A Signature Campus

 While you're with us for Overtures you'll be learning, collaborating and training at a couple of different locations all within a stones throw from one another. What follows is some essential information regarding the spaces and how you can utilize them to their full extent while you are with us for the program.

Signature's Education Studios (2784 S. Arlington Mill Dr, Arlington, VA 22206)

This will be the primary space where you will be working during Overtures this summer. 

Watch this video to show you how to reach the Education Studios from Signature Theatre. A map of the Studios location is below, as well as possible parking locations. We recommend parking in the Campbell or Randolph Square Garages next to Signature on the 3rd level or up. (Read the signs.) Parking is free. You are welcome to look for parking at the Surface Parking Lot right by the Studios but parking spaces are often harder to come by there.

At the Studios we have water fountains for hydration needs as well as refrigeration for your meal storage. We also have a microwave should you want to heat anything up. You are welcome to use these as needed. Please respect one another's space and supplies as space is limited. Clearly label your containers so no one ends up taking or consuming anyone else's goodies. During meal breaks we highly encourage you to leave the studios to get some sunshine, stretch you legs and exist outside of the rehearsal room for a bit. You are more than welcome to walk down the street to Signature Theatre to eat in the lobby or out front of the theatre on the Plaza.

The Studios also feature a couple of practice rooms which you are more than welcome to use if they are not currently in use. These spaces have keyboards, music stands and are fairly private should you need a smaller more intimate space to work.

StageOne Survival Skills

Stage One can be exhausting. Seven hours of class time a day, classes that require you to be willing to get up in front of your peers (and with your peers) risking bold choice after choice. Stage One exists for you to make these risks and mistakes in a safe environment. It's here for your benefit - so benefit from it! Here are some tips for success we've put together for you:

• Sleep. No, really. These are long days. And even if you aren't the one working, you'll be expected to be actively learning from watching somebody else work. These two weeks aren't the weeks for all-night Netflix-binging. 

• Eat. No, seriously. Don't think you're doing anybody a favor by skipping lunch. Use your breaks.

• Bring a ton of water everyday. We have a water fountain for you to refill your bottle with should you need it.

• Every morning, review your schedule for that day and for the next day. In your Stage One binder, there is ample space for note-taking. Make sure to write down your assignments there and to review those daily to make sure you're up to speed.

• When in doubt, bring it in. Bring your songbook, your binder, the appropriate clothes, resumes, headshots, etc. Just assume you'll need them.

• This is not a competition. This is not a reality TV show. You're here to learn, not to show off. Be supportive of your classmates and help them achieve their highest potential. If you have issues with another student, come to Matt or David, Signature's Education staff. Resist the urge to gossip about other students. Signature prides itself on being one of the friendliest theaters in the business and we want you to help us maintain that reputation.

• Be prepared. If a teacher gives you something to work on, WORK ON IT. If you're called up to present something and you haven't prepared something then that is time you've wasted for yourself and for your classmates. 

• "You have to be here and do what I tell you to. You might as well do it right and get something out of it." That's what my teacher told me in a dance class when I was 16 and I've never forgotten it. Chances are, one of the core areas of musical theater (singing, dancing, acting) is something you consider less than a strength. Give it 100% anyway! You will not learn by giving it 75%. Insisting on only trying when you're comfortable will result in a waste of two weeks. Stepping out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself is the only way to improve and grow.

• Finally, HAVE FUN. It's called a 'play' for a reason. The second acting and performance lose their playfulness and spontaneity, the second they become painful and even joyless. That doesn't mean you get lazy - we believe doing your best is the most fun - but it does mean you can relax the nerves a bit.

The Schedule: A Sneak Peek

You've got everything on your checklist prepared. Now, you're wondering, "What will we do when we actually get to the new Signature Education Studios?" (Located at 2784 S. Arlington Mill, Dr, Arlington, VA, 22206). 

When you arrive for your first day, you will check in and be given a binder that contains, among many other things, your schedule for the full two weeks. Your schedule is different everyday, so you'll be expected to read it closely. 

