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Interviewed by Kipley Wentz

Can you describe the job of the musical director?
As a Music Director (MD) I have a lot of responsibilities. I’m a part of the production team and answer to both the director and producer of a show (depending on how strict the chain of command is with a company). My responsibilities usually start with participating in the casting of a show. From there, depending on the level of theater I’m working for, I teach the music to the company and principals and coach them based on the vision of the composer and lyricist and the accommodating visions of the production team. Then, once the show opens, it’s basically up to the stage manager and myself to run it from beginning to end every night.

How did you become a musical director, and what do you love about it?
Shortly after I turned 16, the head of my high school’s theater department was looking for a rehearsal pianist for their production of Godspell. I was solicited and quickly convinced that it would be a fun experience. I had no idea what I was in for. Rehearsal pianist turned into pit band pianist. Then, shortly into rehearsals with the cast and band, it turned out that I was the only link between the two and had to take on the responsibility of cueing and conducting. I was put on the spot to improvise underscoring and musically responding to the cast during dialogues and such. I was having a blast, and little did I know that the Director/Choreographer was impressed and eventually had plans for me in the future. That connection led me to my first professional job as an Orchestral Music Director that following summer. This was all in Buffalo, NY, but the tools I acquired in the theater industry there made my ability to get jobs and network in New York so much easier when I arrived here after high school.

What are some of the most common challenges you face in working with actor/singers? Are there problems or bad habits that you encounter frequently?
I’m very fortunate that I’ve worked with so many different kinds of people with a spectrum of abilities, backgrounds, and learning techniques that accommodating problems hasn’t been such a stressful thing for me. Obviously, everyone is different. The most important thing for an actor/singer/dancer in musical theater is to be punctual, professional, and prepared for every rehearsal, every audition, and every show. So, to answer your question, if someone is late, acts inappropriately in a professional setting, or is unprepared, they’re wasting a lot of people’s time– and that causes problems and unnecessary challenges for the MD, the production team, and the whole cast.

How do I find the perfect 8 or 16 bar piece to audition with, and what would you recommend I have prepared at any time. For example, should I have two contrasting songs? (A ballad and uptempo, a pop/rock and a musical song, etc.?)
If you’re presently auditioning for shows, you should always have two of each of those ready to sing at a moment’s notice. A lot of thought should go into which you choose for a particular audition based on what you’re auditioning for. If you know you’re going to be type-cast, which is almost always the case, you should do your best to fit that type in not only your appearance and demeanor, but also in the song that you sing (time period, genre, tempo, character).

You should be prepared to sing those songs in their entirety or as a 8, 16, or 32-bar segment. Don’t just start from the beginning and stop when you get to the 8th or 32nd bar, or even worse, expect that they might listen to the whole thing because you’re so fantastic. Have it all planned out for the worst case scenario. The segment should show all your strong points in a very short amount of time. Obviously auditions are unreasonable and unfair in the amount of time that you have to prove yourself, but unfortunately that’s the way it is now.

If you don’t know if your 8 bars are selling you as a singer well, sing them for a friend or a group of friends and see what they say (or even more importantly, how they react). If you’re still at a loss, or just want to make sure, find a vocal coach. It may be the wrong 8 bars, or the right 8 bars that you’re just not singing well, but either way, a coach can be a great resource for your preparation for auditions. And if you’re in New York, I’m always looking for new people to coach.

You've talked about the differences between singers who act and actors who sing. If singing is not my strongest skill, do I have any hope of getting in musicals on Broadway? What sorts of roles can less-brilliant singers get?
This is a dilemma I think everyone has on one level or another. To make a parallel with the last question, you wouldn’t go and sing a segment of a song that showed the weakest part of your voice range, would you? I hope not. Well, the same holds true for what aspect of your singing/dancing/acting you should flaunt in an audition (and which aspects you might want to hide or maybe work on a bit more). If your strong point is acting, then the character is your weapon in an audition. Draw them into your ability to completely embrace the character you’re auditioning to play. In a song, especially in theater, you don’t have ‘sing’ all the time. With some of the greatest singers I work with, I find myself trying to get them to act/speak more to show that they can be creative and expressive and accommodate the lyrics and character more, rather than just singing the notes. Just singing the notes can get boring sometimes, even with a great singer.

