Dancing the Audition
Instructor: Alvon Reed
Age: 13-17
Age: 18-80
May 18, 2024 10:00 AM-5:00 PM Lunch Break 1:00 PM-2:00 PM. Lunch not provided.
CSPS Hall, 1103 3rd St. SE 52401 3rd Floor
Goal: To provide dance artists with the tools, skills, and foundation to have a successful audition in musical theatre.
Here are some topics that will be discussed during the workshop:
- What to wear and how to present yourself.
- The importance of the audition breakdown.
- How to learn choreography in a fast-paced environment and how to be prepared for any dance style thrown at you in an audition.
- The power of observation.
- Improvisation.
- Creating your dance reel.
- Getting an agent and the difference between large and small (Boutique) agencies.
- Dance self-tapes.
For the workshop, be prepared to learn at least two dance combinations. Please bring all appropriate footwear (jazz shoes, character heels, tap shoes, etc.).
Vocal and Acting Performance
Instructors: Rosemary Gast and Joel Waggoner
Age: 13-17
Age: 18-80
May 18, 2024 10:00 AM-5:00 PM Lunch Break 1:00 PM-2:00 PM. Lunch not provided.
CSPS Hall, 1103 3rd St. SE 52401 3rd Floor
Goal: To help singing actors develop the knowledge, skills, and techniques needed to present a quality musical theater audition.
Joel Waggoner and Rosemary Gast will work with participants on audition technique and song interpretation in this Master Class designed for the musical theater actor. The focus will be on giving actors the opportunity to bring their audition and performance skills to the next level and how to better connect to their audition material. Singers will also have the opportunity to be part of a Q&A with Joel and Rosemary.
Here are some topics that will be discussed during the workshop:
- Choosing songs that match the show, style and character
- What repertoire to avoid.
- Communicating and working with your audition accompanist
- Locating instrumental or piano track and sheet music for your audition.
- Choosing the best key for your songs that match your range.
- Tips on how to get the best 32 bars of your song for your audition.
- Building a musical theater book that creates a custom repertoire Self tape techniques and tips
- Exploration of musical theater books to own for your repertoire.
About the Instructors:
Alvon Reed is the Artist-in-Residence in Jazz at Southern Methodist University. Mr. Reed holds a BA in Spanish from Coe College and an MFA in Dance with an emphasis in choreography from the University of Iowa.
Alvon has taught jazz and musical theater at prestigious institutions such as Coe College, Cornell College, The Milwaukee Ballet School, The Ailey School, Butler Ballet, Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, Salve Regina University, Tanzprokjekt München, and Theatreakademie Prinzregenten in Munich, Germany. Alvon is thrilled to return to Cedar Rapids and to work with Revival Theatre Company.
Joel Waggoner is a writer, actor, composer, music director, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, comedian, and one-time game show winner. He was part of the Broadway casts of School of Rock and Be More Chill, where he went on to play Mr. Heere/Mr. Reyes/Scary Stockboy. He has appeared Off-Broadway in Southern Comfort at the Public Theater and will play Ralph in the original cast of the new Ahrens & Flaherty musical Knoxville in its upcoming premiere at Asolo Rep.
With co-creator Julia Mattison, Joel wrote and performed a selection of original comedic Christmas carols on the popular Instagram handle @adventcarolndar. Joel and Julia’s Advent Carolndar was featured on NPR Weekend Edition and Jimmy Kimmel Live! with Ben Platt.
Joel’s work as a music director and/or vocal arranger includes Broadway Bounty Hunter (Off-Broadway at Greenwich House Theatre/Barrington Stage Company) and many productions at Pace University where he served as the Director of Music. Joel has many popular stand alone songs such as “Empathy” and “Nice Guy”, and his musical theater composition credits include Presto Change-o (book/lyrics by Eric Price) and the upcoming The Supadupa Kid (both at Barrington Stage), plus incidental music for the forthcoming play Hester Street.
He created the one-man show The Joel Waggoner Experience (Joe’s Pub), sang and played violin on many albums, released the single “Unlikely Warrior, and appeared in the music video for the song “Get Into It…Queen,” which he co-wrote. Joel received his MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU and was a Dramatists Guild Fellow. His work has been heard on concert stages all over New York, he was founding member of the Musical Theatre Factory, and he was the winner of the Season 3 premiere of ABC’s The $100,000 Pyramid.
Rosemary Gast is a Professor of Voice at Wartburg College as well as co-owner of Gasthaus Music Studios. She has been the musical director for several regional theaters for their musical theatre productions. She has served as the President of the Iowa Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and as Voice Coordinator for the Iowa Music Teachers Association.
Rosemary has taught audition workshops and master classes throughout the tri-state area, as well as serving as an adjudicator for vocal contests. She is an active audition and repertoire consultant to voice teachers and actors throughout the United States. Rosemary has professionally performed on both the operatic and musical theatre stages. She has been a soloist with regional symphonies and was the winner of the district Metropolitan Opera Awards.
Most recently, Rosemary was honored to sing the role of Mother Abbess in Theatre Cedar Rapids’ 2022 production of The Sound of Music. Finally, she has had the privilege of being in several of Revival Theatre Company’s productions over the years, including her favorite role as Big Edie in Grey Gardens.