For four decades, the stage lights at Minnesota State University (MSU) have shone a little brighter one day each year for high school performers across the state. This year marked the 40th anniversary of MSU’s prestigious theater workshop day—one of the few university-led intensives in the region dedicated to high school performing arts—and on February 20, a small troupe of talented Bulldog thespians took center stage.
For the third consecutive year, a local contingent of 9th through 12th graders made the trip to Mankato—this year’s attendance was made possible by the Bulldog Backers, who graciously funded registration for about 10 students. The workshop, offered specifically to participants in musical theater or swing shows, provides an immersive look at the professional and academic world of the performing arts.
The day was structured into four elective sessions, allowing students like Emily James, Abby Balzotti, Ethan Cowdin, and others to tailor their experience to their specific strengths on stage. The curriculum spanned the breadth of the industry, from the physical demands of tap and jazz dance to the technical precision of costume design (including the creation of fuzzy animal ears) and the logistics of hanging stage lights.
In the Andrea Theatre, instructor Matthew Caron led a deep dive into the world of dialects. “English is actually a difficult language to learn because of how certain vowels and letters interact,” Caron explained to the class, “and then you add a dialect on top of it.”
The room soon filled with the rhythmic sounds of the “substitution method.” Students practiced “popping” their lips on ‘P’ and ‘B’ sounds—a noise like bursting bubble wrap—while ‘T’ and ‘D’ sounds mimicked a ticking clock. The Bulldog thespians explored the linguistic history of the American South, learning how immigration patterns shaped regional speech. They quickly discovered there is no “standard” Southern accent; instead, they navigated the nuances between a Georgia drawl and Texan twang.
The lesson took a humorous turn as students tackled New England accents, laughing through sentences about “parking cars” and “khakis,” and realizing how a softened ‘R’ could transform a word like “murder” or “horror” into something entirely different.
As part of a grand finale to the workshop, the day concluded with a high-energy shift to the Ted Paul Theatre. Due to a “double-booking” of an Oklahoma-themed session and Musical Theater Jeopardy, the crowds merged for a massive, friendly competition.
Bulldog student Emily James joined forces with classmates and peers from other schools, forming teams that had to invent their own vocal “buzzer” sounds to ring in. With team names ranging from the absurd “Cacaw” and “Bazinga” to the classic “Eureka”, the competitive spirit was palpable.
The “Wicked” category proved to be the crowd favorite, with students nearly leaping from their seats to showcase their encyclopedic knowledge of the Broadway hit. However, it was the Final Jeopardy round that tested their true range. Representatives from each team were tasked with a “Hugh Jackman” category, requiring them to perform impressions of the actor’s famous roles, from Wolverine to PT Barnum in The Greatest Showman to Jean Valjean in Les Misérables.
As the final notes of “One Day More” echoed through the theater, the team “Flamboyant” was crowned the champion. For these Bulldog thespians, however, the real victory was the wealth of new skills gained at the workshop that will serve them well in their next live performance.
