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 25 eager participants signed on to sing, act and dance their way through this five-day musical theater intensive which featured 10 master class sessions led by 10 Jersey Boys company members. Two Drake University theater professors provided supplemental theater workshops. Participants also had professional headshots taken by local photographer Paige Peterson and worked on developing their performance résumés. It was a great week of hard work which provided the participants opportunities to focus on the development of their own craft while working with professionals in the musical theater industry. PRE-CAMP PERFORMANCE: THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010
Prior to the launch of the one-week intensive, participants attended a performance of Jersey Boys as a group. A special pre-show reception allowed the participants to meet one another for the first time. Some were a little anxious/nervous but very excited to see the show and meet the other participants. Members of the cast met with the camp participants after the show for a Q & A session.  026 web.jpg)  029 web.jpg)  027 web(1).jpg) DAY ONE: MONDAY, JULY 12, 2010 Participants started off the camp experience by performing a cutting of a song and a short monologue that they prepared for the week as if they were auditioning. Two master classes with company members were highlights of the day. The day concluded with a Q & A with Dr. Deena Conley and Karla Kash, theater faculty at Drake University. The two answered questions about different types of college theater programs, going on auditions, and preparing a performance résumé. Master Class 1: Scene Work with John Gardiner
Small groups worked on scenes from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Lion King, and August: Osage County with John Gardiner (Billy Dixon and others in Jersey Boys). Gardiner provided feedback and introduced several techniques to help participants explore the possibilities within the selected scenes.
Master Class 2: “Acting a Song” with Christopher DeAngelis and Buck Hujabre
Several participants worked on their song selection with Christopher DeAngelis (Swing in Jersey Boys) and Buck Hujabre (Norm Waxman in Jersey Boys). DeAngelis and Hujabre stressed the importance of singing with intention and knowing the story behind what you are singing.
 096.jpg)  104.jpg)  134.jpg)  143.jpg) Top left: Participants loosen up with a theater game at the beginning of the first master class. Top right: John Gardiner gives Johnna direction as she performs a scene from The Lion King. Gardiner has previously played Timon in the National Tour of The Lion King. Bottom left: Buck Hujabre works with Ethan on motivation during the “Acting a Song” master class. Bottom right: Hunter performs The Impossible Dream during the “Acting a Song” master class. THOUGHTS FROM DAY ONE
“Buck [Hujabre] and Christopher [DeAngelis] pushed us to think way outside the box with the intentions for our songs.” –Ethan
“My biggest challenge has been auditioning for the first time.” – Maggie Ah-ha moment: “Singing in front of everyone. I can do it!” – Katie
DAY TWO: TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2010
The day's sessions included having headshots taken at Paige Peterson Photography in the East Village, working on developing performance résumés in a workshop led by Ms. Karla Kash (Drake University), and two master classes led by Jersey Boys company members.
Master Class 3: Musical Theater Dance with Candi Boyd
Candi Boyd (Swing in Jersey Boys) led the first dance master class of the week. The master class included a traditional warm-up, across the floor work, and the opportunity to learn choreography to a lyrical Jason Mraz song. The participants loved working with Candi and were thrilled that she’ll be back to teach one of the additional dance master classes later in the week.
Master Class 4: “Acting a Song” with Buck Hujabre
Participants continued to work on focusing their song selections in a second master class with Buck Hujabre (Norm Waxman in Jersey Boys). Hujabre challenged the young performers to create a new story or subtext for their song choice as a way to add focus, depth, and power to their performance. Our participants ran with the unique scenarios thrown at them, bringing tremendous growth to their individual performances. A special thank you to Ben Hartman (Associate Conductor for Jersey Boys) for accompanying during several of the singing master classes during the week.
