To BFA or Not To BFA – Is That The Question?

Is a BFA Degree Part of the Recipe for Musical Theater Success? Part I of my conversation with Joe Deer, co-author of Acting in Musical Theatre Sooner or later, any serious singing actor faces the College Question – should I study musical theater in college? And what do I have to do to get into …

It’s No Disgrace To Use Your Face!

The face is the ultimate “organ of expression.” Its chief purpose is to transmit information for the benefit of those around you – I’m friendly, please approach; I’m scary, better step back; I’m lost, can you help me?; I’m in the mood for love, are you? Communication like this is central to our survival as …

Rockin’ out in musicals – six keys to success!

Stew, who co-created the musical Passing Strange with Heidi Rodewald, and whose new musical Family Album opens tomorrow at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, said, “We don’t like musical theater actors so much.” Did that make you flinch? I did when I read it. Contemporary theater artists like Stew, inspired by the vivid immediacy of rock, …

There’s no tunes like show tunes!

I’m feeling particularly inspired after listening to the soundtrack of this year’s Tony Award winner for Best Musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. From the first seconds of the recording, my theatrical Spidey-senses were tingling: this year’s Best Musical features honest-to-god show tunes! No emo indie rock, no recycled jukebox grooves, but brilliantly …

5 things you can do to keep your singer-actor edge this summer

It’s summertime, and the living is easy! Actually, summertime can be a challenging time for serious singing actors. During summer, all the normal routines seem to fly out the window. If you’re a student, that means classes and lessons are probably on hold. “No more pencils, no more books” – well, that may be what …