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Acting in Plays, Singing/I want to be a musical theatre actress, what do I do?

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Expert: - 6/12/2009


Question
Hi, I'm 19 years old and seriously want to pursue a career in musical theatre. But I'm really concerned as to whether or not I am to old to even qualify for a career in this field. I have had some vocal and dance training, but not much. I have started looking into dance lessons and vocal coaches in my area, (Phoenix, AZ), but was wondering if I should even bother spending money and time if I won't be able to get anything out of it. As I haven't had extensive training, I am not quite sure if my voice, dance and acting skills are any good, but I know that this is where my heart is and although I realize that it's hard work, I am totally and completely prepared to do whatever it takes to pursue my dream. Please help!

Answer
Hello, Monica –

Thank you for the question.

As a private vocal coach it is my privilege to work with singers and actors who are building their professional careers.  I’m the acting major in the Theatre Arts Department who wound up sustaining 20 years as a professional singer. That happened because I sought out the best vocal coach I knew and whose clients I had heard perform. That’s how the vast majority of my clients come to me – through recommendation.  My singing career also happened because I had years of piano training even prior to high school and, thus, could play any piece I wanted or was required to sing.  Along the way, I realized the absolute importance of having a Degree. And I am very proud of it.  I enjoyed my graduate work even more.

No matter who you study with privately, you must have a degree.  At 19, you are at the dawn of the rest of your life. I am not totally convinced you understand what pursuing a career in musical theatre is really all about.  In the first place, every increment of success is a total crap shoot.  Who knows what “They” want at any audition, at any place, for any production, at any age of your life?  It’s also about rejections and cut-throat competition.

That’s what stops most people from pursuing careers in the performing arts any further than they do.  I’ve seen plenty of mediocrity in professional theatre, the latest example being Taylor Hicks (of American Idol fame) in the current National Tour of GREASE.  Unbelievably ordinary.  And yet – there he is – center stage with his name above the title.  Not everyone was screaming with enthusiasm.

Before you knock on the doors of a professional Broadway company, you must be the best dancer, singer, and actress you know.  That takes training and full-time commitment and money to pay for it all. Simple.  And it really cuts into a girl’s social life.

I am a professional singing teacher and vocal coach in San Francisco.  When you want to book an appointment, contact me through Craig's List. This week’s connection is: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/1223869393.html
I am also the Editor and Publisher of www.SanFranciscoSentinel.com.  All my articles and interviews about the Performing Arts provide a link to my personal e-mail.

Download Carmen Milagro’s BlogTalkRadio interview with Seán Martinfield and jazz composer/pianist Terry Disley: Women and Legends Who Really Rock, 6/12/2009


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Below are links to my recent interviews and articles about what's happening on San Francisco's cultural scene:
SF BALLET TO TOUR CHINA – Programs Include Tomasson’s Swan Lake
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=31166

LINDA BLAIR – With Peaches Christ, A Debut At Midnight Mass
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=31038

LORDS OF THE SAMURAI – Now At The Asian Art Museum
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=30916

MEKLIT HADERO and TODD BROWN – At the de Young Museum
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=30714

JONATHAN VINOCOUR – San Francisco Symphony Appoints New Principal Violist
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AMANDA KING – AT THE RRAZZ ROOM, THIS SATURDAY NIGHT
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RENT: THE BROADWAY TOUR – Returns To The Curran Theatre
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WESLA WHITFIELD – At The Rrazz Room
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=29588

SPAMALOT – THE “MONTY PYTHON” MUSICAL THAT GOES LIKE THIS
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UP – IS UP UP UP AND AWAY!
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VERDI REQUIEM – HEIDI MELTON REPLACES PATRICIA RACETTE, TONIGHT AT SF OPERA
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EXIT Theatre Expanding – Additional 1,700 sq. ft. to Eddy Street Theatreplex
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=28656

CHERYL BURKE DANCE – Presents “Dancing With The Drag Queen Stars”, June 6th
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=28316

CAMERON CARPENTER – An Interview with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=24462

AT LAST! – ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY – An Interview with Seán Martinfield
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=27122

ONE NIGHT ONLY CABARET – A Cabaret Night with the Cast Members of WICKED and SPAMALOT
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=28471

ANGELS AND DEMONS – A LIGHTWEIGHT CONTENDER
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=27338

IOLANTHE – SF Symphony Presents Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta, June 18th – 21st
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=28176

MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMLOT – OPENS AT THE GOLDEN GATE THEATRE MAY 22ND
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=25339

DANCING WITH THE DRAG QUEEN STARS – June 6th At CHERYL BURKE DANCE
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=26357

YUJA WANG – BRILLIANT YOUNG PIANIST JOINS SF SYMPHONY, MAY 20TH–23RD
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DONALD RUNNICLES and CHRISTINE BREWER – CD, "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=26114

INTERHARMONY INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL – June 30th to July 12th
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5X5 PLURALISM – At The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
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SAN FRANCISCO OPERA – Summer Season Opens June 2nd
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TOSCA – SF Giants and SF Opera Present OPERA AT THE BALLPARK
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2830 PACIFIC STREET – Site of 2009 San Francisco Decorator Showcase
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CHAGALL AND THE ARTISTS OF THE RUSSIAN JEWISH THEATER, 1919-1949 – Now AT San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum
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JEWELS AND RUSSIAN SEASONS – Exquisite Endings to SF Ballet season
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CELEBRATE THE 1906 EARTHQUAKE – “SAN FRANCISCO” – AT THE CASTRO THEATRE
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PAUL JACOBS, ORGANIST – At Davies Symphony Hall
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Best regards,
Seán Martinfield

Acting in Plays, Singing

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Sean Martinfield

Expertise

I am a professional vocal coach in San Francisco. In addition to answers from a previous web site (Askme.com - where my "tag" was "VocalCoach") I have published over 2000 responses related to vocal training - particularly as it relates to Musical Theatre and Opera. I have 24 years of experience as Personal Trainer to singers and actors in the San Francisco Bay Area. I sang professionally for 20 years and know what it means to live the life of a musician. I can determine your voice category, i.e., Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Alto Belter, etc., and how to broaden and strengthen your range. Need an audition song for a Broadway Musical? I will give you suggestions that are appropriate to your vocal category and to requirements specified in the audition notice. I have also created a vocal methodology, "The Belter`s Method". It will enable those in Musical Theatre to practice more efficiently because it focuses on the demands of professional performers as well as to those auditioning for school and community productions, and as University and Conservatory performing arts majors. If what you want is a better voice and more control over your career moves and choices, contact me. Also, as the Editor of SanFranciscoSentinel.com, it is my privilege to review productions at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet and Symphony, as well as Broadway National Tours booked into San Francisco's Orpheum, Golden Gate and Curran Theatres. I also review works by A.C.T (the American Conservatory Theatre) and Magic Theatre. I cover select films, tributes and retrospects, and various international film festivals – particulary those booked into The City's opulent Castro Theatre – including the LGBT Frameline Festival, International Film Festival, Silent Film Festival, Jewish Film Festival, etc. For private vocal instruction, I can be contacted through SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Look under: Seán Martinfield, Sentinel Editor and Publisher.

Experience

As a vocal coach, I work primarily with singers and actors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. My students range from absolute beginners to working professionals, from pre-schoolers to senior citizens. The vast majority of my clients come to me through recommendation. I know how to identify any singer's vocal category, i.e., soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, etc. I know how to muscle-up every singer's vocal range and to expand it beyond conventional definitions. I have developed a vocal methodology for those who want to know how to belt, THE BELTER'S METHOD. As a singer who spent half of his career doing Bel Canto, I know that classical or Italian methodologies do not work in Standard American music. Bel Canto cannot be "adapted" to meet the needs of contemporary American music, including the demands of the Musical Theatre. There are a number of major components to my work as a vocal coach. The first is to identify the client's vocal category and to strengthen and maximize the vocal range accordingly. Then it's about teaching a reliable vocal workout that will enable the client to gain better control of their musicianship. That includes scale work to expand the vocal range and to improve placement, breath control, and diction. Then we work on material for the audition portfolio, the immediate job or assignment, a recording session, etc. My task to is to better equip singers and actors who are hoping to or relying upon their performance skills and vocal endurance to maintain a career in the Performing Arts. My clients regularly appear in cabarets and musical productions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Some have worked in New York and gone on National Tours. For more information, Contact me at: Broadwaybelters@yahoo.com

Education/Credentials
San Francisco State University – BA in Theatre Arts; graduate work in Theatre, Philosophy, and Comparative Reiligion. Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley – Graduate work in Ethics

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