WICHITA — For many Kansas kids who dream of making it on Broadway — or just nailing a part in their high school musical — the real work begins in a basement in east Wichita.
That’s where voice coach Amy Menas runs The Studio, a place where up-and-coming singers and performers learn the basics of articulation, posture and breath control.
But it’s more than that.
“Auditions, I’d say, are probably the hardest part of doing music theater,” said 12-year-old Blair Baeza, a student at Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet School in Wichita. “It’s nerve-wracking, (but) she has really built up my confidence.”
Blair started voice lessons with Menas about two years ago, and now she performs as part of The Studio Singers at events around Wichita. She recently played Lavender in Music Theatre Wichita’s production of “Matilda.”
“I definitely learned rhythm and all that stuff,” Blair said. “But overall, just how to connect with people.”
Feeling confident and composed is something Menas had to learn from her own teachers. She recalls choral instructors and drama teachers at Shawnee Mission South High School near Kansas City, and a private voice coach named Delia Hankins, who planted the seed for her career.
“She taught me so much. So really that’s where I got the love of music,” she said. “A lot of that was classic repertoire, but I also did musical theater.”
Menas earned a degree in vocal music from Wichita State University. After performing with the Wichita Symphony Chorus and teaching lessons at her church and at Wichita Children’s Theatre, she started her voice studio in 2012.
One of her first students, Timothy Cao, got the role of Prince Chulalongkorn in Music Theatre’s “The King & I.” The next summer, at age 12, he traveled to New York, auditioned for the Broadway production of “Matilda” and got the role of Bruce.
“He actually started rehearsal the next day after his audition,” Menas said. “That was super exciting.”
For students who want to pursue the ultra-competitive world of music theater after high school, Menas helps them navigate the college audition process. A highlighted map on her studio wall shows the many states where her students are studying music or performing professionally.
Top college programs can get thousands of applicants for as few as a dozen spots. And those numbers keep growing, Menas said, as Broadway shows like “Hamilton” take off with high school crowds.
“It has a lot to do with shows (like) ‘Glee,’ ‘American Idol,’ ‘The Voice,’” she said. “And also, they have so much more access now to seeing musicals.”
Every year, 25 of the most prestigious university theater programs hold mass auditions — National Unified Auditions, known commonly as “Unifieds” — in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Most schools require students to apply for slots ahead of time or to submit video “pre-screens” to secure an in-person audition.
Elliot Dyer, a senior at Andale High School, is already working on her audition numbers, including a new song from “Jo: The Musical,” based on Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women.”
Elliot recently won a Jester Award scholarship for her role as the Witch in her school’s production of “Into the Woods,” and this fall she’ll play Roxy in “Chicago: Teen Edition.” She says she feels called to music theater.
“Even though I’ve had a long day, and I’m doing the college stuff, and I’m doing all these things, if I go dance or sing or act, it feels like I can just breathe,” she said. “Like, let it all go and just have a moment.”
Menas has a similar sensation whenever she sees her kids on stage.
“They love that art form so much and love to tell the stories,” she said. “But seeing them up onstage is just overwhelming. It’s amazing.”
Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.
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