Musical Theatre: Work and Experience

AMD/Rehearsal Pianist/Keys 1 for Les Misérables at Truro School  

June 2022 - November 2022

I was Associate Musical Director, rehearsal pianist and I played Keys 1 in Truro School's production of Les Mis. I stood in as rehearsal pianist when the MD was ill, and so I sight-reading and quick-thinking were a necessity! I led vocal warm-ups, worked with a choreographer and made decisions about additional music in vamps.

I learnt, "on the job", how to lead effective vocal warm-ups and become a better rehearsal pianist.

This is a video from closing night:

Referee: Ben Oldfield (Head of Drama/Director) Email 

MD/Rehearsal Pianist at Musical Theatre Dublin (MTD)

July 2023

Leading the actors from the piano

I was MD and rehearsal pianist for a youth theatre group in Dublin, in a production of "Annie Jr."

As MD, I led vocal warm-ups, taught the cast songs and harmonies, provided vocal coaching, worked closely with the director, provided one to one support to the singers, arranged new harmony parts, and accompanied for the two shows.

I honed many skills with this group, but especially my vocal warm-ups, ability to sight read quickly, and multi-task (i.e play and give notes)

Here is a bit of harmony that I arranged for the closing number:

Referee: Pam Monaco (Artistic Director) Email

Reference: "Ollie has been one of my best students yet!  Throughout the two courses this summer, he learned to be a proper music director/accompanist for musical theatre productions.  He learned the best warm-ups to use, how to stretch voices, transpose for various voices, and write in harmonies and extra flourishes into the music.  He works extremely well with people and not only cooperates but proposes new ideas as  he understands the group dynamic intuitively and knows where the student actors need to be rehearsed and led."

Assistant Musical Director for an Opera/MT group in Cornwall 

August 2023

I was shadowing an MD as Assistant MD for a group of singers called MJUK for the Chris Treglown Foundation Fund. A mixture of Opera and MT, this broadened my MT repertoire greatly. I was coached on a proper accompaniment/sight-reading technique from the MD, as well as being able to play for many of the singers' solo and group numbers in rehearsals and performances.

I also learned a lot by observing how the MD worked with the singers individually, and as a group, as well as learning new vocal warm-ups.

Referee: Will Sharma (Conductor/Repetiteur) - Email

Musical Director/Rehearsal Pianist/Arranger/Copyist/Keys 1 for "Jekyll and Hyde: A New Rock Musical" for Caradon Youth Theatre (CYT)

December 2023 - March 2024

I was chosen to be the musical director for a brand new show, written by a professional vocal coach, based on the Jekyll and  Hyde story. It was a rock musical, set in a US high school.

I was not only teaching new music and lyrics to the cast without a reference track, leading vocal warm ups and vocal coaching, but I also arranged the band parts for the show, for a 5-piece rock band. 

I learnt more about correct vocal technique, and putting into practice what I had learnt from the work experience I had got up until then. I also learnt more about music technology for live gigs (how to properly DI a show band). I was also introduced to planning rehearsals so that I taught the required numbers in the time given, as well as doing more one-on-one sessions which helped me with my vocal coaching skills.

Referee: Nic Early (Artistic Director of CYT) - Email