One year on in the Broadway journey Super talented singer, Dio Old Girl Libby Johnston, was accepted last year to study musical theatre at New York’s leading music school, the Manhattan School of Music. We caught up with her recently to hear how her journey is progressing.
The opportunities available to a student studying in New York City are endless – currently I have seen 26 Broadway shows (a mixture of musicals and plays). I have access to museums, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and MOMA, I’ve been able to explore one of the world’s most extensive collections at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and I’ve become a member of the Metropolitan Opera students’ programme. The Musical Theatre faculty at MSM (Manhattan School of Music) is outstanding and having the opportunity to study under them is the biggest privilege of my life. Dance is a strong component of our curriculum and we are encouraged to be in top physical condition – our tutors are constantly reminding us we have to be athletes! The programme at MSM doesn’t allow freshmen to audition for the production musical theatre season. The faculty believes it’s more valuable for students to spend their first year fully immersed in classes. This means that we can focus on learning, growing and getting to know our peers and professors without the daunting competitive distraction of auditions. I found this time invaluable as it allowed me to discover more about who I am as a person and a performer by working hard and digging deep. I am constantly blown away by the talent of the upperclassmen and the added opportunities to work with the absolute stars. One of the musicals of the 2019-2020 MT production season is Sweeney Todd and rumour has it that composer Stephen Sondheim will be coming in to work with the cast!
Libby Johnston on far right, back row.
Adjusting to life in New York City has been surprisingly easy thanks to the focus required for school life; and helped by a friendly neighborhood, my friends and FaceTime. We had two weeks of orientation, learning basic survival skills, including navigating the subway, finding the cheapest places to eat, and learning the lingo. My school days (Mondays to Fridays) go from 10am until 10pm, with the addition of masterclasses and workshops on Sundays, so there’s no time to be homesick!
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America offers so many professional opportunities, with a market and high demand for musical theatre in NYC – theatre attendances are currently at an all-time high with millions of tourists flocking to see Broadway shows. My classmates, even those who come from small towns, will perform during their holiday breaks in paid regional productions. I now understand what’s truly required to become a working professional in the United States.
I have three more years of my degree left, starting my sophomore (second) year now. The dream is to be a working actress in musical theatre, so I’ll be taking all the necessary steps and making the most of every opportunity. Now that I’m a sophomore at MSM, I’m allowed to audition for the MT production season and I will spend all my Sundays performing in front of notable casting directors and agents. I’d love to make my professional debut in a Broadway show or US national tour after graduating from MSM in 2022. For the meantime, every day spent in New York City is an absolute dream come true and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!
