Music Theatre at UCI

Below you will find a brief description of the music theatre courses we present through the Drama Department -- recognized as one of the strongest drama departments in the country. We insist on the highest of professional standards in both our public performances and conservatory type classes under the leadership of top ranked faculty.

Our four level Music Theatre Workshop prepares an actor/singer for a professional stage career as evidenced by our alumni making appearances on the stages of Broadway and leading regional theatre throughout the U.S. Most unique to our curriculum is the New York Satellite Program in which we take a group of students each Spring to the “Big Apple” for a four week, intensive course of study in singing, dancing and acting taught by the Who’s Who of Broadway. We also feature three musical productions per year: one mainstage (recent titles include Sweeney Todd and My Fair Lady, one “Stage 2” (Floyd Collins, Falsettos), and one revue.

The courses:

Drama 65 Music Theatre Workshop – Level I
A class requiring no audition and designed for students new to music theatre singing or for experienced students who want a little workout before auditioning for Level II. The class prepares pre-selected song titles as a group and are introduced to various acting, diction and breathing techniques. This class is offered Fall and Winter quarters only.

Drama 165 Music Theatre Workshop – Level II
By audition. Students are coached in audition technique and song interpretation in both a large, main class, as well as small, group sessions. Students choose repertoire from the various time periods and styles of musical theatre – from the classics of Irving Berlin and George Gershwin to the latest Broadway hits. New students with musical theatre experience are encouraged to audition for Level II as soon as they arrive. This class is offered every Fall, Winter and Spring quarters.

Drama 166 Music Theatre Workshop – Level III
By audition. This advanced level is highly selective for those students who show professional aptitude for the musical theatre. In addition to building solo and audition repertoire, the class concentrates on scene study from the different eras of musical theatre. The course is designed over a three quarter curriculum (parts A, B and C) and only offered in the Fall and Winter quarters. Part A deals with the early period (1900 – 1943), Part B centers around the classic, book musical (1943-1969), and Part C deals with the contemporary period (1970 to present day.) Pre-requisite: Level II.

Drama 145 & 149 Voice Lessons and Music Proficiency
Once accepted into Level III, private voice lessons begin. These sessions meet once a week and concentrate on vocal technique. Unless keyboard and music reading skills are proved proficient, students in Level III also take our Music Proficiency course in which the basics in music theory and terminology and keyboard skills are addressed.

Drama 174 Music Theatre Workshop – Level IV
By audition. Level IV is designed for advanced study after the three quarters of Level III have been taken. This is a role building class in which each student prepares the major songs and scenes of a role with strong casting potential. Each musical is presented in an open class/reader’s theatre type of performance. Offered in Fall and Spring quarters.

Drama 147 Music Theatre Dance
A dance course exploring the various time periods and styles of music theatre choreography and taught by some of Los Angeles’ leading choreographers. Offered Fall and Winter quarters.

Drama 148 The History of the American Musical
A two quarter lecture course surveying the leading songwriters, directors, choreographers, performers and producers from the last 200 years of our musical theatre heritage. Offered every other year during the Fall and Winter quarters.

Drama 178 Script and Score
A form and analysis seminar offered every other year discussing the libretto and score of landmark musicals. (Pre-requisite: The History of the American Musical)

Drama 146 The New York Satellite Program
A one of a kind music theatre curriculum that features a one month, intensive study in acting, dancing and singing in the city of New York for four weeks during the Spring quarter. Admission is by audition and there are additional fees and living expenses. Participants meet as a class during the Winter and Spring quarters.

Musical Theatre Revue
An annual, all undergraduate performance featuring The Best of Broadway in a fully staged and choreographed format. Past titles have included: Musical Movers: The Great Dance Directors of Broadway, Rodgers Without Hart, and An Evening of Stephen Sondheim.

Honors in Music Theatre Program
Only Drama majors that possess professional performing skills and an honor level GPA are admitted into our honors program. These students are required to take all of the above classes and appear in at least one mainstage musical. They have their own voice lab and are featured in a yearly recital. Special mention is made at time of graduation and “Honors” appears on their diploma. One can audition for honors once they have been accepted into Level III.

Production
The Drama Department features a full schedule of mainstage (faculty directed), Stage 2 (faculty or graduate student directed) and Stage 3 (undergraduate directed) productions. Of the entire mainstage and Stage 2 production season, two are musicals. For the 2004-5 academic year, we produced Cabaret and Seussical, while in 2005-6 our musicals will be Nine and Kiss Me, Kate. These musicals always feature a live orchestra and original set and costume designs in either the beautiful Irvine Barclay Theatre, the newly renovated Claire Trevor Theatre or one of the university’s four other venues.

The best way to get to know musical theatre at UCI is to visit our campus. We encourage you to visit on a Monday through Thursday since most classes are on a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Currently, there is no audition required to be admitted into the Drama major – only the regular application process through the Admissions Office. Auditions happen once you arrive on campus for the upper levels of music theatre classes as listed above.

Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions or concerns and the best of luck to you in your pursuit of music theatre training.

Sincerely,
Dennis Castellano
Senior Lecturer/Head of Music Theatre

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