Anyway, here's a sneak peek of what to expect for Monday:

Monday, July 20

• 9:30AM-10AM - REGISTRATION - Sierra, Matt, David
• 10AM-11:20AM - DANCE with Ashleigh
• 11:20AM-11:25AM - BREAK
• 11:25AM-12:25PM - DANCE with Ashleigh
• 12:25PM-1:05PM - LUNCH
• 1:05PM-2:25PM - VOICE with Tracy and Elisa
• 2:25PM-2:30PM - BREAK
• 2:30PM-3:30PM - VOICE with Tracy and Elisa
• 3:30PM-3:40PM - BREAK
• 3:40PM-6PM - ACTING with Sierra, Matt and David

That's plenty to get excited about. And it's only the first day! We've got loads of masterclasses, exercises and moments that are going to blow your mind! Don't be late for registration - every second counts. 

ABOUT THE SIGNATURE EDUCATION STUDIOS

Parking for StageOne? There are limited parking spots in the surface lot during the day. The Shirlington Garage only has parking spots available in the evening. If parking in the surface lot is full, park in either the Campbell Garage or the Randolph Square Garage and walk the five minute walk to the Signature Education Studios. 

StageOne: WHAT TO BRING ON DAY ONE

By now, you're probably chomping at the bit to get to work at Signature Theatre. We know some of you may be nervous (don't be!) or forgetful (don't be!). As you get ready for your first day, here's a handy checklist for your first day at Stage One:

• Pen and pencil.
• Lunch. We will have a microwave you can use. Your lunch break is not long enough for you to go out and buy lunch.
• Plenty of water. We have a water fountain but you won't want to leave class to get water!
• Optional: Snacks for morning and afternoon breaks. 
• Clothes and dance shoes. Closed-toes shoes only for all classes at Stage One!
• Pop Song - You will need a 16-32 bar cut of a pop song (and will need to supply sheet music for it.) Your voice instructors suggest that you use the pop song that you love to sing in the car, the song you love to jam out to, that is exciting in your voice. What’s the song that makes you feel like a star? Your pop song selection should not be from a musical (and preferably isn't in a jukebox musical) and should have accompaniment that sounds good on the piano. If you are struggling to find sheet music, reach out. We have a very limited pop library and may have what you want (but again, it’s limited.)  
• Additionally, you will need a 32-bar cut of a Golden Age musical theatre song (you will need to supply sheet music for it.) Golden Age musicals are typically defined as early 1940s to early 1960s. For both this and pop music, we have a large library of selections if you don’t have music of your own. Let us know if you need help finding music (or if you just need us to print the sheet music you already have!) 
• Optional: Change of clothes for post-dance classes (most mornings will begin with a dance class but note that your acting classes will frequently be fairly movement-heavy as well.)
• Recording device.
• Sheet music for your memorized assigned song. 
• Your audition songbook, if you have one.  At the front of your book, you should have a list of everything in your book.
• One 1-2 minute, age appropriate monologue from a play you have read. The monologue should come from a play where you understand its context. For more information on choosing the right monologue, check out our other blog posts. Please bring a printed copy of your monologue with you on day 1. 
• Your resume and picture (if you have it in headshot format, that's preferred. If not, no worries.) 
• For the class demo on the last day, you will need black pants or black shorts that you can dance in. We’ll give you a shirt to wear that you get to keep at the conclusion of the program.  
  
• Don't forget that on day one, we ask that you arrive at the theater at 9:30AM for final registration. After that, every day begins at 10AM. See you on Monday.

ABOUT THE SIGNATURE EDUCATION STUDIOS

Parking for StageOne? There are limited parking spots in the surface lot during the day. The Shirlington Garage only has parking spots available in the evening. If parking in the surface lot is full, park in either the Campbell Garage or the Randolph Square Garage and walk the five minute walk to the Signature Education Studios. 

The Instructors of StageOne

Stage One offers its students the chance to meet, learn and work with a plethora of talented instructors from around the DC metro area. From vocalists to dancers to actors and directors, Stage One will help you forge strong and personable connections with the instructors you will be working with during the program. Here are a few bits of interesting background on the core faculty behind StageOne 2026. 