 web.jpg)  web.jpg)  web.jpg)  015 web.jpg)  041 web.jpg)  2010 JERSEY BOYS BROADWAY CAMP PARTICIPANTS First row: Abigail, Johnna, Davis, Ethan, Molly, Maggie, Dylan Second row: Ruby, Cianna, Angelica, Jocelyn, Katie B., Matt, Sam, Hunter Third row: Emma, Lauren, Kellen, Kourtney, Katie D., Trish, Melissa, Kaylee Back row: Jersey Boys company members Buck Hujabre and Ben Hartman Not pictured: Nathan and Mallory THOUGHTS FROM DAY TWO
“I realized how much I missed dance!” – Abigail
"When Buck tweaked my song so I had a different interpretation on how to sing it.” – Matt DAY THREE: WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2010
A morning session was spent responding as a group to the Jersey Boys performance using a technique called Critical Response. Every participant was able to share their observations of the show, the memories and feelings it invoked, questions they had about the performance, and their ideas about the show’s meaning and intent. Master classes and a backstage tour rounded out the day.
Master Class 5: Jersey Boys Show Choreography with Candi Boyd
To the participants’ delight, Candi Boyd (Swing in Jersey Boys) returned to teach another dance master class. Boyd finished teaching the choreography to the lyrical dance begun the day before. The participants also were able to learn the choreography to the opening number of Jersey Boys. Boyd took some time at the end of the session to answer questions about open call dance auditions.
Master Class 6: Monologues with Ryan Jesse
The afternoon master class focused on acting skills. Ryan Jesse (Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys) worked with participants on their monologues. He coached their performances by asking them to think about their characters’ purpose and intensity and to look for the layered subtext beneath the words. Questions for every actor: What do I want? How do I get it? What’s in my way? Do I win or lose?
A Special Treat: Jersey Boys Backstage Tour
The planned theater tour became an extra special treat as the crew for the National Tour of Jersey Boys was in doing repair and maintenance work on the set. Dale Lane, Head Carpenter, took the group backstage to personally tour the set and explore the behind-the-scenes workings. Participants also explored the Civic Center’s catwalk system above the Main Hall. Along the way, they even saw a sneak peak of a special effect for what promises to be one of the most talked about moments when Mary Poppins flies into the Civic Center in November.  157 web.jpg)  010 web.jpg)  043 web.jpg)  086 web.jpg)  052 web.jpg)  104 web.jpg)  113 web.jpg)  130 web.jpg)  140 web.jpg) THOUGHTS FROM DAY THREE "[My biggest challenge was] learning how to do hip-hop for the first time."- Dylan "My biggest moment so far was the end of performing my monologue while working with Ryan [Jesse]. I felt very connected to my character and character's emotions with Ryan's coaching." -Cianna "There are casting calls for 'dancers who sing.'" -Anonymous "Breaking through and being forced to learn fast and jump in with the dancing."- Katie D. DAY FOUR: THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010 Local theater professors Dr. Deena Conley and Karla Kash, both of Drake University, led the morning’s first sessions. Dr. Conley worked with participants individually on their acting skills by coaching them on their monologues. Karla Kash did a similar workshop with several participants by doing further work on their audition songs. Both sessions stressed the need to fully commit to the performance. “Go big, or go home.”- Karla Kash
Master Class 7: "Dance Class" with Denise Payne Denise Payne (Francine in Jersey Boys) led the day’s dance master class. The day’s warm up session consisted of a yoga routine. Payne then taught the participants a fast combo from Footloose. Having to learn the combo quickly gave the participants an idea of what it feels like to learn new choreography in a short amount of time for a dance audition.
Master Class 8: "Mock Audition" with Matt Bailey Participants continued to work on their audition songs with Matt Bailey (Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys). Much of Bailey’s coaching style encouraged the performers to use real life relationships with friends and family to deepen their connection with their characters. For some, the experience was intensely emotional, but the depth the exercise added to their individual performances was remarkable.