If you’re a weak singer, then a chorus part might not be the greatest role to audition for. Character roles are probably what you’re looking for. Work on your singing as best as you can, but always flaunt your strongest abilities. And if all else fails, remember you’re an actor and you can be anything on stage! . . . so why not be a singer?

The same holds true for dancers. If movement is your strongest ability, then use it to your advantage in an audition. Just because you’re in the vocal audition, it doesn’t mean you can’t flaunt your choreography while you’re singing.

How important is an actor's resume, and what credits do you look for? What stands out, and how do you judge someone's level of experience?
Experience is always a great thing, though I never read resumes when people are auditioning for me. I accept them and file them all in case I’m looking for someone like them in the future, but I almost never read them. If someone has a lot of experience, but hasn’t learned anything from it and hasn’t gotten better at what they do because of it, I’m definitely not looking to hire them because of the abilities or reputations of people they’ve worked with in the past. If someone blows me away in an audition, it might provoke me to look at their resume just to see where their talent has gotten them in the past. If I look at that resume and see they have no experience, though they just brought a tear to my eye in an audition, the lack of experience won’t be held against them, because the show they’re about to get cast in will give them the well-deserved experience they need.

What should I do regularly to keep my voice in top condition?
You have to learn how your voice works. You need to know your body’s limits. Though you should be singing every day (especially during the times of your auditions), but you shouldn’t be tiring yourself out every day. Though you may benefit from practicing consistently, and working with your coach, you should always save your money to go to a great voice teacher here and there and make sure you’re not hurting yourself in the way you’re singing. As a coach, I give recommendations to singers and actors all the time about taking better care of their voices, but most coachings center around preparing material or recording parts or accompaniment. If you or your coach are knowledgeable about your instrument, then try to have a coaching every once in a while that revolves around the welfare of your voice, or just practice smart. If you or your coach don’t have a clue about technical aspects of the voice, then definitely try to find someone that does and can help you. If it hurts when you sing, you’re doing it wrong.

What qualities do you most admire in actors?
I love the excitement actors have for what they do. I love seeing someone take a script or libretto in their hands and read it like its live comedy or drama right away. Spontaneity is something that only happens once in its pure form. After the first time it’s not the first time anymore. Though I’m often fooled by great actors on stage or in a movie, unfortunately I know that it was most likely rehearsed like that.

When you’re reading for someone, make sure it stays real. I think one of the most impressive things with actors is the ability to read something the first time and make it their own. To me it’s like art being created before your eyes. It’s like reading the mind of someone who’s looking at a great painting for the first time.

Do you have any pet peeves when working with actors?
Pet peeves . . . hmmm. Though it’s great seeing someone excited about a part or job or audition or anything, it’s not so great to see someone so excited that it seems forced and desperate. Most of us in the arts have felt desperate at some point in our careers, but we have to keep that inside because I think we all know how unattractive desperate people can look. Channel the desperation into your character or your positive energy. We need to make do with what we have, and if we’re upset or angry or frustrated, and that’s not what we’re supposed to embody in an audition, we have to transform the bad into the good and use the energy to our advantage.

I'm just off the bus in NY, and I want to start working in musical theater. Where do I go, whom do I talk to, and what do I do?
There are a lot of theaters in the city that have companies of actors/singer/dancers that don’t get paid, but at least you have the opportunity to perform in shows, do readings of classic or original works, and get to know people in similar situations as you. This will help you to understand what you need to do to network. 13th Street Repertory Company is one of many theaters like this in the city.

Pick up Backstage at any news stand, or go online to playbill.com to find job listings and audition announcements. Go to nyfa.org to find jobs and internships having to do with the arts. If you don’t find what you’re looking for in the job listings categories of these websites, find links to other sites that may be helpful. Find listings of theaters and start calling them and asking if they’re looking for people like you. Just ask people what they do and give it a try. Contrary to what many visitors to New York think, New Yorkers are very helpful, especially if they’re in the same situation as you.

