Malloy in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

About two years ago, we began conversations with Dave Malloy, who had been our beloved Musical Director for five shows over a three year span, including such audience favorites as Into the Woods and Les Misérables. Dave was stoked to do the project. He had always loved working with YMTC, but since his career as a composer for the theater was really taking off, we had piqued his interest in a new way. And piqued it we did, just in the nick of time!

Dave's latest work, Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812, is now playing in NYC to sold out audiences. Rave reviews by New York Times critics, among others, have earned him the Richard Rodgers Award, perhaps the most prestigious award one can receive for a new musical. And Dave is now receiving new work commissions from companies all over the country, including Lincoln Center and ACT.

Here's a link to a NY Times article explaining his rocketship to stardom. We are so excited about our upcoming collaboration with Dave and what it will bring for all of us!

YMTC's artistic STAFF have devoted their lives and work to their respective crafts, and they bring these high standards to all of the students that grow up and learn their craft here.

In our upcoming concert Strictly Sondheim 2, a YMTC fundraiser to support our tuition assistance fund, you can witness these two elements coming together. Three YMTC alumni -- Mark Krey, Simone Kertesz, and Z Hansen -- were invited to join YMTC Directors, Jennifer Boesing and David Möschler in the performance of songs from the musicals of Stephen Sondheim. The CONCERTS will take place on Saturday, May 4, at 5pm and 8pm at a private home in Berkeley. We are so excited to welcome them back and to have them play a part in supporting YMTC's current and future students.

Here are their stories:

MARK KREY

“My time at YMTC was important for me, because it was the first time I had been taken seriously as an artist. Growing up in the East Bay and participating in the musicals at my high school was fun, however we were still being treated like kids. When I met Jennifer and began acting in YMTC productions, I felt a responsibility to tell a story as if it were the first time the story had ever been told, and that responsibility came from the profound respect she and everyone involved at YMTC gave to the young artists, like myself, who wished to express themselves through musical theater.”

Mark Krey (Marc Maynon) performed in many early YMTC shows, including the roles of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, Tony in West Side Story, and Jesus in Godspell. Since graduation from UCLA with a degree in Theatre, he has acted in 16 short independent films as well as held starring and supporting roles in 4 feature length independent films, one of which which headlined The Queens World Film Festival (2012) in New York 100 Proof. He has acted in two web series as well as held a supporting role on the Discovery Channel ID show I Almost Got Away With It. He has released 3 EPs as well as 1 LP and a live album of his own original music. He's presently putting together another band with his brother Josh Krey, another YMTC alumnus, and he is always writing his own music and going out on auditions. In May he will be shooting a supporting role in a Academy of the Arts short film called Tap Dancer and also shooting a supporting role in a independent feature length film called Black Mirror.

SIMONE KERTESZ

“YMTC opened my eyes to the world of musical theater and taught me how to be an artist. It taught me how to be a respectful, creative individual with an understanding of how to conduct myself on a professional level. It provided me with a tool set that served me well in college and now as I begin my professional career. There is a certain magic that is inherent in YMTC, and the joy that I experience when I’m working with YMTC is like no other. I have made lifelong friendships and professional connections. But, most of all, I feel that YMTC has provided me with a community that will always welcome me with open arms.

“Since graduating from Berkeley High School, I have been busy. One year ago I graduated from CSU Chico with a degree in Musical Theater. Since graduating from college I've had the wonderful opportunity of performing in the new musical The Fourth Messenger which premiered at the Ashby Stage. This summer I will be in San Jose Stage Company’s Reefer Madness. I feel very lucky to have had such an amazing year professionally and there is no doubt in my mind that YMTC will always play a role in that.” Simone worked with YMTC from its early beginnings and played many roles through the years. Some favorites include Aldonza in Man of La Mancha, Fantine in Les Miserables, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, and Cinderella in Into the Woods.

Z HANSEN

“Performing in shows year round with YMTC, and knowing that there is always a company I could rely upon to put on tremendous show after tremendous show has given me enough of a push to pursue a future in theatre. YMTC opened my eyes to the onstage world of musical theatre like no other association or experience had or has yet. I feel truly lucky to have had the opportunity to work alongside brilliant actors, musicians, and directors.”

Since graduation from Albany High School, Z is completing his freshman year at CSU Chico with a major in Musical Theatre. He has performed in nine YMTC productions. Favorite roles include Moonface in Anything Goes, Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar, Father in Ragtime and Arab in West Side Story. At CSU Chico he has performed in two productions, The Fix and 12 Ophelias, as well as a student-directed one-act, and he tours with a musical theatre ensemble, The Off Broadways. He is looking forward to taking part in YMTC’s summer production of Sweeney Todd.

