I am excited to share another guest with you. Mark Madama is a professor at the University of Michigan, teaching musical theatre performance classes at levels from freshmen to senior; musical theatre history classes from the 1860s to the present; and directing numerous productions including Assassins, Rent, Big River, Guys and Dolls, Company, City of Angels, and more! He has also worked on the yearly “Senior Showcase,” which is presented in Ann Arbor, Michigan and New York. He is a great resource for anyone who is considering or preparing to audition for college theatre programs.
Denise: I cannot believe how popular a theatre and musical theater major is. I’m seeing every year more and more students want to study theatre.
Mark: I think one of the reasons is that for musical theater especially has become a venue that so many young people are getting jobs in. So they are able to go to New York and see themselves…involved in Broadway shows. And the profession doesn’t seem like something that is being taken up by someone who is older.
Denise: And good actors make it look easy and we both know it is hard hard work. And your program is so well renowned. How difficult is it to get into your Musical Theatre Program?
Mark: It is hard. It’s hard to get in but the other part about tit is that we have to have a class. If you want to go to the University of Michigan. Start looking at it… know what goes on here and then do the training while you’re in high school do the training in all these workshops and in studios…and be ready for that audition. I wouldn't want anyone to be deterred, being as competitive as it is… there's no reason that anyone listening can’t be one of the {students in our program}. I think that’s what you strive for because whether or not you go to the University of Michigan, you are going to put in all that work to go to wherever you are going to go and you’re going to be such a better performer for it.
Denise: It’s a huge market and it’s great that so many people want to do it and like you said there is a place for everyone. Let’s talk about some generalities for the college process. First of all, we agree… training is important… Do you recommend when a student is getting ready to apply to college that they use a college training program?
Mark: I think it is helpful… It is really helpful. I think it is going to help you navigate what is going on. There are so many variables from these universities. If you get into a good college prep program, the college prep coaches are going to need {all of those variables}
Denise: I teach one myself and I see the success that the kids who have taken these programs have had in getting into many of their choices.
Mark: Yeah, it takes away a lot of stress along the whole process.
Denise: I’ve spent my life looking for great material for these young kids, and a lot of students don’t know where to find materials. I think that's another great reason in these programs to go to someone who Knows where to go to find material for you because I think a lot of young people don’t know how to do that.
Mark: Yeah, I think that now that we have the internet we have a great facility to find how you want to present yourself and you bring that to your college coach and your coach will be able to help you.
Denise: You mentioned you watch the pre-screens. I think a lot of students don’t understand what the prescreen is about, but the prescreen is really their first audition?
Mark: Completely, it is basically the way you are screened out. We go through the prescreens multiple times and we figure out what would this person be like in the room and what is this person presenting themselves as. It also gives us the opportunity to see your work ethic. There are multiple prescreens that come in where the students will be singing the wrong rhythms or pitches or lyrics and you listen to that and you say “wow this is something they had control over and they didt’ take the time to make sure they were singing the right rhythms, pitches, and lyrics. And that’s what I'm talking about having those coaches help you so that they can double check that your first presentation in front of someone will make you look the best in the areas that you can control.
Denise: I imagine you are looking to eliminate because you can’t possibly see that many live auditions.
Mark: Yeah, we will take out around 1000 people in the prescreens.
Denise: Can you talk about vocal health?
Mark: Sure, absolutely, I mean when we are listening to the singers sing we are looking to see how healthy their instrument is. And that is going to be something that will absolutely be put into the calculation when we are looking at you and say this person has a damaged voice and it’s not going to be a good time having them study at a university, they are going to have to get themselves fixed first.
Denise: It’s a rigorous four year program and they have to be able sustain that.
Mark: And have the work ethic to be able to do that.
Denise: How early do you think students should start looking into college programs?
Mark: I think if you’re serious about getting into a college program. By the time you are in your sophomore year you should start thinking about it. You don’t have to be obsessed about it but start thinking about it because there's a lot of research to be done also.
Denise: There are so many different types of programs so it is so important for students to know themselves… or heave mentors and guides who can help them develop that list so they are applying to the right schools.
Mark: Yes, if students come to me and say i never want to take another class in science then I would say you are probably going to be happier at a conservatory
Denise: Do you think an actor needs to even go to college to become an actor or can they just move to New York or LA and be an actor?
Mark: Yes, you can just move to New York or LA to be an actor. I don’t know if you’re ready as a person at that point. Those are two hard cities and they are really hard on young people to navigate and to be able to stay focused and to be able to afford to be there. I think that college years are so important to anybody who is developing. I cannot express how different a freshman is from a senior and how you mature and focus and understand what exactly you want in your life. I think the college years are developmentally so important for you. Smart actors are actors that work and in those years you are in college you are going to learn so much about yourself and so much about the world around you.
