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Video: Learn All About AMDA- Where Artists Create
May 16, 2024
Looking to continue your education in the arts? Look no further than AMDA, the lead sponser of BroadwayWorld's Next On Stage. In this video, watch as BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge checks in with Musical Theater Department Chair Elaine Petricoff and faculty member (and Next On Stage judge!) Kyle Taylor Parker.
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0:00
Welcome to Backstage with Richard Ridge
0:10
For 60 years, AMDA has been celebrated as one of America's premier Performing Arts Institutes
0:16
They have launched some of the most successful careers in theater, film, and television
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And this season, they are sponsoring Broadway worlds next on stage. And I'm here at the legendary Sardis to chat with the New York chair of AMDA's musical
0:29
Theater Department, Elaine Petrachoff, and musical theater teacher, Kyle Taylor Parker. Well, I am thrilled to be sitting with both of you here at Sardis. Welcome. Thank you
0:42
Well, thank you for taking time off. Are you both teaching today? I have a class later today
0:47
I am too. Well, this is amazing. I mean, I've had so many friends go to AMDA over the years
0:54
And I mean, it's just so interesting. When I've talked to them, they're like, oh my gosh
0:58
AMDA is my family. And I know that's something that gets used a lot about AMDA
1:03
What does that phrase mean to the two of you? I'm part of the AMDA family
1:08
Ah, it means everything. It means that we are a group of people who share intimacy of creation
1:24
intimacy of an interest in the whole person. And I think that's the wonderful thing about AMDA
1:34
is that we love creativity. There's no, and I tell me if I'm wrong
1:44
there's no backbiting in the AMDA teacher lounge, which is, I think, unique for a university and for school
1:54
We share loving our job. You better say that. Definitely, definitely. We share, I was thinking about it today, what I think of AMDA
2:08
It's a refuge from the world and a preparation for the world
2:13
Those two things. Beautifully put. And that's why I think it's special
2:19
And as I was telling you, I went out with Mauricio Martinez
2:23
last night today. I'm having coffee after I teach with D.D. Romero, who's going to be in six
2:30
I have friends all over the world of all ages. And when we get together, we talk about art
2:38
we talk about politics, we talk about our fears, our joys. We're real. Is that enough
2:47
And these are people you taught. Yes. Which I think is amazing. For you, what does that phrase mean to
2:53
Amda family? I mean, when I first graduated from the school, it meant that I was never alone
2:58
It meant support, you know. Being in New York and being far away from Wisconsin where I'm from and trying to do this
3:03
big thing, which is a career in theater, can be really terrifying and lonely
3:07
And having the family of Amda really gave me that support and strength
3:11
I went back to so many teachers between auditions to just talk about it, to say, this is what
3:15
happened, this is who was there. And so, you know, it kind of deflated all of that fear
3:20
And now being there as a teacher, it just means the world to me to be a part of that family to be a guide, to give back what has been given to me so lovingly, and sometimes not so lovingly, the things we learn in this industry, and to prepare someone and be that support for them. It means the world to me
3:37
So you're a 2008 graduate, right? So it must be, what a full circle moment for you, like, and now you're teaching there
3:44
Yeah. It's wild. But you know, from when we did Next On Stage during the pandemic, teaching is something that's so special to me. It feeds me so much. So it's a great honor to be there teaching and doing at the same time
3:57
You just mentioned Broadway World's Next on Stage. This is like the biggest national contest for high school and college students. This is the fourth season. And of course, AMDA is the lead sponsor for this. And what I think is amazing, one of the biggest prizes this year
4:14
which I wish I could turn back time. I was telling him when we first got started
4:18
I mean, Amda's emerging artist, scholarships with a BFA, and conservatory options
4:24
for high school graduates and college-level students. That's an amazing prize for a winner
4:30
Yeah, definitely. You could change your life. Yeah, totally. So what did you take away, like going
4:36
do you remember your audition for Amda? I do. I auditioned in Chicago
4:40
in a hotel. It was like a Marriott someplace downtown. Yeah. I had never been around so many people who loved musical theater, who were my age
4:47
