Fall 2023 Fine Arts News

On Stage Annual showcase prepares graduating class for flourishing theatre careers in New York City

PHOTO: TCU

PHOTO: JILLIAN MILLER

Seniors perform in the DFW Senior Showcase at TCU’s Jerita Foley Buschman Theatre in Ed Landreth Hall.

The New York Senior Showcase came to a successful close last spring as the Department of Theatre senior class bowed to a standing ovation onstage at 54 Below, a renowned club in New York City frequented by legendary Broadway professionals. “The showcase builds confidence in our seniors, who take this experience into their profession,” said Jennifer Engler, chair of the Department of Theatre. “With the showcase, we have seen an increase in students moving to New York City and securing representation right after graduation.” For the last eight years, rising seniors have performed in a New York showcase for an audience of friends, family and, most importantly, casting agents and industry professionals. The showcase features two performances– one open and one closed– with the latter reserved for invited agents and industry professionals

to provide feedback and offer callbacks to students. The event has grown and evolved with the addition of alumni participation, a senior cabaret at 54 Below and a local showcase for students wanting to remain in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. “The history behind the showcase was to find a better way to bridge our students to the professional industry,” Engler said. “Particularly for students ready to move to New York City within six months of graduation.” Preparing for the Showcase The journey to New York begins with the Senior Showcase, a yearlong course designed to prepare seniors for the showcase and a flourishing performance career. The course is taught by Associate Professor of Theatre Penny Maas and Professor and Associate Chair of Theatre Alan Shorter.

Maas developed the idea for an annual senior showcase while Shorter arranges the material and serves as pianist for the cabaret. During the fall semester, the professors carefully curate and arrange the showcase to feature dynamic duo and trio performances. Students rehearse tirelessly in and outside of class with private work sessions led by both Maas and Shorter. “Our approach is to show off our students in a way that reflects their strengths and capabilities,” said Maas. “The material is designed to make students more marketable, specifically for the closed performance in the showcase, where four invited agents provide immediate feedback to the seniors.” “We have consistently heard positive feedback from industry professionals on our material and how it really showcases our students,” Shorter said. “This reaffirms that our unique approach is working well.”

20 FINE ARTS NEWS FALL 2023