Sing, dance, and act in a conservatory-style program

Students will work with TFT faculty to learn the art of musical theater on the UCLA campus. The morning classes, which include acting, dancing, and singing, will require students to be on their feet as they interact with their classmates. Students will be required to learn and perform songs or scenes which will be reviewed and worked on with the instructor in class and rehearsal.

Acting class will allow students to work collaboratively on scenes together and present them in acting class. Dance class will cover ballet technique encompassing choreography, ballet bar, and floor work. The singing class will begin with a karaoke party followed by instruction that will strengthen each actor’s voice which will ultimately give the students tools that can be applied to the final musical showcase and in the future. Depending on the need, there will be some private singing lessons offered to students in preparation for the final showcase.
Students learn from each other, so it is very important to adhere to the rehearsal process. In general, the structure of the rehearsal schedule can range depending on how quickly students learn the music and choreography. The typical rehearsal schedule will look similar to the following:

• 90 minutes – Students will learn show choreography with the choreographer in
• 90 minutes – Students will work on the scenes from the show that is focused on acting with the director
• 120 minutes – Students will work on songs with the musical director

It is likely that some students will work on choreography, while others are working with the Director and Musical Director and then switch to the alternate classrooms to ensure that attention is given to all students for the various aspects of the musical. Students will be expected to dance, sing, and act in front of their professors and peers in rehearsal while being coached through their areas of opportunity to ensure they are presenting the best versions of themselves in the final musical showcase.

Applications are reviewed and admission to the program is granted on a rolling basis starting February 15^th. Applying at your earliest convenience, prior to June 13th, is highly recommended.

The program has application requirements for admission. Applicants who successfully submit all requirements will be reviewed and notified via email of an admission decision within ~3 weeks.

Applicants are required to provide the following during the online registration process:

• An unofficial transcript from grade 9 to present reflecting a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher
  • If your school transcript utilizes a different grading system, please submit your transcript as is. If available, please attach a translation/equivalency guide.
  • INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: If you are an international student, a transcript refers to your complete secondary academic record. To learn more about converting your grades into a US-based GPA, please click here.
    • If your school has a translation/equivalency guide, please also include it with your transcript. If you do not have a translation/equivalency guide, please still submit your most up-to-date transcript as is for staff to review.
• Value statement: At the time of registration, ALL applicants will be prompted to submit a few short sentences reflecting on their pursuit of participation in a UCLA Precollege Summer Institute. Please note that students are strongly discouraged from relying on ChatGpt/AI tools for their application responses and are encouraged to submit original and authentic answers.
• In 500 words or less, how do you plan to impact the world through your storytelling?
• Prepare a song from the standard musical theater repertory. Your selection should not be an entire song, 32 bars are sufficient. Your selection must be sung with accompaniment. Choose a song from a musical that you know extremely well and that shows off your voice.
• After singing your musical theater selection, demonstrate your vocal range by singing along with MTSI recorded vocal scales. For scales that go up, sing “eeee, eeee, eeee, eeee, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh.” Stop singing when it goes out of your range. Use a chest/mix voice and sing as high as you can, and then flip into your head voice and keep going. For scales going down, sing “yah, yah, yah, yah, yah”. Submit your scales after your musical theater selection.
  • Scales Going Up
  • Scales Going Down
  • Your video can either be in one complete take OR edited together.
• A video audition of 1 minute – 1 ½ minutes contemporary monologue.
• A video audition of 30-60 second dance combination in the style of Musical Theatre Jazz that demonstrates your technical and performance ability. This dance can be self-choreographed, from a previous dance class or from a show that you were in. Please do your best to include technical elements such as jumps, turns, kicks, or whatever else may be in your movement arsenal.
• A resume (if you do not have a resume, submit a brief description of your theatrical and/or artistic experience). The resume can be uploaded as a word or pdf file during the application process.
• A letter of recommendation from a teacher, director, or someone similar that can attest to your theatrical ability, challenges, and areas for growth.

For the digital audition components, you will need to upload your video and make it private to YouTube, Vimeo, or a similar site, and paste the private link during the application process. See “Video Audition Guidelines” section below.