I kind of was the only one in Wisconsin, one of the very few. So that was the first thing to see a room full of at least 50 or more people my age, who all had songs and ready to audition
4:58
Then you go in and there's like a panel of four people and they're really kind and fabulous
5:04
And I always tell young people when they're auditioning for college, you're auditioning for an opportunity to learn something
5:10
Not to be perfect. You're just saying this is why I am today. What can you give me
5:14
And I went in, I don't know if I was great, but the panel was really kind
5:20
And I got to do things a few times over, and we had a conversation about, you know, what do you
5:24
want to do? Why are you interested in our school? Why are you interested in being an actor
5:28
And then I went back to Wisconsin and I just hoped and prayed that I got in, and I did
5:33
And the rest is, I guess, history. That is amazing. Let's talk about the AMDA audition process for people who are watching
5:41
What is it? What do people do? What's an AMDA audition like? How should people prepare if they want
5:47
to audition for AMTA? Gotcha. Well, they receive instructions of having, you know, a 32-bar-cut
5:56
song and a monologue. And they say, oh, we want diction and we want clarity of sound
6:06
and we want all of this, basically what we want, is potential
6:12
is potential of someone who is dying to do this, who's interested in creativity
6:20
Many of our students never studied ever before have done very little Some have done a lot That why Amb is kind of wonderful Because we have the realm of people who have graduated and they like graduate students
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and then we have the people who are right out of high school. They all learn from each other
6:41
And talking about education, there's something about the raw talent that you don't want to destroy
6:51
And so you want to give technique, but you You want to foster that individuality and that rawness and what makes a person interesting
7:06
So we're looking for those people who want to create, who are interested
7:14
And, you know, we say like you have to work hard. It's not work, working on acting and singing
7:20
It's playing, right? It's playing. So I would say to prepare to tell yourself you're wonderful and go
7:33
Like when you teach now, when you look at these students of, you know, this is the business, you know, you're teaching the future
7:40
Yeah. Of theater, film, television. I mean, the joy it gives you
7:45
Talk about the joy it gives you as teaching now. It's so inspiring. It's so inspiring to see
7:51
I mean, a lot of. the students that I work with are more free than I was when I was a student
7:57
and have a stronger sense of self. And so my job, I find, is to give them craft and technique
8:03
but also to show them how they can put themselves into every song
8:07
A song is just waiting for you and your life experience. Same thing with a character
8:12
It's lifeless until you bring your knowing to it, and that's the character's knowing and your knowing of the world
8:18
But it's such a gift to give them what I have and see them take it just so much further
8:24
Yeah. And we taught you. I know. I still watched every time I see you
8:30
Were you his teacher? Were you one of them? I was not his individual teacher. I've been chair of musical theater division for a long time
8:38
And so I honestly get to know most people, and especially someone like him who was good, you know, special
8:47
What we have always wanted is to use your individuality. and to make that work. And I have always felt, and Amda always was sort of for many years
8:59
on the cusp because we really dealt with individuality. And so we didn't do cookie cutter
9:07
training because there were other schools where we said, they studied there, they studied there
9:12
You see that cookie cutter thing. And my thought was always, I don't want that. I want you to be an
9:19
individual. And so it seems like now the business is catching up with that. Absolutely
9:27
In terms of, and so someone like Anthony Ramos, he just came back the other last week
9:33
week before. And I love Anthony. And I remember him calling me and saying after he graduated
9:40
Elaine, I'm serving ice cream. Should I continue to do this? And I said, Anthony, yes, you are special
9:48
and your time will come. Wow. It took Lynn Manuel. Right? But that's what I'm proud of
9:58
I'm proud of that idea. I think our relationship to the student
10:02
the teacher's relationship to the student, is very special. I think it's being chair of the musical theater division
10:13
I have stressed for over 30 years. I must. You look fabulous
10:19
Thank you. I asked for that. I have always stressed to go to the person, see what's happening in that person, and develop