The Des Moines Register stopped by during the master class with Matt Bailey. Check out the online photo gallery on their website here. Another Special Treat... Several participants were able to stay past the official end of the camp day for a unique opportunity— the chance to observe an understudy rehearsal of Jersey Boys. Many participants commented on how amazing it was to watch the actors perform without all the lights, costumes, full band, and other special effects; they felt it allowed them to fully appreciate just how talented the actors really are. Furthermore, being able to watch the actors rehearse and receive notes reinforced to the participants how much commitment and continuous work is necessary even for professionals in the industry.
 056.jpg)  059.jpg)  web.jpg)  098.jpg)  152.jpg)  196.jpg)  209.jpg)  214.jpg)  172(1).jpg) Jersey Boys Broadway Camp participants with Denise Payne (Francine in Jersey Boys). THOUGHTS FROM DAY FOUR
Breakthrough moment: "Working on monologues: being vulnerable instead of acting a character." -Ethan "My 'Ah-ha' moment was keeping my monologue real. Like I was having a real conversation, not just reading a monologue for an audition." -Kourtney "Make punctuation your friend." -Dylan, on working with text "It's challenging to 'react' on stage by yourself without an acting partner." -Anonymous "Dance today was tough but fun. I smiled non-stop." -Kaylee "The more I commit to a performance the better I perform." -Anonymous DAY FIVE: FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2010
Dr. Deena Conley and Karla Kash, both of Drake University, returned to lead morning workshops on audition songs and monologues with smaller groups of participants. The participants enjoyed the more intimate class-size as it allowed them to each work more intensely on their own performance. Participants worked on slating (how you introduce yourself and your selection for an audition), discussed the difference between a confident performance and a cocky performance, and how to use goals, obstacles, and tactics to strengthen a performance.
Master Class 9: "Advanced Musical Theater Dance" with Kara Tremel The final dance master class of the week was led by Kara Tremel (Mary Delgado and Dance Caption for Jersey Boys). Participants did a choreographed ballet-style warm-up before learning choreography from Saturday Night Fever. The moves were quick and the steps advanced, but the dancers caught on quickly and had a great time. Most didn’t want the session to end. Master Class 10: "Acting: Jersey Boys Auditions" with Jonathan Hadley The final master class of the week was led by Jonathan Hadley (Bob Crewe in Jersey Boys). The participants had a blast with this session which opened up with several improvisation games. ‘Family Photos,’ ‘Alphabet Scenes’ and ‘Freeze Tag Improv’ were all big hits. The participants then divided into small ensembles and had the opportunity to perform scenes from Jersey Boys for each other. It was a great way to end the camp experience after seeing the show together the week before. Final Thoughts... After the final master class the group responded to the camp experience and expressed strong interest in attending a future Broadway camp at the Civic Center. We'd like to thank the Jersey Boys company members and Drake theater professors for sharing their time, insights, and teaching talents throughout the week. Finally, we'd like to congratulate our 25 participants for their hard work and on the tremendous growth they exhibited as musical theater performers. We hope to see many of them return for future Broadway education opportunities at the Civic Center in the future.  227.jpg)  249.jpg)  251.jpg)  255.jpg)  298.jpg)  318.jpg)  367.jpg)  379.jpg)  419.jpg)  423.jpg) THANK YOU The Civic Center of Greater Des Moines would like to thank many people who made our first Broadway camp a tremendous success. A special thank you to: Jersey Boys Company Members Matt Bailey (Tommy DeVito) Candi Boyd (Swing) Christopher DeAngelis (Swing/Assistant Dance Captain) John Gardiner (Billy Dixon and others) Jonathan Hadley (Bob Crewe and others) Ben Hartman (Associate Conductor) Buck Hujabre (Norm Waxman and others) Ryan Jesse (Bob Gaudio) Dale Lane (Head Carpenter) Denise Payne (Francine and others) Kara Tremel (Mary Delgado and other/Dance Captain) Local Professionals Dr. Deena Conley Ben Hagen Karla Kash Paige Peterson Photography  A very special thank you to Ballet Des Moines for the use of their spacious studio for the week’s dance master classes. |
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