Even on vacation from their studies, music students from the 杏吧传媒 won鈥檛 stop performing.
USM鈥檚 Osher School of Music is a feeder system for Maine theater companies in need of actors for their summer productions. The shows are typically staged with Broadway-level talent in mind for the cast. That USM students are in such high demand is a credit to the quality of their training.
Reviews have been rolling in, and not just from the critics. The students have a lot to say about their own performances and the overall experience of mounting these productions.
The Prom
When you鈥檝e spent as much time with one show as Kaelan Gildart, it helps to really love the material. Gildart appeared in back-to-back productions of the 鈥淭he Prom鈥 spanning six months.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a different perspective to play two different tracks like this, so that was cool,鈥 Gildart said. 鈥淚 like being able to look at the two and see how different each experience was.鈥
That journey began for Gildart as schoolwork. 鈥淭he Prom鈥 was USM鈥檚 spring musical, produced jointly by the Theatre Department and the Osher School. It ran for two weeks in April. Gildart was a member of the ensemble, performing small parts wherever needed and lending vocal support to the big musical numbers.
Just as USM鈥檚 production was winding down, a new production was gearing up at in Gildart鈥檚 hometown of South Portland. This time, Gildart won the lead the role. As Emma, Gildart was tasked with playing a high school student who was banned from attending her senior prom after coming out as gay.
鈥淚t helps that I can relate to Emma a bit,鈥 Gildart said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been through the same struggles as her, but I feel similarly to her in certain situations, so she鈥檚 been a really nice character to connect with.鈥
Gildart went beyond the script to flesh out Emma鈥檚 internal life. Performer and character merged over their shared wardrobe with Gildart supplying clothes from home for certain scenes. The tattoo of a dog鈥檚 paw print on Gildart鈥檚 arm was also clearly visible to the audience. That鈥檚 intentional since Gildart imagined Emma to be a dog lover, too.
Audiences first got to see Gildart鈥檚 hard work when 鈥淭he Prom鈥 opened at Lyric Music Theater on June 14. Gildart added to Emma鈥檚 complexity for all two weeks of the show鈥檚 run. All of that stage time made Gildart a better actor, and the new skills will come in handy upon returning for a third year in USM鈥檚 Musical Theatre program.
鈥淒efinitely, this show has helped me with different acting choices while singing,鈥 Gildart said. 鈥淚 have a really bad habit of using the same gesture over and over again, or pacing when I sing, or planting myself with my feet too close together so I look closed in when I鈥檓 not supposed to be. My director and music director have really helped me be aware of that.鈥
After two proms in a row, Gildart doesn鈥檛 rule out a third go-round. Schoolhouse Arts Center in Standish will stage a musical version of 鈥淐arrie鈥 in October. The horror story is set in high school and culminates in a murderous rampage at the prom. Gildart plans to audition. Despite the radical change in tone, Gildart鈥檚 ultimate goal remains the same.
鈥淚 just like making people smile and laugh,鈥 Gildart said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 in this. I like getting to do that regardless of what show it is.鈥
Funny Girl
Karoline Brechter grew up watching the TV show 鈥淕lee.鈥 She could relate to the characters鈥 dreams of becoming professional singers and would imitate their renditions of Broadway standards from musicals like 鈥淔unny Girl.鈥 As an adult, she鈥檚 living out that childhood dream.
(MSMT) in Brunswick put Brechter to work in its slate of summer productions, starting with 鈥淔unny Girl.鈥 She auditioned for the opportunity through a training program for young performers called the MSMT Singers.
Brechter has a strong list of acting credits after two years of studying toward a Musical Theatre degree. But the MSMT Singers are so selective that she was unsure if she would make the cut. She鈥檚 convinced that a recommendation from Ed Reichert, her vocal instructor at the Osher School, made the difference.
