Carefully Taught: Teaching Musical Theatre with Matty and Kikau

Matty (@teaguemiller) and Kikau (@kikautown) speak with Making Light Productions Executive Director, Juliet Yaques, Making Light Productions Executive Director, Mandi Broadfoot, and Director Actor and Educator, Christine Hansen about theater performers and audience members of all ages who might be neurodivergent. ​Making Light Productions is a non-profit organization in Tallahassee, Florida with the mission of providing an inclusive arts education for children, teens, and adults of all abilities.

Here are links to their recommendations:

askjan.com

Fearlessly Different: An Autistic Actor's Journey to Broadway's Biggest Stage by Mickey Rowe

Shakespeare's Heartbeat: Drama Games for Children with Autism by Kelly Hunter

Playing Shakespeare: An Actor's Guide by John Barton

The Professional Actor's Handbook by Julio Agustin

Sense of Direction: Some Observations of the Art of Directing by William Ball

Directing Your Heart Out by Tom Dugdale

Office of Accessibility

...

Founded by Mandi Broadfoot and Juliet Yaques, both mothers of children with autism, Making Light offers classes and lessons in music, art, dance, acting/theatre, and stagecraft. Visit our Classes and Lessons page for all the details and to register online! We are excited to hold classes at our facility at 2720 S. Blair Stone Rd. For more information on our thorough health and safety protocols please click here. 

Please visit our blog and sign up for our email newsletter to see when Making Light is Making News!

Matty (@teaguemiller) and Kikau (@kikautown) check in with Jacob Brent (@jacobbrentstagram) and David Coolidge (@david.coolidge.3) who are now both at different institutions since we last spoke on the podcast. Some of their recommendations include taking a trip to NYC, asking students for New Musical recommendations, embedding Spotify lists on Canvas, meditation, the importance of being surrounded plants and flowers!

Read Bios Below:

Jacob Brent is a veteran Broadway performer with a MFA in Musical Theatre.

With extensive experience performing, directing, choreographing and teaching, Mr. Brent has been recognized by The New York Times as knowing how to inspire actors.

As a performer, Jacob is probably best known for his portrayal of Mr. Mistoffelees in the Broadway, London and DVD productions of Cats. Now on the other side of the table, he brings the same commitment and passion for performing to directing, choreographing and teaching. 

When not working as a Director and Choreographer around the United States, Jacob is an Assistant Professor at Shenandoah Conservatory and frequently teaches at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in NYC. 

Mr. Brent is actively involved in the international Junior Theatre Festival and pilot productions of new Broadway Jr. musicals... always looking to inspire the next generation of artists and audiences.

David Coolidge joins ONU as an Associate Professor and Head of Musical Theatre. He is a certified Master Teacher in Archetypes for Singers and Actors with specializations in New Works and Acting Through Song. David was a member of the Broadway National Tour of Parade, Jeff Calhoun’s highly acclaimed pre-Broadway production of Big River at Deaf West Theatre, and he has appeared in numerous roles in regional theatres across the country. David is the former Assistant Artistic Director of TheatreworksUSA in New York City where he directed six national tours and oversaw thirty national touring productions reaching an annual audience of over three million. David received his BFA in Musical Theatre from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (CCM) and his MFA in Acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Kikau (@kikautown) and Matty (@teague.miller) chat with the amazing Vicky Bussert, who is the Director of Music Theatre at Baldwin Wallace University. 

In addition to running the MT program at Baldwin Wallace, Victoria Bussert is resident director for musical theatre for the Great Lakes Theatre, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. She has taught as a guest faculty member at UNCSA, Kent State, and Northwestern University. She has directed worldwide including productions in Russia, Denmark, Africa, England, and South America. Bussert is the 2019 recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize for outstanding mid-career artists. Bussert is also a member of SDC.

Vicky's recommendation is a book called The Ballerina Mindset: How to Protect Your Mental Health While Striving for Excellence by Megan Fairchild. You will read all about the "successes, failures, body image and what she went through getting her mind ready for a career in the performing arts."  An excellent read no matter what your artistic practice is! 

Matty (@teague.miller) and Kikau (@kikautown) get caught up on what is happening!  Kikau talks about directing his first show at UARTS and Matty updates Kikau on sabbatical life.  They talk about the senior showcase landscape, and debrief about Matty's recent family trip to Disneyland!

Follow Carefully Taught on Instagram @CarefullyTaughtPodcast!

Kikau and Matty discuss Musical Theatre Education and Social Justice in Theatre with multi-hyphenate artist and teacher Rose Van Dyne (@Rose_Van_Dyne).  Rose is currently in the final semester of her MFA at the Boston Conservatory, and serves as the administrative assistant to the Musical Theatre Educators Alliance.  She served on the music team of the post COVID remounting of Waitress on Broadway, and appeared as several different roles in the recent Broadway revival of 1776.  She also presented at the 2023 International MTEA conference in New York City.

Click this link for Rose's recommendation!  http://www.aapacnyc.org/uploads/1/3/5/7/135720209/aapac_report_2018-2019_final.pdf

Matty (@teague.miller) and Kikau (@kikautown) speak to the amazing Van Angelo, who is currently at San Diego State University working on their MFA in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre. At the end of the episode, Van recommends YouTube University, the College of Google, Google Chrome Extension: Transpose, Tik Tok, and Joe Deer's Acting for Musical Theatre. 

Van Angelo (they/them) - is a proud Westminster Choir College graduate and served as Director of Choral Activities for five years at the high school level. Van is currently a teaching artist for Moonlight Youth Theatre and New Village Arts. Select Regional Credits: Something Rotten, Memphis (Moonlight), Catch Me If You Can (SDMT), Seussical (Candlelight), West Side Story, Tarzan, Hairspray (Performance Riverside), The View UpStairs (Desert Rose Playhouse). Music Directing Credits: Leonard Bernstein's New York (NVA), Moana Jr. (MYT), Little Shop of Horrors, Seussical, and The Little Mermaid (VVUSD). Van has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Zelda Symphony Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Van is a two-time Inland Theatre League Award winner, and a Desert Theatre League Award winner. Van is currently a Teaching Associate at San Diego State Universty and an MFA in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre candidate.

Matty and Kikau discuss the MTEA Conference and some of the other things from their trip to NYC. Follow us @carefullytaughtpodcast on Instagram and reach out to us by emailing [email protected] 

Kikau (@kikautown) and Matty (@teague.miller) reflect on the last year and discuss what they are looking forward to in 2023! 

Thank you for supporting our little podcast! Give us a follow @carefullytaughtpodcast, rate and review the podcast, and send us a message at [email protected]. 

Matty and Kikau have a chat with the amazing Alisa Hauser, Assistant Professor of Music Theatre at Florida State University.  She is the Program Director for the BM in Music Theatre.  As a performer, Alisa appeared on Broadway in the original cast of Thoroughly Modern Millie (Alice), Grease! (Frenchy), and in the original cast of Disney’s Beauty and The Beast (Silly Girl).

In 2014 Alisa was nominated for a national primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for the song “No Trouble” from A Christmas Carol – The Concert (PBS). With music by Bob Christianson, she wrote the book adaptation and lyrics for this symphonic retelling of the Dickens classic. Also for television she has written lyrics with composer Stephen Sislen, for the Disney Channel’s Johnny And The Sprites.

In this episode they discuss the program at Florida State University, taking over as the New President of Musical Theatre Educators' Alliance, and New Works! Todays recommendation (besides the MTEA Conference - January 4th, 5th, and 6th) is the app/website called Sounds Of Broadway! Follow us @carefullytaughtpodcast or send us a message at [email protected]!