last update: September 3, 2010
January 17 to 22, 2011
This highly selective program on the Goodspeed Musicals campus provides a limited number of individuals with practical training in all aspects of Music Direction. The six day intensive offers participants the opportunity to work with internationally renowned experts in Music Direction while networking with industry professionals.
Participants will use the latest technology to receive hands on training in the management and implementation of the audition, rehearsal and orchestration processes. Participants will also attend nightly lectures given by industry experts on pertinent subjects relating to real world success in the field of Music Direction.
To register for this unique opportunity, please fill out and submit an application by November 19, 2010.If you have any questions or would like to receive information about future Intensive programs in a variety of subjects, please contact Joshua Ritter by email or at 860.873.8664, ext. 745.
“For anyone considering going into the field of Music Directing, I cannot think of another institution that offers a program that not only teaches these subjects, but also at an incredibly high level. I feel empowered after this week and I know I have a lot more to bring to a show.”
Thomas Cuffari, Music Director & Teacher
.jpg "Music Direction Intensive-2010")
Please post the 2011 Music Direction Intensive poster to inform your students and colleagues
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REGISTRATION
APPLICATION
SCHEDULE and CURRICULUM
DOWNLOAD POSTER
TESTIMONIALS
ABOUT GOODSPEED MUSICALS
ABOUT THE FACULTY
GOODSPEED HOUSING IN EAST HADDAM
TRANSPORTATION
LOCAL PLACES OF INTEREST
REGISTRATION
To register for this unique opportunity, please fill out and submit an application with a $100 deposit by November 19, 2010.
Important dates:
- Early acceptance deadline: October 18, 2010 (Applicants who apply by this date will be given special consideration.)
- Application deadline: November 19, 2010
- Applicants will be notified of status: November 26, 2010
- Upon acceptance and deposit payment, the remaining tuition of $1,100 will be due: December 3, 2010
Total tuition: $1,200
Please make checks payable to The Goodspeed Opera House Foundation.
Note: Upon acceptance, deposit is non-refundable. If you are accepted, your deposit will be deducted from your total tuition. If you are not accepted, your deposit will be refunded in full.
Please send applications to:
Goodspeed Musical Theatre Institute
Attn: Joshua Ritter
PO Box A
East Haddam, CT 06423-0281
If you have any questions, please contact Joshua Ritter by email or at 860.873.8664, ext. 745.
2010 SCHEDULE and CURRICULUM
(2011 schedule will be posted shortly)
Monday, January 18
3:00 p.m.
Rooms available for check in
5:30 p.m.
Welcome Dinner in Goodspeed Opera House Green Room
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Evening Program I – SO YOU WANT TO BE A MUSIC DIRECTOR?
Participants will have an opportunity to join in a discussion on the principles of music direction and will share their personal stories and goals.
Location: Waterfall Room
Tuesday, January 19
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (Bagels will be in the Studio Rehearsal Hall Kitchen)
Class I – THE AUDITION PROCESS
There will be a discussion of the elements that create a positive and successful audition process for the creative team and for the auditioners. It will also include what to look for in the audition, how to create a vocal breakdown for the casting director to give to agents and how to teach audition material to performers.
Location: Waterfall Room
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Practicum I – THE AUDITION
Participants will have the opportunity to act as the auditioners for a mock audition. Their behavior and judgment will be critiqued by Intensive staff.
Location: Rehearsal Hall
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. – LUNCH BREAK
1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Class II – THE REHEARSAL PROCESS
How to create a productive rehearsal environment, to include a discussion of teaching techniques, working with groups vs. working with individuals (including non-singing actors), teaching singing with intention, the importance of vocal warm-ups, adjusting keys to accommodate vocalists’ range, protecting voices throughout the rehearsal process and the proper way to take notes during rehearsal.
Location: Rehearsal Hall
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. – DINNER BREAK
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (8PM – 9:30PM Group 1, 9:30PM -11PM – Group 2)
Evening Program II – WORKING WITH THE DIRECTOR
Discussion on the relationship between the MD and the Director in musical theatre production, creating incidental music to suit the needs of the director and adjusting the vocal and orchestral score to accommodate the vision of the director.
