Summer Musical Theatre Program
For 4th through 2024 High School graduates
Develop your skills in acting, singing, and dancing in a supportive environment of
highly skilled, award-winning professionals and college faculty.
EMU Theater will host two three-week musical theatre intensives, which will each culminate in multiple public performances of a major musical production.
The junior program will perform a musical revue, and the senior program will perform a contemporary musical.
Junior Program
(Rising 4th Graders-Rising 8th Graders)
Explore musical theatre in this three-week program culminating in multiple performances
of a musical revue. No audition is required.
Schedule
June 30 - July 12 (two weeks)
The program will run Monday - Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. with final shows on Friday,
July 11 and Saturday, July 12 at 7 p.m.
Cost
$900 includes two weeks of instruction and rehearsal and two public performances.
Senior Program
(Rising 9th Graders-Recent High School Graduates)
Explore a performance track or a technical theatre track for three weeks culminating in the presentation of a major musical production on the main stage.
Performance Track - You will engage in all morning classes and rehearsals and will perform on stage.
Technical Theatre Track - You will engage in all morning classes. In the afternoon you will work with the costume
designer, technical director, stage management team, and others to support the production
in all technical areas.
Audition Dates
Auditions
When: Saturday, April 27 from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM
Where: EMU's Mainstage Theatre
(Please prepare 16-32 bars of a contemporary song with accompaniment material/s, score
for the pianist, and a 30 second monologue. Dress for movement.)
Callbacks
When: Sunday, April 28 from 1:00-4:00 PM
Where: EMU Mainstage Theatre
(Dress for movement. There will be a fun, no stress dance call!)
Required Sing Through
There will be a required sing through of Seussical on Monday, April 29th from 6:00-8:30
PM. (This is a new requirement. Please reach out if you have any questions.)
Program Schedule
July 14 - August 3 (three weeks)
The program will run Monday - Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Show dates: August 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. and August 2 and 3 at 2 p.m.
Cost
$1250 (includes full days of instruction and rehearsal as well as three public performances)
Scholarships
Applications are now closed.
There are need-based scholarships available for a limited number of students in the
senior and junior programs. We will make decisions regarding scholarships by May 1st.
Once we have determined financial aid, we will be in contact with recipients and send
information on how to move forward with program registration. Senior Program participants will need to audition in order to be considered for a
scholarship. Junior program participants do not need to audition to be eligible for a scholarship.
Questions?
Email summermusical@emu.edu with any questions.
About Us
Justin Poole, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Theatre and Theatre Program Director
EMU Summer Musical Theatre Co-Director and Theatre Director
Justin holds an MA in Theatre from Villanova University and a Ph.D. in Theatre and
Performance Studies from the University of Maryland. Justin, along with his wife,
Amanda, led a semester-long cross-cultural program to Europe, where Justin has spent
significant time studying experimental performance and art. At EMU, he has directed
The Spitfire Grill, The 39 Steps, Into the Woods, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure,
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Shrek:The Musical. Justin co-created and directed an original rock musical using Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and the music of U2. He also adapted and directed Distant Witness: Social Media, the Arab Spring, and A Journalism Revolution. Justin co-created and performed Bonhoeffer: Cell 92, The Gospel Project, and Firebrand: The Life of Paul. As an actor, Justin has also appeared on national television shows and commercials.
He is Artist-in-Residence at Asbury United Methodist Church, an oil painter, and a
certified yoga teacher. He is a proud father to Vienna, Felicity, and London.
Ellie de WaalEMU Theatre Resident Choreographer
EMU Summer Musical Theatre Co-Director and Choreographer
Ellie is a multifaceted dancer and choreographer of theater, jazz, modern, and ballet.
Her choreography resume includes musicals, operas, plays and special events. Her works
have been adjudicated by the Kennedy Center and selected for several festivals including
the Richmond Dance Festival, Versatility Dance Festival, unKempt Dance Festival, garet&co.
Film Festival, and Emerging Choreographers Showcase NYC. Her musical theatre repertoire
includes Off-Broadway's Savage Force and productions of 42nd Street, Mamma Mia!, Shrek! The Musical, Beauty and the Beast, and Oliver Twist. Her skill set as a choreographer has been sought out by universities for both concert
dance and musical productions. She has choreographed several operas including Noye's Fludde and a new opera song cycle Still More/More Still performed in Brooklyn, NY. She was a choreographer for concorDance Contemporary for
two seasons and has presented choreography for many years with the Harrisonburg Dance
Cooperative. She recently performed as a featured dancer and hot box girl swing in
Guys and Dolls with the Charlottesville Opera and looks forward to debuting new works with her company
EdW and Dancers at several festivals in showcases in NYC in 2024.
