Students who received a PRODUCTION RESPONSE NOMINATION from their institution are eligible to participate as MTSA Candidates.
SELF- NOMINEES are invited to audition for the MTSA program via self-tape..
Please note and adhere to all deadlines – all requested materials are due by 11:59pm on the date indicated, and submissions will be closed after that time.
How does the MTSA work?
STEP ONE
- Production Nominees must confirm their intent to participate by 12/13/25.
- This allows us to determine how many additional slots are available for Self-Nominees, and how many selectors/respondents are needed to support the program.
- If you received a Production Nomination please confirm your intent to participate and then move to STEP TWO
- If you wish to Self-Nominate, you must submit a 1-minute audition cut by 12/20/25
- Please review the Guidelines for Self-Nominations
- All recordings will be screened blindly by selectors in the region.
- Selectors will be looking for strong vocal technique and dynamic acting choices that support the creation of unified characters.
- SELF-NOMINEES who are selected to be an MTSA Candidate will be notified by Dec. 28th, 2025
STEP TWO
- ALL MTSA Candidates (Nominees & Selected Self-Nominees) submit their song selection materials in PDF format (i.e. sheet music in the proper key with all the cuts) by 1/6/26 HERE . THIS IS ONLY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN ACCEPTED INTO THE MTSA SCHOLARSHIP AUDITION PROGRAM
- Please see the notes below with guidelines for material that must be followed.
STEP THREE (at Festival!)
- All MTSA candidates attend vocal coaching with pianists on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning (schedule to be released prior to arrival). This vocal coaching will help your pianist familiarize themselves with your material. Please note that your pianist will have the exact sheet music that you have submitted for the 1/5/26 deadline, so please ensure you are submitting your final sheet music with the correct cuts to bring your entire package to 3 minutes and 30 seconds. PIANISTS WILL NOT TAKE EXTRA TIME TO HELP YOU CUT YOUR MUSIC.
- All MTSA candidates attend masterclasses on Wednesday afternoon, and perform their long cut in the semifinal round on Thursday afternoon.
- Finalists are announced on Thursday evening of Festival week and will present their full slate of materials at the Showcase on Friday night.
- All MTSA candidates are a part of the opening number for the Musical Theatre showcase on Friday night and the closing ceremony on Saturday.
The following information is only for the confirmed MTSA candidates (production nominees OR accepted self-nominees, who will be notified by December 28, 2025.) Candidates must submit their song selection material no later than 11:59 pm ET on January 6, 2026.
Choosing Your Material
- Your audition package must include the following:
- One “long cut”, and
- One 16-32 bar cut, known as the “audition cut”.
- The entire package may not exceed 3’30” (3 minutes and 30 seconds), from the first note played or sung. This time constraint will be enforced.
- The pieces should be from a published piece written for the musical theatre stage, and contrasting in style (it is your choice which is the long cut and which is the audition cut).
- We encourage the creative re-imagining of classic repertoire. Questions regarding appropriateness of selections may be directed to the MT Chair (juliaburke5300@gmail.com)
Submitting Your Song Selections
- The 2-song package will be due on 1/6/26:
- This includes sheet music for the entire 3’30” package (with both the long cut ad the 16-32 bar audition cut)
- Submit materials HERE!
- All submissions are due no later than 11:59pm on January 6, 2026.
- Please note that this is a hard deadline, so we can begin to prepare materials for our time together!
Please contact Julia Burke, Chair, KCACTF Region 1, Musical Theatre juliaburke5300@gmail.com if you have any questions.