Location: Waterfall Room
Wednesday, January 20
9:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m. (Bagels will be in the Studio Rehearsal Hall Kitchen)
Practicum II – THE REHEARSAL
Music Directors will join in a rehearsal for the assigned underscore/set change/underscore.
Location: Rehearsal Hall
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. – LUNCH BREAK
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Class III – ORCHESTRATING FOR THE MUSICAL THEATRE
How to act as a liaison between the director and the orchestrator, including strategies one can use to best convey the director’s needs to the orchestrator. This session will also include a discussion of reduced orchestrations and the use of electronic sound in orchestration.
Location: Waterfall Room
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Class IV – PLATFORMS USED FOR ELECTRONIC SOUND IN MUSIC THEATRE
Discussion on the use of electronic sound in orchestration.
Location: Rehearsal Room
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. – DINNER BREAK
6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Practicum IV – HANDS-ON USE OF ELECTRONIC PLATFORMS
Hands-on session pertaining to the use of electronic sound in orchestration. Participants will have the opportunity to work with our experts in the programming of electronic sound. Participants will leave this session with an assignment to orchestrate a piece for a musical in production.
Location: TBA
Thursday, January 21
9:00 a.m. – (Bagels will be in the Studio Rehearsal Hall Kitchen)
Class V - Morning Free to Complete Work on Orchestration Projects
(Dan, Ian, Bill, and Michael will be mentoring)
1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Practicum Stand-alone – CONDUCTING FOR THE MUSICAL THEATRE
Participants will have the opportunity to rehearse their orchestrated pieces with live musicians, conduct from the keyboard and podium and receive feedback from our experts.
Location: Rehearsal Hall
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. - Wine and Cheese Event/ Dinner
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Evening Program III – “THE BUSINESS OF THE BUSINESS”
Discussion to feature the business elements involved in a career as a musical director, ownership of intellectual property and the typical responsibilities assigned to various job titles (e.g., Musical Supervisor, Music Director, Associate Conductor, Assistant Conductor).
Location: Waterfall Room
Friday, January 22
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Bagels will be in the Studio Rehearsal Hall Kitchen)
Practicum Stand-alone – WORKING WITH THE CHOREOGRAPHER
Discussion of the working relationship between the musical director and choreographer on a musical theatre production. The session will feature a well-known choreographer and participants will gain experience in dance arranging and orchestrating for dance.
Location: Rehearsal Room
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. – LUNCH BREAK
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Class VI – VOCAL ARRANGING
Discussion of the principles of vocal arranging, including the expansion or reduction of existing arrangements to suite the director’s needs
Location: Rehearsal Hall
3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Practicum VI - VOCAL ARRANGING
Music Directors will be assigned one of three songs to arrange.
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. – DINNER BREAK
6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Evening Program IV – VOCAL ARRANGING II
Present arrangements and perform pieces.
Location: Rehearsal Hall
9:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. – WRAP-UP
Saturday, January 23
10:00 a.m. – Participants depart East Haddam.
Schedule subject to change
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Testimonials from 2010 Music Direction Intensive Attendees
“The Music Direction Intensive is excellent for a music director from any experience level. You will undoubtedly learn something new and, best of all, network with others who do EXACTLY what you do. This is a rare and beautiful thing. You will be inspired by the creativity among this group of people.”
Heather Luellen, Staff Pianist & Music Director
Department of Theatre and Dance
Missouri State University
“It's so affirming to be in a room with 20 other MD's, solving the same problems, asking the same questions. It's rare to meet other MD's on the job since most productions are small and you're often the only one (even an AMD is luxurious in many cases), so this is great networking! The range of topics was thorough and very specific to our work, and such an offering is not to be found elsewhere. Goodspeed in particular has the resources, industry position, and understanding of the craft to pull it off.”
Nathan W. Perry, Music Director & Pianist
“The Music Direction Intensive was, hands down, one of the best things I've ever done. Being surrounded by so many talented, amazing people and getting to work together with all of them was incredible. I learned so much, from the sessions themselves and all the other music directors around me.”
