Musical Theatre

At CCM we are in the business of turning out "Triple Threats" — talented young people who can sing, dance and act with equal accomplishment. Our students contribute positively to the growth of the American musical theatre. We encourage them to explore techniques beyond the spoken word to project dramatic ideas. We make the non-literal an essential part of the creative and interpretive process.

We are extremely proud of our program at CCM and regard our students as members of a large theatrical family. We have a demanding and difficult course of training with intensive class-work and little time for relaxation. However, we provide our graduates with the wherewithal to survive in a highly competitive field.

Please remember that the training at CCM is rigorous. We are preparing young people for an inordinately difficult and heart-breaking profession. It is not the school for everyone and not everyone is the kind of student for us. Our admission standards are highly competitive — we accept about 5% of those who audition for us annually. We keep our classes small so that individual attention from the faculty can be maintained.

We keep our eye on the future. Our aim is two-fold: to meet the needs of the professional student in preparing for a career in the performing arts and to engage that student in a meaningful educational experience. We see no inconsistency in our dual roles of career builders and educators. For the performer of the future the qualities of critical, analytical and independent thinking so essential in the study of the arts and sciences, also serve as a valuable foundation for creative work. As the boundaries among the performing arts become less clearly defined, a broadly based education becomes an essential tool for the performer.

We nurture aesthetic values in our students by encouraging them to examine their own ideas about quality in the arts — in other words by engaging their critical faculties. We focus on individual ingenuity and examine the nature of artistic communication. We want our students to find their study of the performing arts an enriching experience, one that they can sustain after graduation.

CCM's undergraduate admissions process begins on August 1 for entrance in the following year's fall semester. All application materials must be submitted on or before December 8 to be considered for specific scholarship awards. Visit the CCM Admissions website for additional application instructions.

At CCM, the audition for the Musical Theatre Program is as much to see who you are as how you perform. It is an opportunity for you to show your personality, the strengths and traits that make you a unique performer as well as your accomplishments in the three component areas of the program.

As we audition hundreds of applicants each year for admission to the Musical Theatre Program, please note that neither members of the Admissions Office nor Musical Theatre faculty can undertake to provide feedback or critiques of individual auditions. Thank you for your understanding.

The dance call is the most direct part of the audition. It takes no immediate preparation, though several years at the barre are certainly beneficial. It consists of a warm-up (stretching exercises, floor-work, etc.) and a combination from a Broadway musical. The combination is taught to applicants as a group by students in the musical theatre program and is then performed in groups of five.

Applicants should learn the combination quickly and accurately and dance it with verve. Enthusiasm occasionally substitutes for lack of specific training.

Candidates should dress in basic dance wear or rehearsal attire — clothes which allow for ease of movement. Women should wear character shoes, jazz shoes or ballet slippers, leotards, tights, dance skirts or non-bulky warm-up wear. Men should wear jazz or ballet shoes, tights, jazz pants, t-shirts or shorts. No bulky or oversized sweat-pants or sweatshirts are permitted and sneakers are not recommended.

The vocal audition requires the preparation of two selections chosen from the standard musical theatre repertoire. One selection should have a sustained legato line; the second should be "up-tempo" and provide a contrast in rhythm, mood, characterization, style and approach. It may show special skills such as comic timing, dramatic flair, ability with patter, or, for women, the "belt" voice. By selecting songs that are similar in every way, inexperienced auditionees often miss the opportunity to show a range of abilities.

Selections should be no longer than 32 measures each. Long verses or repeated choruses are not recommended. Quality not quantity is the key, and most adjudicators would savor any performer who has the foresight to be succinct. Like Oliver, the adjudicators can always ask for more.

The entire audition should be memorized.

In Cincinnati, an accompanist will be provided. Auditionees should bring sheet music in the correct key with all cuts or repetitions clearly marked. Music should be placed in a binder for the benefit of the accompanist. Taped accompaniment is not acceptable in Cincinnati.

At auditions in all other cities (New York and Chicago) auditionees should provide recorded accompaniment on an I-Pod or CD (no cassette tapes, please.) Sound equipment will be provided, though auditionees may elect to use their own.

For the acting audition, auditionees should prepare a comic or dramatic monologue from a contemporary or classical play. The monologue should be suited to the age of the auditionee and should not be in dialect. The monologue should be no longer than one minute. Longer selections will be cut off by the timekeepers.

Adjudicators may engage applicants in a short question and answer session.

Auditionees must provide a head-shot or recent photograph and a resume listing theatre training and roles played. Scrapbooks, press-clipping and videotapes are not accepted.

The Musical Theatre program at CCM is the oldest in the country. It was established in 1968 by Helen Laird, with Jack Rouse serving as the first Chairman of the program. It served as the model for the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) in creating their guidelines for the accreditation of musical theatre programs in the United States.

The first graduate of the program was Pamela Myers (Class of 1969). In true "showbiz" fashion, she boarded a Greyhound Bus for New York City to seek fame and fortune. Her first Broadway audition was for a new musical written by a young composer and based on a series of one-act plays about life in the Big Apple. She sang a country and western song, "Little Green Apples" and was cast in the role of Marta. The composer was Stephen Sondheim; the musical was Company and nightly Pamela stopped the show singing "Another Hundred People." A year later she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress. More recently, she returned to CCM as a guest artist, playing the role of Jeanette Burmeister in our production of The Full Monty and Aunt Eller in Oklahoma!

Since then, CCM has graduated many students who have made a name for themselves as performers, directors, musical directors, choreographers and producers. And we have continued our association with the Tony Awards, with the coveted statuette going to such names as Faith Prince (Class of 1979) for Guys and Dolls, Michele Pawk (Class of 1985) for Hollywood Arms, Stephen Flaherty for Ragtime, Kevin McCollum (Class of 1984) as producer of the musicals In the Heights, Avenue Q and Rent, Karen Olivo for West Side Story and Tom Viola (Class of 1976), in recognition for his work with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.