鈥淚鈥檓 so thankful for the opportunity. It鈥檚 insane,鈥 Brechter said. 鈥淚鈥檓 so happy that I鈥檓 here and I get to do theater for the summer.鈥
The work was intense. Brechter played small parts and filled out crowd scenes in the mainstage shows, even getting to say a few lines here and there. 鈥淔unny Girl鈥 opened on June 26 and ran for two weeks, followed by another two-week run of 鈥淲hite Christmas.鈥 Brechter pushed herself to keep up with the professional actors in the lead roles.
鈥淚 haven鈥檛 done choreography this intense since I鈥檇 been a competitive dancer,鈥 Brechter said. 鈥淚鈥檓 getting a refresh on dance, definitely getting my cardio in.鈥
It鈥檚 hard to stand out in such a gifted group. The MSMT Singers attract top talent from across the country. Thousands of hopefuls apply for only eight slots. Brechter had the added challenge of being the youngest person in her cohort. Not only did the principals notice her, some of them acted as mentors, offering advice and support.
鈥淭hings like that are so, so valuable and so important,鈥 Brechter said. 鈥淚鈥檓 so happy that I鈥檓 here and I get to know and befriend people like that who have the experience and want you to succeed and love talking to the younger people and seeing them grow in their professional journey.鈥
A series of shows aimed at children gives Brechter and the other Singers a chance to act in starring roles. They also perform at community events as ambassadors of MSMT. The days are long, but Brechter hopes the effort will pay off by paving the way for her entry into the professional theater ranks.
First though, Brechter has a degree to complete. She鈥檒l only have one week to visit her family in Massachusetts between the end of her MSMT tenure and the start of the fall semester. Another week after that, she鈥檒l be expected to sing an opera from memory.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot,鈥 Brechter said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 exactly what I want to do.鈥
Aida
To pull off a show as big as 鈥淎ida,鈥 needed to cast a wide net for singers. And USM stepped up to supply them.
Multiple students from the Osher School, as well as Artist Faculty member Mary Johnston Letellier, lent their voices to the chorus. Hope Poore, in particular, wasn鈥檛 hard to find. She recently finished her freshman year as a Classical Voice major, but she鈥檚 already a veteran of Opera Maine.
Poore鈥檚 first production with Opera Maine was 鈥淭he Magic Flute鈥 in 2019. In five years since then, the company鈥檚 primary venue at Merrill Auditorium in Portland has been a special place where she could mature as an artist.
鈥淚 just really love it here,鈥 Poore said. 鈥淚 love being at Merrill Auditorium, and I love the people here. It鈥檚 just fun. It鈥檚 fun for me. That鈥檚 why I want to do it as a career.鈥
Giuseppe Verdi composed 鈥淎ida鈥 in 1871. It tells the story of a tragic love triangle in ancient Egypt. Poore will appear in several crowd scenes playing, in turn, a townsperson, a handmaiden, and a priestess. Fellow Husky Nick Sutton plays a soldier.
Sutton also had a prior relationship with Opera Maine. He worked for the company as a teaching artist, which involved going to schools to demonstrate classical music to students. 鈥淎ida鈥 wasn鈥檛 on his radar until the company manager asked him to come aboard.
Sutton has spent three years developing his voice at the Osher School in various productions, but he鈥檚 never experienced a show on the scale of 鈥淎ida.鈥 It has challenged him to expand his vocal technique.
鈥淵ou have to be so, so loud in this because you have to be heard over the orchestra and without any amplification,鈥 Sutton said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no microphone. This is all from the power of one鈥檚 diaphragm. That sort of projection and volume is something I can carry over.鈥
As a senior, Sutton is working to build his r茅sum茅. He sees his work in 鈥淎ida鈥 as a big plus. Poore still has a few years before graduation. During the last week of rehearsals, the more pressing concern for her was opening night on July 25. The show’s big finale was her favorite part, and she hoped the audience would be just as impressed.
鈥淭he instrumentals and the singing. I鈥檓 part of that backstage,鈥 Poore said 鈥淗earing it (sends) shivers down my spine. It鈥檚 gorgeous.鈥