COCA is thrilled to launch a new Musical Theatre Program within COCA’s Pre-Professional Division, beginning in Fall 2026.
The Musical Theatre Program has been created for passionate young artists, ages 14–18, who are looking for rigorous, conservatory-style training in acting, dancing, and singing. Auditions will be held on June 6. Audition & Registration Information
Will Bonfiglio, COCA’s Artistic Director of Theatre, provides insights into the new program and what students can expect next year:
Why is COCA expanding its musical theatre offerings to include a Pre-Professional Division track?
Will: For 40 years, COCA has provided high-quality training in dance, theatre, and voice. Our offerings have expanded to provide musical theatre classes and camps as well as introductory camp musical productions for various ages and skill levels. We also have produced our annual COCA Summer Musical, bringing opportunities for students to participate in fully staged musicals with custom sets, costumes, live musicians, and guest choreographers for over 20 years. COCA’s summer musicals are highly anticipated by our community, often resulting in sold-out performances.
As someone who has participated in COCA’s summer musicals, I always found that COCA was missing that same level of artistic excellence and rigorous training in musical theatre throughout the school year. Since starting as the Artistic Director of Theatre in 2024, I have been invested in building out this new Pre-Professional Division track to better support our students and prepare them for careers in musical theatre.
What can students expect as they progress through the curriculum each year?
Will: This program is unique in that each of COCA’s Artistic Directors will teach in it. The Artistic Directors of Dance, Theatre, and Voice will each lead specific weeks of the program and, complemented by advanced workshops by special guest artists, will prepare the students for a conservatory-style showcase each spring. The program will evolve each year, featuring new guest artists and opportunities within the community.
COCA’s Pre-Professional Division students have the opportunity to participate in residencies with professional guest artists throughout the year. How is this structured for the Musical Theatre Program?
Will: Each semester will feature training with COCA’s Artistic Directors as well as 2–3 special workshop weeks led by guest artists.
Tell us about the new Musical Theatre Showcase for students.
Will: The Musical Theatre Showcase is structured as a conservatory-style performance where students will have the opportunity to share their work with the community. In addition to the training they will receive each week of the program, they will also spend time working with the Artistic Directors to rehearse and present pieces at the program’s Musical Theatre Showcase each spring. This will help students not only build their repertoire book but also gain experience preparing and presenting work in duets and small ensembles. The performance opportunity bridges the iteration and experimentation of rehearsal with the practice and polish of performance.
What should students expect at the upcoming audition?
Will: At the June 6 audition, students will have fun engaging in all forms of musical theatre, including singing, dancing, and acting. The audition will be representative of the type of multidisciplinary work we will focus on in the program.
