University of Central Oklahoma Musical Theatre

UCO MUSICAL THEATRE

Thank you for your interest in UCO Musical Theatre. We are a competitive Musical Theatre degree program, situated in the heart of the great state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma is unique in that it has three thriving Musical Theatre programs in the Oklahoma City Metro area. (Texas only has three in the entire state!) Excellence in Musical Theatre is an Oklahoma tradition.

At UCOMT you will have access to training from a faculty/staff of seasoned artists, many of whom have been professional performers, directors, choreographers, musical directors, and conductors. You will be guided through a rigorous interdisciplinary program that includes comprehensive triple-threat training in singing, dancing, and acting. Central Musical Theatre collaborates closely with the Theatre Arts Department, the Dance Department, and Opera Performance, to allow you a diverse range of training and performance opportunities.

At UCOMT you will have the opportunity to perform in two full-scale mainstage musicals every year. Productions range from contemporary to classic; familiar to ground-breaking. Past seasons have included: The Wild Party, A Chorus Line, Jane Eyre, State Fair, The Full Monty, Side Show, She Loves Me, The Fix, Assassins, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Chicago, Baby, The Rocky Horror Show, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd and The Mystery of Edwin Drood – just to name a few! As a Musical Theatre major, you will also have a chance to perform in professional-caliber musical reviews and smaller musicals at the #1 venue for live music in the OKC metro area, the UCO Jazz Lab.

We also offer you a unique opportunity to collaborate with the UCO Broadway Tonight Series, an on-campus artist series that offers workshops, master classes, and even collaborative performance opportunities with entertainment legends every semester. Students have worked with Tommy Tune, Olympia Dukakis, Jodi Benson, Liz Callaway, Tom Wopat, Sandi Patty, Jimmy Webb, Linda Eder, Franc D’Ambrosio, Savion Glover, Judy Kuhn, and Chicago Tap, just to name a few.

As a testament to the quality of our training at Central, many of our esteemed alumni have gone on to careers on Broadway (The Book of Mormon, Les Miserables, Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia!, Beauty and the Beast, Cabaret, The Boys From Syracuse, Cats, Footloose, Good Vibrations) Off-Broadway (The Madeline, Nunsense A-Men!), and Broadway National Tours (Mamma Mia!, Les Miserables, Cabaret, Cats, Footloose, State Fair, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Oklahoma!, Carousel, Spamalot, Beauty and the Beast) and as a part of regional theatres, international tours, and major cruise lines. Miss America 2007, Lauren Nelson, was crowned while in our program.

At Central Musical Theatre you will also have the opportunity to collaborate with local professional companies who offer students professional credits and Equity Membership Candidate (EMC) credits with the Actor’s Equity Association (AEA). Central’s continuing collaborations with CityRep have included area premieres of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Zombie Prom.

At the University of Central Oklahoma, you are our number one priority and we are committed to teaching and mentoring. I am pleased you are interested in our Musical Theatre program, and look forward to the possibility of collaborating with you on your success.

Audition Requirements and Overview

• Students interested in pursuing any music major (or minor) must audition for acceptance into the School of Music program. The UCOMT Prescreen Submission Portal is the first step towards acceptance into the Musical Theatre program.

• MUSICAL THEATRE PRESCREEN SUBMISSION:

o The UCOMT Prescreen Submission Portal opens each Fall, followed by invite-only Callbacks late Fall /

early Spring. Students are strongly encouraged to submit prescreen materials as early as possible to be

considered for invitation to Callbacks (tentative dates: Sept 27, Dec 6, Feb 21). Final selection of the

incoming UCOMT class (typically 8 females/8 males) will be determined by late April.

• WHAT TO PREPARE – SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

o Headshot

o Performance Resume

o A Contemporary Musical Theatre vocal selection (up-tempo or ballad), 32-bar cut

o A Golden Age Musical Theatre vocal selection (up-tempo or ballad), 32-bar cut

o 60-90 second monologue (no Shakespeare, no dialects)

o 2-minute dance selection which includes ballet, tap and/or musical theatre-style jazz. You may do one

song/style or multiple songs/styles to make up the two minutes.

o Wildcard (optional). 60 second video to show us your personality with a hidden talent, unique quality, or

remarkable skill!

o Artist Statement which addresses the following (1000 words or less):

Tell us about you. What’s special and unique that makes you who you are? 

What’s your greatest personal achievement?

What are your strengths and weaknesses (both personal and artistic)?

What interests and hobbies are you passionate about that are not related to musical theatre?

What are your artistic interests outside of musical theatre?

What’s something you want us to know about you that’s not on your resume?

Why do you want to study musical theatre at UCO?

o GRADUATE CANDIDATES ONLY will also need to submit:

Current College transcript (unofficial copy is acceptable)

Two (2) faculty letters of recommendation

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: If you have any questions or need further information, please contact us by email

(OCAE@uco.edu).