Societies throughout time have used musical theatre — via acting, song, and dance/movement — to examine how it feels to be human and alive now. The program of the Asawa SOTA Musical Theatre Department seeks to produce artists who can confidently use musical theatre as a mode for personal, political, and social expression, and a public who understand, appreciate, and support musical theatre.
To achieve these goals:
In Acting, we help students build a skill set to explore and express a character’s given circumstances, we introduce students to the history of theatre and dramatic literature worldwide, and we develop the analytical and practical tools for working on script and character in audition and performance.
In Music, we give students the tools to seek out, analyze, and perform musical theatre songs for their repertoire, as well as the musical skills to work with sheet music, learn harmonies, make interpretive choices, and combine singing with acting and movement.
In Dance and Movement, we train actors to explore and express stories through choreographed movement and body language. We teach technique, theory, and how to build character through physical transformation through work in jazz, tap, theatrical/modern, and ballet, and have units, workshops, and masterclasses in a variety of other styles including stage combat (unarmed and armed), partnering (ballroom), and regional and ethnic dance.