Outreach
Four Seasons Theatre Company, with its focus on learning and its connections to the community, encourages the development of drama, music, dance, and technical skills through educational outreach, workshops, and performances. Using musical theatre as a means of engagement, our goal is to create a strong organization which provides a consistent, high quality experience for everyone involved onstage, backstage, in the audience, and in the community.
Our Youth Theatre offers both one day musical theatre intensives throughout the school year and a two week summer musical theatre workshop. In addition, our youth theatre full scale production includes a wig and makeup workshop and instruction in movement and vocal technique.
Mainstage Outreach programs include our public lecture series, behind the scenes workshops, masterclasses, our Backstage Arts Internship Program, and Season Sampler performances.
Backstage Arts Internship Program
Lecture Series
In August 2005 Four Seasons Theatre presented the Ragtime Lecture Series which helped give context and meaning to a socially relevant show through discussions led by our featured speakers Professor Sandra Adell, Professor Michael Leckrone, and Professor Diane Lindstrom.
In August 2006 the Sweeney Todd Lecture Series featured "Sweeney Todd: Musical or Opera" with FST Artistic Director Andrew Abrams and Madison Opera General Director Allan Naplan and "The Music of Sondheim" with Jim Tucker, Director of Opera at Northern Illinois University.
In March 2007 FST Artistic Director Andrew Abrams and Madison Opera General Director Allan Naplan spoke about the history of the story of Madame Butterfly and how this served as the basis for Miss Saigon.
In August 2007 Maestro John DeMain, who conducted the 1980 Broadway revival of West Side Story spoke about his own experience and working with Leonard Bernstein.
In February 2009 Maestro John DeMain offered an entertaining history of Candide.
In August 2009, Professor Glen Close spoke about "Eva Peron: A Revolutionary Icon," an exploration of her celebrity and rise to fame in a preshow lecture for Evita.
Behind The Scenes Workshop
In December 2005 veteran actor and teacher Michael Bofshever presented "The Journey of a Working Actor," sharing insights from his extensive career in television, film and on stage.
In March 2006 Telly Leung, whose Broadway credits include Pacific Overtures and Flower Drum Song, led a musical theatre masterclass, working with four singers from the UW-Madison and the community. Following the workshop, Mr. Leung, who starred as Tobias in FST's August 2006 production of Sweeney Todd, participated in an audience talkback.
In February 2008, multiple Tony nominee Tom Wopat spoke about his path from Lodi High School to Broadway.
In January 2009, Broadway veteran Caitlin Hopkins and actor/songwriter James Price worked with nine community members in an acting in musical theatre workshop at Capitol Lakes.
In February 2010, Broadway veterans Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley worked with three local singers as part of a musical theatre masterclass.
Backstage Arts Internship
Our internship program provides exposure to technical theatre careers as students learn about the production process from design to final product. Supervised student interns work with theatre professionals who serve as both educational mentors and production staff for FST. Internship areas include Stage Management, Costume Design and Construction, Wig and Make-up Design, Lighting Design, Scenic Design and Set Construction, Sound Design and Properties.
Season Sampler Programs
As part of our continuing commitment to community outreach and audience engagement, Four Seasons Theatre is proud to present its Season Sampler program. The program includes songs from Four Seasons Theatre productions past, present, and future. With FST Artistic Director Andrew Abrams at the piano, the Season Sampler stars some of the best and brightest performers in the Madison community.
Past Season Sampler program venues have included service organizations (Madison Breakfast Rotary Club), retirement communities (Oakwood West, Capitol Lakes & Attic Angels), and local concert series events (First Unitarian Society's Noon Musicale Series & the Rural Musicians Forum Unity Chapel Concert Series).
We'd love to present our Season Sampler program for your next function! Please contact us for information about program scheduling and costs.
