggestions and adjustments she made increased their performances greatly. 

Edward Simon listens as Tracy offers advice on his
performance of "You and Me (But Mostly Me)" (The Book of Mormon.)

 We are only five days away from the Overtures Showcase in the MAX here at Signature Theatre. (June 28th at 11 AM) The students still have several oppurtunities to squeeze as much information and knowledge out of Tracy as they can. You do not want to miss this performance this coming Saturday. 

The Overtures Showcase is free and open to the public. Doors open at 10:30AM. 

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Overtures - The Actor Auditions

Mitchell Hebert helps students adjust the pacing
and rhythm of their monologues. 

The Overtures students were back in action with acting professor Mitchell Hebert this past week to further explore the monologues they have been working and adjusting. In one of the most recent sessions, Mitchell helped the students visualize and find better and easier ways to get into and out of their monologues. (Physically, mentally, and emotionally.) This was quite difficult for some students, especially for those whose monologue topics were less than "light and fluffy". 

Mitchell Hebert gives students
the lowdown on auditions.

Visualization is meant to ground an actor in the world of their monologue. Exploring it as an exercise is meant to provide a good, solid base from which the actor can do good work and be truthful. As Mitchell walked the students through exercises, they explored their own imagined spaces where they felt real. They were to visualize a location where they could see, smell, head, taste, and touch all that they needed in regard to the world of their monologue. As Mitch stated, visualizing your environment provides you with "a basket to place yourself in during auditions".

As human beings, we cannot help but constantly think of "things" throughout the day. The same can be said when it comes to performing a monologue. A performer cannot walk into an audition completely empty and free of thoughts and opinions. This is fine. No one can think of nothing. Instead of attempting to think of completely nothing during an audition, performers need to acknowledge the thoughts and impulses they have and perform "little dances inside of themselves" as they go on to perform. What this boils down to is an acknowledgement of thoughts and feelings and a welcome acceptance of them as they course throughout ones self. The feelings should This honesty and awareness lead to much better performances and people overall in the grand dramatic scheme of things.

The Overtures class looks on as Mitchell Hebert offers suggestions to students in regards to monologue preparation. 

 We are fast approaching the final days of Overtures here at Signature and would love for you to see the talented students of ours in action. Please join us on June 28th at 11 AM in the MAX Theatre for a free student showcase of all of the talent Overtures has to offer. This collection of brilliant solos, duets and group songs by the talented Overtures class will no doubt leave you in awe. We hope to see you there.

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Overtures - Darius Smith

Darius Smith gracefully conducts and plays off of
the Overtures students.

We are entering the period in Overtures when it's time to start really buckling down. In a little over a week, the Overtures students will show off all they have learned in a showcase in Signature's MAX Theatre. The showcase will naturally feature solos from the roster of students but will also feature a slew of group numbers featuring the entire Overtures company. One of the most exciting aspects for the students is getting to work with Darius Smith in preparing these group numbers.

Adrianna and Christina run
through Next Story.

Darius Smith is the music director of Overtures and has premiered several different original works in the DC area.Some of these include The Snowy Day at Adventure Theatre and U.G.L.Y. at The Kennedy Center. Not new to the area and Signature, Darius has worked on both Dreamgirls and Defying Gravity at Signature. In addition to directing music around the DC metro area, Darius is also an educator and currently coordinates the musical theatre program at Howard University. 

This is Darius's second year as the music director of Overtures and he couldn't be more excited to work with all of the talented students that this year brings to the table. I recently sat down with Darius and the students as they ran through the three group numbers for the showcase. The songs include "Magic to Do" from Pippin, "Put On Your Sunday Clothes" from Hello, Dolly!, and "My Next Story" from Glory Days. This eclectic mix of massive group songs was a pleasure to watch in rehearsal as Darius instructed the students on the intricacies of each song. We are halfway through Overtures and the songs / performers / sequences are only going to get better as times goes on!

The Overtures Tenor and Bass section hard at work.

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Overtures - Workshop with Erika Shannon and Jen DeRosa

Jen DeRosa looks on as Erika Shannon
give physical adjustment suggestions
to students.