Mindy Cimini, Piano Performance & English Major
Brandeis University
2010 Music Direction Intensive Participant Survey Question:
Question: Would you recommend Goodspeed's Music Direction Intensive to your colleagues?
| # of Responses | Response Ratio |
Yes | 17 | 100% |
No | 0 | 0% |
No Response | 0 | 0% |
ABOUT GOODSPEED MUSICALS
GOODSPEED MUSICALS has achieved international acclaim for its dedication to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre. Under the direction of Michael P. Price since 1968, Goodspeed produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut and specializes in producing and developing new musicals at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Connecticut. From the Goodspeed stages, 19 musicals have gone to Broadway (including Man of La Mancha, Shenandoah, Annie), receiving more than a dozen Tony Awards. Also integral to its mission, Goodspeed houses the Scherer Library of Musical Theatre and has established the Max Showalter Center for Education in the Musical Theater to educate and train future generations of theatergoers and theatrical professionals. Goodspeed has received two special Tony Awards for its outstanding achievements.
ABOUT THE FACULTY
DAN DeLANGE has orchestrated shows for Paul Williams, Julie Andrews, Jerry Herman (composer of Hello, Dolly!; Mame; La Cage aux Folles), Harvey Schmitt (composer of The Fantasticks, 110 in the Shade), and Peter Link (composer of The King of Hearts). He also orchestrated the premiere of You Never Know by Charles Strouse (composer of Annie and Bye Bye Birdie.) Other original orchestrations and arrangements include Enrico Garzilli's Rage of the Heart CD, The Smart Set, The Altos, The Broadway Tenors (with Brent Barrett, Brian D'Arcy James, and Alan Campbell), the Pittsburgh Public Theater, The Epic Brass Symphonic Christmas Series, The American Symphony Orchestra, and music for several commercials and documentaries. Dan has conducted the Broadway national tour of Chicago with Brent Barrett and Karen Ziemba, and was music director/conductor for Musical America's national tours of Crazy For You, Beauty and the Beast, and Singin' in the Rain. He is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
MICHAEL O'FLAHERTY is in his 18th season as Goodspeed’s Resident Music Director, having conducted 35 musicals at the Opera House and five at The Norma Terris Theatre. His musical arrangement credits include Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Broadway), Reunion-A Musical Epic in Miniature, Carol Hall's To Whom It May Concern, and Red, Hot and Blue! (GOH and Paper Mill Playhouse). He has worked at North Shore Music Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Ford's Theatre, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, The Smithsonian Institution, and was the musical supervisor and Cabaret Director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival for 11 years. Michael conducted the Goodspeed Musicals productions of By Jeeves and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on Broadway. His original musical Genesius, for which he wrote the music and lyrics, was recently showcased in NYC.
ROB RUGGIERO has directed the Goodspeed Musicals productions of Camelot, Big Riverand 1776, which garnered him his third Connecticut Critic Circle Award for “Best Director.”Connecticut audiences are also familiar with his work through his association with TheaterWorks in Hartford, where he has been a key partner in the artistic leadership since 1992. Recent projects at TheaterWorks include a production of The LittleDogLaughed (starring Chad Allen) and conceiving and directing an original musical revue entitled Make Me A Song: The Music of William Finn, which had a successful run off-Broadway in 2007 as well as a London production. The production received nominations for both the Drama Desk Award for "Outstanding Review" and the Outer Critics Circle Award for "Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical.” In 2005 he conceived and directed the highly successful Ella, which continues to be produced nationally and recently won three Joseph Jefferson Awards and two Kevin Kline Awards (including “Outstanding Director of a Musical” for both). Mr. Ruggiero directed the world premiere of Matthew Lombardo’s new play Looped (with Valerie Harper) at the Pasadena Playhouse, which had a recent production at Arena Stage with a planned Broadway opening in 2009-2010 season. Mr. Ruggiero’s work on both plays and musicals has been seen at many regional theaters around the country, including Arizona Theatre Company, Barrington Stage Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Playhouse, The Pittsburgh Public Theater, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and San Jose Repertory Theatre. He is the recipient of four Kevin Kline Awards, two for "Best Director of a Musical" (Urinetown, Ella) and two for "Best Director of a Play" (Take Me Out, The Little Dog Laughed). An online portfolio of his work can be viewed at www.robruggiero.com.
