Summer Theatre
Intensive
Are you looking for professional training so
you can be the next Broadway star?
Are you looking for a prestigous program with
elite performers to help you reach your fullest
potential?
Are you looking for a unique innovative experience to give you the summer of a lifetime?
Sing for America Presents has EXACTLY
what you're looking for...
The Ultimate
Musical
Theatre
Experience!
During Sing For America's Summer Intensive students will have FULL days of
rehearsals for two professionally produced and semi-professionally cast productions. We are only accepting a limited number of applicants because we are
casting a show. Only the best will be chosen.
Because of the small group size you will receive very individualized attention
throughout these 4 weeks. We will work closely with each student during the
rehearsal process to develop your natural abilities. You will be treated as professionals and be expected to behave as such.
We want students who value theater as a life choice, who aren't afraid of a
challenge and who will work hard to attain their goal. With only a 3 week
rehearsal period, rehearsals will be intense consisting of long hours and
marked study. 6 days a week students will work with our staff and cast to
produce a show for an audience.
SFA is unique in the aspect that we will work with our cast on a bigger scale
than just performing. We will really let students be an integral part of the
creative process behind the scenes and give you a chance to let your ideas
shine on stage.
We will also have chances for you to perform and fundraise to see and learn
how SFA works on a day to day basis, giving you an inside knowledge of what
it is like to run a non-profit company.
Throughout the 4 weeks you will have the opportunity to be taught by some
esteemed professionals in the business with different master classes you
will be taking in Pennsylvania and New York City; you will see a professional
show with the world renowned Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, held at
DeSales University; you will enjoy a day of complete fun at Dorney Park and
Wildwater Kingdom.
SFA's goal is to take young people one step further to their dream. With this
intensive students will receive a further understanding of what it is like to
do theater professionally, an experience you can not get from a school or
community theater. Do YOU have what it takes?
What will you perform?
SFA produces a large summer musical every year in which amateurs and professionals take the stage together to produce art of the highest quality. Once
On This Island is the large musical for Summer 2017. Your audition will be
considered among all the auditions received for this production, and you will
have the opportunity to be cast. The second show is Madagascar:LIVE.
When you are accepted into the Summer Intensive you are booking a role in
this musical. The role you receive is based on your audition video and you will
be notified of the role when you receive your acceptance letter. When you send
in your application video you are auditioning for both of our summer
productions. Choose something that best represents who you are.
Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra,
Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip hip
Hippo and of course, those hilarious, plotting penguins as they bound onto your
stage in the musical adventure of a lifetime. Based on the smash DreamWorks
animated motion picture, Madagascar - A
Musical Adventure follows all of your
favorite crack-a-lackin’ friends as they
escape from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an
unexpected journey to the madcap world
of King Julien’s Madagascar.
From the Tony Award-winning songwriting team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Seussical, Ragtime),
comes the Olivier Award-winning Once
on This Island. This highly original and
theatrical Caribbean adaptation of the
popular fairy tale, The Little Mermaid,
garnered eight Tony nominations for
its Broadway run, including Best Musical, Book and Score.
But it won't be all work in the theatre!
The Lehigh Valley is known for beautiful Historic Bethlehem, the Arts District of Allentown and is home to the famous Crayola Factory and Just Born
PEEP factory just to name a few! So there are plenty of social activities that
you'll have the opportunity to experience.
These 4 weeks will include:
A trip to Pennsylvania Shakespeare
Festival to see a classic performance
by the best in Shakespeare.
Ever wanted to visit Broadway itself?
You'll be taking a master class in the city
that never sleeps, NYC.
Also a trip to one of the greatest
theme parks in the country,
Dorney Park!
Finally, Sing for America began as a concert
group and later added the theatre division in
2011. Public Concerts are still a part of SFA. As
a student of the Summer Intensive you will be
have the experienceof performing in one of our
variety show style concerts.
Accomodations will include food and a room at
a lovely Comfort Suites
hotel in Bethlehem, Pa.
Use of hotel ammentities
is included (pool, fitness
center, wifi, complimentary breakfast).
Why choose SFA?
“Best experience of my
life!”
“SFAP offers a safe and
professional atmosphere.”
“We are a truly a family at SFAP.”
