Wagner College Theater to Hold Summer Music Theater Institute

Wagner College Theater, ranked by the Princeton Review as the third-best college theater department in the country, will offer college-level stage training for high school students in a two-week intensive from July 19 to July 30. The Summer Music Theater Institute will provide professional training at Wagner in acting, singing, and dance. It is open to a maximum of 30 students from around the United States. Classes will be taught by Wagner faculty members as well as select New York City theater professionals.

Acting workshops will include scene study, improvisation, character analysis and ensemble building. Dance and singing workshops will teach a variety of styles during individual and group sessions. Students will also have the advantage of sessions on auditioning techniques as well as industry tips from a professional photographer on how to obtain the ideal headshot. Each student will leave with a professional headshot.

The Institute will bring in a New York City casting director and an agent to give participants realistic industry advice about getting work after they have obtained college diplomas. Students will see Wagner graduates who are currently performing on Broadway in productions like "West Side Story" and "Jersey Boys." Participants will meet the performers and receive backstage tours. The Institute will culminate in a showcase performed on Wagner's 400-seat Main Stage theater, which will be open to participants' friends and family as well as the Wagner community and invited theater industry guests.

Artistic co-directors of the Summer Music Theater Institute are David A. Miller and Susan Fenley. Both teach in the Theater Department at Wagner.

"We have designed the Institute to provide professional training and insight into the world of the New York City musical theater performer," said Miller. "The institute combines rigorous training and serious fun, and we are looking for high school students who are dedicated to attending college to train in the performing arts."

Susan Fenley, who also runs the Sundog Theater performing arts organization, said that applications for the Institute started arriving as soon as word got out.

"There is definitely a need for this type of well-rounded training and realistic advice for high school students," Fenley said. "The institute will be a supportive environment that is positive and extremely professional. It's a perfect segue from high school into college."

For an application and information, students can go to www.wagner.edu/smti. Tuition is $3,200, which includes two weeks of intensive classes, visits from industry professionals, lodging and food at the college, a DVD of the final showcase, a professional head shot, and trips to Broadway shows. For a small additional fee, students will receive one college credit. [Credits typically cost several thousand dollars.]

Applications are due by May 1, but students are strongly encouraged to apply earlier because there are limited slots available. Admission is by audition tape or DVD, and high school students between the ages of 16 and 19 are eligible. Contact Artistic Co-Directors Susan Fenley or David A. Miller by e-mail at smti@wagner.edu, or by phone at 718-390-3223.