The 2010
Musical Theatre
Institute
for Teens

We are no longer accepting applications for the 2010 Musical Theatre Institute for Teens. Please check back in early 2011 for details of next year's programs.

A unique summer program for 13-19 year olds
culminating in a full production of a Broadway musical!

Session I: Into the Woods
Session II:  Rent (School Edition)

 

Offered in two sessions, both at our downtown location.
(Please note:
Students can audition to take part in both sessions this year!)

 

Session I

Into the Woods
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Lapine

Directed by Buzz Mauro and Michael Russotto

Mondays-Fridays, 9am-2pm
June 21-July 16
Performances, evenings July 15-17 + matinee July 17

Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical is a brilliant retelling of classic fairytales—the “un-Disney” version! From Little Red Riding Hood to Jack and his beanstalk to Cinderella and her wicked stepsisters, archetypal characters abound, but Sondheim challenges actors and audience to view them as complex people whose actions have real-life consequences.  Considered by many to be Sondheim’s masterwork, Into the Woods features gorgeous ballads (Children Will Listen), hilarious showstoppers (Agony), and deep meditations on growing up, accepting responsibility, and the consequences of wish-fulfillment. Great roles for students of all types.

 

 

Session II

Rent
Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

Directed by Jane Pesci-Townsend


Mondays-Fridays, 9am-2pm
July 19-August 13
Performances, evenings August 12-14 + matinee August 14

Rent is the landmark rock musical that swept the Tony Awards, inspired a new generation of artists and theatergoers, and became one of the longest running shows on Broadway. Based loosely on Puccini’s opera La Bohème, Rent follows a year in the lives of starving artists living in New York's Bohemian East Village, and explores issues of love and loyalty as the group struggles to make ends meet and cope with the AIDS epidemic. Filled with breathtaking music and many complex roles, Rent School Edition offers amazing artistic opportunities for a diverse company of performers.

 

 

 

ABOUT THE MUSICAL THEATRE INSTITUTE

The Musical Theatre Institute for Teens is an intensive four-week training program in which participants rehearse and perform a full musical production under the guidance of the area’s most esteemed directors. The idea behind the institute is to enable young artists to explore challenging, socially relevant material from the contemporary musical theatre world as they receive the intensive voice, movement and acting training essential for professional-level performance. Past productions, including recent performances of Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd, The Secret Garden, and Side Show, have played to critical raves and sold-out houses.

The Musical Theatre Institute is designed to challenge young performers—both artistically and personally—while providing a supportive, caring environment in which to develop. Roles are open to experienced performers as well as those looking to build musical theatre skills.  While the emphasis is on performance, students will also receive training in a wide variety of musical theatre disciplines during the rehearsal process, including: vocal production, acting a song, proper breathing technique, movement, building a character, ensemble acting, and more.

All classes and rehearsals will be held Monday-Friday from 9am-2pm at The Theatre Lab in downtown DC. In addition, there will be evening performances the Thursday-Saturday of the last week of each session and a matinee on the final Saturday. There will be a final dress tech on the Wednesday evening before the Thursday opening; classes will begin at 9am on that Wednesday and students will be expected to stay with Program Directors until evening rehearsal time. On the opening night (Thursday), classes will begin at 9am and students will be expected to stay with Program Directors until evening performance time. On the second night of performance (Friday) there will be no classes; students will be expected to arrive at the theatre at 5pm for rehearsal and stay through performance time.

Classes, rehearsals and performances take place in our downtown home:
733 8th St NW, Washington DC 20001
(Gallery Place Metro - Red, Yellow and Green lines)

