Q&A with Gaea: How Command Helps Students Interested in Musical Theater

Gaea: If you’re applying to a traditional academic institution with the hopes of pursuing musical theater, it’s essential to do more than just perform in shows. Innumerable students can say that they’re the best singer in their local theater or boast about the dozens of school productions they’ve starred in—the world of local theater can be siloed, and while acting in the lead role may be impressive in your own locale, it doesn’t convey much to globally renowned universities. If you want to stand out, you have to find unique and creative ways to show that you’re driven and distinct from thousands of other applicants.

There are two particularly compelling ways that students can do this through their hook. First, students should consider taking on roles beyond acting, such as writing, directing, or producing. Theater is about creating a cohesive and integrated whole from participants’ unique contributions—getting involved in a variety of different aspects of musical theater will demonstrate your ability to contribute to the execution of a large-scale vision, distinguishing you from other applicants. Another way to stand out is by organizing a theater-related community service project. Interesting and service-oriented projects such as starting a children’s theater program, teaching kids complex vocabulary words through musical lyrics, or integrating dance to explain scientific concepts to elementary school students demonstrate leadership, altruism, and ingenuity. Whatever you come up with, your project should integrate interdisciplinary curiosity, outside-of-the-box thinking, and a commitment to bettering your community rather than simply being the lead.

Gaea: Students applying to traditional academic programs should think critically about how they can combine their academic interests with their passion for musical theater in their extracurricular involvements—if you plan to study business in the hopes of becoming a producer, perhaps you found your own theater company in your town. If you intend to study English and get into playwriting, you could write a play and submit it to regional or national festivals. A student who wants to study architecture for theatrical spaces might design original sets for a local theater group and write about the lack of versatility in most theaters and rehearsal spaces. These interdisciplinary endeavors will show your versatility and capacity for self-directed learning to admissions officers at top schools.

Gaea: Command Education Senior Mentors have worked in the theater world both professionally and casually and bring a wealth of expertise to the table. During the application stage, we provide feedback on every component of a student’s application materials to ensure that they demonstrate a high level of competency and that they reflect a student’s unique voice and perspective. As students compile their arts supplements, we work with them to select monologues or songs that aren’t too overdone and that accurately reflect who they are as people and as performers. (No one will fault you for choosing a song from Annie if you execute it perfectly and it testifies to who you are—but if you don’t perform it well or have a particular love for the musical, its popularity will be to your detriment.) The material you choose should offer a window into the strengths of your candidacy—we help ensure that everything from your selection to your execution testifies to your unique qualifications.

Gaea: The requirements for applying to a conservatory differ widely—for instance, while the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music require the Common App (and have test-optional policies for the SAT and ACT), others such as the Boston Conservatory do not accept the Common App and only require standardized testing in limited circumstances (such as homeschooling). Regardless of these variations in requirements, at any conservatory, the pre-screening materials and auditions are the most critical components for consideration. Conservatories are concerned primarily (almost exclusively) with your demonstrated ability to perform at the highest level. Therefore, it is essential that students start as early as possible to build a support network of top-notch performers, advisors, coaches, and mentors to hone their craft and prepare for the rigid competition of auditioning at a renowned conservatory.

Gaea: First and foremost, we help students determine whether they should apply to a conservatory or pursue a more traditional academic path. If theater is the only thing a student wants to do with their life and they’re good enough to compete against the most talented and seasoned young performers in the world, then applying to top conservatories might be the best route. In that case, we help students devote themselves to their craft and build a network of support to ensure that they have the coaching and guidance necessary to perform at the highest level. Additionally, we help students determine which conservatories best suit their needs, goals, and talents. We want students to maximize their odds of admission to competitive programs and get creative about the multiple ways they can pursue their musical theater dreams. For instance, some students pursue top-tier independent coaching in a performing arts city such as New York or Los Angeles.

For students who have multiple interests or who may not have the talent required for admission to conservatory, a traditional college with strong theater resources will likely be a better fit.These schools also offer more artistic freedom than conservatories, and are thus better suited for students who want to explore their artistic interests in unconventional ways. Alternatively, for students interested in playwriting, schools like UCLA, USC, and NYU Tisch offer robust programs with the flexibility to explore other academic pursuits. Building a portfolio at an institution that allows you to make your experience what you want it to be can be a valuable experience. It can also allow you to expand your horizons in preparation for an M.F.A. degree.

Gaea: Don’t be afraid to make weird art. As Greta Gerwig says, “You’ll make a bad movie or give a bad performance or write a bad song or make a bad painting. Because if you’re doing it, you’ll get some bad ones. That’s just the price of admission!” The process of creating and adapting and growing artistically requires you to take the first step and not worry about the outcome—so be original and make something new. To that end, take your inspiration not only from the big names in lights, but also from those creating weird and original things in unexpected places—they’re often the ones pushing the boundaries in the most impactful ways. Look at what’s playing off Broadway or in random corners of the theater world outside of the mainstream and you might find new ways to approach your craft and define your perspective as a creative.