Last year, after seeing a national tour production of Cabaret, S and I talked to an ensemble member (known from MT Prep days). Everyone in the cast played an instrument in the cabaret band (at least those in the ensemble). We asked him if the cast members already knew how to play their instruments before they were cast. “No”, he said, some had never touched the instrument they were playing and had only learned it “well enough” to play the songs in the show (sounded great to me). He was billed as a “dancer” in the show (perhaps dance captain??), but that said, he is a BW grad with a BM degree, so I’m sure he had a heavy dose of music theory in college - if not prior. I suspect the other cast members were similarly schooled.