The 2018-2019 school year will bring the addition of the Musical Theatre major and new opportunities for students.
The new major will be be an option for incoming students but also for current students to add. While musical theater is currently not offered as a minor, it is in the process of possibly becoming one soon.
The program will be a collaborative effort between the music and theater departments.
Dr. Kellie Brown, professor of music, and Dr. Noah DeLong, associate professor of music, will be part of the musical aspect. DeLong will help with one-on-one coaching lessons, and Brown will prepare a small orchestra that will perform the music for productions from the pit.
Richard Major, professor of theater, and Pamela Adolphi, technical director, will help with acting and characterization as well as costume and set design.
The school is in the process of interviewing someone to be the new director of the musical theater program.
“This person’s expertise would be in musical theater–directing and acting, but also in coaching songs,” Brown said.
The director of the program will direct and organize shows, recruit students, visit local high schools, develop relationships with local theaters, teach voice lessons and teach courses within the major.
While the theater department has done musicals in the past, the new major will add musicals as a more constant part of life at Milligan.
The current plan is to have one musical and one straight play each year, with one production each semester. The musical theater productions will also be performed in the McGlothlin-Street Theatre in the Gregory Center, an addition in the last decade that offers a high-quality area for performances.
“If we do a spring show it gives us more time,” Brown said. “We might be able to then have the auditions before we leave for Christmas break.”
Brown also explained that with next year being the program’s first, it would probably give the new professor more time to adjust and get to know students.
Similar to now, majors and non-majors will be able to audition and participate in productions.
“We encourage current students to consider auditioning for productions and being involved; no matter what their major is,” DeLong said. “It can be a really fun, unique, college experience.”
While anyone is free to audition, DeLong encouraged students to take advantage of lessons.
“For some students, a private voice lesson is kind of a luxury,” DeLong said. “Whereas in a college setting that is built into the curriculum.”
The audition will consist of reciting a monologue, singing a song preferably from the chosen musical and performing a dance portion.
Musical theater majors can expect a core curriculum including courses in music, theater and dance as well as a course on the history of musical theater. The dance curriculum will consist of jazz, tap and modern dance classes.
The process for creating this major began roughly two years ago. The idea came about from faculty and staff members listening to and realizing the desires of current and future students. The musical theater program will allow for a more diverse music area.