Veteran Audition Coaches David Sisco and Laura Josepher to Give Free Masterclass and Book Signing at Drama Book Shop

David Sisco and Laura Josepher, owners of ContemporaryMusicalTheatre.com, will present a free masterclass, followed by signing copies of their book, "Mastering College Musical Theatre Auditions: Sound Advice for Students, Teachers, and Parents" at Drama Book Shop's Arthur Seelen Theatre (250 W. 40th Street) on Saturday, September 22 from 2-4 PM.

The book, which has been vetted by musical theatre educators, parents, teachers, and industry professionals, is the most comprehensive resource for high school students wanting to give successful college auditions. Each chapter focuses on a question central to the audition process, with special sections for the student, teacher, and parent. A robust Appendix features up-to-date rosters of overdone audition material, recommended songs and monologues, and information on how to properly learn new material and make intelligent cuts.

Laura explained, "College auditions are hard. There's so much information to assimilate and everyone has to be on the same page if the auditioning student is to be successful. Our book will walk readers through every step of the process, from figuring out where to audition and choosing audition material to deciding where to attend."

Debra Greschner of the Journal of Singing highly praised the book, stating: "The college application process has grown highly competitive, and students look for any edge to make themselves stand out in the audition pool. "Mastering College Musical Theatre Auditions" contains useful tools for prospective music theater majors, particularly when consulted in conjunction with the advice of parents and teachers. Students who are contemplating a college degree in music theater should investigate this volume."

Sisco and Josepher will publicly coach a small handful of juniors and seniors first come, first served. Interested students should email Laura Josepher at laura@contemporaymusicaltheatre.com for more information.

Founded in 2012, ContemporaryMusicalTheatre.com is the largest online database of contemporary musical theatre writers and songs, representing over 180 writers and 600 songs, searchable by voice and song type. The site allows subscribers to research specific details about each song (including range, tessitura, accompaniment difficulty, etc...) and listen to a full performance before purchasing and downloading up to three watermarked copies of the score. Because the resource is a subscription site, writers get 100% of the sale price of their songs. Business owners David Sisco and Laura Josepher are the authors of "Mastering College Musical Theatre Auditions" (available on Amazon) and frequently teach masterclasses and workshops through their company. Together, they have taught at Broadwy Workshop, Hoff-Barthelson School of Music, Lucy Moses School, Marymount Manhattan College, NYSTEA (New York Theatre Educators' Association), NYU Steinhardt, Rider College, Riverdale Country School, and Den Danske Scenekunstskole in Denmark.

Founded in 1917 by the Drama League, the Drama Book Shop became an independent store in 1923. It has moved several times, but since 2001 it has been located in a 5,000-square-foot space on West 40th Street in Manhattan. The basement houses a 60-seat black-box theater, and a staff of about 20, many of whom are actors or have theater-related interests, assists the thousands of students, theater professionals, and award-winning artists who pass through the shop's doors. In 2011 the Drama Book Shop received a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. Given since 1990, these awards are bestowed on individuals, organizations, and institutions that have demonstrated profound achievement in theater but are ineligible in any of the established Tony categories.