Overview

One of The Theatre Lab’s signature programs, Creating a Musical Role is a double-session class that takes students through the entire process of rehearsing and performing a major musical, culminating in a full public production. The course replicates a typical professional production experience, from learning the notes through taking the bow.

Directed by Theatre Lab Co-Executive Director Deb Gottesman, Creating a Musical Role is one of our most rigorous, cost-effective courses, offering students over 100 hours of training, structured rehearsal, and live performances. Issues explored include vocal production, how to act a song, how to sing a scene, defining the arc of a character, and all other aspects of singing and acting a musical role. 

This year’s show is Cabaret, the beloved classic by Joe Masteroff with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. Casting will be diverse and non-traditional, with roles for many students at all levels. Performances will take place in the iconic Dupont Circle Underground.

Please fill out this application to schedule an audition.

Additional Class Details

Rehearsal Schedule: February 10 – May 17

Weekly Rehearsals

• Tuesdays: 7:00–10:30 PM

• Thursdays: 7:00–10:00 PM

• Saturdays: 10:00 AM–1:00 PM

Additional / Extended Rehearsals

• Saturday, May 9: 10:00 AM–3:00 PM

• Sunday, May 10: 7:00–10:00 PM

• Monday, May 11: 6:00–11:00 PM

• Tuesday, May 12: 6:00–11:00 PM

• Wednesday, May 13: 6:00–11:00 PM

Performances

• Evenings of May 14, 15, 16, and 17

No Class

• April 2 and April 4 (Easter)

Class Size

Students admitted to this class will form an ensemble of actors, each with one or more roles in the production. All students are guaranteed substantial stage time and attention from the director and/or instructor.

Prerequisites or Prior Experience

All roles will be cast by audition. Please prepare a song from musical theatre and bring a copy of the sheet music in the key in which you will be singing it.  If you are a beginner and aren’t sure how to prepare, please come ready to sing Happy Birthday. Dance auditions will be part of the callback process.

No formal prerequisites are necessary. However, students who take this class typically have some background experience in musical theatre, acting, and/or have taken at least one of the following classes at The Theatre Lab: 

• Intro to Acting*
• Beginning Scene Study*
• Getting Started in Musical Theatre

* Note: For new students with no prior acting experience, we recommend starting with Intro to Acting, and then taking Beginning Scene Study, for our essential training in the basics of acting. 

Tuition Discount

Theatre Lab members receive a 10% discount off of class tuition, automatically applied at checkout. Annual memberships cost only $70 per year and also include discounted tickets to all Theatre Lab performances. Read more about becoming a member here.

For our early bird specials and other exclusive discounts on class tuition, subscribe to our emails and follow us @theatrelabdc on social media for updates. 

Recommended Next Steps

Students who complete this class often continue with:

• Musical Theatre Workshop
• Singing Sondheim
• Acting in a Professional Production
• Honors Acting Conservatory

Class availability depends on the session. Return to our course catalogue to explore what is currently open for enrollment.

Class Policies

We encourage all students to review our Adult Class Policies prior to enrolling.