SIGS

I am looking for people who are currently working in the dance/musical theatre industry. I would like to hear your journey after professional training including non-professional work. If you could include:

1. Whether you have an agent or are freelance
2. Have you always managed to find professional work after graduating
3. Are there any ways that you have had to promote yourself in order to find professional work?

My inquiry is based on finding professional work in musical theatre, I have decided to have specific topics that I would like to focus more on. There are Agents, Auditions and Self Promotion. 

If you would like to contribute or have any ideas for me I would love to hear from you.

Please leave comments below or if you prefer my email address is hollynkm@hotmail.com

Thanks

Why do we need Musical Theatre?

When I typed in "why do we need musical theatre" into google various links came up regarding training and if studying musical theatre is for you as apposed to why we have it. Musical Theatre is growing every year with more and more applicants applying to all the colleges, who have had to expand to accommodate these circumstances.


I also want to look at American Musical Theatre as I'll be heading to work in New York over the summer. I want to compare and evaluate the differences between West End and Broadway.
Here is a link on why British and American theatre audiences are so different.
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2011/mar/30/british-american-theatre-audiences

We have the Oliviers, American have Tony's, but are Americans better at Musical Theatre than the British?
Why Americans beat the british in Musicals:
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2011/feb/23/americans-british-musicals-west-end-broadway

Employment in the Musical Theatre Industry

What do agents look for in a Musical Theatre grad?

Stuart Piper, and agent at Cole Kitchenn explains that he does not look for a particular casting but chooses clients on who he thinks are special and who he thinks will become "tomorrow's stars." Piper describes that colleges are now trying to make their students triple threats having equal training in all disciplines. This therefore makes clients more employable as they are able to do different things including maybe playing an instrument.
https://www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/2015/stuart-piper-agents-look-musical-theatre-graduate/

I have started to look at employment in American Musical Theatre as I know nothing about employment there. In the UK there are various ways of getting your foot in the door. I've heard that its a lot harder to get into broadway than it is the west end so I'm going to find out more information.
This was the first link that I found about the subject. Most of the advice given relates to work in the west end too. The first two tips have been useful to me.
1) Get tickets to see shows- (especially if its the show your auditioning for) this will help on so many levels and gives you something more to talk about at your interview.
2) Get in the right room - face to face is better than electronic. Attend opening nights, conferences- get your face seen.
https://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2013/01/5-tips-to-getting-a-job-on-broadway.html

How to become a broadway actor/actress:

train train train - whats difficult is after college I now have to fund for myself and nowadays everything costs. It is a struggle to keep fit and also attend as many auditions as I can.
network - this has come up a lot in my research. Many people have said its about being in the right place at the right time- but you have to be in a place to start with.
always say yes - I agree with this to a certain extent but I will always remain professional.
see as much theatre as you can - I try and see shows as much as I can, usually I go spontaneously after an audition as I am already there.
take care of yourself - This has proven tricky as I work full time and its difficult to find time to attend classes.
show up and move on - go to auditions and accept that there is a high chance of rejection.
http://broadwaymusicalblog.com/2013/06/18/how-to-become-a-broadway-actor-or-actress/

How to make it in musical theatre

http://castings.thestage.co.uk/audition-advice/blog/posts/what-it-takes-to-make-it-in-musical-theatre

What it takes to train a broadway star

I found this an interesting article. Even broadway stars are continually growing and never stop learning. It is not enough to just sing and dance, performers need to be strong triple threats and be able to sustain their stamina for eight shows a week.
http://www.newyork.com/articles/broadway/what-it-takes-to-train-a-broadway-star-24415/

Genre of Musical Theatre

Musical (noun): a stage, television, or film production utilising popular style songs to either tell a story or to showcase the talent of writers and/or performers, with dialogue optional.

Elements of a Musical
Music and Lyrics - the songs
Book/Libretto - the connected story expressed in script or dialogue
Choreography - the dance
Staging - all stage movements
Physical Production - the sets, costumes, and technical aspects

Showtunes have been around for 2,500 years starting in Greece.  Greek dramas use dialogue, song dance integrated in their storytelling. A lot of greek playwrights were also composers and lyricists too. Athenian musical theatre died due to the Peloponnesian War which led Athens defeated in 404 B.C.E.

Musical Theatre Timeline

1700's-1800's
In the 1700's- 1800's Opera became very fashionable to the upper classes in Europe.

Late 1800's 
The first known musical was The Black Crook by Charles M. Barrs which ran for 474 performances.

1920-1930
Musicals were starting to become more known in this era. Some famous musicals include Oklahoma! and No, No, Nanette.

Mid 1900s
Composer Stephan Sondheim was influenced by the change to rock and roll music. Arthur Laurents and Sondheim wrote West Side Story in 1957.

1987
Les Miserable the world's most well known musical opened not long after The Phantom of the Opera opened in 1988. They both still remain the longest running musicals in the West End.

2000s
A lot of musicals are now adapted from films. Musical such as Legally Blonde, Shrek and more successfully The Lion King.

Reviewing Module 2/Starting Module 3

I have been extremely busy these past few months, working full time and now trying to organise myself before I jet off to America in June as well as finding time to do this course.

Reviewing Module 2 

I am currently looking at more literature on Agents, Auditions and Self Promotion. I am looking at online sources as well as books to help me with this.

I also have to consider who to interview and what questions I would like to ask. I am hoping to find an agent to help me with this but I have currently not had much luck in finding one.

Before I being Module 3 I want to talk about my journey so far in terms of my professional career.

I have personally struggled financially keeping fit and attending dance classes in order to find work. I therefore had to take up a full time anti-social job so that I can still attend classes and auditions during the day and work in the evenings/weekends. I have therefore become a very busy individual and have to organise my day accordingly to get this course completed.

I would like to focus this module on personal branding and how an artist can develop and become more known in the industry. Although I do not know many people I am hoping to speak to casting directors and agents in an interview to see what they see in clients and what sort of things they look for when auditioning.

Meanwhile I have recently been offered a job in New York for the summer where I will be working at a summer camp teaching children dance and musical theatre. I am very excited about this opportunity as it will allow be to get back into the industry as well as network with individuals from around the world.