Since then, Dave's been busy becoming an incredibly sought after composer of the theater. He's currently the composer in residence at Ars Nova, and is the recipient of numerous, prestigious, national awards and grants, including the 2012 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater for his work, Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, an electro-pop opera based on War & Peace, for which he was also librettist, orchestrator and performer.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Richard Rogers award, among this year's jury were Stephen Sondheim, Lynn Ahrens, Sheldon Harnick, Richard Maltby, Jr., Jeanine Tesori and John Weidman. And in case that wasn't enough, Natasha also earned him the Best of 2012 in the NY Times, Time Out, NY Mag, and the NY Post.  

Dave Malloy is coming back to YMTC, but this time bringing his considerable talents as a composer. He'll be teaming up with another rock star in her own right, playwright and librettist, Krista Knight.

Here's what Dave has to say about YMTC and his thoughts on this upcoming project with us: 

"I would go traveling in a big purple bus to see everything I could see."

"Paris - for the croissants and crepes."

"Joining the circus in Mexico"

"Broadway, to be in How to Succeed"

"Space! For the view."

"Canada & get free healthcare!"

"Antarctica, obviously."

"Mexico to sell fireworks."

"Costa Rica, because the sloths there are probably cool."

"I would go to Kansas City [KS] because I too want to follow the yellow brick road."

"Paris. I like snails."

"My dreams are easily fulfilled from home."

"Go to a prison so I could sing prison blues."

"To go to Hogwarts and become a wizard. Why? It's Hogwarts!"

I continue to be stunned and amazed at the quality of every YMTC play that I have seen. I know that the direction, choreography, sound, sets, and costumes are all crafted by professionals with an obvious wealth of experience. But the beauty of the talent that some of the kids present is just astounding.

Lena Mayer was as good a Ruth as I've ever seen. And I believe I saw Elaine Stritch in the original, if that's possible... What a fabulous show! When people whom I'm sitting next to ask me if I have a kid in the production, I tell them that I'm just a total fan of the program and will come to every show just because they are always superb.

Congratulations to the cast and crew!

What's up next at YMTC?

Photo: Anya Soltero

Here at YTMC we are getting the word out!   On a marketing level we want to bring in more audience members.  On a creative level, we want to meet more talented youth and introduce them to our programs.  And, on a community level we want to connect and share musical theater with as many people as we can.

For our upcoming production of Wonderful Town, we’ve brought our singer/actors to four different schools in the East Bay for all-school assemblies.  Students at two Albany elementary schools, Cornell and Ocean View, Oxford School in Berkeley, and the East Bay School for Boys in Berkeley enthusiastically welcomed our artistic director, Jennifer Boesing, resident music director Dave Moschler, and cast members from Wonderful Town.  Songs were performed from the show, and directors and cast members answered questions from the students.  Wonderful Town company members Caitlin Cobb-Vialet (Eileen), Lena Mayer (Ruth), and George Coker (Robert Baker) enjoyed performing for the very inquisitive and eager student audiences,  hopefully inspiring future YMTC company members.

On Sunday, February 24th, cast members of Wonderful Town descended on the Kensington Farmer’s Market in a FLASH MOB performance of the number “SWING”.  Lena Mayer began handing out postcards for the show...music suddenly came up and out of the crowd  YMTC performers began singing and dancing.  Community members and vendors stopped what they were doing to watch and enjoy the performance. A professional blogger and photographer, Anya Soltero was moved to take some shots of our performers.  Thanks to Anya http://cookingwithcaleb.com, and Chris Hall http://www.kensingtonfarmersmarket.org/  It’s great meeting, greeting and getting to know our neighbors!

Come see YMTC’s Wonderful Town:  Opening March 1! Get Tickets »

 

Photo: Anya Soltero

The first YMTC show I was in was West Side Story in Fall 2003. I had been in a few musicals before, but YMTC really sparked my love love for musical theater.  I learned how to appreciate and work in a big ensemble cast, and I performed with YMTC from the 8th grade up through my senior year of highschool. Jennifer and Pam were wonderful mentors, who knew how to treat us as professionals, and encouraged us to act like professionals while at rehearsal. During every show I had fun meeting new people, while hanging out with old friends from previous shows. I was sad to leave YMTC when I left from Lewis and Clark College my senior year.  

During college I developed a love for working with youth in theater education.  After I graduated and came back to Berkeley, I knew I wanted to find opportunities to do this.  One of the first ideas that came to mind was working with YMTC in some way. 

