Tony Award winner Bill Irwin (Bye Bye Birdie, Who's Afraid of the Virginia Wolf) and Allie Trimm (Bye Bye Birdie, 13!) spent Sunday, November 15 mentoring the young talent of Broadway's future as they led the morning portion of a Bye Bye Birdie-themed master class with Broadway Artists Alliance. Irwin (Harry MacAfee) and Trimm (Kim MacAfee) answered questions and candidly spoke about their experiences with Bye Bye Birdie as well as other stage and screen credits to a group of eager and talented young performers ages 10 to 21. The group's morning Q & A was followed with a dance class led by Bye Bye Birdie cast members Daniel Quadrino and Bethany Tesarck. The young performing artists learned snippets of the Broadway choreography for "Got a Lot of Living to Do." Former Bye Bye Birdie cast member Jake Evan Schwenke (Randolph) stopped by for an impromptu lunchtime visit as he took a quick break from rehearsing in the next door studio for his upcoming role in Billy Elliot (Michael). The master class concluded with a Musical Theatre Audition Technique session with Kate Boka from Jim Carnahan Casting (Bye Bye Birdie, Spring Awakening, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and more!)
Broadway Artists Alliance is the dynamic educational organization that is quickly gaining a reputation for ensuring the future of great Broadway talent by bringing together current Broadway artists and promising young performers ages 10 to 21.
BAA's 2009/2010 One-Day Master Class series will continue with classes in the theme of Billy Elliot (December 12), Shrek (December 13), West Side Story (December 19), and In the Heights (December 20). Enrollment is by audition only and space is limited for all master classes. Please visit
www.broadwayartistsalliance.org for a full list of classes and audition/ application information.
Broadway Artists Alliance will also host their annual Advanced Musical Theatre Winter Workshop February 13-15, 2010 as well as their popular Summer Intensive in July and August of 2010. A new One Day Master Class with
Sutton Foster (February 16th) has also recently been added to their impressive calendar.
Irwin and Trimm joins BAA's roster of instructors and special guests that have recently included
Sutton Foster (Shrek),
Lea Michele (Spring Awakening),
Megan Hilty (9 to 5),
Gregory Jbara (Billy Elliot),
Michael Cerveris (Sweeney Todd),
Mitch Jarvis (Rock of Ages),
Susan Blackwell ([title of show]),
Stephanie J. Block (Wicked),
Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins),
Jennifer Cody (Shrek),
Michelle Federer (Wicked), John Gallager Jr. (Spring Awakening),
Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon),
Christopher Jackson (In the Heights),
TyRick Jones (Finian's Rainbow),
Norm Lewis (The Little Mermaid),
AndRea Martin (Young Frankenstein),
Megan McGinnis (Les Miserables),
Skylar Astin (Spring Awakening),
John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys),
Lauren Kennedy (Vanities),
Kelli O'Hara (South Pacific),
Heather Parcells (A Chorus Line),
Alexandra Socha (Spring Awakening),
Lisa Stevens (High School Musical),
Marc Shaiman (Hairspray),
Laura Benanti (Gypsy),
Beth Leavel (Drowsy Chaperone),
Jason Robert Brown (13),
Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) and many more. For more information about Broadway Artists Alliance, please visit www.broadwayartistsalliance.org.
Photo credit: Peter James Zielinski