Shannon Dove
EMU Theatre Technical Director and Resident Designer
Shannon is a local grad of JMU and Broadway High School. He has been a scenic artist,
master electrician, master carpenter, master painter, technical director, and overall
crew chief at EMU since 2002. He has worked to produce theatre for various organizations
at the college, community, and professional levels. In addition, he is currently scenic
artist, co-technical director, and adjunct professor of theatre at Bridgewater College.
Shannon is also an avid musician.
Robert Weaver
Tech Track Director and Lighting Designer
Robert is a recent EMU grad from Baltimore, MD. He majored in photography and minored
in theater and business administration. Robert is a freelance theater artist in D.C.
and Baltimore. Robert is currently a stagehand and lighting designer at the Lisner
Auditorium at George Washington University. He recently enjoyed working with Step
Afrika! as an assistant master electrician for their touring production of The Migration:
Reflections on Jacob Lawrence. Robert has most recently been the lighting designer
for Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812, The Crucible, Noye’s Fludde, U2 Romeo
& Juliet, Shrek: the Musical, Pride and Prejudice, Disney's Beauty and the Beast,
and Measure for Measure (Eastern Mennonite University), and assistant lighting designer
for The Spitfire Grill.
Rachel E. Herrick
EMU Theatre Resident Costume Designer
Rachel is a JMU grad with a B.A. in theater and dance. While at EMU, Rachel designs
costumes, manages the build of costumes, and does much of the costume construction.
Her EMU design credits include
Measure for Measure, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and
Pride and Prejudice. Rachel spends her summers working with Charlottesville Opera, where she was wardrobe
supervisor for
The Tragedy of Carmen, and assistant wig supervisor for
Camelot during the 2019 season. More information about Rachel’s credits can be found at
www.racheleherrick.com.
Hannah Landis
EMU Theatre Production Manager
Hannah is a 2024 EMU Graduate with majors in Writing Studies and Spanish Language
& Hispanic Studies and minors in Honors and Theatre from Sellersville, PA. At EMU,
she assistant-directed The Crucible, an invited production at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region
2, 2023, as well as portrayed Reverend John Hale in the same show. Further roles at
EMU include Natasha/Ensemble in Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, Glory in Almost, Maine, and Scuttle/Chef Louis/Tentacle in The Little Mermaid. She has also worked as a Producer in EMU Theatre’s This and That in the fall of 2023, and as a Student Director in the 2022 and 2023 EMU Summer Theatre
Program seasons.
Jacob Nissley
Student Director
Jacob has just completed his fourth year at EMU, yet he is a junior in his new major,
music education. He loves to sing and aspires to become a choir director in the future.
His collegiate theatre journey includes playing half of the male cast in Almost Maine,
as well as appearing in Natasha Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (Prince Bolkonsky
and Andrey). He also has extensive experience working with elementary students at
the Lighthouse summer day camp in Canton, Ohio. Jacob is excited for his continued
stay at EMU, as long as it is over after two years.
Vision
At EMU Summer Musical Theatre, we are dedicated to fostering growth and individual
creativity in theatre, music, and dance. We aim to provide all students, including
low-income and under-represented students, with professional training, techniques,
and resources, and guide students’ love and passion for the arts into culminating
productions that are shared with the community, showcasing the participants’ growth,
talents, and hard work.
We believe that the transformative power of the arts develops skills and confidence
not just in performance, but also in social and life skills that are unique to theatre
and collaborative settings. EMU SMTP encourages students to challenge themselves and
their understanding of performance as an art form. Through collaborative storytelling
and the development of improv scenes, we offer participants unique opportunities for
creative expression that are woven into the story and presented in the final show
framework.
At its core, the SMTP is built on a commitment to nurturing individuals’ as their
whole selves, empowering them to take risks in a supportive setting and build community
with others. We strive to create a safe, inclusive environment where all students
can thrive, connect, and find their voices through the shared love of the performing
arts – join us in supporting the EMU Summer Musical Theatre Program, and help us inspire
the next generation of artists and storytellers!
