Bway Star judge #3! VP BOYLE

NPT is super excited about VP BOYLE being a judge for SO YA WANNA BE A BROADWAY STAR?   Take a gander at his bio...

VP BOYLE wears many hats in the Broadway community, both on and off stage. As an actor, his favorite moments on the boards include The Scarlet Pimpernel with Douglas Sills and Sunset Boulevard with Diahann Carroll. He will be starring in the upcoming short film KINDLING directed by Glenn Kalison.

VP made his film directorial debut with IT IS WHAT IT IS, an original musical short film written with composer Andrew Gerle.  The film premiered as an official selection at Rhode Island International Film Festival—one of the top ten festivals in the country and an Academy Award qualifying festival for short film. It is currently screening in festivals across the country and has garnered awards for Best Direction (BAFF), Best Ensemble Cast (BAFF) and Best Musical Short (NYIIFF). He is currently in pre-production to write/direct his next musical film, LIFELESS and his screenplay for the new musical film WALK AWAY is currently slated for production in 2012 in Canada. Other projects include a new pop/rock musical with Joe O'Keefe, THE TUNNEL, based on the Mole People—the underground homeless living in NYC's abandoned subway tunnels.

Theatrical directing highlights include the sold-out An Evening with Frank Wildhorn and Friends at Studio 54 featuring Linda Eder, Douglas Sills, Frank Wildhorn and others. He also directed the critically acclaimed presentation of The Normal Heart at Lincoln Center. He spent two years as the Producing Director for The Musical Writers' Playground and as a casting director for Broadway shows, tours, and original workshops with Dave Clemmons Casting.

One of the most sought after Broadway audition and life coaches for professionals in New York City, VP created The Musical Theatre Forum, a professional casting workshop with every major Broadway casting agency in NYC.  His book, AUDITION FREEDOM: The Irreverent Wellness Guide for Theatre People is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Drama Book Shop NYC. He works with actors at every level across the country to spread his irreverent approach to theatrical wellness with celebrity guest appearances across the globe including Italy's top-rated talent show Io Canto and the new Brazilian television series, Broadway Dreams.

VP currently serves as the creator and Chair of the New York Film Academy's new cutting-edge Musical Theatre & Film Conservatory Program. The two-year program merges conservatory musical theatre training with Broadway professionals and an intensive acting for film curriculum that culminates with an original movie musical.

Outside of the zany world of show biz, VP is an amateur potter, French Bulldog lover, closet photographer and self-proclaimed man of leisure with more professional union cards and guild affiliations than any one person should really have. Member: AEA, CAEA, SAG, AFTRA, SDC, ASCAP, The Dramatists' Guild. 

This weekend's press!

This weekend Channel 12 will run the interview that contestant Kevin Durkee and I did last week about So Ya Wanna Be a Broadway star!

It will run:
Saturday: 8:33 AM   12:03 PM    3:33 PM    and

Sunday:   6:03 AM    8:33 AM     2:33 PM

It is a half hour talk show called "Our Lives" and it focuses on social issues as well as cultural.  Kevin is a natural and will be singing in our junior division.   

Next week I am taking another contestant, Ilayda Muftuoglu with me to Channel 8 ABC.  I think it's good for the audience to hear from actual excited contestants and to see how educational the whole thing is.  

Please let all interested folks know that they can visit our new website!  and get the applications and buy tix for the event too.  

New Website Design!!

So excited that our new website design has launched.  Would love your feedback.   We think it's sleek and business-like and also ...purple..which for some reason, was important to me. lol.

Thanks Ortal for the work you did to help us get what we wanted!  Click on the link below to be taken to our new site!
www.nptheatre.org  

WILLIAM WADE- judge for So Ya Wanna Be a Broadway Star

Another great judge for So Ya Wanna Be a Broadway Star at the Bijou Theatre Oct 20/21.

