University of Nebraska Omaha Musical Theatre Announces Summer Musical Theatre Academy

OMAHA, Neb. - The University of Nebraska Omaha College of Communication, Fine Arts, and Media, The School of the Arts, and UNO Theatre announce the first UNO Summer Musical Theatre Academy 2022.

The SMTA is a new tuition-free summertime opportunity for Omaha metro area high school performers and technical theater students. The first Academy will be in session from Monday, June 6 through Saturday, July 3. All academy activities will take place on the UNO Dodge Campus at the Weber Fine Arts Building, the epicenter of the School of the Arts and UNO Theatre.

The Academy will produce, rehearse and perform Fame The Musical with a cast and crew of students in grades 9-12 (including incoming freshmen and graduating seniors) selected via audition and application. This production is looking for an ethnically diverse group of performers who are skilled in musical styles ranging from classical to rap, along with dance styles such as ballet, modern and hip-hop.

Auditions will take place on Saturday, March 26 and Saturday, April 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To register, please visit https://tinyurl.com/uno-auditions. A workshop video is available for all interested performers and tech theater students prior to auditioning.

In addition to rehearsing and performing Fame The Musical, the Academy will offer training workshops, college credit and opportunities to experience campus life.

Fame The Musical will be performed on Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2 in the UNO Black Box Theatre at the Weber Fine Arts Building. The cast of Fame The Musical will also perform at the opening gala of the new Gene Leahy Mall Pavilion on Sunday, July 3 at 8:30 pm.

A creative team of professional teaching artists from UNO Theatre, the Omaha community and around the country have been assembled to train, direct, and work with academy members.

This production of Fame The Musical will be helmed by Vincent J Orduna, a Seattle-based stage director, actor and educator, with music direction by Tyler Gruttemeyer and choreography by Domanic Brown. Guttemeyer and Brown both serve on faculty at Omaha South High School. The show's design team will be rounded out by UNO Theatre faculty members, with scenic design by Jason Jamerson, costume design by Jocelyn Reed and lighting design by Rick Goble.

Based on the film and television series of the same name, Fame The Musical follows some students at New York's High School of the Performing Arts through their course of four years. We see them coming to terms with life and relationships; we see those who persevere, who are resilient - and those who are not.

Originally conceived by David De Silva, Fame the Musical features a book by Jose Fernandez, lyrics by Jacques Levy and music by Steve Margoshes. This musical also features the Academy Award-winning song "Fame," written by Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore. Fame The Musical is produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

Founded by Hal France, Instructor of Musical Theatre at UNO, SMTA began through discussions with officials at Omaha South High School and Omaha Public Schools. SMTA's mission is to build strong community relationships for the benefit of youth talent in the field of musical theater. The program will reach out to all of Omaha's learning and arts communities to create meaningful partnerships. It is made possible through a strong financial commitment by UNO and generous support from private individuals and foundations.

For more information please contact Hal France at hfrance@unomaha.edu or visit https://www.unomaha.edu/college-of-communication-fine-arts-and-media/news/2022/03/summer-musical-theatre-academy.php.

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