ADAM SOUSA began his career at age 17 as the music intern at Goodspeed Musicals. After graduating from high school, Adam attended the Boston Conservatory, majoring in Musical Theatre with a concentration in acting and conducting. He spent his summers continuing to train at Goodspeed, having performed in the ensembles of George M! and Brigadoon, acting as Associate Music Director for Great Expectations and The Road To Hollywood, and conducting Very Good Eddie on the main stage. After 4 seasons and over 15 shows at the Opera House and The Norma Terris Theatre, Adam finished college and began touring with the Broadway National Tour of Les Misérables playing Keyboard I for almost two years. Continuing his road career, Adam began work as Associate Conductor for the National Tour of Monty Python’s Spamalot, later taking over as Music Director/Conductor. After just over two years with Spamalot, he moved to New York to begin learning Wicked on Broadway. In the start of 2009, Adam conducted the Broadway production of Wicked, then began his third tour, acting as Music Director/Conductor for the 2nd National Tour of Wicked.
WILLIAM J. THOMAS has been playing keyboards in the orchestra pit at Goodspeed Musicals since 1993 and has served as principal conductor for the Goodspeed Musicals mainstage productions of 42nd Street (2009), Li’l Abner (2006), Me and My Girl (2003), Brigadoon (2001), and George M! (2000). Bill was also associate conductor for Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (2008), Big River, Happy Days, 1776, High Button Shoes, Pirates of Penzance, Abyssinia, Where’s Charley?, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Babes in Arms, and They All Laughed!. Norma Terris credits include Lizzie Borden (music director), Tin Pan Alley Rag (conductor), Dorian,and Gotham!. Bill has been the chief keyboard programmer at Goodspeed Musicals since 2000 and recently served to oversee the transition from "Kurzweil" to Apple "Mainstage" technology at Goodspeed's East Haddam Theatre.
GOODSPEED HOUSING IN EAST HADDAM
While participating in the Music Direction Intensive you will be staying in one of several Goodspeed owned houses, which are all in easy walking distance of the Opera House and rehearsal studio. All houses are completely furnished. We will supply you with pillows, blankets, one set of linen(s), and one towel, you are responsible for laundering these items before checking out. The Goodspeed has private laundry facilities in East Haddam open to all intensive participants. All intensive participants will have a private room with a desk, dresser, and bed. Most of the houses have shared bathrooms, kitchen, and living areas. The kitchens have basic appliances, including coffee makers and microwaves. The living rooms are furnished with a sofa, table, and television. There is no smoking in any of the houses or apartments.
Please be advised that there is a non-refundable $20.00 replacement charge for lost room keys. You must return your key prior to leaving East Haddam.
During your stay you will be responsible for the daily housekeeping of your room and the shared living areas. There will be no housekeeping available.
Every house has a phone on each floor. These phones have free local calling, but are blocked to outgoing long distance calls. If you don’t already have one, we suggest you secure a calling card for long distance and information calls. Wireless internet access is available in all of our housing.
TRANSPORTATION
Upon your arrival to begin the Music Direction Intensive, Goodspeed will provide you with transportation from the Old Saybrook, Conn., train station or from Bradley International Airport, Hartford-Springfield. As there are no grocery shopping facilities available within walking distance, all participants will be taken on a shopping trip shortly after arrival. This will be the only opportunity to stock up for the week (unless you can provide your own transportation) so please plan accordingly. For further information on getting to and from East Haddam, please contact Joshua Ritter at jritter@goodspeed.org.
PARKING
For those traveling to East Haddam by automobile, parking will be available near all housing.
CAR RENTAL
For those who wish to rent a car while in East Haddam, here are a few options. Because rates and terms differ please call each location for a rate quote.
Thrifty Auto Rental
860.399.5146
2051 Boston Post Road (Route1), Westbrook
This location provides occasional pick-up and drop-off at the train station.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
860.537.0181
120 South Main Street, Colchester
This location provides pick-up and drop-off in East Haddam.
LOCAL PLACES OF INTEREST
DINING
ATTRACTIONS