Calling all pre-professional musical theatre performers!

QDF is so excited to be once again partnering with the Segal Centre for Performing Arts on the Musical Theatre Audition Prep Intensive. This is a two-day, jam packed learning opportunity for pre-professional musical theatre performers with one-on-one coaching as well as group learning. You will prep for a mock audition in front of professionals who will provide feedback.

when:

February 8 - 10 AM - 7:30 PM
February 9 - 11 AM - 3:30 PM

where:

Segal Centre for Performing Arts (5170 Chem. de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, H3W 1M7)

fee:

50.00$

what to expect

  • Director and performer, Rebecca Gibian, will provide one-on-one coaching to the cohort, masterclass style. 

    Each participant will be assigned an excerpt of text tailored to their casting type, bringing them in for a role the facilitators believe they would be called in for. 

    Each participant will go up one by one and receive coaching and feedback from Gibian, working through the fundamentals of acing your acting audition. Other members of the cohort will have the opportunity to be in the room and watch, learning from all the feedback provided to participants.

  • Music Director and vocal coach, Chris Barillaro, will work in the same style as acting coaching, only the participants will come with a song of their choosing. Each participant will take a turn going up to receive coaching and feedback on the song selection ahead of the mock audition. 

    The rest of the cohort will also be present, allowing them to learn from the coaching other participants receive, as well as their own.

  • Performer, dancer and choreographer, Jonathan Patterson, will put the cohort through its paces. In a group all together, participants will learn a short choreography prepared by Patterson as they would in a typical audition setting. They will be taken through the key principals and learning techniques for professional dance calls.

    For the mock auditions, the cohort will be split into two groups: beginner and advanced. This will be based on their previous dance training, previous experience and assessment during the coaching.

day 1: coaching

On day 1, participants will take a deep dive with some of the best in the biz! Our facilitators will cover the key elements of a musical theatre audition and provide both one-on-one and group coaching to help you shine as a triple threat. 

Day 1 will feature:

All 3 sessions will include a 30 minute Q&A with the session facilitator! 

day 2: mock auditions

We kick off day 2 with a 30 min Q&A with our mock audition panelists, Lisa Rubin (Artistic Director at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts) and Connie Rotella (Founder and director of Triple Threat Academy). This is followed by an individual mock audition with feedback.


The mock audition will consist of:

  • Dance Call (Group)

  • Acting + Singing Audition (Individual)

  • Feedback Sessions (Individual)

meet the facilitators

Rebecca Gibian

  • Rebecca Gibian is a bilingual director, actor, associate artist at Centaur Theatre and artistic director of Persephone Productions. Born and raised in Montreal speaking both languages, she has been immersed in Montreal’s various artistic landscapes for years. A graduate of the National Theatre School’s acting program, she spent her first years as an emerging actor splitting her time between Ontario and Quebec, working with companies like the Shaw Festival, Howland Company, Drayton Entertainment, Repercussion Theatre, Talisman Theatre, and the Centaur Theatre. A Montrealer at heart, Rebecca is passionate about expanding opportunities for emerging artists at home. Recent directing credits include How to Survive in the Wild at the Segal Center produced by Persephone Productions; The Flick at Centaur produced by Persephone Productions; meta-nominated Pool No Water at the Segal Studio produced by Persephone Productions, All Shall Be Well, Repercussion Theatre; Indecent, Studio 180 (assistant dir.) She was also awarded the 2020 RBC Emerging Director Prize through Studio 180.
    Upcoming: As an actor, Rebecca will be working with Neptune Theatre on Casey and Diana, and Rebecca will also be directing this summer’s 2025 Repercussion tour. 

chris barillaro

  • Chris Barillaro is a Montreal-based music director, pianist, orchestrator, actor, singer, magician, and graduate of Dawson College’s Professional Theatre Program and of McGill University. Over the past two decades, Chris has had the honour of helping to develop many new musicals—in both of Canada’s official languages—as an MD/orchestrator. Some of those new musicals include: In Real Life; Dixon Road; La Géante; Belmont; Belles Soeurs (in French and in English); and You Are Here. In 2018, Chris received a Félix at the Gala ADISQ in the category of “Spectacle: Interprète” for Demain matin, Montréal m’attend and in 2019, he received a Dora Mavor Moore Award for outstanding music direction for Kiss of the Spider Woman. 