If you don’t have headshots, you need them. Don’t think that the only way to get them done is paying $300-500 to a professional photographer. Put a decent photo of yourself on an ad and post them on bulletin boards in the art schools in the city saying you’re looking for a photographer to take headshots of you. Put a free ad up on Craig’s List with the same request (newyork.craigslist.org). Even if it seems like you’re alone in all this, you’re not. We all need each other for something and talented student photographers are always looking for people to practice on. You may have to pay, or you may be able to just exchange services. There’s a way to get everything you need done to prepare for your auditions without spending a ridiculous amount of money.

How does one "get discovered" in New York? What are some of the differences between NY & LA? Do you find that actors are supportive of each other, or is it every man for himself?
New York and LA are two completely different scenes. If you’re coming from LA to New York and you expect everything to be as relaxed and slow-paced as it was there, you’re definitely mistaken. The same goes for people going from New York to LA though. You can’t go to LA thinking that everything will be easy to find. People from New York are spoiled with the convenience of every little thing being available at any second. Also, in New York, there are so many more people per square mile, that networking seems like something that happens unintentionally as much as it does when you’re planning it out. It’s not like that in LA.

I think the most evident and relevant difference between New York and LA is the speed. If you’re someone in New York who’s doing what you want to do, most likely you have someplace to be nearly every minute of the day. New York is not the kind of place that you can relax and see where each day takes you. You have to get up, get out there, and take it for yourself. I think that people in the arts in New York, especially in theater, are very helpful to each other in times of need. Of course it’s always every man for himself, but there’s an understanding in New York that you’re going to get what you work for. We all want to be at the top, but the hike there, though sometimes grueling, is half the fun. That’s where we establish the relationships, professional and personal, that will help us. I think that nearly every artist in New York realizes that they need some help to get to where they want to be, and I think it comes full circle in the help you offer. A helping hand to someone who needs it may be the returned favor that jump-starts your career. Always remember that.

Is it important to study musical theater, opera, and/or voice in college if one hopes to be a professional actor?
We all have specific needs in developing our own talents. One of the only reasons I found it worth-while to go to college and grad school for six years is that I made it what I needed it to be. I worked hard to learn what I needed to know and establish the professional relationships I needed to network. Set goals and base your education on those goals. Wasted energy is wasted time. Some people think that if you’re in a dance conservatory you’re wasting your time because if you were going to have a career in dance it would’ve started already. I say, stay in school, but don’t limit yourself. Don’t think of school as an excuse to put off jumping into the real world for another four years. Use it to your advantage and keep getting better at your craft, but don’t think that you can’t start your networking and auditioning experience until you graduate. If you wait until then it might be too late. Plant your seeds and follow up with each one of them while you’re there so you have some place to go when you’re done.

Some of us can juggle school and a career at the same time. Some of us can’t. And some of us need that school to get us to the point that we’re ready for the real world when it’s our time to take a shot at it. We have to use our own judgment to determine when the right time is to make our mark in the industry. You can take chances or just play it safe – either way, the outcome could go either way. Always be conscious of the fact that any chance you take may be the greatest or worst decision you ever make for your career. Just be aware of what’s at stake. You’ll have to go for it eventually, so keep preparing ‘til it’s your time.

And just a side note: once you have a degree, no one can ever take it away from you. It’s yours forever. In the arts, the odds are always against us, so it can never hurt to have something to fall back on.

What are your thoughts on cabaret shows? Do you think it's a good idea to organize your own cabaret shows? What would you recommend to someone who would like to put together a cabaret show of their own?
If you feel that it’s time that you be seen by audiences and you’re able to give a performance that will get people talkin’, go for it! There are some cabarets in the city that have showcases for multiple performers on certain nights. Go and inquire about how to get involved.

Also, cabarets are good outlets for song-writers and musical theater composers. It’s always good to establish relationships with these people because it might give you the opportunity to be in the first cast of a successful production. The creators of new works are always looking for performers, and this may lead to more work for you in the future if they like you. They will call you again for their next project if you establish a comfort zone for their creativity.

What makes a great singer?
Practice, practice, practice. You just have to do it! Sing in the shower, take lessons, get a coach, sing for your family and friends. Reading a book or having a conversation about singing isn’t going to do anything until you open your mouth and try it for yourself. In the arts we all have to find active solutions to our shortcomings and active reinforcements for our strengths.

Resourcefulness, professionalism, efficiency, motivation, education, networking, passion – these are all useless unless we apply them in our lives.