SEQUIM — Vocal technique, Broadway songs, dance, Shakespeare, lunch from the Red Rooster: Such are the facets of the second annual Musical Theater Intensive for Teens at the Dungeness Schoolhouse.
The workshop, from 9:45 a.m. till 4 p.m. weekdays July 22-Aug. 2, is for teenagers who dream of a life on stage — and who are determined to make their dreams real.
Composer, jazz pianist and musical theater director Linda Dowdell, singer Elinore O’Connell and dancer Annuel Preston, with interns Jessica Reid and Liz Dennison, will lead this exploration of theater skills. Audition coaching is also on the agenda, as is improvisation and, for relaxation and body awareness, some yoga.
Sequim High School graduate Ayla Iliff, now a student at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts, took part in the 2012 summer intensive.
“I got to be with people who spoke my language,” she said, adding that during the workshops, there was a feeling of pulling together, not of competition.
“My favorite part,” added alumna Misha Casella-Blackburn, “was the audition section. It helped me so much.” The 16-year-old is part of The Chairs improv troupe of Port Townsend and of other productions at Key City Public Theatre and Manresa Castle.
Sara Jackson, 17, said she went into last summer’s intensive thinking she lacked ability as a singer. She’d acted in productions at Sequim High School, but singing wasn’t yet in her repertoire.
O’Connell taught her that yes, she could sing. And dance and act.
“She said, ‘Here are some singing exercises,’ and now I have them on my laptop,” Sara added.
Tuition for the two-week intensive is $475 including the noon meal from the Red Rooster Grocery in Sequim. Some scholarship funding may be available.
Dowdell and crew timed the workshop to make it possible to ride the Jefferson Transit bus from Port Townsend to Sequim each day; carpools are also available.
The deadline to register and make a deposit is next Friday, July 5.
For information, phone Dowdell at 360-928-5132 or email linda@rajbongo.com; a brochure can be seen at www.OlympicMusicSchool.com.
Joey Ripley, a 16-year-old actor from Port Townsend, took part in the intensive last year, and appreciated the chance to work with people who feel as strongly about theater as he does.
“I really liked the professionalism,” said Joey, who appeared in Port Townsend High School’s “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),” “Urinetown” and “The Imaginary Invalid.”
At the close of last year’s intensive, the teens staged “Take Us to the World,” a musical revue of song, comedy and dance. They will present a show again this year, Dowdell promised, Aug. 2 at the Dungeness Schoolhouse, 2781 Towne Road. A performance at the Port Angeles Community Playhouse, 1235 E. Lauridsen Blvd., is also planned on that day.
One of the best parts, Dowdell observed, was the bond that developed during the workshop.
“In addition to benefits of performing,” she said, “students formed strong friendships with one another.”