Yesterday, the Overtures students had the pleasure of spending a large portion of their day participating in a workshop with Erika Shannon and Jen DeRosa. What started out in the early part of the day as one of the most intense physical warm-ups any had experienced eventually led to a more relaxed and far less sweaty vocal workshop in the afternoon. As one student described the morning warm up / workout, "It was the most intense workout I've ever had. Definitely a lot more exhausting than any class or personal training session I have done at any gym before." Another student cried, "Why didn't you tell us to bring a spare shirt to move in? I didn't think I was going to be sweating this much today." All sweatiness and exhaustion aside, the morning warm-up session ended with tired smiles and energized bodies, exactly what Jen and Erika needed for the work they would do later that afternoon with the students. 

Allison takes note and adjusts her performance
of "You've Got Possiblities"

After a well deserved lunch break and stretching session, the Overtures students were back in the rehearsal room with Jen and Erika to focus on the performance side of things; both vocally and physically. Each student presented a short cut of one of their assigned songs to the instructors and was then given individual feedback. Some may think that only seeing 32 bars of a song is not enough to offer advice to improve ones performance. Those people would be wrong! For every student that presented a piece for the class, Jen and Erika had eclectic and useful advice to adjust physically and vocally to make their songs truly their own. Suggestions and adjustments varied greatly from barnyard animal noises, vocal centers, physical pressence / blocking, to even throwing words and objects around the room. No student was forgotten and none of the students will likely forget this unique workshop session.

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Overtures - Acting Out

Lawrence listens as Eitan describes
how an acting exercise made him feel.

By Matt Strote, Education Intern

With the first day of Overtures under our belts, it was time to really dive into the work with our second day of the program. I can only describe our second day as a whirlwind of activity. The Overtures students ran through nearly every type of class and workshop one might imagine in a musical theatre intensive in just one day. (It was a busy and varied day to say the least.) 

Starting off the day, bright and early, with a few intense hours of dance instruction with the talented Karma Camp, the students danced, shimmied and jumped their way around the room. Not even an hour later the students split up into their teams. With the rest of their team in tow, the students participated in group voice lessons with Tracy Lynn Olivera and their first acting intensive with Mitchell Hebert.  

Michell Hebert gives direction
to an Overtures student during
the first acting class.

Mitchell has long been a DC area performer and director. He was the 2014 Helen Hayes Award recipient for Outstanding Director of a Resident Production, as well as Outstanding Ensemble of a Resident Production for his work on Round House Theatre's Glengarry Glen Ross. Mitchell also received the 2012 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in After the Fall at Theatre J. Overtures is lucky enough to have Mitchell join us on several occasions throughout these two weeks.

The first session with Mitchell featured a slew of insightful experiences, exercises and helpful advice. What started out as a simple session on the nature of auditions, eventually turned into a discussion on actors being "actors", and how to best prepare and adjust oneself for an audition. (How to get in the proper mindset and physical state before you enter that big scary audition room.) I don't want to give away any secrets that might have been discussed in the room, but let's just say that there are more than a few secrets when it comes to relaxing and being audition ready. The students are very excited to have Mitch back soon to work monologues and additional actor readiness techniques.

Wrapping up an already busy day were individual musical coaching sessions with Signature provided accompanists as well as sessions on The Business of Show Business with Associate Artistic Director, Matt Gardiner. As we keep going through this exciting two week period with you via this blog we hope to excite you and interest you in joining us on the June 28th, when the Overtures students will take the stage in the Max Theatre at 11 am. The students will perform in a free final showcase, highlighting and showing off all of the work they have done over the past two weeks and that you have heard about here on the blog!

Mitchell and others watches as students present one minute introductions of themselves to the class.

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Overtures - Beginning With a Bang

Cristina is getting her steps down.

Signature Theatre's Musical Theatre Institute, Overtures got underway yesterday and is off to at stellar start. The program, dedicated to nurturing and training emerging musical theatre artists, will be running for the next two weeks. Over the course of the intensive the students will go through classes and special masterclasses in singing, dancing, acting and finding their place in the professional world of modern theatre.

Lawrence takes flight in dance class.

