AMDA: A Day in the Life - Music Theatre

Tonight is opening night for "Little Women." And it is the BFA musical here at school, which means it's one of the biggest performances that we have on campus. Prep for opening night is very exciting, but I'm really nervous. We've been rehearsing since week three, it is now week 13. As nervous as I am for the show, I'm even more excited to kind of show everybody what we've been working on. And you know, I have a really good feeling about how things are gonna go.

My name is Allison Sheppard, I am an eighth semester musical theater major at AMDA. And this is my last semester.

Today is a very busy day. And I have a ton of classes. Here at AMDA, it's really great because even though it's long hours, it doesn't feel like it because you're doing what you love.

My first class are my voice lessons with Luann Aronson, and she is a true inspiration. She was Christine on Broadway. Her resume is like a mile long. And she is hands-down the greatest vocal teacher that I have ever had.

[singing] But I swear someday there'll be a celebration throughout Oz that's all to do with me!

What I really worked on this semester was finding who I am and what my voice is. And it's been incredibly successful.

So after class, I headed to the Library. Today, I had some material that I had to print out it was some sides and some songs that I wanted to take to work on with my coaches. I sat down and I needed to highlight all of my lines and everything and my boyfriend was there to help me. He is also an eighth semester musical theater major here at AMDA. What's so great to be so inspired by my partner and going to a school like AMDA you know, you're surrounded by such talented artists. And I found my better half and couldn't be happier about it.

My next class is introduction to guitar with Doug Mattingly. And it has been a really awesome class this semester, because I have never played guitar before. And so then this semester, basically, it's been all about learning different chords and learning how to string them together into song and make music. And what I think is super beneficial about getting to take guitar is that we're learning how to create music with something other than our voice. It's just been so rewarding. And it was really fun to kind of be so out of my element. And Doug is like, the coolest teacher ever.

For lunch, I go to the AMDA Cafe, it's a really great place to see all of your friends and the food is delicious. It's really cool because since there's so many different couches in the cafe and places to hang out. There's always an open seat where you can sit and you can go over your music. When I was sitting by myself I was kind of prepping for the show and going through my material and getting in the mindset of Little Women and opening night and trying to calm the nerves a little bit and just listening to some of my favorite Broadway show tunes.

My next class is vocal coaching with Richard barent. The cool thing about vocal coaching is we get to bring in any songs that we are interested in or we're having to do for an audition or something like that. And we're able to really break it down and go through it with a really skilled pianist. And so Richard is like a piano genius he really is.

My next class is industry and networking with Dan Rosen and that class every single eight semester takes. And it is super, super important. It's really neat because you do a lot of mock agent meetings and you basically talk about the differences between an agent and a manager and how you get paid for commercial work versus stage work and, and you really learn everything you need to know about really moving forward in the industry. Dan's a writer and a director and a producer himself. And he's been in this industry for a long time. So he really knows so much it just, it's been one of my favorite classes this semester.

Today, for  our senior showcase class, we're putting together a show basically to do for all of our parents and all of our friends graduation. And that is like, the best class because it's I feel like I'm on an episode of "Glee" almost.

So our choreographer, Stephanie came in today, and she was actually in "La La Land." Our teachers here, the fact that we get to work with them so closely, you'd spend so much money on a masterclass for like two hours with one of these teachers and we you know, spend 15 weeks if not more with them. So it just- it's just a blast.

After showcase I have to hurry and get home and get changed to get ready to go to opening night of "Little Women." And I kind of take the one block walk to Cosmo as kind of a time to collect my thoughts and really get focused and ready for tonight. It's gonna be just incredible and I cannot wait to start.

Hello, good. How are you?

We are so lucky we have our costumer actually makes all of the costumes for our shows. And we have an incredible hair and makeup team as well and they make all of our wigs.

Getting ready?

As nervous as I am for the show, I'm even more excited to kind of show everybody what we've been working on and you know, I have a really good feeling about how things are gonna go.

I played Joe March in "Little Women."

Thunder claps! Lighting Strikes!

She is a 19 year old girl growing up in 1860. In a world where she is supposed to work, corsets and get married.

What do you do?

I write blood and guts stories.

And all she wants to do is write blood and guts stories, and she wants to see the world.

I will go to Europe, I will. I will go to Europe, if I have to swim there!

She is not confined by her time period or by other people's expectations of her, which is I think why she's such a role model of mine.

[Singing]

And it's really been an incredible undertaking because it's a vocal marathon.It's a physical marathon. It's an emotional marathon. And to be able to kind of tap into every different part of myself for this role has been the greatest gift.

There's nothing more exciting than getting to perform in front of a live audience.

[singing] Sometimes when you dreamyour dreams come true.

AMDA gives you such an incredible opportunity because you get to spend all day working and learning and focusing on becoming a better artist and then you have the opportunity to go at night and bring everything that you've learned into just a beautiful piece of theater. I really truly feel like AMDA is like the best decision I ever made in my life. I've learned so much about who I am and I owe so much of it to this school.

We live for what we have inside of us we live. We live to expand our minds and fulfill our dreams.