William Wade:  is a composer, lyricist, orchestrator, arranger, conductor, musical director, and pianist whose work includes the musicals, ImaginOcean (off-Broadway, national tour, Guatemala, Singapore, and Drama Desk nomination for Unique Theatrical Experience) with John Tartaglia, Warsaw (Queens College, Museum of Jewish Heritage, NYMF, among many) with John Atkins, Alice (Midtown International Theatre Festival, York Theatre) with Frank Blocker, and Wounded Knee (currently being developed). In all instances, William is the composer and orchestrator and contributed lyrics. His ballets include Madeline (Symphony Space, NYC),Mole Music, and Snow White. Other work includes chamber music, choral music, and art songs. He partcipated in the short-form festival of theatre, Raw Impressions, on multiple occasions as a composer and musical director.

 

As an arranger, William has worked for Rosie's Theatre Kids (the youth group founded by Rosie O'Donnell), Broadway Theatre Project (with Ann Reinking), Mark Morris Dance Group, and National Dance Institute. He is the arranger and musical director for the Broadway-bound Yeast Nation, the new musical by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis (who wrote Urinetown).

 

As a teacher and accompanist, William has worked for Broadway Classroom, AMDA, Professional Musical Theatre Workshop at Manhattan School of Music, American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera, Julliard, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake on Broadway, University of Washington, Alvin Ailey, Ballet Hispanico, Broadway Dance Center, Steps, and many choreographers, including Karole Armitage, Donald Byrd, Jennifer Muller, Mark Morris, among many.

William holds a BA in musical composition from University of South Florida and is an alumnus of the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop.

At Home in Greenwich

What a lovely, lovely Gala and a great group of folks we were privileged to entertain last night for  At Home In Greenwich.   At Home in Greenwich is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization founded to help senior residents of Greenwich with both the practical means and the confidence to live their lives to the fullest in their own homes as they grow older.  http://www.athomeingreenwich.org/

And they were so receptive and ...lovely.   We custom-built a show for them that contained Classic musical theatre tunes from shows like Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Chicago, South Pacific and many more.  And since Fred Rose (one of my Company cast mates) was a performer we both brought our instruments (he's a superb cellist) and in addition to David Miacco on piano (amazing!)  we played flute and cello on all the numbers.  We even did a tag team medley that we created just for them that had us singing and playing alternately. 

Bret Shuford and Gwendolyn Jones were awesome as usual and four of my own voice students were the singing waiters who warmed up the crowd with their 16 bar songs at the tables of the 250 folks that came to the event.

When this nonprofit booked us for the event they had seen us at the Bruce Museum's event and we had had a few discussions on the phone and in person as to what they wanted for their own event.  Then I had a "marketing advice" phone call with about five of their members. After that I booked the talent, accompanist, sound guy Steve, and custom built the show for them to their specifications. 

This non profit did it up right at the Greenwich Hyatt with food "stations" and pretty, festive tables. They also kept their presentations short and sweet and moved everything along. Peggi, their MC and board member, was just the right touch of pizazz and glamour.   The board and the folks attending were all excited and positive and I made sure our Bway folks mingled and talked to everyone they could. 

Always trying to work in the mentoring aspect, I had my students ask questions, while we were eating, to the Broadway stars so they could hear first hand what these pros did in their careers, business-wise, education-wise and just survival-wise.

All in all this was a fun and exciting evening and I totally credit At Home for setting their "fans" up well for it.  Everyone came expecting to have fun and to see Broadway singers perform just for them. I am sure they rewarded this non profit generously as well!   

Congrats to all!!

Judge for So Ya Wanna Be a Broadway Star-PAUL BOGAEV!

I am just blown away by the great folks that agree to judge our SO YA WANNA BE A BWAY STAR competition.  The fact that the participants get to sing for these folks and get feedback is such a great opportunity.

I will feature one judge every couple of days for you to see their credits! Tell everyone you know that you do NOT get to sing for folks like this every day!!! or even every year.  or even every TEN years!

PAUL BOGAEV     (I mean come ON!!!) 

Paul Bogeav is a music director-producer, arranger and composer. He supervised and conducted the music for the Academy Award winning film CHICAGO and was Executive Producer of its GRAMMYAward winning soundtrack. He won his first GRAMMY for arranging, orchestrating, underscore composing, and producing the music for Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA on Broadway. AIDA also won the TONY Award for Best Score. 