Our first day got off to an exciting and slightly nerve racking start as each student auditioned before their peers with selected songs by the faculty. After seeing and hearing some of these students for the first time during this "audition" let me just say that this is one of the most talented groups Overtures has had in a long while. (I am very excited to see where they end up following their two weeks here.) Once that initial hurdle of nerves and first impressions was over and past, the students got to enjoy a quick tour and info session with the dashingly handsome, talented, and intelligent Education Department at Signature. Rounding out the day the students were put through the ringer with a dance class with the talented Karma and Brianne Camp as well as a group music rehearsal with Darius Smith.

In the coming days we will be updating the blog to feature moments, classes, and quotes from the program that we found particularly interesting and fun. We hope to have you join us on June 28th, when the Overtures students will take the stage in the Max Theatre at 11 am to perform in a free final showcase, highlighting all of the work they have done over the past two weeks.

Ian's getting into it towards the end of class.

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Broadway, Here I Come

For two weeks, Alexandra, one of our amazing Overtures students, made daily note of her experiences here at Overtures. Here's her final entry! 

Signature Associate Artistic Director Matt Gardiner with the Overtures class of 2013.

Fourteen days ago, seventeen eager young artists stepped into the ARK at Signature Theatre for a first taste of what would be two exhausting and inspiring weeks. We recognized great talent in each other’s first few notes and were stunned by the grace and ease (and the drive to for that grace and ease) in the first dance class. We became fast friends and even stronger supporters, pushing each other to demand and achieve more. We learned from the best and were sponges to every suggestion, opinion, technique session, choreography phrase, posturing realignment, words of advice and encouragement.

Our final showcase this morning in front of a nearly full house in the MAX was the perfect Overtures capstone. Full of big, belted ballads, fast-footed choreography, and captivating performances, our company held nothing back. I couldn’t help but smile (and even start to tear up a little) knowing how hard we worked and how far we each had come. That troublesome double pirouette was not quite so scary. That lyric suddenly had so much more meaning than ever before. Those high notes were spot on. It was our closing number, “Song of Purple Summer” that truly gave me chills. There was a moment as we stepped downstage together that I could distinctly hear everyone in harmony - and I do not mean only musically. We were listening so intently to each other, our breaths in sync, our harmonies blending beautifully. It certainly had a least a few people in the audience reaching for their Kleenex.

It seems strange be writing this final blog entry in the middle of the afternoon instead of at 11 PM after a long day singing and dancing in the ARK and Zickler. It seems incomprehensible that tomorrow we will not all return to perform one last time together in the MAX. As I pour over my notes and listen to the recordings I took from work sessions and group music rehearsals, I am encouraged to think that it will not be long before we all see each other again – probably going together to support a fellow company member in their next show!

I cannot say enough was a true privilege it has been to learn from and work with such an amazing group of master artists, fellow company members, our intrepid education director and interns, and everyone in the Signature family. Their passion, determination, work ethic, love for musical theater and for our 2013 Overtures company has made these past two weeks an incomparable experience and one I doubt we will soon forget wherever our careers take us next. 

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Night Music

For two weeks, Alexandra, one of our amazing Overtures students, made daily note of her experiences here at Overtures. 

Friday, June 28 

As we near the end of a demanding, exhausting, encouraging, and uplifting two weeks, there are few words left that will not sound too nostalgic or cliché to describe what an incredible experience Overtures 2013 has been. Few words, but “Thank you!”

With final tech preparations wrapped for our company showcase tomorrow morning, individual exit interviews with our exceptional instructors, and a chance to make personal reflections on how far we have come these past two weeks and where we will go from here, this evening’s final rehearsal was one last chance to regroup as a company before tomorrow’s performance. With the venerable Darius Smith at the piano arranging a popular, Broadway-geek-anthem, on the fly, we took on a little jam of “Empire State (Part II)” by Alicia Keyes. In under two hours, we made some truly beautiful music together.

Just as there were glimmers of excitement two weeks ago when we met and sang together for the first time, I noticed flashes of enthusiasm, glints of admiration for and appreciate of each other, and sparks of real joy. Joy that we will no doubt share on stage in tomorrow morning’s final showcase of Overtures 2013. Yay us! We make art! 

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I Will Be Presenting...

Alexandra, one of our many talented Overtures students, has taken over our blog. Check back for daily updates and come to the Overtures showcase Saturday at 11 AM in Signature's MAX Theatre! 

