Teens (9th - 12th Grade)
Class Schedule | Class Descriptions
Performance Workshops
Our Applause weekend workshops were created for the older student (11 – 18 yrs.) who is more advanced and wants to immerse him/her self in theater. Each class offered here at Applause has been developed to push our teenagers to reach their highest potential. Making real progress, gaining knowledge of the theater, developing and continuing a passion for the arts are the primary goals of our program. Besides all the educational benefits, our students develop unique, life-long friendships.
Our performance workshops are the most serious classes that we offer here at Applause Theatrical workshops. Each workshops meets every week for a rehearsal-based class where students get to work on their singing, acting, and dancing. At the end of the semester, the students get to perform their show in an Off-Broadway theater.
Commitment, passion, and enthusiasm are the qualities we look for in an Applause student. These classes are by audition only and are a very rigorous training ground for students who are interested in pursuing musical theater further. Each workshop has a director, musical director, choreographer, and stage manager. We regularly have assistant choreographers come in to assist the head choreographer, meaning each workshop can have up to 5 teachers for each rehearsal. One of the most exciting features of our weekend workshops is that they are visited by industry professionals who come in to talk with our students about a particular aspect of the business. These talkback sessions have been a great hit with our students!
The Rehearsal Process
Every one who gets accepted into the program will be cast in a show. After initial auditions for the program, further auditions ensue to cast students in individual roles. Once the shows have been cast, the major work begins! Each 4-hour rehearsal is devoted to all aspects of the show. The cast will work with their musical director (often musicians who play on Broadway) on vocal technique for both solo and ensemble work. The director will work with the students on scene study, blocking, and helping them with their character development, all in the context of mounting the show. Finally, the choreographer choreographs whole cast musical numbers, simultaneously giving attention to both the gifted and beginner dancers. As rehearsals progress towards show time, they get more intense and the excitement starts to build!
Show Time
At last, after the rehearsal period is over, it's time to move out of the reherasal space and into a real Off-Broadway theater for "show week." Musicians arrive, lighting technicians are brought in, dressing rooms are given out and dress rehearsals begin! This is truly how a real Broadway show works and we want our students to have the closest experience to that as possible. Finally, at the end of dress rehersals, our students perform in front of over 800 people over the course of "Show Weekend." Agents, managers, and casting directors attend our shows every semester looking for new talent. We have never had a semester where a student has not been signed.
Our alumni
Our former students have been starring everywhere:
- Broadway — Spring Awakening, Jersey Boys, Rent, Mamma Mia, Talk Radio
- TV Shows — Gossip Girl, NBC's Kings, Guiding Light, Law and Order, Law and Order: SVU, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, The Sopranos
- Movies — Hamlet 2, "Synecdoche, New York", Little Children, In the Mix, The Good Shepherd, The Covenant, Finding Buck McHenry
And of course, more are on the way!