---

ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

	Buzz Mauro (Musical Director, Into the Woods) is a founder and Co-Director of The Theatre Lab. He is also a professional actor and singer and a Helen Hayes Award nominee who has performed extensively with Signature Theatre (Assassins, Company, Forum) as well as at Ford’s Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Studio Theatre, and Woolly Mammoth, to name just a few. He has provided musical direction for numerous productions at The Theatre Lab including Ragtime, Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd and The Secret Garden. He received his B.A. from Yale University and has an M.F.A. in Acting from Catholic University. He has taught theatre courses at Catholic University and in Poland, and was a longtime faculty member of the Field School. Along with Deb Gottesman, he has received the Linowes Leadership Award recognizing the work of unsung heroes in the Washington community, and has co-authored three books on applied acting, all published by Penguin Putnam.
	Jane Pesci-Townsend (Director, Rent), a four-time Helen Hayes award nominee, is one of Washington’s most beloved performers and directors.  She has appeared at Arena Stage, Folger Theatre, Metro Stage, Round House, Signature Theatre, and The Marquee Cabaret, and was honored to be involved in the Kennedy Center’s production of Sweeney Todd as a member of the ensemble and the understudy for Mrs. Lovett played by Christine Baranski.  When Ms. Baranski fell ill, Jane went on opposite Brian Stokes Mitchell and garnered rave reviews in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Christian Science Monitor.  Jane is the Chair of the Music Theatre program at The Catholic University of America’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music and is now in her tenth year of directing The Theatre Lab’s Musical Theatre Institute. She is also involved in Signature Theatre’s Kennedy Center-based summer music theatre workshop, OVERTURES, joining a luminary faculty that includes Eric Schaeffer. Jane has directed shows for Metro Stage (The Last Five Years), University of Maryland, Catholic University, BAPA, Montgomery College, and the Paradigm Players, a theatre company devoted to supporting actors with special needs.
	Michael Russotto  (Director, Into the Woods) is a longtime Washington actor and director who has appeared in shows on many local stages, including The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Theater Alliance, Theatre J, The Folger Theatre, Arena Stage, MetroStage, Olney Theatre, and Studio Theatre. Recent performances include She Stoops to Comedy, Vigils, and Full Circle, all at Woolly Mammoth. Michael has directed at The Actors' Theatre of Washington (cofounder), MetroStage, Source Theatre, The Washington Shakespeare Company, Studio Theatre, and The National Academy of Dramatic Arts. He is a member of the Woolly Mammoth Acting Company, and is also a narrator of recorded books for the Library of Congress.

---

ADMISSION

Admission to the Musical Theatre Institute for Teens is by application and audition.  Applicants will be accepted on the basis of their commitment to exploring the musical theatre craft, their willingness to collaborate in a group process of discovery with other young artists, and their ability to handle the demands of the musical score.

All applicants must complete a written essay expressing their interest in the program. Applicants must also prepare a musical theatre song for auditions that will be scheduled upon receipt of completed application.

Due to the limited nature of our enrollment, admission is competitive. You will be contacted shortly after we receive your application to schedule an audition.

 

TUITION

Tuition for each session the Musical Theatre Institute is $800.  Please note:  If you audition and are accepted into both Into the Woods and Rent, your total tuition to participate in both programs will be $1300.

Partial financial aid is available through our Work Study program.  In addition, at least one full scholarship will be awarded annually through the Dena Kohn Memorial Scholarship Fund. (Criteria: exceptional community involvement and financial need.) 

 

Apply Online

or

Download Application to Mail

---

COMMENTS FROM THEATRE LAB PARTICIPANTS

"I have learned more in these four weeks than I have learned in a year in other places.”

"It was everything I expected and more. I expected to make lifelong friends and learn new things about the musical theatre craft. What I didn't expect was the catharsis I experienced. I felt I matured not only as a singer but as a person. I would love to do it again next year.”

"Everyone got the special teaching and attention that was needed."

"It’s seriously the highlight of my year. You'll be surprised how much you learn in four weeks. You meet new people around you that have similar interest, and gain knowledge that you use for years. And you work with professional actors that actually know what they are doing."

"The atmosphere of everybody was terrific, friendly and determined. I really loved being around people like that."

"I can honestly say that this is the most fun I have had in anything I have done."

 

---

WHAT MAKES THE MUSICAL THEATRE INSTITUTE UNIQUE?

An artistic team on their seventh consecutive production, committed to EXCELLENCE.

A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT in which to take risks and explore your own artistry.

Top-notch TRAINING that prepares you to work in any theatre setting—not just ours.

The FUN of working with peers who love theatre as much as you do.

 

---