the b

-side

The Michigan Daily michigandaily com ( Thursday, January 13,2011
B ROADWA.Y

weekend
essentials
Jan 13 to 16
MUSIC
Looking to have your
mash-up-dance-party
concert quota filled?
As luck would have
it, this Saturday, The
Hood Internet invades
the Blind Pig with its
fusion of indie rock and
mainstream hip hop.
Listen to ABX and STV
SLV serve up a slew of
danceable beats from
their laptops in what
is sure to be a packed,
drunken, sweaty mess.
Doors at 9:00 and
tickets start at $8.

ON DISPLAY
At 8 p.m. Sunday,
celebrities will gather
in a drunken stupor
for the 68th Annual
Golden Globe Awards,
broadcast live on
NBC. Nominations
run from favorites like
"The Social Network"
to debacles like "The
Tourjat," byt the real
draw is host Ricky Ger-
vais. He's stolen the
show in previous years
by veering from the
script in his presenta-
tions and consistently
mocking everyone
he lays eyes on.

How the
students
of the
Universilty's
Musical Theatre
program rise
to stardom

The University is quintessen- in addition to having the accept- and staff complements that of
tially known for its incredible able grades for the University at their students. In fact, many of
academics, its (historically) good large, a student must also have the professors have worked in
football team and its large alum- the skills to interpret different the business before, so they have
ni network. But what about its songs and monologues, to make experience with the industry
ability to land performing stars the pieces their own and be a firsthand.
right on the Broadway stage? team player. "Our faculty is unreal," musical
Unbeknownst to some, the Uni- However, acceptance into theatre senior Will Burton said.
versity's Department of Musical the program is not so cut-and- "They really know what they're
Theatre is one of the highest- dry and even an applicant who doing. They know exactly what
ranked theater departments not excels in all these areas still may to do to prepare us."
only in the nation, but also the not merit an acceptance letter. Once a student is admitted into
world. Because the department is so the program, a long journey still
"I think the young people that selective, only the best of the lays ahead. Students takevarious
come out of (the University's best (roughly 3 percent of appli- dance, acting and singing classes
Musical Theatre Depart- at different levels.
ment) are really prepared to Gavin Creel, a 1998 gradu-
work right away. They don't ate of the program who has
have to come to New York starred on Broadway in
and take other classes, but , revivals of "Hair" and "La
they are really so well pre- They're well rounded, Cage aux Folles" and the
pared to audition and get a ti. original "Thoroughly Mod-
job," said Nancy Carson, a They re triple ern Millie" (receiving two
New York-based talent agent Tony nominations in the
at the Carson-Adler Agen- th weats when they process), said he took a lot
cy. "They're well rounded. away from his Musical The-
They're triple threats when waik OUt of there. atre courses.
they walk out of there." "It's appreciation for the
But these University stu- art form," he said. "It's
dents don'tjustriseto Broad- understanding a lyric and
way stardom out of nowhere. understanding a line in a
It's a long process to even get a cants, according to the depart- musical. It's understanding how
meeting with an agency, let alone ment's website) will receive a to communicate through words
a chance to land a starring role student ID number. and where your most powerful
on the Great White Way. It dates As talented as an incoming point on the stage is and to break
back at least to high school. freshman class may be, it also beats down - all these things
tends to be diverse. Wagner that a lot of schools are teach-
Making the said that the department tries to ing, but Michigan is doing in a
admit an equal number of men great way for musical theatre
Collegiate chorus line and women into the program. students."
The department is also known But the department does more.
A prospective student fresh for selecting students of varying It tries not only to push the per-
out of high school must compete appearances. formance factor of its program,
against approximately 600 other "You know, actors come in all but also the history of theater.
hopefuls to be selected for a spot shapes and sizes. Some pro- "I certainly want students to
in the Musical Theatre Depart- grams, you go to their showcases know what's happening in New
ment's 20-student freshman and you see that there are only York and on film and televi-
class. beautiful, perfect people. I like sion," Wagner said, "but I also
According to Music, Theatre & that there is a range of people want them to know the history
Dance Prof. Brent Wagner, who when I go to U of M," Carson of the field - to be comfortable
also serves as the chair of the said. in classics for the stage, whether
Musical Theatre Department, And the talent of the faculty See UMMT, Page 4B

FILM
This Sunday, the
American International
Film Festival comes to
the Michigan Theater.
Award-winning films
and documentaries,
including the festival's
Best Narrative Fea-
ture, "Lucy's Law," and
"Desautorizasdos," a
Venezuelan fantasy
musical that won Best
Comedy. Screenings
occur from 12 p.m.
to 4 p.m. Tickets are
$8 for students.
CONCERT
Avant-garde perfor-
mance artist Laurie
Anderson will present
her multimedia work
"Delusion" tomor-
row and Saturday at
the Power Center.
Accompanying herself
on the electric violin,
Anderson weaves
together film, visual
art, electronic music
and spoken word into
an intricate experi-
ence. Tickets begin
at $18 and the per-
formance starts at 8
p.m. on both nights
with no late seating.

By Arielle Speciner
Daily Arts Writer
PHOTO BY SALAM RIDA