Lea Michele Will Lead Spring Awakening Intensive for Broadway Artists Alliance

By Adam Hetrick
25 Sep 2007

Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Photo by Aubrey Reuben

Spring Awakening's Lea Michele will lend her talent and expertise to a one-day master class for the Broadway Artists Alliance.

Michele will lead a Spring Awakening themed intensive for the Broadway Artists Alliance, the non-profit educational organization which brings together young performers with Broadway professionals.

The intensive will offer 20 participants the opportunity to receive feedback from a representative of Jim Carnahan Casting, the agency responsible for populating Spring Awakening with its cast of young talent. Additionally, Lea Michele will offer a song interpretation class, focusing on contemporary and pop musical theatre.

Michele said in a statement, "I am so excited to be a part of the Broadway Artists Alliance workshop. I am so looking forward to being able to share my experiences in the theater with other young performers. Being a part of Spring Awakening has brought me so many wonderful opportunities, but it is also experiences like this that are truly special and inspiring!"

Though only 21-years old, Michele has much perspective and professional experience to offer students involved in the Oct. 8 intensive. Michele's Broadway career began in 1987 as Young Cosette in the Broadway company of Les Miserables. From the barricades, Michele would "immigrate" to America, originating the role of the Little Girl in Ahren and Flaherty's Ragtime, based on the E.L. Doctorow epic. The 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof, helmed by David Leveaux, featured Michele as Shprintze. Concurrent with her nighttime gig on Broadway, Michele began her involvement with the original workshops of Spring Awakening, remaining with the production through its Off-Broadway production and subsequent Broadway transfer.

While a top-notch line-up of Broadway names is currently being assembled for future master-classes for Broadway Artists Alliance, previous talents who have lent their time and experience include Sutton Foster, Beth Leavel, Jason Robert Brown, Lauren Kennedy, John Lloyd Young, John Gallagher Jr, Stephen Schwartz, and Lea Salonga.

Additional master class themes include A Chorus Line (Nov. 18); Les Miserables (Dec. 15); Legally Blonde (Dec. 16); Mary Poppins (Jan. 21); Little Mermaid (Mar. 24); Hairspray (April 13); Spamalot (May 4); Young Frankenstein (June 23). The creative participants involved will be announced shortly.

Space is limited for the Broadway Artists Alliance Master Classes. Those interested can find further information and applications by visiting www.broadwayartistsalliance.org/masterclasses.