Today was the day: auditions. Auditions are nothing new to the 17 members of the Overtures company. We auditioned to get into the program, after all! Many of us have lost track of the number of calls we have been seen at, let alone those we were not seen at, and we are sure to forget many more in our long careers. But today’s call with casting directors from Arena Stage, Olney Theatre Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company and, of course, Signature’s Matt Gardiner, certainly had our nerves on edge. Though the past two weeks have amply prepared us for today’s casting session, the inevitable jitters arose right on cue. But when the time came, we gave it our all.

There is a moment in a performance when the actor’s eyes widen slightly, their breath connects, the hair on the back of their neck rises in anticipation of that note they just recently discovered was in their range, and as the crisp clear sound of a perfect pitch meets the audience’s ears, a smile spreads across the actor’s face. There were many well-deserved smiles in today’s auditions.

We have spent the past two weeks intensely training for moments just like today – standing in front of casting directors and delivering a performance to remember in hopes of landing that gig and another chance to perform. We can second-guess material, we can over think an outfit and feel uncomfortable performing, or we can hold tight to the confidence we have gained and trust in the smart choices we have learned to make. Of course, it helps to have 16 other company members going through the exact same thing looking on with only admiration and support for all the work you have done!

As we shared dinner conversation after a long afternoon of auditions, it was so clear how much our company has grown to care for one another. Heartfelt congratulations and words of reassurance were not in short supply. Our work, all of our work, was and is something to be extremely proud of. With only one more day together and a final showcase Saturday morning, we will, no doubt, pass along many more good vibes and sentiments of affection. We have watched each other grow as students and artists, and I can only imagine how far we will all go in the very near future. Watch out!

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A Multi-Talented People Who Need People

For the next two weeks, Alexandra, one of our many talented Overtures students, is taking over our blog. Check back for daily updates and come to the Overtures showcase Saturday at 11 AM in Signature's MAX Theatre! 

Wednesday, June 26

We were never told that Overtures would be easy. We have come to expect the highs, the lows, the tears when our confidence waned and the moments of pure joy as we make new discoveries. Through it all, we have also come to create incredible friendships with our fellow company members.

Competition in acting is partly inevitable and can be stiff, but there are also strong bonds formed through shared trials and successes. A master class with Signature’s Artistic Director, Eric Schaeffer this evening reminded us, “There is no better family than your theater family.” For the six weeks of rehearsal, the month or so of a run, or for the two weeks of a musical theater intensive, your company is family. They see you at your best and your worst. They are there to give you a word of encouragement, share song suggestions, or give an honest opinion about your audition outfit. We can learn so much from our family.

Outside of a classroom we do not often have the opportunity to see other actors work and gain insight from their processes. Overtures has given us the chance to see how someone else does it. Of course we have been sponges to every note and piece of advice our instructors have imparted to us, but we have also benefited greatly from watching our cohorts take on their own challenges. With the incredible range of experience, training, ideas and personalities among our 17 company members, there is plenty to learn from.

And so, as we anxiously prepare for tomorrow’s casting session in front of four of Washington’s biggest casting directors - worrying over 32 bars and our monologue choices, frantically printing headshots and resumes, hopefully getting at least a little sleep - we can all keep one very important thing in mind: as our adrenaline rushes and apprehension takes over, we will have a 17-person family smiling back at us because they have seen how far we have come and how much, much further we will all go. 

Overtures students chat during a break in their master class with Eric Schaeffer.

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Words to Live By

For the next two weeks, Alexandra, one of our many talented Overtures students, is taking over our blog. Check back for daily updates and come to the Overtures showcase Saturday at 11 AM in Signature's MAX Theatre! 

Overtures student Ines listens to words of wisdom from Marcy and Zina.

Tuesday, June 25

We hear it every day - there are thousand of aspiring artists competing for many of the same roles. Just like us, many of them have trained to belt a high A, others have “the right look" and still others have more experience, more training and stronger credits on their resumés. However, none of us entered into this business wanting to be just like all the others. Our little kid dreams were to be stars, each entirely unique and truly captivating.

