Belmont Musical Theatre Students Workshop New Play in Wales

Unique study abroad opportunity allows students to work with acclaimed songwriter Marcus Hummon

For most college musical theatre programs, the opportunity to workshop and premiere a brand-new musical is extremely rare, if not impossible. Most wouldn’t get an opportunity like that until spending a few years in the industry after graduation. But at Belmont, a group of students spent an extraordinary Maymester trip where they did exactly that. 

Led by Belmont faculty Erica Aubrey, voice and directing instructor, and Nate Strasser, adjunct and music director of the show, the program took 20 Belmont musical theatre students to Wales and London to participate in the first-ever reading of a new musical by Grammy award-winning composer Marcus Hummon called "No Man's Land." 

The show is based on the amazing true story of the unofficial Christmas truce along the Western Front in 1914, when British, French and German soldiers crossed battle lines to celebrate the holiday together by singing carols, sharing food and temporarily ceasing hostilities. 

"For every new musical, you start with a reading," explained Aubrey. "It's the first time the creative team hears the show out loud with actors. It's a valuable process for developing the show." 

The world premiere of "No Man's Land" will be held on Belmont’s campus this fall, allowing even more students to join the creative process. Hummon plans to be involved and see how his work takes shape from the initial reading to a fully realized show with design, choreography and staging. 

“It's great for our students to see how a musical is made from the ground up because typically, at most universities, we just do things that have been on Broadway before. We get a script, maybe put our spin on it and go – we're not changing anything,” explained Aubrey. “It’s very likely that between this reading in Wales and the full production in October, many changes will be made. This helps us ask ‘Are we telling the story in the very best way possible?’ It’s so helpful to be in the room as I imagine how to bring the story to life on the Belmont stage.”  

The reading took place with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, with Belmont and the Welsh college students working in tandem. Getting to be in Wales helped the students immerse themselves in the rich European history around them and learn more about the characters they’d be portraying. 

Sophomore musical theatre major John Turelli said the whole experience was incredibly special and unique to Belmont. "A lot of schools don't allow musical theatre majors to study abroad at all because of the intensive sequence of classes and lessons we are required to take," he said. “The ability to study abroad was important to me when making my college decision. The fact that I got to workshop a brand-new musical at one of the premier drama schools in the world is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I couldn't have gotten anywhere else." 

Beyond working on the musical reading, Turelli appreciated the chance to interact with his Welsh counterparts and observe the differences in their training and perspectives. "Their degree is only three years, and they don't perform at all until the third year," he noted. "We perform pretty much every semester. Talking with them really changed our mindsets toward what we are learning, the way we are learning and how to soak it all in." 

Both students and faculty agreed the experience was invaluable for providing a realistic glimpse into the professional musical theatre world.  

"Participating in readings is really important for networking in our industry," said Aubrey, who did many readings herself as a working actress in New York. "It's not something we make a lot of money on, and most readings don’t turn into full productions. But, for the ones I did, I worked with the creative team later and in other ways because I made a good impression.  

“This broadens our network and keeps our skills sharp. I want the students to know that it's an important part of their career and something that they should look forward to doing,” Aubrey added. “I'm also a huge advocate for new works. It's super important, so I hope that they are getting a love for that as well as we do this.” 

Turelli added the experience helped him become a smarter actor, both in technique and performance, but also helped him understand more about what goes on behind the scenes.  

“It filled in some gaps of what I may not learn in class because it really was a special once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he explained. “Getting to work with Marcus in Wales was so special – singing music and knowing the person who wrote it is standing 20 feet in front of you. He had a lot of great input, was really fun and knowledgeable, and he also had some great life advice for us.” 

In addition to the five days of workshops in Wales, the Belmont students traveled to London and Bath to attend theatre productions like "Life of Pi," "Cabaret," “Guys and Dolls” and a performance of “Much Ado About Nothing” at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. 

For Turelli, the Maymester displayed Belmont's commitment to providing exceptional experiential learning opportunities that go beyond typical college productions. "To me, Belmont is the best place in the world," he said. "And this just reaffirmed why I chose to come here."