This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Kristine Reese and Billy Tighe, both Broadway performers, know all too well that making a living onstage takes more than talent.
The married couple, who moved to the Atlanta area when the pandemic shut down Broadway in 2020, have honed what they learned from years of auditioning and performing into curriculum for young, aspiring performers. They both work at the City Springs Theatre Conservatory and are directing its Elvis-inspired musical, “All Shook Up,” from Thursday, June 29, through Saturday, July 1.
Because both Tighe and Reese remain active in auditioning and performing themselves, their curriculum gets put to the test in New York.
“We are our own testing ground,” Tighe said. “We’ve come up with this curriculum, and we’re being forced as artists and professional commercial theater people to articulate what we think works — and then we have to go and do it ourselves.”
The City Springs Theatre Conservatory in Sandy Springs offers classes for performers in elementary school through high school. Tighe and Reese direct pre-professional companies and lead a class that helps students prepare to audition for college musical theatre programs.
“I think because we’re still … in the New York space, we’re directly, anecdotally saying, ‘This is what you need to do. This is the expectation,’” Reese said. “And hopefully, that’s giving them a little bit of an edge.”
Tighe recalls a time during his freshman year at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music when he heard the head of the musical theater program say that much of the freshman curriculum was focused on helping students unlearn bad habits from high school. Because of this, Tighe and Reese try to address bad habits in their students now, teach them what they would learn in college and hone their skills before they’re working into the real world.
Credit: Courtesy of Mason Wood
Credit: Courtesy of Mason Wood
Reese said the couple has high standards for students, who must audition to join a pre-professional company. With a focus on “triple-threat” training, the pre-pro companies place equal attention on acting, singing and dancing.
The couple seek to create an environment where students can grow as performers and as people. At the same time, they said, they challenge students and don’t shy away from giving professional-level feedback.
“Our job, in a lot of ways, is to create friction because this business is full of it,” Tighe said. “We’re trying to make them tough but also create a space where they can have moments of growth where there aren’t stakes attached. I would hate for a talented student to get all the way to New York … and then regress and/or run away with defeat because they weren’t able to handle the soul-crushing loss of auditions that happens again and again and again.”
Both Reese and Tighe have years of Broadway experience.
Reese performed on Broadway in “Les Misérables” and was part of the national touring companies for “Pippin,” “Finding Neverland,” “Wicked” and “Mamma Mia!”
Tighe, a Marietta native, performed on Broadway in “Pippin” and on London’s West End in “The Book of Mormon.” He was also part of the national touring companies for “Finding Neverland,” “Wicked,” “La Cage aux Folles,” “The Book of Mormon” and “Dirty Dancing.”
Tighe tells students about his experiences in the early days of his career when he often felt intimidated seeing famous performers in audition rooms and let that hamper his auditions.
“I feel, for me personally, I wasted the first probably three to five years of my professional career being afraid of my opportunities,” he said.
Though most pre-pro students won’t have those opportunities for a few years, one of them already has. With Tighe’s help, one high school student shot an audition tape for a major professional musical — and was then asked to audition in New York. Tighe talked the student through the logistics of the audition, sharing his insights on who would likely be in the room, how it would be laid out and what to expect from the experience.
“He ultimately didn’t get (the role), but he felt prepared and he succeeded in what he went there to do,” Tighe said. “And I know members on the creative team, who (told me), ‘This kid’s great. He’s a little young, but he’s on our radar, and we’re definitely going to be calling him back when we need people in the future.’ So, ultimately, he had a successful audition for a 17-year-old in high school.”
THEATER PREVIEW
“All Shook Up”
7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday. $20-$35. Byers Theatre, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs. 404-477-4365, cityspringstheatre.com.
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Sally Henry Fuller is a theater nerd and performing arts journalist with a passion for telling people’s stories. When she’s not interviewing artists, you can find her at a local coffee shop or on an evening stroll with her husband and baby girl.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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