By Jaida Dent
Revived in the spring 2023 semester, the Brooklyn College Musical Theatre Collective (BCMTC) sought to offer a space for students to perform in musical productions. Yet, the mission to achieve this goal has been put to the side as the organization is set to officially become a club in the upcoming spring semester. For some organizations of students on campus, becoming an official club is a help to achieving their goals. To BCMTC, it’s the opposite.
“Before now, BCMTC has never been a club, so this is the very first time we’re attempting to be a club, kind of being forced into being a club, and that comes with many more challenges that we are trying to navigate,” said Ryan Martin, current music director and incoming president for BCMTC.
The student and alumni-run collective has been holding productions since 2017, including shows such as the “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” and “Tick, Tick… Boom!” With the campus shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, the collective ended due to being unable to host in-person performances, and because many members graduated from BC. The comeback was led by Martin, who saw the need for the school’s theatre collective and worked with previous members and alumni to restart the organization.
“In the summer of 2022, I went to play with the College Light Opera Company […] and I didn’t want to come back to Brooklyn College without there being any musical theatre because there isn’t any in the curriculum,” said Martin.
While the collective has been able to produce events, it has been a small form of success for the group. Currently, the organization has had to shift towards becoming an official club for both financial and sustainable reasons.
“The biggest benefit for us as a club is that the group can kind of be a little bit more sustainable and that we can continue, hopefully, it will continue past our time at Brooklyn College,” said Martin.
Along with not having a stable budget, the collective also faces issues of not receiving the approval to hold licensed shows. The only full production show the collective has been able to put on was “Sunday in the Park with George” in January of this year. To compensate for both the lack of full productions and the lack of budget, the organization holds showcases and benefit concerts. The last two events, the “Spring 2024 Benefit Concert” and October’s fundraiser “Ca-BOO!-ret,” provided the opportunity for students to participate in small productions, while simultaneously raising funds for the collective.
“It’s not ideal to do these kinds of showcase things. I will say we only do them because we have to. We have no other choice […] If we want to keep it alive and keep it going, we have to do this sort of thing,” said Martin.
Despite the challenges, the collective’s efforts to become a club are supported by Professor Jeffrey Taylor, the director of the Conservatory of Music at BC, and their faculty advisor during the semester.
“The department definitely supports this venture; we have been working on ways that the group can follow their interests and produce excellent productions while not interfering with the established courses of study for which students pay tuition and receive credit, which of course are our priority,” said Taylor.
Since reforming, the collective has put in a tremendous amount of work to rebuild itself and the spaces it resides in. The collective was able to restore Roosevelt Ext. 312, so that they can have a space to rehearse and host showcase performances. The collective also utilized their performers to control the set, and family members to support backstage and concessions.
“Before our benefit concert this year, we painted the whole stage, the seats, and cleaned everything […] The singers and the performers had to control the lights, what’s called projection, and the parents of the members came to the show for concessions,” said Gidong Kim, associate music director and technical director for BCMTC.
With all the work done, the impact of the collective is felt as Martin’s original goals for bringing musical theatre to BC have been achieved and acknowledged by the Conservatory.
“I think the BCMTC has shown us all how much interest exists for this important art form and made us even more acutely aware of the practical advantages of students learning music theater skills to aid in their working careers after graduation, especially in New York,” said Taylor.
While the process is difficult, the collective recognizes the challenges and benefits they face. The collective is set to continue working on the goals in their mission statement: creating interdepartmental collaboration within the School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts (VMPA), and providing students with the opportunity to combine their academic studies with experiences on the stage.
“There’s always going to be more challenges, but the most important thing for us right now is to get more students involved, both graduate and undergraduate students,” said Martin. “We’re trying to expand as much as we can, so we really need more students to participate.”
For more information on the Brooklyn College Musical Theatre Collective, follow them on Instagram and TikTok @bcmtc