Jonathan Patterson

  • Based in Montreal, Jonathan is a multidisciplinary artist and arts educator whose work spans from theatre to opera to musicals. Jonathan is the Head of Music at the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS), he is on faculty with Opera McGill at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University (2010-) where he served as Acting Director of Opera Studies during the 2015 & 2017 seasons, and runs a busy and successful private voice studio. 

    Jonathan is also a much sought-after actor, director, choreographer, and music director. Recent credits include: Lucky Stiff (NTS, music director); Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Segal Centre / RMTC, Righteous Brother); 9 to 5: the musical (Capitol Theatre, Dwayne/Tinsworthy). Upcoming credits include: Once Upon a Mattress (NTS, director / music director) and the world premiere of Max and Aaron Write a Musical (music director / choreographer).

Lisa Rubin

  • Celebrating 10 years as the Segal Centre’s Artistic & Executive Director, Lisa has been fulfilling her vision of the theatre as a means to build community through the performing arts, while nurturing and inspiring the next generation of artists and audiences. Her directing credits include Bad Jews, Million Dollar Quartet, Marjorie Prime, Indecent, Prayer for the French Republic and last season’s POTUS: Or Behind Every Dumbass Needs Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. Lisa is proud to assist in the development of new musicals The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz: The Musical (featuring original music by Alan Menken), Belles Soeurs: The Musical, Prom Queen (2016, now titled The Louder We Get), The Hockey Sweater: A Musical (2017), The Angel and the Sparrow (2018, now titled Piaf/Dietrich), Mythic (2019), April Fools a collaboration with Keren Peles and Moshe Kepten and Josephine: A Musical Cabaret a production on the life of Josephine Baker. 

connie rotella

  • Connie Rotella, a luminary in the performing arts, has been sculpting the landscape of dance and theater for over 30 years. At the helm of Montreal’s premier studio, Danse 1…2…3, she’s been pivotal in crafting the careers of Canada’s finest triple-threat talents since 2006. Her book, “Becoming One,” mirrors her life’s work—guiding others to find their inner voice and stage presence. As the voice behind “Industry Talk,” Connie continues to influence the arts, making her an undeniable force among influential businesswomen in the entertainment sector. Her dedication to excellence resonates, inspiring a new generation of artists.

how to register

This workshop is designed for musical theatre performers in the pre-professional stage of their career and who are ready to take the next step into Equity productions. 

To be eligible, you must have at least 2 musical theatre production credits outside of an educational institution on your CV. 

Participants must be available for both days of the workshop.

To register, you will need:

  • Your headshot

  • Your CV

  • A knowledge of your level of formal dance training

  • A knowledge of your level of formal vocal training

  • The name of the song and cut you have selected to prepare

Slots and waitlist:

This workshop has a total of 9 slots. 

There are 6 first come, first serve slots available for this workshop. The final 3 slots will be selected via a lottery once registration closes.

Registration closes on January 29th at noon.

Participants who are selected will be notified on the 30th.

Should you receive a spot in the workshop, you will need:

  • Once the song you have submitted in your registration form is approved by Chris Barillaro, our Music Prep coach, you will come prepared to sing it. Please prepare a 1 min 30 sec cut of the song (approx. 60 bars). 

  • Based on your CV and headshot, a scene will be assigned to you and sides will be sent to you in advance to prepare. It is not necessary to memorize the text, but being very familiar is ideal.

  • All participants must be members of QDF! For more info on how to sign up, click here.