Blonde_Tech-7207

The Muny Summer Intensive

Three-week program allows young performers from outside St. Louis to experience the training and performance opportunities of The Muny Teens.

The Muny is searching for 12 aspiring theatre artists to participate in the learning experience of a lifetime. Our Summer Intensive is an immersive three-week program for high school students from outside the St. Louis area who will be entering their junior or senior year in fall 2024.

The Summer Intensive runs June 26-July 17. Applications will be accepted starting Monday, Dec. 18, at app.getacceptd.com/munyintensive. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. CST Sunday, March 3 (subject to change).

“Some of the students who have taken part in this elite summer training program have gone on to attend some of the top-rated musical theatre training institutions in the country,” said Michael Baxter, The Muny’s associate artistic director and Summer Intensive program manager. “The passion, discipline, and professional and intellectual integrity they gained from this one-of-a-kind theatrical training intensive is notable and special.”

As part of the Summer Intensive, participants will challenge themselves in college-level classes led by faculty members from the Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University and by other industry professionals. Courses will focus on voice, dance, acting, improv and audition technique.

Intimate masterclasses are led by some of the biggest stars from Broadway, television and the Muny stage. Instructors have included Tony Award winner Jeanine Tesori (Kimberly Akimbo; Fun Home; Caroline, or Change; Shrek The Musical; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Violet), two-time Tony Award winner Christian Borle (Something Rotten!, Peter and the Starcatcher, Falsettos, NBC’s Smash), Tony Award nominee Taylor Louderman (Mean Girls, Bring It On: The Musical, NBC’s Kenan) and Jessica Vosk (Wicked, Bridges of Madison County, Fiddler on the Roof).

Students will also have the opportunity to perform in a production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid for an audience of up to 11,000 nightly as part of The Muny’s 106th season. Participants in the 2023 Summer Intensive appeared in the Muny premiere of Chess.

The 2023 Muny production of Chess, featuring Summer Intensive participants

“What I love most about the Summer Intensive is that it allows young performers from outside the St. Louis area to experience the exceptional training and performance opportunities of our incomparable Muny Teens program,” said Tali Allen, director of education at The Muny. “Through our Crawford Taylor Education Initiative, we are able to truly expand our reach and welcome students from across the country to partake in the invaluable magic of the Muny stage.”

Interested students should complete an online application and submit a headshot, resume and three videos (a musical theatre song, a contemporary monologue and a dance video) using the online Acceptd platform.

Participants will be responsible for their own transportation to St. Louis, but housing, meals and transportation between the Webster University dormitory and The Muny are included with the $5,800 tuition fee. Scholarships are available for qualifying students. 

Studio classes and housing are hosted in collaboration with the Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University in Webster Groves, Mo.

A rehearsal for the 2023 Muny production of Chess, featuring Summer Intensive participants

Submit an application, headshot, resume and 3 videos

Summer Intensive runs June 26-July 17, 2024
Applications accepted Dec. 18, 2023-March 3, 2024

Video 1

Your best musical theatre song — a 32-bar cut (or less than one minute) selection of your choosing.

Video 2

A contemporary monologue of your choosing. Should be no longer than one minute.

Video 3

A one-minute dance video. Combination will be provided.

Summer Intensive FAQ

Why isn’t this program open to St. Louis residents?

St. Louis teenagers should audition for the Muny Teens. Any local teens cast for the season are eligible to participate in the Webster class portion of the Intensive. That cost is $500, and spots are limited.

Are there scholarships available?

Yes. For inquiries, please contact [email protected].

What role will I have in the show? Will I have lines or featured moments?

You will be part of the teen chorus, joining local St. Louis teenagers who have already been cast. Exactly how the teen chorus functions in the show is the prerogative of the creative team, like all artistic and casting decisions. And it fluctuates year to year, show to show and team to team. You will have onstage moments, singing and dancing with the Equity cast, but you will not be in every number in the show.

Do I get tickets to the show?

Yes! You are entitled to two comp tickets that can be used for any performance during the run. Additional tickets may be purchased online or through the box office.

What will we do in our masterclasses?

That depends on who’s teaching. Sometimes they have you sing 16 bars of your best song and break it down. Sometimes they teach you choreography. Sometimes you all just sit and talk about the business or how they got to where they are. Each artist brings different ideas to the table, and we let them help shape the class in a way they feel is interesting for you.

Will I perform during every masterclass?

We always aim to have everyone perform during the masterclasses, but occasionally the time gets away from people. When that happens, whoever didn’t go starts the next session.

Where do we eat?

All over the place! Breakfast will be in the dorm. There is a kitchen, and the program coordinator will do regular shopping to get whatever breakfast foods you like to eat. Lunch will be at The Muny canteen during the rehearsal process. Dinner will vary and will often include fast food or takeaway choices.

What are the dorms like? Who do we room with?

There are two sets of dorm suites — one for guys and one for girls. Within the suite, there are three bedrooms, two people per room, all sharing two bathrooms in the larger suite. You will be randomly assigned a roommate of the same gender. Our program coordinator will be next door in an RA room and lives at the dorm with you.

My parents are concerned about supervision …

You’re not a little kid, we know. But while you’re at the Intensive, you’re our responsibility. So the program coordinator will be with you 24 hours a day — she lives in the dorm with you. And you always travel as a group to and from The Muny. You eat together, live together, rehearse together, take class and perform together. You will form some incredible friendships over a very short period of time!

Do we get all the photos from our headshot session?

You will receive all the raw photo files from your session. They will not be Photoshopped or color corrected. They will be sent by Aug. 30.

Please direct questions to Michael Baxter, The Muny’s associate artistic director and Summer Intensive program manager, at [email protected].

About the Crawford Taylor Education Initiative

Named in 2019, the Crawford Taylor Education Initiative aids in the development of new arts education opportunities while improving current Muny education programs under a single, cohesive framework. This initiative strives to provide unprecedented, hands-on instruction and mentoring to youth performers hoping to pursue a career on or offstage in musical theatre.

Education_Thumbnail_PurpleLogo