The NMTI semester offers 13 weeks of intensive training led by industry professionals to master the skills, confidence, and creative insight needed to thrive in professional musical theater.
NATIONAL
MUSIC THEATER INSTITUTE
SEMESTER
Whether you're a postgraduate seeking to continue your studies in music theater or an undergraduate looking to further your craft through a specialized curriculum, the NMTI Semester provides the tools necessary to meet the demands of the professional music theater industry.
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Led by Tony nominee Alexander Gemignani, Artistic Director of the O'Neill's National Music Theater Conference, the NMTI Semester offers you rigorous training in vocal performance, acting, and dance. These studies, paired with unique enrichment in dramaturgy and insights into creative team functionality, allow you to hone your individual point of view, analysis skills, and artistic collaboration.
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During your NMTI Semester, a faculty of working music theater professionals will support you in building greater confidence in your performance craft. At the O'Neill, you'll also be exposed to the larger professional landscape and a wide network of creatives. NMTI cohorts are small, creating an intimate and individualized experience that promotes collaboration with faculty and your fellow students.
PROGRAM DATES & DETAILS
Fall Semester 2027
Semester Dates: Coming soon!
Fall Break: Coming soon!
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Apply by this date to receive $2,500 off your program fee.
Priority Application Deadline: April 5, 2027
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Regular Application Deadline: May 24, 2027
Apply by this date for best consideration for admission and scholarship.
Program Fees
$29,500
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For more details about what program fees cover, click HERE.
Credits
16 Credit Hours
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THE NMTI SEMESTER EXPERIENCE
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CLASSES TAUGHT BY INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS​
Under the artistic direction of Tony nominee Alexander Gemignani, all classes at NMTI are taught by experienced professionals who are leaders in the music theater industry. The NMTI curriculum is focused on developing and reinforcing your skills in acting, singing, and dance, providing you with the technique to sustain a long career on the musical stage. You’ll take courses in subjects like audition techniques, acting for the camera, dance styles, dramaturgy, and more, as well as receive individual voice lessons.
HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH NEW MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT
As an NMTI student, you will have the unique opportunity of engaging with pieces chosen for the National Music Theater Conference Incubator series–where writers and creative team members come to the O’Neill campus to do a deep-dive dramaturgical process on their original musicals. You will participate in dramaturgy-forward table reads of never-before-seen original material and receive a one-of-a-kind peek into the world of new musical development.
ONE-ON-ONE TRAINING
At NMTI, you’ll study with a small cohort of students, allowing you to receive personalized attention from faculty members and develop collaborative artistic relationships with your classmates. By working closely with your instructors, you'll receive guidance as you navigate the landscape of professional music theater.
THEATER ATTENDANCE
As an NMTI student, you’ll have the opportunity to see productions at prominent regional theaters such as Yale Repertory Theatre, Trinity Repertory Company, and Hartford Stage. You may also attend workshops and performances by artists in residence on the O’Neill’s campus.
AUDITION REEL CREATION
You will leave your NMTI Semester with a digital representation of your work that will help advance your career. Faculty will assist in the curation, trimming, and polishing of material from the semester to create a professional reel for future websites and auditions.
FINAL PERFORMANCE
As the culmination of your experience, you will exhibit selected work from the semester in a revue containing monologues, musical scenes, songs and group numbers. Through public performances, you’ll showcase what you have learned and how you have grown in the craft.
COURSE CREDITS
The NMTI Semester confers credit for the following academic courses totaling 16 hours:
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Acting for Music Theater (NMTI-301)
Through various courses in Song Interpretation, Acting and Music Scene Study, students will learn to how to exhibit authentic human behavior under heightened circumstances, interpret lyrics and analyze text. They will hone the skills required to perform this material with skill, authenticity and repeatability. Students will have the opportunity to develop the skills required to successfully combine the crafts of acting and singing, thereby gaining an understanding of the rigor and skills necessary to perform on the professional stage. Students will also take Audition Techniques and Acting for the Camera in order to hone their skills around preparing and performing audition material from musicals, plays and TV/Film. A reel of the students work, curated by the faculty will be built at the end of the semester for each student.
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Singing/Voice (NMTI-311)
Students will engage in one-on-one voice lessons and vocal coaching. In voice lessons, students will strengthen their singing technique through vocal exercises encouraging healthy singing habits. In vocal coaching, students will work one-on-one with a vocal coach, marrying their vocal technique with the tenets of skillful acting and lyric interpretation. They will apply this model to the vast array of vocal styles and genres required to thrive in professional music theater.​
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Dance/Movement (NMTI-312)
Students will engage in Ballet and Musical Theater Styles dance classes. Ballet will form the solid foundation of classical dance technique, building the agility and strength to execute the varying styles of dance taught in the MT Styles classes. MT Styles classes will cover a variety of eras and choreographers, not only to build the student's ability to absorb different kinds of choreography effectively and accurately but also to develop the student's physical vocabulary and storytelling skills through an understanding of the history of dance and its influence on present-day musical theater dance trends.
Dramaturgy & NMTC Incubators (NMTI-314)
Students will engage with script and score analysis under the guidance of a rotating faculty of expert dramaturges, studying the scaffolding, structures, history and forms of musical theater both past and present. Students will also engage with pieces chosen for the National Music Theater Conference (NMTC) Incubator series, where writers and creative team members come to the O’Neill campus to do a deep-dive dramaturgical process on their original musicals. This opportunity affords students a chance to experience what is expected from them as actors at a table-reads, working on never-before-seen original material. Students will receive a one-of-kind peek into the world of new musical development while honing their artistic point of view, analysis skills, collaborative discussion tools and acting techniques. Students should expect listening and watching assignments as well as some required written work.
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Connecticut College is the founding partner and the college of record for the O'Neill's educational programs. To learn more about credits and transcripts, please click HERE.
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