Even if we learn nothing else this week, we'll have learned to be ourselves. Every session discussing the business of show business, each master class, every time we slip into old habits of performing songs the way we think our instructors want them performed, we are encouraged to revisit the work and make it our own.

This evening’s reminder came from contemporary lyricist, Marcy Heisler, and composer, Zina Goldrich. The duo, whose “Taylor the Latte Boy” and “Alto’s Lament” are just two of the incredibly witty compositions in their songbooks, offered us each personalized advice on our song choice and interpretation. It wasn’t long before we recognized a theme to their suggestions – be yourself. There may be 20 other girls singing the same song, “but no one in the room has heard you sing it before,” said Zina.

Candid casting critiques are invaluable at this early stage of our careers. So often we are corralled through 90 second monologues or 32 bars of music in an audition room and hurried along with a “thank you” or, even worse, the dreaded “that’s all we need today”. We long for feedback. After all, we are in the business of being judged! Without feedback it is all too easy to worry ourselves for hours about what we could have done better, what notes we might have missed, what acting points we forgot to hit.

Marcy and Zina offered us their honest opinions as well as suggestions on ways to further work on our performances. But they, along with all the Overtures instructors we have had the privilege of working with this past week and a half, also gave us an important mantra to live by: “Yay me! I make art!” We can spend every audition concerned about our look, being the wrong “type”, or singing a wrong note, or we can be our most confident, art-making, high A-belting selves. “Yay me! I make art!”

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Getting Personal

For the next two weeks, Alexandra, one of our many talented Overtures students, is taking over our blog. Check back for daily updates and come to the Overtures showcase Saturday at 11 AM in Signature's MAX Theatre!

Overtures students work on blocking for "King of New York," one of the group numbers they'll perform at the showcase.

In the past week and two days, our Overtures company has worked so incredibly well together. We have made great strides as an ensemble, making beautiful music and putting together tricky choreography. But at the end of the day we all go home with our individual homework and challenges to overcome. Whether running lyrics until all hours of the night so we won’t flub a word the next day or daring to stretch our emotional range in order to perform a more truthful monologue, we all recognize the work that must be done is, ultimately, personal.

Overtures has been like a buffet table; we are given multitudes of approaches to the work, ways to find vocal placement, ways to act a monologue, ways to connect to text and lyrics. Then we must pick and choose which approaches fit best. My swimmer’s shoulders do not drop into proper posture as easily as others, a fellow company member may have old knee injuries and alignment difficulties, and still another might simply psych themselves out every time a pirouette shows up in choreography. But we all still need to land that double, so we practice in our down time and when we return home at night after our eleven-hour days. We push past our own fears and inhibitions in order to be better the following morning.

During this evening’s staging rehearsal I was reminded just how personal and individually meaningful the work is and must be. Though we all sang the same words - “I pull myself together, I’m focused on the prize” - they clearly meant something different to every one of us. Our prize could be Broadway, maybe a Resident Artist contract with a company here in DC, or perhaps just graduating high school and heading off to a stellar collegiate theater program. We gave meaning to those words with a knowing smile, a flicker of hope in our eyes, similar enough but still personal.

Performing requires ruthless bravery: the willingness to take risks, to push ourselves beyond boxes of “type”, to test our presumed limits is integral to our training and development as actors. While we can be technically proficient, there are skills beyond the physical that we will not learn from manuals or how-to videos. Instead, we exhaustively search our souls in order to better bare them under the bright lights of the stage. And thankfully, at least for another four days, we are surrounded by an encouraging and truly caring group of fellow artists all going through the same process of discovery and personal perseverance.

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Inspiration

For the next two weeks, Alexandra, one of our many talented Overtures students, is taking over our blog. Check back for daily updates and come to the Overtures showcase Saturday at 11 AM!

The cast of Company

Sunday, June 23
Inspiration can come in all shapes and sizes, in all forms, and at anytime. It can come in a boot camp-style workout early on a Sunday morning. It can come belting through high notes you never thought possible. It can arrive when a phone rings, a door chimes, with company. Or Company.

