The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - Thursday, March 31, 1994 - 5 *MT Continued from page 1 Go Into Your Dance One of Wagner's first tasks was the hiring of a resident choreogra- pher. Through a recommendation from a friend, he discovered Tim Millett. Something Bad Is Happening Millett did wonderful work as a *horeographer and a lecturer in dance in the MT program. Who can forget the wondrous ballet sequences he put together in 1992's "Pal Joey"? How- ever, later that year Millett became sick. "A Day in Hollywood /A Night in the Ukraine" (October 1992) would become his last show. Although the program gives no indication, John Schak ("Into the Woods") came in to finish the direct- Dg of "Hollywood / Ukraine." Stu- dents who worked on that show re- member Millett being confined tocho- reographing from a seat in the house. Millett died in November. Move On "It was a tremendous loss. He was a great creative artist and a great teacher," Wagner said. "Tim was someone who was here n the real developmental years of the rogram and really helped to make it thrive," Wagner continued. "But as Tim would have wanted it we're still moving ahead and not forgetting him in the process." "We were all profoundly affected by Tim's death. Everyone loved him immensely," said DePuit. "We just tried to pick up and keep going. I still very keenly feel Tim's presence." Sunny Side to Every Situation In January '93 the program was lucky to find Debra Draper. An active performer and choreographer with a thriving career in New York, Draper was approached by Wagner while in between projects. Among her Broad- way and regional theater credits, co- incidentally enough, she had traveled in "A Chorus Line" with Millett, and the two had become very good friends. "It was kind of bittersweet in a ay - kind of strangely right that I HARNICK Continued from page 5 musical theater is truly about." Any hopes of a new Harnick mu- sical in the near future? Well ... Harnick is currently sitting on two one-act operas - entitled "Love in Owo Countries." The first, "That Pig of a Molette," Wagner directed some years ago at the O'Neill Theater Cen- ter in Connecticut. The second, "A Question of Faith," was added by Harnick and composer Thomas Shepard soon afterward. "I talked to Brent and I'm hoping he will be able to direct them in con- junction with the opera program," would up replacing him," Drapersaid. Draper was in an awkward posi- tion, with some big dancing shoes to fill. "The first week or two they were still a little bit shocked," Draper re- membered. "There wasn't much en- rollment in the dance courses, but once they heard that I was okay ... they started coming in droves. "I'm glad for them that it ended up being me, because I think that really helped them be able to speak about him and know they were talking to someone who knew him so well." Draper's "Brigadoon" showed that she was indeed a very gifted choreog- rapher, and in the past year Draper has become more than Millett's re- placement; she has made her own place in the program. I've Got What You Want The 20-25 freshpersons selected each year are a pretty special bunch. At a typical MT audition, one would sing two pieces (one ballad and one up-tempo, one of which was written before 1960), perform a monologue, dance a combination, and take a mu- sic theory and piano proficiency test. "Potential" -not perfection -is what DePuit claims they are looking for. Potential in acting, singing and dance plus "commitment, interest and love for the field." "You rarely get a freshman that you would label a 'triple threat.' You're always going to get a fresh- man who's got a really strong voice but needs to work on acting, or you get the ones who are great dancers who still need to work on their voice," Draper noted. "I think what this program does is give everyone his/her place to feel the most comfortable, yet provides the environment to work on the areas they need to strengthen." Learn Your Lessons Well Strengthening those areas comes through a strict and rigorous curricu- lum. Wagner has designed a degree program which focuses on five areas: 1. Music - theory, voice, piano 2. Theater - acting, stagecraft, management 3. Dance-tap,jazz, ballet, musi- Harnick said. Harnick also has his hands in an- other pot - his animated film, "The World is One Big Chelm," has a pro- jected release date of 1995. Based on the stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer, a "chelm" is a mythical town inhabited mostly by fools. Harnick did have some advice for budding performers: "Have some kind of fallback employment. (You) have to make some way to make a living while (you're) waiting." "Be prepared to accept heartbreak and disappointment. The rewards can be great, but it's a very tough field." Did Harnick go through heart- break and disappointment? "Oh yeah," he sighed. "And still. It goes on." cal theater styles 4. Musical Theater - tying to- gether acting and singing, audition techniques, arranging music 5. Academic - at least 30 credits outside of the School of Music Nice Work If You Can Get It So after four intense years of classwork and performance, where does a MT student go? New York (or Chicago or Los Angeles). And be- cause Wagner, DePuit and Draper have all been involved in the profes- sional world of musical theater, they know what it takes to survive. The students learn how to prepare for an audition, receive contacts and most importantly, leave with a true- to-life perspective of the field. "The program I came from was strictly