Hello,
Wanted to know if anyone out there can compare first hand between MT Mpulse summer program and the 6 week production program at Interlochen - or speak about the daily structure of either? Interlochen gives private lessons - but is it “show driven” or can students work on other personal rep? If only 32 students are accepted into he 6 week Interlochen MT production - aren’t they already precast (Even though the have an audition again at he beginning of the program).
My child has been accepted into the 6 week program at Interlochen and is waiting oto hear from Mpulse. This is the big summer prior to their senior year auditions- so is either program better to prepare for senior year of auditions? Any thoughts or specifics on either program?
No personal experience with MPulse, only Interlochen. Students work on personal rep in private voice, unless they are cast as a principal in the show (my D’s words.) There is a vocal showcase performance for soloists to perform personal rep. As far as pre-casting, in my D’s opinion, she didn’t feel that way. The first three days were auditions & callbacks, with the group being considered for principal roles smaller each time. Smaller roles and solos were given out during the rehearsal process.
I should add it was her first and only year there, received several callbacks, but not a principal role. She was disappointed, of course, but felt she was given a fair shot.
My daughter attended the three week musical theatre workshop at Interlochen for two years. Her second year she was accepted into MPulse but chose to attend Interlochen again instead. She added the BW Overtures program at the end. She had no interest in attending Michigan and absolutely fell in love with Interlochen and wanted to return. BW’s was a fabulous experience as well and really helped her with audition prep.
Thank you for your comments. Is the daily schedule (Interlochen) all rehearsal for the production or are there other classes during the day other than rehearsal? Does rehearsal run the entire day/evening. In other words is the 6 week totally “show driven”. Just seems interesting that with only 32 people accepted that they would have to have enough singing parts for leads in mind? If you were accepted to the program and you were a mezzo and there were no mezzo parts then wonder what they have in mind? Or you are a tenor and all the leads are baritones in the show. Thanks for your input!!!
BW? Why did your D like that camp. My child also applied there but… they don’t respond until much later in the spring and trying to figure out summer plans! TY!
I think all of these camps are fantastic - but just different in their purpose and experience and who they cater to. Baldwin Wallace is strictly audition prep and is short in duration. This is only for rising HS seniors. mPulse is 3 weeks. It gives a good sense of what it is like to be on a college campus and to really STUDY MT just as you would in college. It too is for rising HS seniors although on rare occasion a younger attendee may be accepted. Interlochen is a camp so there is a more recreational aspect to it - but you still get great training in singing, dancing and acting with the added benefit of getting to be in a show. It caters to a wider age group accepting kids from 9-12th grades. All draw extremely talented kids from around the country and the world. So at all your child will get a sense of what it is like to be part of a large talent pool and where they might fit in.
Determine what the main thing you hope to get out of a summer program would be and then find programs that will achieve your goals.
I will get more info from my D tonight, but for now, this is what I remember. She did the 6 week production at Interlochen in summer of 2013. She had classes during the day unrelated to the big show - scene study, how to do cold readings for auditions, the “business” of theatre and how to deal with agents, etc. Intensive dance in the afternoon, lots of aerobics and ab work. She worked in the costume shop and learned the rudiments of sewing, others did lighting and other backstage work. It was their choice.
Rehearsal started at 6:30 in the evening and typically went until 9:30. The MT’s had very little down time. Cabin rules like last shower time and lights out were bent for the MT’s because of their heavy schedules.
They had one day off - could go swimming, do laundry or whatever. There was usually a mixer dance on Monday nights. Several times they would walk to a local restaurant for dinner as a cabin group for fun and for a break from the cafeteria food (always with their cabin counselor.)
In pretty sure there were master classes too - will have more info later. 
Have to make one correction - got the “camps” mixed up, lol. D worked in the costume shop last summer during the Cherubs program at Northwestern.
Back to Interlochen - had a several days long acting master class with the actress Mary Beth Hurt, and were able to present their scenes for her. Also lots of monologue work for audition practice.
Does anyone have experience with both MPulse and BoCo’s Summer Music Theater Dance Intensive (which, despite the name, is not solely dance)? My daughter may not have the choice – will know that tomorrow, I guess, but she’s in at BoCo and torn between the two, should a second acceptance happen.
Hi, I will try to talk about all three programs (BOCO, Mpulse, and Interlochen) based on my experiences and knowledge. I think that all three of these programs are high caliber. I think the deciding factor for choosing these programs should not be whether or not a program has a reputation for being “the best” or “the most competitive” but rather focuses on what you need to improve upon.
I have attended both the 6 week Musical Theater Production and the one week Musical Theater Intensive. The six week and one week has the same faculty, the three week has different faculty. The one week program will be focused mostly on providing a general outline of the college audition process. The six week program is going to be less focused on college prep and more focused on developing a foundation in acting (two-three hours of acting class 6 days a week) and the production element. While the fact the the intensive is centered around a production is a negative factor for some, I think that Interlochen does an exceptional job not just putting on a good show for the end of camp, but rather teaching students how to put on a good show for the rest of their careers.
I was recently accepted to the BOCO Musical Theater Dance Intensive. My information is based on what I’ve gathered from the live audition in Chicago and friends who have completed the program. Obviously the focus of this program is dance. If you are a superb dancer, this program may not be what you need to round out your triple threat training. While the MTDI program incorporates both acting and voice classes, they are occur with far less frequency than dance classes. The way Michelle Chassé explained the daily schedule at the audition was four classes a day. Two dance technique, one choreography (in preparation for the final showcase), one “grab bag” of acting, singing, or another MT topic (ex: health and nutrition) + activities/classes in the evening. This is also the largest of the three programs (60 dancers divided into three classes [based on a placement audition the first day] of 20).
Because of Mpulse’s affiliation with U of M, it is one of the most highly regarded (and highly competitive) summer programs. Similar in size to Interlochen (~40) , Mpulse is known for it’s high caliber of student talent and the opportunity it offers students to explore life as a BFA student. While Mpulse does have a very informal final presentation, it is almost entirely focused on classes/workshops. One of my friends went to Mpulse and loved every second of it, but she realized that a BFA was not for her. Better now than later right? Classes offered are divided pretty evenly among acting, singing, and dancing(divided into two “tracks”) + other classes on topics such as musical theater history (a favorite topic of Michigan MT department head, Brent Wagner.)
TL;DR: All three programs offer very different things. Find the one that fits your strengths and weaknesses.
Please PM me any other questions you may have.
Hope this helps.
Thanks @anmltrnr98 - the information you’ve provided goes with my perceptions of BoCo and MPulse - just haven’t known anyone who has done MPulse, whereas we have witih BoCo.