10:30
that person. That's why we're family. That's why we're close. And that's why someone like Anthony can call you on the phone and ask you for advice. Exactly
10:41
And he stayed in the business and then started a little film called In The Heights and everything
10:46
else that he's done. Right. So I think that that's what I said, refuge and preparation
10:54
It is a refuge. I feel every time that I go to teach, it is my favorite time of my life is teaching
11:02
I close the door and I get to play. What a life
11:10
Let's talk about I love the different programs that am. Because students learn everything because they may not know going in, maybe it's musical theater
11:18
Maybe it's dramatic. Maybe it's Shakespeare. Talk about that they do a little bit of everything, right
11:24
When they come involved in this? They do. I mean, everyone has to take dance classes
11:29
We do voice production and speech. There is, in the integrated program
11:33
you focus on musical theater and singing. Then there is the studio program that focuses on acting
11:38
But you're being exposed to everything. When I was a student, one of my favorite classes was VPS
11:42
voice production and speech. You're the only loved. I loved it. Most people don't like this class
11:47
I was from Wisconsin. I had to drop an accent and learn a few things
11:50
but I really loved it a lot. So that's why you loved it. And then my Broadway debut was Kinky Boots
11:55
and I had to learn a British accent. And I felt all the pieces come together
11:59
and I'm like, oh, I'm doing it all, everything I love, singing, dancing, acting, and an accent, you know
12:04
So the kids get everything, when students get everything. Yeah. Because I'm sure you've watched students change
12:10
like, oh, I thought I wanted to do this, but all of a sudden, I fell in love with this element. Yeah. Always. Yeah
12:17
I mean, I always see. say the first day of class, this is your time to explore. You may end up saying, this is not for me
12:25
but you may become an agent, you may become a choreographer. Well, that's part of it. Well, now
12:33
one of our alums who was in my class that I taught personally is Shelley Williams, who is going
12:40
to be a director of two Broadway shows in the next season. And Shelley was my daughter's babysitter
12:48
But look at Shelley. Look, look, she was wonderful actress and singer
12:54
Now a director on Broadway and a human being That wild Can you mention the show she going to be directing Well no book Yes thank you
13:08
I wish, right? Wow. And she was a student of yours and a babysitter
13:11
Look at this. But see, again, back to AMDA family. Exactly. I love how big how it's grown over the years, AMDA
13:18
because I know it started in New York in 1964, and now there's campuses here in New York and in Los Angeles. Right? Right
13:25
I mean, they branched out a lot. Talk about how it's all branched out. I mean, it's film and TV, right
13:31
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, there are many opportunities. So there's an L.A. campus and a New York campus
13:36
In L.A., you do get the integrated program and the studio program. There's also the focus of film and television
13:43
I think what's really great about AMDA is that you have Broadway and Hollywood in your backyard
13:48
So you're learning these things. And then you have the opportunity to go out and see a Broadway show
13:53
In L.A. to go out and meet people who are really working in the industry. And in LA, so much that happens there is connection and trade, you know, so it's great to meet other people who are not only at school, but in the industry
14:06
Yeah. Also, all the teachers are working now. I mean, you're working actors or whatever
14:13
So they really, the students got a really hands-on, like, oh, my God, he's working on, you know, kinky boots or whatever
14:20
You're doing it now. Absolutely. So you give them that hands-on training, too, of learning from something
14:26
someone who knows the business today. Yeah, because that's something special. Yeah, but so interesting and sometimes a challenge about this industry is that it's changing
14:35
at a lightning speed. So what was true last year may not be the case this year, especially with the pandemic
14:41
We've learned the way you even audition for a musical is different than it was when I first moved to New York City
14:46
So to have a teacher who is also making an audition and teaching you how to audition
14:51
that's invaluable. Yeah. And they also get, they meet everybody in the industry, too
14:56
That's a very nice thing that AMTA does, right? I mean, people come in, too
15:00
I mean, so they actually get to meet people. Agents and... Oh, yes. We're going back now after the..
