Open Stage of Harrisburg Studio/School Named A Regional Summer School of Excellence

The Music Theatre Workshop held annually by the Open Stage of Harrisburg Studio/School has been designated a "Regional Summer School of Excellence" for the seventh consecutive year by the PA Department of Education. One of fifteen summer programs to be so named by the state, the Workshop runs July 19 through August 6 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Mondays through Fridays at Open Stage, located in the street level of the Walnut Street Parking Garage in downtown Harrisburg.

Music Theatre Workshop offers three weeks of intensive classes in singing, acting, dance, and performance to students ages 12-17. Students must complete an audition/evaluation to be accepted into the program. Auditions are scheduled Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14 from 1-5 PM and other dates and times by appointment.

Students will take a field trip to Broadway to see Billy Elliott and participate in an audition workshop with New York producers, teachers, and directors. The Workshop culminates in two public performances August 5 at Open Stage. Tuition for the program is $450, with an "Early Bird" discount of $430 for students who pay in full by July 1.

The Workshop's faculty is comprised of professional teacher/performers. Anne L. Alsedek, Program Director and acting teacher, is the founder and director of the Open Stage Studio/School. An actor as well, she has appeared in numerous productions at Open Stage and at other professional theatres. She is also Program Director of the Capital Area School for the Arts, and was Chair of the Theater Department at the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts for three years.
Carolyn Dorff, the program's Musical Director, holds a Master's degree in Opera Performance from North Carolina School for the Arts. Ms. Dorff moved to the Harrisburg area from Raleigh, North Carolina, and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She has been teaching voice and music theatre for Open Stage since 2007. Ms. Dorff has performed extensively across the United States, most notably as Lily in the second national Broadway tour of THE SECRET GARDEN. Her resume includes a wide variety of credits from opera, musical theatre, oratorio, symphonic work, recitals, folk and children's music, acting, and dance. She also teaches voice privately and is the founder and director of Power Performance, Inc.

Mark D. Lingenfelter, dance teacher and choreographer, is a graduate of Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, where he received a BA in Music Theatre. A professional actor, teacher, and choreographer, Lingenfelter has worked at For a Good Time Theatre in Saginaw, MI, and choreographed for Susquehanna University, where he also taught dance and acting. He has performed across the country in various roles from the Sea Witch in THE LITTLE MERMAID to Bob Cratchit in A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Mr. Lingenfelter also recently directed a production of LITTLE WOMEN. Both he and Carolyn Dorff are returning to MTW for the third year.

For more information, or to receive an audition packet, readers may call the Open Stage Education Department at 214-3250, e-mail a request to education@openstagehbg.com, or visit the theatre's website at openstagehbg.com. Auditioning students are expected to prepare two contrasting songs of any style, and a one-minute memorized monologue from a published play. An accompanist will be provided, so students should bring sheet music or sing to pre-recorded accompaniment. They will also be asked to learn and perform a simple dance combination.

Open Stage, a not-for-profit professional regional theatre, receives state arts funding support from The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency administering an annual state appropriation for grants to the arts and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. This program is funded, in part, by the Cultural Enrichment Fund, the capital region's united arts fund.