CCM Musical Theatre shares Freshman Showcase

The Freshman Musical Theatre class at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music marked the conclusion of their first year in the BFA program with a virtual showcase titled "Wake Up." The performance features a variety of student-curated monologues and performances that were shot on location at Cincinnati theatres, parks and museums.

“Wake Up” is deeply personal to the students, and candidly shares the frustrations and struggles they’ve experienced and witnessed globally during the pandemic. The Showcase provided students with an open space for the critical and civil exchange of ideas and creativity. Monologues and performances include content that some may find triggering, including strong language and topics of racism and violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

“Our class came to school after months of isolation, oppression, tension and uncertainty,” BFA Musical Theatre freshman Annalise Prentiss says. “We came to school during a time where our country seemed to become more divided every day. We came to school after a summer of protests, murders, racial injustice, political rallies, CDC reports, school closings and more. And in our freshman year alone, we would end up going through an entire global pandemic, hate crimes, a historic presidential election and COVID vaccine rollouts.”

“Our class came to school ready to finally have a chance to say something. We came ready for the opportunity to finally speak our minds and let go of everything that we’ve been holding in for so long.”

Produced and directed by CCM Professor Vincent DeGeorge, the Freshman Showcase features performances of “All I Really Want/Wake Up,” “Carry On,” “A Change Is Gonna Come/What’s Going On,” “Man In The Mirror,” “A New World/Our Time,” “No One Is Alone,” “ Stand Up,” and a Beatles Medley.

The showcase team wanted to showcase the students as well as local theater companies and arts organizations in Cincinnati, which have been closed due to the pandemic. It was shot on location at:

• CCM
• Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
• Memorial Hall
• National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
• Imperial Theater
• Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati
• Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
• Washington Park

“This was a massive project,” DeGeorge says. “When we started our work together in August of 2020, no one had any idea how we would rehearse, or what form the final project would take. With the full talent and support of an incredible creative team — CCM Professor Steve Goers, Guest artist Raven Thomas (BFA Musical Theatre, ’16), Graduate student Aaron Harris Woodstein and myself — these amazing students rose to the challenge and embraced this new approach.”

Alumna and guest artist Raven Thomas served as a content advisor for the Showcase and says she loved working with the students throughout the project. She praised the students for their persistence through all of the “new” that the 2020-21 school year entailed: Zoom rehearsals, on-camera acting, few in-person meetings, singing and dancing with masks and a virtual showcase.

“These students are the lifeblood that is running through this showcase,” DeGeorge says. “Their honesty with themselves and each other; their desire to understand and be understood; their courage to stand up and to speak out; their generosity of spirit is present in everything you are about to see and hear. I have such deep respect for these students and for the way they have chosen to use their skills and talents. I look forward to their continued growth and development and to working with them on other projects over the next three years of their training at CCM.” 

Student-created showcases bookend the training experience for CCM’s Musical Theatre majors. A Freshman Showcase is traditionally presented in Cincinnati, while a Senior Showcase is presented for agents and casting directors in New York City. CCM curated the industry's first Senior Showcase in 1993, and was the first college to introduce a digital showcase experience in 2020. The 2021 Freshman and Senior Showcases are both being presented virtually in accordance with COVID Careful protocols.

“This year has been, by far, one of the most challenging years of my life,” says CCM Musical Theatre Chair Eric Santagata, who began his time at CCM at the start of fall 2020. “Navigating immense transition during such a difficult time in global and American history has been hard, for sure. That said, I have been so very lucky to be surrounded by students, faculty and staff who have supported me."

"We’ve had to figure out what theatre looks like without contact, connection or an audience. We’ve had to become tech wizards and editors, camera operators and health protocol experts," he adds. "We’ve had to adapt and pivot in so many ways and it is but for the strength of working together that I think we made it through this year with as much success as we did. There were bumps in the road but, overall, I’m very proud of us. Naturally, we can’t wait to being back on stage and in person, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my career, it’s that the tough times are the ones that shape us.”

• Produced and Directed by Vincent DeGeorge
• Music Direction, Arrangements, and Production by Stephen Goers
• Content Advisor: Raven Thomas

Feature Image at the top: The CCM Musical Theatre Class of 2024.