Imagine being able to study with Broadway performers during the day and see them on stage at night?
This is all possible now, with the launch of the Open Jar Music Theatre Course.
The course runs over five days and includes many disciplines.
"We have specialists in a variety of acting, vocal, and dance techniques," said course co-ordinator Don Alden. "It is a wonderful opportunity to work with Broadway professionals and see Broadway shows."
The course commenced last year and was attended by one Australian participant, Rebecca Moore. She was in her final year of Music Theatre Studies of the Victorian College of the Arts when she discovered the course on-line.
"I'd never been to America before and so I wasn't sure what to expect. Arriving on the first day I was, undoubtedly, a novelty. My accent made me stick out amongst everyone else and I found myself being uncharacteristically shy. However everyone was so friendly and happy to have me there, I felt really welcomed and warmed up really quickly," she said.
"The course itself is structured so well, from dance classes during the day, taught by cast members of the shows we were to see in the evening, to the organised and promptly delivered lunch every day. It was a brilliant opportunity, for me, to get an insight into what auditioning for Broadway really entails, to learn about Equity and to meet some very talented and knowledgeable people," she said.
"During my time at the Open Jar I discovered a real positivity and belief in my abilities. Not wanting to generalize, but I think that the American attitude towards success and ambition is so much more positive than in Australia, where we have a tendency to cut down tall poppies. I loved how excited everyone was by everyone else's skills and how encouraging the teaching staff were," she said.
"It was, for me, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I've made friends through Open Jar that I know I will keep for a long time. It is a dream of mine to work on stage in America in my future; before Open Jar that would have seemed a very distant and unachievable goal, now I feel that it's just around the corner," she said.
Don Alden would love to hear more Aussie and Kiwi accents.
"We also accept video auditions, which is perfect for students who live outside the US," he said.

For details, visit www.openjarproductions.com