Paul's other Broadway Credits include TARZAN (as Music Producer), SPIDERMAN (musical producer)  BOMBAY DREAMS (Music Supervisor and TONY-nominated Orchestrator), and as Music Director, SUNSET BOULEVARD, LES MISERABLES, CATS, ASPECTS OF LOVE, CHESS, and STARLIGHT EXPRESS. He also wrote and produced songs for a stage production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS which recently ran for four years in Europe . 

His other feature film credits include DREAMGIRLS, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, CONNIE AND CARLA, and the animated DISNEY films, LION KING, TARZAN, MULAN, and THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE. For ABC Television, Mr. Bogaev was Music Director for CINDERELLA, SOUTH PACIFIC, and ANNIE (EMMY AWARD). 

As a Conductor, he directed the music for Francis Coppola's presentation of the silent movie epic NAPOLEON with symphony orchestras all throughout the world. He also conducted Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in the concert THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER and Barbra Streisand's recording, HIGHER GROUND. 

Mr. Bogaev has also worked with Phil Collins, Sting, Toni Braxton, Brandy, Whitney Houston, Richard Gere, Whoopi Goldberg, Glenn Close, Hugh Jackman, Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Kathy Bates, Drew Barrymore, Liam Neeson, Michael Bolton, Harry Connick, Jr., and most recently recorded the soundtrack for the new movie musical NINE with Daniel Day-Lewis, Sophia Loren, Dame Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, and Fergie. Mr. Bogaev studied at Cornell University and the Juilliard School . He was born in Philadelphia and educated at The Haverford School where he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2003.

The Silent...auction

I MC'd a Gala for a non profit this past weekend and agreed to help with pumping up the silent auction items periodically as well.  Actually, I agreed to help with the auction and then found out I was also MCing, but was glad to help out another non profit with a great cause.

Beautiful place for the Gala.  GREAT food.  Wonderful jazz entertainment.  Nice crowd.  And.....the silent auction.

Every non profit seems to have one.  Folks donate items that are lined up around the room, or in the hallway so that everyone can browse during the Gala and bid on the items that they want.

This weekend there were fabulous donated trips and experiences.  Big ticket items from a 5 day trip to Tuscany valued at $6000 to a trip to a diamond cutter.  From an African Safari and a party at your home for 25 people.  

These silent auctions used to work so well.  Folks would try to outbid each other because they knew that was what they were at a Gala of a non profit to do.  Raise money for the non profit.

Can I tell you that every Gala I have been to in the last few years complains about their silent auctions not making the money they used to.  Every single one. But they keep doing them. And they keep complaining afterwards.   A Tuscany vacation in a villa for 15 friends going for only around $3000?  Well it was donated so the money is net profit for the NPO, but still.....$3000?

It's not the fault of the Gala goer.  Now when they browse they are looking with different eyes.  They are looking for a bargain.  We all are.  I don't care if you are in Costco or at a Gala. The mentality is the same.  Our minds don't magically change when we walk into a Gala from the rest of our week when we are shopping for the best deals.

In addition we have all those auction sites now on the Internet.  Ebay, QVC, and thousands of other places that we go through the same process of bidding and waiting to see if we are going to get the best "deal". These didn't exist years ago when the Silent Auction idea was created.  Our every day experience has changed but the silent auction experience hasn't.

Yes, you want to have folks with money to invite to your Galas.  But even those folks are being choosey with what they support because they are getting Gala invites every singel week to something else.  "But they should help us because we have a great cause".  Yea, I understand your thinking...but how is that working for you?

My thought is, keep doing the silent auction items. Fine. It brings in a little extra money anyway.  But offer your Gala goers something unique at the Gala.  Something that sets apart your Gala from all the other "dress up and eat and drink well" Galas.  Something that tickles them.  Excites them to put on their fancy duds and come out on an evening where they could be with their families.  It does require creativity and thought and preparation.  It may require  the help of another group or person brainstorming with new people.   I am always happy to brainstorm ideas for free with any non profit that needs my help. Let's figure this out gang, cause the road we are traveling has been paved over and needs a redirect.

Give you Gala goers something that is less typical and maybe they will give you something less than the norm as well.