• Tracy Lynn Olivera (Voice Instructor): is an actor and instructor in the DC area. Signature performing credits include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; Assassins; Simply Sondheim; Signature Vinyl; A Little Night Music (Helen Hayes award); Titanic; The Fix; Gypsy; Company; Hello, Dolly! (Ford’s Theatre co-production); The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas; Brother Russia; The Hollow; The Boy Detective Fails; Les Misérables (Fantine, Helen Hayes nomination); ACE; The Happy Time; Merrily We Roll Along (Helen Hayes nomination); Allegro (Helen Hayes nomination); Follies; Side Show; Sweeney Todd and countless concerts and cabarets. Tracy appeared on Broadway in the 2009 revival of Ragtime. In the DC area, she has performed in Ragtime (Ford’s Theatre and the Kennedy Center); Sunday in the Park with George (Kennedy Center); Passion (Kennedy Center); Merrily We Roll Along (Kennedy Center); Candide (The Shakespeare Theatre); Liberty Smith (Ford’s Theatre); 110 in the Shade (Ford’s Theatre—Helen Hayes Award); Meet John Doe (Ford’s Theatre); Shenandoah (Ford’s Theatre); Comedy of Errors (Folger’s); Closer Than Ever (MetroStage); The Last Five Years (MetroStage); Cinderella (Olney); On the Town (Olney); and Bachelorette (Studio Theatre).  Additionally, she has performed at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in Candide. She has taught at Signature, Adventure Theatre, BAPA and The Theatre Lab. Tracy received her training from Catholic University and is now an adjunct professor there in the musical theatre department and at American University as well.

• 
  Ashleigh King (Dance Instructor): (she/her) is a Washington DC-based director, choreographer, actor, and teaching artist. Her National Tour credits include: Jenn Weber and MEP’s The Hip Hop Nutcracker. Her DC area credits include: Signature Theatre: HAIR; Ragtime; Which Way To The Stage (Helen Hayes Nomination); Hairspray; Dreamgirls; The Kennedy Center: Fovea. Ford’s Theater: Little Shop of Horrors; Grace (world premiere); Olney Theatre Center: Beautiful; World Goes ‘Round; Most Wonderful Time; Woolly Mammoth: Sentational Sea Minkettes; Teenage Dick; Fairview; Studio Theatre: Fun Home. Keegan Theatre: Seussical; Legally Blonde (Helen Hayes Award); The Full Monty; Solas Nua: Maz and Bricks; Labor Heritage Foundation: Working the Musical; Adventure Theater MTC: Make Way for Ducklings (world premiere); Big River; Alexander and the Terrible...; Artscentric: Smokey Joe’s; JMU: Head Over Heels; MCC SDT: Little Women.  Regional credits include: Northern Stage: ‘Bov Water (world premiere); Spring Awakening; Spamalot; Huntington Stage: Teenage Dick; Virginia Rep: Mamma Mia (RTCC Award). Imagination Stage: Year with Frog and Toad (Helen Hayes nom); Nate the Great; Adventure Theater MTC: Junie B. Jones; Charlie Brown; Make Way for Ducklings; Big River; Alexander and the Terrible…
  
  

• Elisa Rosman (Accompanist/Music Director): is a local music director and accompanist and is always happy to be back with Stage One!  Her credits include: Keegan Theater: Falsettos; The Bridges of Madison County; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Adventure Theater: Freckleface Strawberry; Lightning Thief; Knufflebunny; Junie B. Jones; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; NextStop/Elden Street: Little Women; Ordinary Days; Matilda; Singing in the Rain; [title of show]; Godspell; A Grand Night for Singing; Urinetown; Catch Me if You Can; City of Angels; Into the Woods; Caroline, or Change; Passion; Falsettos; Side Show; Suburb; Creative Cauldron: Snapshots, The Sondheim Revue; Into the Woods; Disenchanted; Thunder Knocking on the Door;  CUA: Anything Goes and Next to Normal; Imagination Stage: Cinderella;  WSC Avant Bard: Visible Language; and MetroStage: A Broadway Christmas Carol. Elisa frequently accompanies classes, camps and cabarets around town.  
  

• David Zobell (Acting Instructor): David is Signature Theatre's Education Director, a Las Vegas native and a graduate of Brigham Young University. As Director of Education, David has directed thirteen Signature in the Schools premieres, directed joint productions with Arlington Public Schools and produced the Signature in the Schools 20th Anniversary festival. He has taught extensively with Signature Theatre, Adventure Theatre-MTC, The Rainbow Company, Arlington County Public Schools Adult Education and Brigham Young University.