Bright and early this morning, we returned to the ARK to begin Week 2 in earnest. And boy, did we ever! Our second master class of the program focused on body, voice, and mental fortitude. A grueling workout roused us from our post day-off blur. A group vocal coaching had us singing like aliens, sheep, mice, and squirrels, all to explore vocal placement. And team sessions once again found each individual realizing new vocal and dramatic possibilities. Stop me, if I’m sounding like a broken record!

As I sat watching and listening to fellow company members approaching this new style of coaching, I was amazed by the overwhelming discoveries taking place. I suppose I should not have been surprised by the transformations today since we have already grown so much individually in the past week. Yet the light bulb moments of clarity are constantly and consistently exciting. For example, that moment when someone’s eyes grow wide in anticipation of a challenging note only to find that it comes out crisply and effortlessly. The affirmation that the note sounded great or the story was clear comes when the audience of company members calls, “YES, gurl!” By dinner there was a smile on everyone’s face. Today was a great way to start the week.

And the day wasn’t over after class. This evening we were treated to an absolutely stellar performance of Company in the Max Theatre. Perhaps it was the realization that we were learning from these incredible performers and seeing those lessons applied, that we had a backstage pass to what it takes to put up a show like Company, or maybe it was simply our relishing in the art, but our back row in the second tier was the first to their feet for a standing ovation. There is something special about live theater that pulls at heartstrings, that sparks insightful questions about the magic of how it is done, that truly motivates each of us to continue working toward our purpose and goals of performing professionally. With our own juries and showcase just another five days away, seeing it all done so right may just have been the inspiration we all needed to start off another unbelievable week.

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A Sneak Peek!

For the next two weeks, Alexandra, one of our talented Overtures students, is taking over our blog. Check back for daily updates!

 

Friday, June 21

Week One of Overtures at Signature Theatre came to a close this evening with our first master class. After a day of hard work and midterms, an encouraging conversation and a few pointers (and songs) from the incomparable Nova Y. Payton were just what we needed to end a fantastic week.





I have been writing a lot about the truly generous, determined, and talented artists in our 2013 company, but perhaps it’s finally time to let the cat out of the bag (or the ARK). With our showcase just around the corner this Saturday at 11am, here’s a sneak peek of some of our work so far. 

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Step, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch. Again!

For the next two weeks, Alexandra, one of our talented Overtures students, is taking over our blog. Check back for daily updates!

Choreographer Karma Camp works with students on their tap technique.

Thursday, June 20

Someone once told me that a dance call for a non-dancer is just a good workout. While I have six years competitive ballroom on my resume and am certainly more than just a mover, I have often felt apprehensive when called in for choreography. Not unlike fellow Overtures company members, I was wary of stepping up to a ballet bar for the first time in two years and doubly unsure of the racket I would make when I laced up my hardly-worn tap shoes. But then again, working on my dance and choreography skills was one of my reasons for applying to Overtures in the first place.

Enter Karma Camp, Signature choreographer-extraordinaire. This past Sunday, I joked about our first warm-up being enough to potentially scare away the faint of heart and Karma herself warned that we would be screaming her name when we woke up in the morning sore. But after a week together, our groans brought on by aching muscles and moments of frustration are nearly gone, replaced by points of clarity, confidence, and can-do attitudes. And that warm-up (even the ab workout that goes along with it) is fun; especially when stretching to a Norm Lewis original while Karma records an iPhone video to send to her friend, Norm Lewis!

The choreography is certainly nothing to scoff at either. Our big showcase number, “King of New York” from Newsies (including an 8x8-count dance break) is definitely testing everything we are learning. And expectations are high. While we may slow something down briefly, we are constantly asked for more. We are learning to attack choreography, rely on our “buddy system” with our fellow company members to run phrases in our downtime, and trust in what we have already learned in just a week while also pushing ourselves to be better. We are discovering the mechanics of a double pirouette, working out the sounds in a shim sham (or at least most of the sounds for the non-hoofers), and breaking down the story of the dance. We are realizing that we are perhaps dancers after all.

Martha Graham once said, “No artist is ever pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction; a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.” With midterms tomorrow, followed by a well-deserved day off, I have a feeling the 2013 Overtures company will “keep marching” - running lyrics while folding the laundry, checking tap sequences in the aisles of the supermarket, and we will be ready and eager to jump right back into the work on Sunday morning.

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