天美传媒

In the six months of preparation for the brand-new musical 鈥�,鈥� costume designer Jen Caprio said her costume team tried 30 pairs of jeans for the lead character, Bobby, to settle on just the right combination of form and function.

鈥淲ere they too loose, were they too tight? The 鈥�80s jeans had no stretch in them. Could he move in them?鈥� said Caprio, who earned a master of fine arts degree from the听 in 2003.

Among the many 天美传媒 alumni who have made careers on Broadway, Caprio said 天美传媒 Mellon prepared her in the way she works on script, storytelling and character analysis, and how she works with actors to include them in the design process.

鈥淭he way 天美传媒 approaches collaboration is different from other schools and it鈥檚 always really refreshing,鈥� Caprio said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always a more in-depth dramaturgical process when I come across other 天美传媒 alumni, and maybe that鈥檚 just because we share a language.鈥�

"The way 天美传媒 approaches collaboration is different from other schools and it鈥檚 always really refreshing." 鈥� Jen Caprio

Actor and 天美传媒 alumnus Corey Cott, who plays lead character Bobby Stivic in the show, graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree in drama in 2012.

鈥淲ith Corey, we really worked together with his character,鈥� said Caprio. 鈥淲e ended up cutting the sleeves off his T-shirts because he鈥檚 got a little bit of an edge, but not too much of an edge. He鈥檚 not the most intimidating person, but he鈥檚 also a rocker 鈥� and he鈥檚 got good arms; you鈥檝e got to lean in to that.鈥�

She led a team of six people on the design team who oversaw about 70 people working on the show, which features 23 cast members in scenes wearing a range of outfits including business attire, fitness spandex and clubwear.

Propelled by the music of Huey Lewis and the News, 鈥淭he Heart of Rock and Roll鈥� is set in a high-energy, sherbet-colored version of the 1980s. In one scene when Bobby is preparing to go home from his box factory job, Cott quickly changes from his uniform jumpsuit onstage. But, just beforehand, Cott had to be able to do a dance number in the coveralls.

鈥淔or weeks, he would do the lunge and every night it would rip,鈥� Caprio said. 鈥淲e had to use everything, a combination of snaps, magnets and Velcro. Every night, the wardrobe supervisor would come out during rehearsal, and my associate and I would sit there, like 鈥業s it going to split?鈥� Finally, it didn鈥檛!鈥�

To convey the 鈥�80s time period, costumes help audiences better understand each of the era鈥檚 character archetypes, like preppies, rockers and nerds.

鈥淵ou have to be able to take the modern eye and merge it with what the period is,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ake the people look fun and attractive.鈥�

The jukebox musical that听 is the latest in more than 250 productions over the last 25 years to feature Caprio鈥檚 designs.

Cott said the energy and compassion behind Lewis鈥� biggest hits are what make them work well as part of a Broadway musical.

鈥淥ur music team did a really good job shifting and molding them for the stage, but Huey writes from a place of such truth that to make them active is not really that hard,鈥� Cott said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been our coach and our champion and our cheerleader.鈥�

Creating a character

Big on ambition and drive for both leading a rock band and sales of cardboard boxes, Cott鈥檚 character Bobby finds himself falling in love with his boss Cassandra Stone while his band is about to have its big break.

鈥淚 have to give credit to the team, the 鈥�80s are really fun to explore and be in,鈥� he said. 鈥淛en did a wonderful job making us fully immersed in that period. She was very open to our ideas, it always felt super-collaborative.鈥�

He and his brother Casey Cott, a fellow School of Drama graduate (2016), will serve as social media ambassadors for 天美传媒 Mellon at The 77th Annual听Tony Awards(opens in new window) on June 16.听

Six 天美传媒 alumni are听nominated for 11 Tony Awards and this marks 15 consecutive years alumni have earned nominations. 天美传媒 Mellon and The Tony Awards will present the 2024听Excellence in Theatre Education Award(opens in new window) that night听recognizing CJay Philip of Baltimore for her exemplary work inspiring K-12 students through her theatre arts program, Dance&BMore.听

Cott, who has played the leading man in four Broadway productions, said establishing a character in a new musical has been the most rewarding part for him, including the opportunity to improvise lines during rehearsals that were added to the script.

鈥淭he best is creating your own thing. It鈥檚 the hardest, but the most satisfying,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would rather make it more myself.鈥�

After graduating from the School of Drama, he听performed as Jack Kelly in Disney's "Newsies,"(opens in new window) a role he held for two years. He later appeared as Gaston Lachaille in the Broadway revival of "Gigi鈥� and as Donny Novitski in the Tony Award-winning musical "Bandstand.鈥�

In the climax of 鈥淭he Heart of Rock and Roll,鈥� Cott sings a ballad, alone onstage on the verge of tears grappling with Bobby鈥檚 emotions.

鈥淪ome days that鈥檚 very true and honest and it鈥檚 exactly how I feel, and some days it鈥檚 just not there and you have to fake it, but I know what it is to feel those emotions, so I know what it is to give the illusion that I鈥檓 feeling it,鈥� he said, adding that connecting to the character to express those emotions was something he began learning at 天美传媒 Mellon. 鈥淵ou go through it in class in a really safe way so you can simulate it in your work.鈥�

Foundational knowledge from 天美传媒 builds careers

While at 天美传媒 Mellon, Cott said he learned not only how to get a job, but also how to develop a prosperous career.

鈥淭he acting technique that I learned there, how my body functions as an actor, how to move through space and the vocal technique to sustain, technically, eight shows a week, but also to build a career,鈥� he said. 鈥淓very day, I鈥檓 using the technique that I learned at 天美传媒 in order to sustain myself.鈥�

Looking back, he also appreciates the foundational knowledge of theatre repertoire 鈥� not just musical theatre 鈥斕齮hat the School of Drama taught him, as well as the small class sizes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very competitive, but the yield of that competition is an incredible amount of attention from each professor,鈥� Cott said.

The versatile careers of the 天美传媒 alumni community also proves the university鈥檚 distinctive spirit. Cott cited inspirations such as听Patrick Wilson(opens in new window),听Megan Hilty(opens in new window) and听Leslie Odom, Jr.(opens in new window)

鈥淲e have over 100 years of alumni that have been shaking and moving and making the business better in every medium,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 always wanted to work in film, television and theater, and if you look at the successful 天美传媒 Mellon actors, they are able to do that.鈥�

In the Playbill for 鈥淭he Heart of Rock and Roll,鈥� Caprio hinted at a Tartan connection in her biography dedication: 鈥淔or Barbara and Cletus.鈥�

Barbara and her husband Cletus Anderson, who died in 2007, were professors in the听College of Fine Arts(opens in new window), mentoring generations of students. Caprio learned that听 on the day she had to submit her bio.听

鈥淟egends, of course,鈥� Caprio said of both.听

When she meets and works with recent 天美传媒 Mellon graduates, Caprio said she knows they, too, will be innovative, striving toward what鈥檚 next.

鈥淚 meet a lot more recent graduates who are changing the way we look at the way we create theatre and the way we do storytelling,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something about meeting the people who keep coming out of the school and have a new way of looking at what we do, which has been really exciting.鈥