The Tony Awards were Sunday night, and I am still on a high from watching them. Though, to be more accurate, it’s a mixture of awe and jealousy. As I’ve written about before, my desire to be a star on the stage far outweighs any singing or acting ability I possess.
Still, I love any opportunity to embrace the actor that is embedded deeply inside my soul. At MSU, I took an Acting I class my senior year and loved everything about it, from the improv games to memorizing and performing a monologue as a final project. I performed Angie’s monologue from Steve Martin’s Patter for the Floating Lady, by the way.
And a few years ago, I discovered Take It from the Top at the Wharton Center, which offers week-long musical theatre workshops for kids as young as seven all the way to a one-day workshop for adults. The workshops are led by world-class Broadway artists; past instructors include Laura Bell Bundy (also TIFFT’s co-founder) and Billy Porter, among others.
Here is Take It from the Top’s mission:
Take It From The Top is a national arts alliance dedicated to providing quality education enrichment through music, dance and theatre to students and other organizations worldwide. Our primary goal is to serve as a catalyst for creativity for aspiring artists through professional mentoring, workshops and structured programs that will inspire confidence and provide students a pathway to attain their highest potential.
This year’s Take It from the Top activities run from June 25-30. The Creative Kids workshop for seven to nine-year-olds is full, but as of earlier this month, there was still space in the other workshops.
I can’t recommend the One-Day Adult workshop enough. The deadline to register and pay is June 18, and it will be held the evening of Wednesday, June 27, from 7-10 p.m. The cost is $30.
Here I am with my friend Tracy (far right) at Take It from the Top in 2015.
In past years, the Adult workshop has included a section of improv games, learning choreography from a Broadway musical (my favorite was learning a segment of “Pippin” and doing Fosse fingers), and finally ends with the attendees performing a 32-bar cut of a favorite musical theatre piece with an accompanying pianist.
That last part was a source of nerves, for sure. But what I loved about my experiences with Take It from the Top is that in the course of just a couple of hours, two dozen strangers become a supportive and enthusiastic group of people. It felt like a safe space to sing in front of others. In the two years I attended the Adult workshop, I performed “If I Were a Bell” from Guys and Dolls and “My Junk” from Spring Awakening.
Some of the adults who attended were seasoned singers and actors. Others just loved being able to play a bit. I fall into that second category. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. It’s about embracing the arts and finding a community that supports and loves them just as much as you do.
Take It from the Top’s Adult workshop is an absolute blast.
Learn more about it here and sign up before it’s too late!