With “La La Land” putting movie musicals back into the limelight of modern Hollywood cinema, more and more aspiring musical theatre actors are turning to the New York Film Academy Musical Theatre program, as Variety noted in a recent article.
Since 2012, NYFA Musical Theatre’s Two-Year Conservatory has developed original movie musicals to prepare students not only for the stage but also for careers in the film and television industry.
Each film consists of original music and stories that feature collaborations with industry professionals such as Tony Award-winner James Monroe Iglehart and Tony Award-nominee Charlotte D’amboise. While these respected and well-known Broadway names draw attention to each musical, it is the students who remain the stars of the films.
Touching on a range of topics — from “The Ghosts of Ethan Dean,” a cautionary drama about addiction, to “Landed,” which follows a group of expats trying to make it in New York — each film showcases a modern musical paradigm with an edgier subject matter with the hopes of encouraging aspiring performers and theatre producers to confront issues that truly speak to millennials.
NYFA’s productions of “Landed,” “Streetwrite,” and “Gingerbread House,” have all screened at film festivals across the country, including the Manhattan Film Festival, The Nova Fest, NewFilmmakers NY, the Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival, and others. “Landed” will also screen at the Cinema New York Film Festival. More details will be available on their website including the program and how to purchase tickets.
“Seeking Alice” won Best Musical at the Nova Fest and “The Ghosts Of Ethan Dean” won Best Musical Short at the 15th Anniversary Garden State Film Festival.
“We’re so excited by this program because of the quality of what the students experience in the classroom, and the quality of what they put on film,” said NYFA Senior Executive Vice President David Klein in his recent interview with Variety. “There is so much opportunity for them.”
“The musical form is something that has great currency overseas,” added NYFA President Michael Young. “There is an opportunity to develop these programs and bring them around the world.”