You will need to upload one file into a private link on either YouTube or Vimeo and include the password to your private link. The link will be your audition, which consists of your slate, song, and your monologue.

Monologue and Singing Audition Guidelines

Slate: Say hello! Tell us your name, age, what voice part you are (i.e. Soprano, Mezzo, Alto, Tenor Baritone or Bass), dance background, including any special skills you have, and where you are from.

• For best results, place your device ( phone, tablet, etc.) on a stationary object such as a tripod or table. A three-quarter shot of your body is perfect. For the singing portion of the audition, you should have a good sounding speaker for the accompaniment backing track output. Make sure that we will be able to hear you singing as well as the accompaniment track.
• Audition against a blank wall or door.
• Complete the song and monologue in one take respectively.
• Do not do a scene with someone reading lines off-camera.
• Do not send prior performances or tapings from plays. Record a new video according to the audition specs for the purposes of this application.
• Do not put pressure on yourself to deliver the “perfect” audition.
• Do your personal best, be authentic, and don’t forget to have fun!

Dance Audition Guidelines

• Please include a slate in which you tell us your name and dance background, including any special skills you have.
• Film your dance combination in a well-lit spacious area (dance studio, garage, backyard, etc…) where your whole body can be seen with ample room to move freely.
• Please wear tight fitting clothing so your body can clearly be seen.

If you have questions about the audition requirements, please contact TheaterSummerInstitutes@tft.ucla.edu.

Due to the intense nature of the Musical Theater Summer Institute and the time commitment involved, a residential track is available as well as a commuter track.

The residential track is ONLY available to students who will be 17 years of age or older by June 23, 2025. NO EXECPTIONS are made to this eligibility requirement.

The Musical Theater Summer Institute – Session A.1 is a residential program.

All residential precollege program tracks also feature scheduled non-curricular evening and weekend activities that all residential students are expected to participate in. The nature of these scheduled activities is at the sole discretion of the individual academic department offering the program, and are not operated by UCLA Summer Sessions. To learn more about when your selected program will host such activities, please consult the schedules for each program, or contact the department in question directly: TheaterSummerInstitutes@tft.ucla.edu

Most of our residential precollege programs will hold check-in on the Sunday before the start of the program between 4-6pm, and hold check-out the Saturday after the final day of class at 11am. Please contact the department in question directly to confirm check-in and check-out times: TheaterSummerInstitutes@tft.ucla.edu

For more information on UCLA housing precollege programs, please see the Housing for Minors page.

The Musical Theater Summer Institute – Session A.2 is a commuter program.

There is NO on-campus housing available for the commuter program through the institute program or UCLA Summer Sessions. Additionally, please note that only students aged 17 and older as of June 23rd, 2025 are eligible to sign a housing contract, and not all program dates correspond to when contracts are available. Students interested in exploring this option should review information at UCLA Summer Housing.

Participants of the Musical Theater Summer Institute must commute to the UCLA campus each day of the program. Specific location information (e.g. classroom) will be provided to enrolled students closer to the start of the program.

Parking
Summer Sessions parking permits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Students have the option to purchase a summer term permit or a daily permit.

Please review the Transportation and Parking Services web page and read the “Summer Quarter Parking (All Students)” section for more information on all permit types, including cost.

Coursework

Theater 50; 2 units, Theater 72; 2 units

Grading

Students will receive a letter grade upon completion. See University Credit, Grades and Transcripts for more information about academic credit.

In order to successfully complete the program, students must not have more than 1 excused or unexcused absences.

UCLA Summer Sessions Summer Scholars Support

Qualified students attending grades 9th – 11th in Spring 2025 in the state of California may be eligible for Summer Scholars Support, a need- and merit-based scholarship offered by the UCLA Summer Sessions Office. Students must be 15 years old by the first day of Summer Sessions 2025 on June 23rd in order to participate in a Precollege Summer Institute and/or apply for Summer Scholars Support. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available to support enrollment in SCIP/eSCIP, one Summer Course, or a Precollege Summer Institute.

Summer 2025 deadline to apply: March 15.