As assistant director, on YMTC's current show, Wonderful Town, I feel very lucky to work with a director who I grew up with and admire.  In this position I get to observe even more how Jennifer helps the actors to understand the characters and the show itself.  I realize and appreciate even more now how much time and energy is spent in guiding the students in the rehearsal process, especially with a large cast. I'm very happy that I had the experience to be part of the shows when I was younger, and now be a part of it on the the other side.

 Here is her post in it's entirety:

YMTC Fall Gala Presents Youth Theater at Its Best  

Youth Musical Theater Company (YMTC) is a non-profit, Berkeley-based company, which produces professional caliber musical theater while also providing exceptional theater training to students from the 7th grade through university level. YMTC's recent production of West Side Story caught the attention not only of audiences (selling out its entire run), but also of the media. The impressive production was praised for its courage in addressing current issues, as well as for its stunning performances.

YMTC is a professional-level group. “The greatest passion of our organization is to bring as many talented and fiercely dedicated young performing artists to our programs as we can and offering them the exceptional experience of being a part of a YMTC production,” Jennifer Boesing recently noted. “Our production team and staff, made up of seasoned professional directors and designers and teachers from around the Bay Area, hold dear the same vision.”

Sound like an arts education worth supporting?

YMTC’s upcoming Fall Gala on October 13, 6:30 pm at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center will surely be a magical evening of musical theater. Twenty-seven of the company’s most talented performers, both current students and alumni, will perform a rich array of songs from shows produced over the years. Audiences will also enjoy dinner, drinks and a live auction, with funds raised benefiting YMTC’s Tuition Assistance Program. RSVP soon to save yourself a spot!

A huge thank you to Maureen Futtner for this fabulous coverage!

"You can be pretty sure you're a part of something special when the lamentations of a ragtag group of presidential assassins brings you to tears. You can be absolutely certain when this happens in someone's living room, without any blocking or props -- only actors, their intentions, and a piano.        

I'm sitting in the car on the way home from the Assassins potluck and sing/read-through, writing this on my iPod because I'm afraid that if I wait to get home I'll lose some of the magic I just experienced. This event is a tradition at Shotgun Players; the night before the cast, crew, and creative head into tech, everybody gathers to share a meal and strip the show back to its core -- the story -- by simply acting the book and singing the score. This night, along with the many others the Shadow Cast and I have spent watching rehearsals, have assured me that this experience is more valuable to me as a performer than almost anything I've done before. In what other situation would a professional actor teach a high school student a Russian/Mid-Atlantic accent, or show him how to play an entire song on guitar, or playfully force her to eat her first Hostess Ding-Dong because it's "part of the American experience"?   

Though we sit quietly on the sidelines and observe, soaking up everything like the musical theatre-nerd sponges we are, we are not forgotten or ignored. The rest of the Shadows and I feel welcomed, appreciated, and befriended by the members of the professional cast. Though we all are in a slight state of terror at the idea we’d ever have to go on, there’s a feeling of excitement at the possibility, and safety knowing that we would be supported by the pros every step of the way. They say there’s no better way to learn than through experience, and there’s no better way to experience than through seeing people do what you want to do in the way you want to do it -- and that’s exactly what this is."

From George Coker...                                                                               

"Working on the Assassin's Shadow Cast/understudy program has been an experience that has been enlightening and rewarding. Besides getting to put something totally awesome on my resume, the opportunity to watch professional actors both fresh faced and seasoned has been really educational and entertaining.

All of the people we're working with are absolutely brilliant and in the short time I've watched the actors, I have noticed something about all of their performances that is truly exceptional in quality. Susannah is a brilliant director and hearing her work and watching her use of Viewpoints [a movement methodology adapted for stage acting by director and teacher, Anne Bogart] is fascinating. I’m particularly enjoying being able to pick some of the actors’ brains about performance and life and am also really enjoying the other young actors in the Shadow Casts company. They are all extremely talented, bright, and hungry. I like it. I like it a lot. Being surrounded by excellent work in your field is something really enriching that everyone should experience at all ages."

http://theamericanprize.blogspot.com/

Our production of Ragtime last winter really was a triumph for us in so many ways, and we are still reaping the rewards.  One of the biggest shows we had produced to date in terms of cast size, orchestra size, set size and the epic nature of the story. After it closed, we found out about the American Prize, celebrating excellence in the arts, and entered Ragtime to be considered for the conducting and musical theater performance in the high school division. We just learned that we won 2nd place!

It is so exciting to discover that we are no longer Berkeley's best kept secret, but actually in the process of becoming a national known entity!