15:06
This isn't widely known yet. But from the pandemic, we did all of our getting to know the agents
15:14
We made films for everyone videos and sent to agents and things
15:19
Now we're going back to in-person because in my speaking with casting directors
15:24
and agents is that, they want to come in person again. They want to meet the people, which I think is wonderful
15:33
So in the spring, we're going to go back to having people in person, which is really exciting
15:41
because there were times where we would have a mock audition panel and that agent would say
15:50
to me, I'd like to meet that person. And then they'd meet in the hallway
15:54
Brennan Lark, who was at a panel night and an agent said, I want to meet this person
16:04
He sent her to the audition of Lay Mizz the next day, and she was on Broadway
16:09
And didn't even, I don't think she ever actually got her graduation certificate because she was on Broadway
16:16
That's a big reason to miss your graduation. Like, I'm going to Broadway
16:21
Exactly. So I missed those times. because of the pandemic, because there's nothing like that in-person thing when you actually meet someone
16:31
So I'm excited about that. I love that. So actually the agents come and everything else
16:37
They also do your, it's a yearly presentation at the end. Yeah, the showcase
16:41
Let's talk about the showcase. So what years do the showcases? The showcase happens at the end of your New York experience within your fourth semester
16:51
Something I love about AMDA is that it is a space for. process over result. So you spend a lot of time building and growing and learning how to have a
16:59
process. Then in the fourth semester, you get to do a showcase, two, a musical showcase and an
17:04
acting showcase where you do a scene or a song and a group number. And that's a great moment to
17:10
celebrate your work and also, you know, take yourself out for a test drive. So you can I really
17:15
put it together on my own without a teacher and dealing with a director instead? Because you also
17:20
teach them about the business. Yes. Which I think is something, you know, it's show business
17:24
And I don't think a lot of people know. Everyone's like, oh, my God, I love to sing and dance
17:28
I want to be on Broadway or whatever. But you also, with the people that they're introduced to during their time there at Amda
17:36
you teach them the business also, right? Yes. In their fourth semester, they take classes
17:41
There's a career prep class, audition prep. They do a mock audition
17:45
They learn what a great headshot and resume look like, all to really prepare them to go out and
17:50
build careers because they are in the driver's seat of their career once they leave school
17:54
Yeah. And at these workshops, it's all the movers and shakers, casting directors and directors and choreographers that come to these to watch them
18:01
Well, they come to the panels to watch them. Nice. But they have classes to really just learn about the business
18:07
The students don't know. There's a difference between an agent and a casting director
18:12
You know, it's just learning that. But frankly, we try and we teach everything we know
18:19
There's no substitute for when you go out yourself and do it. And so in our fourth semester, they are allowed to audition
18:27
So they audition, right? They are allowed to be in their classes at night and do their showcases
18:34
but go audition in the daytime because our fourth semesters at night
18:39
So they're able to do that. So they have a safe place to return to
18:43
So they can come to like your class. I always like him to be in the audition
18:49
Right? So they can come to Kyle's class and say, oh my God, I had the worst audition
18:54
I was so terrible. And he can go, it's okay. That's right
19:00
And so I think that that's a big perk is that you have a safe place to come home
19:05
while you're trying it out and learning because auditioning is a skill
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And getting that self-confidence to relax and not try to be something you're not
19:19
Matt takes years. But, you know, we hope. No, but they come back to you and you're like, oh my gosh, I've had 50 bad auditions. Right
19:28
Even more I have No but they feel like oh my God if he had them I can have a few or I do another one tomorrow or whatever and pick myself up and go back out there again
19:39
Absolutely. And just the other day, I was walking on the street and I ran into a former student who was like, I got a call back for Hamilton
19:45
And it was so great, you know, and I taught her callback class. Oh, that's great
19:51
You know, we were just talking right across the street is the billboard of the Schubert Theater. And on there is one of the former students, Jay Harrison G
19:57
I mean, look at the alumni that have come out of Amda. I mean, this is just part of a list
20:01
Madeline Brewer from The Handmaid's Tale. Time Daily. Yes. Jason Derula, 11 platinum albums
20:09
Jesse Tyler Ferguson. I mean, Christopher Jackson, Jay Harrison G. Casey Levy, Jeremy Pope, Anthony Ramos