a ballet program," Draper said. "We didn't know what a backstage was. No one told us to pick up the New York Times and read it. We didn't have that kind of knowledge being given to us." While there are no employment guarantees in the performing arts, the success of the MT graduates should be an encouraging sign. To date, the program has 84 graduates. Wagner (who corresponds with all of them) estimates that 75 percent of them are still dedicating themselves to careers in the theater, through performing, directing, or producing. Young and Healthy Though the program has acquired a notable reputation in its 10 years, it is still growing. Applications for the 1994-95 year increased 60 percent.. Wagner recognizes the success of the program, but still keeps his goals in perspective. One of his main goals is to continue to do new works. "The more we can do with new works and supporting new writers is really our mission," he explained. Over the years, the program has done many new works: "A Wonder- ful Life," the world premiere of Sheldon Harnick-Joe Raposo's musi- cal (1986); "Dragons," a new version of the Harnick musical (1989); "Love Life," the first-ever revival of the Alan Jay Lerner-Kurt Weill vaude- ville (1987); "Quilt: A Musical Cel- ebration," the Midwest premiere of John Schak-Michael Stockler-Jim Morgan-Merle Hubbard work (1993). Another of Wagner's goals is to bring the arts to new audiences in the University community and Ann Ar- bor. "Young people are exposed far more to video than they are to live theater," Wagner commented. "Whether we are developing future performers or future audiences, we're all sharing what we already love." Everything's Coming Up Roses Sharing what they love - that's what the program is about. And if the past 10 years are any indication, this still-blossoming program should pro- vide education and entertainment for years to come. Stephen Sondheim's "Company," which was presented in fall of 1991. At center is Hunter Foster, 1992 graduate. A lnut By MELISSA ROSE BERNARDO Daily Arts Editor Melissa Rose Bernardo recently interviewed four students in the Musical Theatre Pro- gram: Christopher French, sophomore; Ronit Mitzner, junior; James Cooper, senior; Danny Gurwin, senior. Daily: Why did you chose Michigan? Chris: When I came up to audition, immediately from the program I felt very much a sense of family and warmth. Ronit: I wanted to stay away from someplace like New York, because if I'm going to spend therest ofmy life there I can certainly spend four years in a cultural haven like Ann Arbor. Danny: I was interested in getting a well-rounded education - not just a conservatory education. D: What has been to date your best experience in the program? Chris: Performing "Brigadoon" was an incredible experience - being part of a professional kind of produc- tion, where everyone acts professionally yet they still know how to have fun. Ronit: I love both performance classes ... because you're allowed to do so much ... You're allowed to explore stuff which later on you'll probably never be allowed to do or get paid to do. James: I think the greatest asset of the program has been Jerry DePuit ... you learn (from him) so much about music, about the composer and the lyricist, and he really is very personal to the students. Danny: Whenever we have a lab, we get to watch everybody sort of do the work that they're proud of, and that always makes me feel a part of something bigger -- something wonderful really. D: In your time in the program how do you feel you have grown as a performer and as an individual? Chris: I think that one of the first things this program has stressed is that we cannot expect to be anyone other than who we are ... I've found more about the things that make me unique, and I've been able to utilize those, from a personal and a career perspective. Ronit: I came from a huge high school where the director was always saying, "Make that bigger! Play to the last row!" and so I did. I learned here that is not always the best choice ... It was great learning how to be more real. Danny: I think you just develop an overall sense of style, an idea of what's needed of you, what you need to accomplish. Also, I think you come in with a sort of self- interested perspective ... and you learn to sort of let that go and become a part of an ensemble. D: James and Danny, you're both graduating this May. What are your plans? James: I'm getting ready to move to New York ... I'm looking forward to seeing all the people who graduated before me, who are my friends and who are auditioning and know what's in New York at this moment. Danny: I'll work over the summer and save money, and then I'm moving to New York in the fall. And dive right in. To the abyss. And we'll see what happens. Both James and Danny were confident that the pro- gram had prepared them for any situation they'll encoun- ter. But the tentativeness in their voices was apparent. U alum Hunter Foster offered some advice. Foster graduated from theMT program in 1992, and after touring with "Cats," is currently touring in the Broadway-bound revival of "Grease," starring Rosie O'Donnell. "Save all of your money," Foster advised. "It's very sad, but the more money you have, the better off you're going to be." And waiting for that big break isn't going to be easy. "I know a lot of graduates who are in New York right now and are very frustrated, because they aren't used to not having a job for five months. "Be patient and wait your turn. 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