Sing Your Way to a Stronger Support System
by Doug Shapiro, Savvy Coach
Savvy coach Doug Shapiro here, and I just wrapped up my second time around with the Composer-Librettist Studio at New Dramatists. There is so much more to being a musical theatre actor than getting in front of casting directors at auditions and paid one-on-one sessions. New Dramatists is a gold mine. Their mission is to serve and provide developmental opportunities for emerging contemporary American playwrights. They have a library, open from 10-6 weekdays, which features the plays of these playwrights and is ideal for those of you who are in search of a fantastic contemporary monologue.
One of the opportunities they provide for their playwrights is the yearly Composer-Librettist Studio. They take five of their playwrights who are interested in being librettists/lyricists and then hire five music theatre composers and five music theatre actors. For two and a half weeks we study collaborative techniques and create 25 new works of music theatre through 5 projects.
As a singer, I was sight-reading songs on the spot while standing in front of the five teams that had created them in less than 48 hours. Think about this—ten of the best emerging composers and playwrights working like crazy to design songs to fit our five voices.
And, as if this wasn’t empowering enough, the final project is a commission by each of the actors. Over the course of these weeks, I have built relationships with these wonderful artists who are now familiar with the wide range of craftsmanship I can bring to their future projects.
Whenever one of my coaching clients expresses frustration with “audition burn-out,” I always recommend getting involved with new music theatre works. You, Savvy Music Theatre Actor, are not only devilishly attractive, but are also blessed with the ability to bring work from a script and score and into the world. Composers and writers can learn so much from your interpretation of their material and you can learn so much from their process. (Why was that melody line written in the highest part of your range? What clues does a certain word choice give you about the rhythm of your character’s heartbeat?)
I worked with Kristin Anderson-Lopez on a workshop that was presented to Theatreworks USA. We stayed in touch and, four years later, I ended up voicing several characters for the cast album and live show of FINDING NEMO: THE MUSICAL, which she wrote for Disney along with her husband Bobby.
This business is about creating relationships, and when you work with others to achieve their vision, you may very well become the actor they bring with them to their next project. Helping create new music theatre work with emerging artists is not only an excellent way to move your career forward by enriching your support system, but a service to the community to ensure the development of new and exciting work.