20:16
Christopher Seber, Sarah Stiles. This is just some of them. Gretchen Mall
20:22
They're amazing. Sarah Stiles has just made her own movie. Do you know this? So I received her
20:27
email saying, you know, I've got this movie, right? And, you know, I still remember the first
20:35
song she did in my class. Right? Right? Because those moments were so thrilling. Those are the
20:42
moments you remember. She remembers. Yeah. But look at her. She has, she's been, you know, a nominee for
20:50
Tony. She's done many acting. Now she's written her own film. So it's
20:57
I mean, I have to say that I'm not happy that I'm old, but I have such a long history of joy
21:12
Yeah. And so now the list, the list goes on and on
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I can't even tell you. I was trying to think about it this morning. I thought, oh, I'll forget everybody that I love, you know
21:22
No, it's true, but this is just the tip of the cake
21:26
I mean, there's so many wonderful people that have come out of Amta, which must make you feel really good
21:32
You know, the New York chair of the musical theater department, what that means to you
21:39
Oh. It's such a beautiful title. I don't know
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It just means to me that I've been able to have a life that I've been interested in something
21:56
for all my life and that I have been able to grow
22:02
And so it's enabled me as a person to grow. It's enabled me to understand acting and singing every day more
22:14
And I still feel that way. So it's so strange, right? I'm very proud of all my teachers and the relationships I have with them and the directors
22:26
We work together. We're friends. We're colleagues and we're friends. Right? Yeah
22:34
So it's given me, besides my own family, which is obviously most important
22:39
it is, as we said, again, a family that I feel proud of a legacy
22:47
of a continued improvement. Yeah. I think, you know. Yeah. Being a teacher there
22:56
And like I said, what if we talked about this earlier, what a full circle moment for you
23:00
Yeah. To have auditioned in Wisconsin, to have been a part of AMDA, and now you're giving back
23:06
What that all means to you, Kyle? Oh, it means a lot to me
23:09
I think that this business is beautiful and it's also tough. You know, you learn a lot of things
23:19
And so to teach, to me, makes it all make sense and makes it, you know, some of those hard lessons
23:26
get to give them to someone else in a beautiful way to prepare them
23:30
And it kind of makes my whole journey as an artist make more sense to me
23:34
I love that. But like I said, they know you're going through it. I mean, you're someone who works all the time
23:40
And they're like, oh, my God, my teacher does this and has the same foibles sometimes
23:45
that I'm going through now. And they can look at you as a role model and say, wow, if he can do it, I can do it too
23:51
Yeah. So students can study in New York and Los Angeles. Tell me a little bit about that
23:55
Yes, they have the opportunity to study for four years in a BFA or they can have their certificate
24:05
conservatory certificate. New York is the two-year program, conservatory. But you can take the
24:13
conservatory and then move to L.A., and therefore you have the four years where you get your BFA
24:19
and you get to work both, study both in New York and L.A. Plus, the L.A. students have
24:25
a New York experience semester. So they are able to come to New York for a semester. Sometimes
24:31
they stay longer. So that opportunity to experience both is something that is offered to everyone
24:40
That's amazing because New Yorkers are always like, oh, I'd love to try LA, I don't know how
24:45
or LA can like come to New York and AMDA offers them the opportunity to do that
24:50
Right. So can students audition all year round to be a part of AMTA? Yes, all year round
24:55
And we have auditions in many different places in the country where we send out some of our teachers to audition people
25:04
And a teacher I was speaking to last night actually said, because I said, tell me your actual experience at the audition
25:12
because you audition the students. And he said, what I like about our auditioning process
25:17
is that it's not, same three minutes you're out the door. It's we work with the students, we spend time with them
25:24
we get to know them. And so it happens all year long
25:30
We are in the middle of our fall semester at the moment I was get confused
25:35
and spring starts in February. So our semester will end in February
25:41
and then start again in February of the spring semester. And we go all year long
25:47
That's so exciting. Thank you so much for sitting with me. Like I said, I've been a big fan of yours
25:51
like I told you. I've seen you in Greece and ride the wind and everything else, Elaine. This has been great. Kyle, I adore you, my friend
25:57
It's so good to see you. Getting ready to kick off the fourth season next on stage. And everybody will see you at the theater
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