“This isn’t camp, this is
young artists being brought
to their fullest potential for
public audiences.”
“Students will grow as performers and as people.”
“Working with SFA has unlocked
talent I never knew I had!”
“ALL OF YOUR SHOWS ARE FANTASTIC.”
“This is a place where I can truly be
myself and make lifetime friends.”
Sing for America offers a unique program that was developed and honed by
its founders. Our innovative approach to helping students reach their full
potential as performers and artists is what really sets SFA apart from similar programs you may find. Students are challenged to think outside the
box and to create in a way that allows for inner discovery which produces a
more well-rounded and intense experience. Sing for America's goal is not
just to instruct students on how to sing and dance in a particular show, but
to give each actor the tools to be true artists and find what makes him or
her exceptional in a world where the allure of Broadway is ever-growing.
Instead of culminating in a showcase for parents, students will perform
alongside professional actors in two full-scale musical productions and be
given the opportunity of a lifetime. We offer all of this at a competitive rate!
This rate not only includes the 4 weeks of training, room, and board but
also extra curricular activities to encourage camaraderie among cast members and build lifelong relationships.
Company Profiles
Taryn Gilbert (Managing Director) began performing as a dancer in NYC
where she toured with the Shadow Box Theatre. Out of her love of dance and
performance grew Sing for America Presents, a charitable group whose
purpose is to bring Light to the world through entertainment. Taryn has
experienced many aspects of the arts including film, stage, print, and television and loves to share what she has learned with her casts on the Sing for
America stage.
Tasia Gilbert (Project Coordinator) has been performing on stage, television, and in print since she was a child. As co-founder of her own non-profit
501 (c)(3) she has experienced every aspect of the stage including directing,
choreographing, building props, sewing costumes, and marketing to audiences. She enjoys teaching actors of all ages and all levels of experience
from amateur to professional.
Teara Gilbert (Creative Director) founding member of Sing for America Presents, has enjoyed designing and building costumes for several theatre companies
and numerous shows. Her designs mark all of Sing for America's productions as
unique, elaborate, and extremely creative. Teara has appeared in commercials,
film, video series, and done extensive print work. She especially enjoys teaching
Costume Design and Vocal Coaching.
Jewel Gilbert (Marketing Strategist) co-founder of Sing for America, is a
Theatre Major at Muhlenberg College which was named the #1 undergraduate
college theatre program by The Princeton Review for 2016. Jewel can be seen in
many national television commercials and has performed extensive voice-over
work. Jewel teaches Lighting Design and Acting classes when he isn't appearing
on stage.
Jorne Gilbert (Business Supervisor) is a scholarship recipient of the Muhlenberg College Theatre Program where he also plays football for the Mules. He has
been performing since he was a child and can be seen in television shows such
as Rescue Me and Guiding Light. Jorne is co-founder of Sing for America
Presents where he teaches Scenic Design and Set Building.
Other professionals that have worked with Sing for America as
teachers, mentors and performers.
Ian Holmes, A seasoned musician and vocalist, Ian has worked with Candido Camero,
Richie Pena & Ziggy Diaz, Latin Grammy Nominee Maria Del Rey, and international
Urban Praise recording artist Floyd Ellsworth--just to name a handful. Ian auditioned
for American Idol Season 4 (Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice) where he made it to the top 44
in the competition. Since that time, Ian has been seen on Fox Television, BET, and The
Reality Network. Ian is featured on The Lord’s Prayer Project. Presently, Ian is singing
background vocalist with the Sony Music's Méxican Pop Rock group Camila.
Tristan J. Shuler, Recent credits include: Johnny J & Male Swing (Odd Squad LIVE
National Tour); Tiny Tom (Urinetown, the Musical Off-Broadway at John Cullum
Theater); Saturninus (Titus Andronicus at Improbable Stage); Beast (Beauty and the
Beast at Allentown Symphony Hall); Lenny (Faith Under Fire at National Black Theater); Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid at Zoellner Arts Center); Alexander (The Dreaming at The Chain); Walter/Officer Frank/Narrator (Elise: a New Musical at the Planet
Connections Theatre Festivity).