• 
  Matt Strote (Acting Instructor): Matt, Signature Theatre's Education Program Manager, is a DC-area educator, actor, director, writer, dramaturg and native. He studied at the University of Maryland, College Park. Matt has taught around the area at such places as Signature Theatre, Arlington County Public Schools, Washington Improv Theatre, The Studio Theatre, ArtStream, The Space and Montgomery County Parks and Recreation.
• 
  Sierra Lockrem  (Acting Instructor) Sierra Lockrem, Signature's Assistant Education Program Manager, earned her degree in Theatre Education from Ball State University. Since then, she's worked as a director, teaching artist, and stage manager for various theatres and schools in the D.C. area. Outside of Signature, Sierra is the owner and founder of STARS Performing Arts, and educational theatre production company for advanced theatre artists. 
  

Picking the Right Monologue

There are lots of monologues out there. But not all monologues are created equally. As you're choosing material to work on in StageOne, please lean on these guidelines. 

1.) You need to read the play the monologue comes from.

• You aren’t reciting a monologue. You’re living part of a play. We will discuss the play your monologue comes from in detail. If you cannot find the play, find another monologue. Read it and be ready to discuss who you’re talking to at that moment in the play and why.

2.) The monologue needs to come from a play.

• We aren’t looking for pieces from television shows, movies, monologue collections or even musicals. Plays.

3.) No story monologues.

• A monologue where you’re telling a story to someone is always a weak choice. Look for monologues where you’re actively trying to get something from the person you’re talking to.

This is a story monologue:

One to Grown On by Brian Kral (Character: Timothy)

My grandma was a small, delicate woman, as I remember. Her house was full of small, delicate things: mementos and bric-a-brac; little statues and faded pictures. She walked to church almost every Sunday. Grandpa always stayed home. I cried at her funeral…because I’d never really taken the time to know her. (Pause) At my grandfather’s funeral, they played ‘The Old Rugged Cross.’ I didn’t cry that time. I felt like crying, but I think there were just too many things to remember. There were a lot of questions Grandpa never answered, of course. But that’s pretty much how life is. It’s like traveling on a bus or a plane: everything’s going by so quick, you can’t see it all, so you settle for those details that jump out at you. The summer of my twelfth birthday, there were plenty.

This is an active monologue:

Yellow by Britney Bullen (Character: Curtis)

How could I be in love with someone as rude as you? Why are you even-- what makes you think I-- I am not in love with you! Will you stop saying that? Honestly, sometimes you say  things that-- do you have any idea how ridiculous it is? What you just said? It's wrong, okay? If you love someone more than anyone else, you don't not date them. You don't go off and date the most incompatible person you can find for three years and then string said "friend" along and sneak in his window every time you have a bad dream! You don't do that, not if you really love someone. I'm just saying.

The story monologue is a great moment in the play but doesn’t hold up well in an audition because it’s not active. We want to see you work through things with somebody, not just recite words. When looking for a monologue, ask yourself: “Am I experiencing something in the moment or am I recounting something I experienced before?” If you’re recounting, it’s probably best that you pick a different piece.

4.) Your monologue needs to be to an actual person. 

• Please no monologues to the audience or to your psychiatrist. The stakes are too low. If you can’t answer the question “Who am I talking to?” it’s probably a weak monologue choice.

5.) No classical monologues.

• Shakespeare and Moliere are great but they aren’t within the scope of what we’ll be covering. 

6.)    Age-appropriate

• We recognize that there’s not a ton of material out there that’s right for your age but don’t stretch it to far. The lived experiences of a 40-something are real and valid and beyond what you should be trying to relate to as an actor. 

7.) Final thoughts: 

• A reminder that Stage One is a class not an audition. This is your opportunity to learn not to show off. We will work with whatever piece you bring in but if you adhere to the guidelines above, you’ll have a much greater experience. Don't bring in a piece that you've already worked with others, please. And if the piece you bring in isn’t a great choice, we’ll let you know and help guide you toward other pieces to work on in the future.

Let us know if you have any questions! See you soon!