“” — the third production of the UW’sÌýÌý— is a Tony Award-winning show that imagines a theater troupe to tell the story of a young prince searching for meaning in life.

Its music and lyrics were written by (“Godspell,” “Wicked”), and its script by Roger O. Hirson. The original production, directed by , premiered on Oct. 23, 1972, and ran for 1,944 performances, making it Broadway’s 33^rd-longest-running show.

The UW’s production is being directed by , a lecturer in the who also directs the Musical Theater Program. , an artist in residence with the dance program, did the choreography and Seattle-based performer and teacher is musical director.

The show runs March 8 – 19 in the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse Theater. Mendieta answered a few questions about the production and the program.

Why did you choose “Pippin”?ÌýÌý

W.M.: Mainly because it reinforcesÌýpedagogical objectives of the Musical Theater Program. The themes found in the material are incredibly relevant. This gives us the opportunity to address contemporary social issues through the lens of this incredible art form.

ÌýHow do the UW schools of drama and music and the dance program cooperate for such shows?

W.M.: Many of the people that help this production happen areÌýrepresentatives of each of the three collaborating units. The conductor is anÌýalum from music, the choreographer is a faculty member from dance and the designers are MFA candidates in drama. The same applies to the cast and crew. Also, what is great about thisÌýcollaborative process is that it serves as an opportunity for undeclared majors to discover their passions. One of the students in the orchestra is now considering a degree in music and several cast members are hoping to declare a musical theater major.

“Pippin” was on Broadway in the early 1970s. Will this be done in a ’70s style, as a sort of “period piece”?

W.M.: The original production took place in 1972, but the story was not set in the 1970s, per se. The script is more fluid.ÌýOurÌýconcept takes advantage of this fluidity and plays with time and period in a way to make the material relevant to our audiences. Ultimately, we are presenting it in a “” style.

ÌýCan you tell a bit more about the “burlesque” style? It’s different from the old stereotype of bawdy acts and bad comics, isn’t it?Ìý

W.M.: We tend to associate burlesque with striptease or “girlie shows” but that is not necessarily its original use. American burlesque is a descendant of European burlesque, and its intent wasÌýto mock “high art.” However in the late 1800s, we begin to see current events appear in burlesque’s parodies. It was an exciting time for the American musical theatre art form, as the merging of burlesque, minstrelsy and variety acts help to shape what we know as vaudeville — which has had great influence on musical theatre.ÌýThe score and script of Pippin resides among many of these styles, so we added current events to theÌýmixture for this production.

The UW Musical Theater Program is now in its third year. How’s it going?

W.M.: The program is nearing the end of its pilot period and we are now focused on learning what are our options for the future. To help us with that, the College of Arts & Sciences is conducting an internal program review to assess the last few years, and help us put forth a strategic plan in action for the foreseeable future. It is an exciting time!

• Tickets to “Pippin” are $18-$20 and available or through ArtsUW, 206-543-4880 or ticket@uw.edu.

The first order of business for the ÌìÃÀÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½’s new degree in musical theater is not greasepaint, sheet music or tap shoes, its organizers say — but public outreach and finding talented, committed students.

The degree is a pilot program with three years of funding from the College of Arts & Sciences. As interdisciplinary as any at the UW, it involves faculty from the , and .

“Our first imperative is to grow,” said , dance professor and divisional dean of arts. “To grow this program and get the word out. And recruit like crazy.”

The idea arose a couple of years back, Cooper said, in a conversation over a glass of wine at the UW Club with and , directors, respectively, of the schools of music and drama.

“I felt strongly that if we were going to do any sort of musical theater production, we needed to have a good curricular base,” she said. Musicals had been undertaken at the UW in the past, of course, but without that academic foundation, she said. “I did not want to return to that model.”

As they knocked the idea around, two things were clear, Cooper said: Talented students were leaving the state because they could not study musical theater here, and some at the UW were already trying to create their own musical theater experience. “They were expressing the need, but of course weren’t getting faculty mentorship.”

It’s meaningful that the program offers a bachelor of arts degree rather than the more exclusively performance-focused bachelor of fine arts. Scott Hafso, drama lecturer and program co-organizer, said drama does the same with its undergraduates.

“It’s in the very best tradition of a liberal arts education,” he said. “And that’s very intentional, so we can foster as well-rounded an individual as possible.”

Planning has been focused on curriculum, with required classes in theory, history and technical matters as well as performance.

“Not everybody is going to be a performer,” Cooper said. “We want to show them enough of the world so they have some choice in the direction they want to take their passion.”

Hiring Wilson Mendieta as program coordinator was a big step. A dancer and actor seen on Broadway in the 2001 revival of “Man of La Mancha” and featured in a national touring company of “Chicago,” Mendieta had just completed his master’s of fine art in dance at the UW when the job came his way. He oversaw auditions for the new program, held just two days before the school year began.

So, what were the directors looking for as nervous auditioners took turns singing, dancing and acting?

Energy, commitment — and a certain something more.

“One thing that’s hard to teach is the hunger,” Mendieta said. “I think it was important for them to demonstrate that they are willing to try things outside their comfort zone and just throw themselves in.”

Hafso said he looks for those with “a sense of presence” who enjoy “taking the space not only without apology, but with a little bit of joy.”

Two or three students joined the program through those auditions, Cooper said, and more will be brought in to form a first-year cohort of 10 to 15 people.

There won’t be any full-blown musicals this year, though some scenework may be performed publicly in the spring. Outreach and fundraising are necessary to any new program coming of age, including publicizing the new degree path to high schools statewide.

Are there jobs? Absolutely, the directors say. Mendieta said musical theater training “really opens doors” forÌý students to work in all of the performing fields. Cooper said performers must be talented and highly trained, but jobs are available in Seattle as well as in California and New York.

In fact, Seattle is “one of the most prominent and alive areas for musical theater in the country,” Gates said. “Both the Village Theatre and the 5th Avenue Theatre are energetically fostering new work and helping the young artists, craftspeople and technical artisans of the region.” Those theaters may also serve as “professional partners” to the program, she said, taking UW students for internships.

“It’s part of our mission to increase the kinds of opportunities for students to engage in the performing arts at the UW, and this program helps us do just that,” said Karpen of the School of Music.

And so, a new performance program begins with planning and outreach now — call it a rehearsal phase — and greasepaint and spotlights to come a bit later.

“This is an indigenous American art form, a great American art form, and it speaks to our times and it speaks to our history,” Cooper said. “And so we start here, to train the people the way they should be trained — and then put on a show.”

Hafso summed up, “This will hopefully set students on a good and healthy path, with many answers — and, even more important for me, a whole lot of questions — that their own work in the profession will help to answer.”

Learn more about this new degree program .

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