Nathan Purdee was born on August 6, 1950 in Tampa, Florida, USA. He is an actor
and producer, known for The Return of Superfly (1990), Life of Crime (2013) and Santa
Barbara (1984). He has been married to Roberta Morris Purdee since November 9,
1991. They have one child.
Colorblind Casting
Sing for America uniquely casts all productions colorblind. We choose
actors based on talent, experience, and ability to portray a role. We
will reveal a world on stage where people are seen as people and not
labels, so we can live that truth even after the curtain is closed.
Through experiencing a colorblind world onstage we will live it offstage, spreading that way of life throughout the world.
A letter from us:
"Sing for America Presents..." was born of nothing more than a dream and a faith in that
dream. Our plan was to shoot for the stars with as much passion as we could find within
ourselves, and that's exactly how this journey began: with passion. Every actor who has
performed return engagements with us shares this fire, shares this love of performance
and yearning to be greater. Burk Hudson said "Perfection is a road, not a destination."
We believe in the perfect effort. An actor who is willing to be pushed physically, mentally, spiritually, and creatively will thrive, will unlock potential and strength, and will
produce a product infinitely superior to the alternative, because that product will contain
soul. Our process is like no other and we say that with full confidence. New methods of
producing a show from rehearsal style to promoting to fundraising and everything in
between are constantly being tested here. We have our hands deep in our community
where we pull great talent but are not just a locally maintained company as our performers have come from around the country. Our interest is not in walking a well trodden
path effectively yet not exceptionally, our interest is in paving a new path laden with
beauty and growth. At the beginning of every rehearsal process adults and children, professionals and amateurs, high class and under served, blacks and whites alike look around
the room to realize they are immersed in an incredible culturally and creatively diverse
environment. We then work together to produce a stunning show, learning from those we
never knew could teach us, appreciating our differences, understanding the heartbeat
which makes us all the same, becoming a cast, becoming a family. If you are an actor
who's more interested in playing puppet and less so in being an artist then this experience
will not be within your comfort range. We create productions rooted in relationships
founded in partnerships. Every show is a unique collaborative experience. Our twofold
mission of serving the men and women in America who serve us, and opening up a colorblind world on and off stage heightens each SFA member's sense of accountability. When
you become a part of our team you will be expected to adopt personal responsibility to
self, to cast members, to audiences, to fellow man. Art is not simply entertainment, it is
so much more. It is human connection. What we do here matters. If you share this inclination we have no doubt that in our program you will evolve as a performer and as a
person.
Taryn, Tasia, Teara, Jewel, and Jorne Gilbert
Cofounders of Sing for America
Prepare:
How do I apply?
*Short introduction including name, age, experience, special skills, why you should
be chosen for our 2017 program, and any other information you think we may find
valuable
*Musical theatre song in your strongest style. We will accept live accompaniment,
background track, or a capella.
*1-2 minute contemporary monologue (your choice of dramatic or comedic)
*1-2 minute dance piece in your strongest style
Please use the best quality video and audio recording devices possible. The
performance should be recorded as if you are at a “live” audition. Performance
videos will not be accepted.
Create your video and post as unlisted to YouTube. Paste the link in the designated
space on the application form.
Please title the video:
Sing for America Summer 2017 Audition: Your Name
Please test the link before you upload it.
How do I create an unlisted video on YouTube?
You can choose to make any of your uploads an unlisted video in your YouTube
Account settings. Here’s how:
1. Sign into your YouTube Account
2. Go to your My Videos page
3. Select the video which you’d like to make an unlisted video. Click the “Edit”
button to access the video’s settings.
4. Go to the Privacy section of the page. There you’ll see the option to mark your
video as “unlisted”, “public”, or “private”. Select unlisted.
5. Don’t forget to click the “Save Changes” button. Once you’ve done this your video
will be an unlisted video.
Price per student:
$4,680.00
Price includes:
*4 weeks hotel accomodations
*3 meals a day
*Daily classes
*Priceless experience
*All extra ciricular activities
*Accepting students entering grades 9
through college freshman
**No more than 20 students will be accepted
into this program
For questions and concerns please
call 610-417-2189 or email
[email protected]
Program runs
June 18th - July 16th
Begin application
by filling out
paperwork on the
following page.