You think rehearsals are hard? Try being in Matthew Morrison’s master class, that’s hard.
On Oct. 22, Matthew Morrison, best known for his lead role as Will Shuester on “Glee” and his 27 years of Broadway experience, hosted a master class in the Free State Black Box. During stops on his “Rhythms & Revelations” tour, Morrison said hosting a master class for schools at each stop makes him feel like he’s making an impact.
Inspired by speakers who came to his own high school, Morrison said his main focus was to give back to students like himself and leave that same lasting impact.
“What I’m really trying to dive into is connection to myself and connection to the people around me,” Morrison said. “I just hope that my connection to those kids in the room today is something that they can take and implement into their life.”
Students across Free State High School and Lawrence High School were in attendance, with those in theatre or choir classes getting the first opportunity to receive a ticket. The content of the class consisted of Morrison teaching students a snippet of choreography rapidly in order to mimic the Broadway audition process. One performing arts student in attendance, sophomore Lily Davis, said she was shocked but excited when she first heard about the class.
“It was hard to believe that an actual celebrity would be in Lawrence, specifically at some random high school,” Davis said.
Not only did the masterclass involve a hands on lesson for any students interested, but also a Q&A section where Morrison would answer questions directly from students. Choir teacher Olivia Henning said many of her students were eager to hear advice and learn from someone actually involved in the industry.
“Everyone’s pretty hyped that he’s coming,” Henning said. “It’s cool to see someone in person who’s made it, and make that idea just a little bit more real.”
Henning herself said she has been a big fan of many of his projects and some of those projects, like “Glee,” even giving her confidence to pursue performing professionally.
“”When the show came out, I was the same age as the characters. I was like, ‘I want this to be my life, singing and dancing all the time,'” Henning said.
While Morrison has more stage appearances than any teacher, Morrison said he is still a normal person and that anyone could make it just like him. Ultimately, Morrison said the biggest advice he can give to succeed on the stage is to be confident in yourself.
“The essence of who you are as a person is what’s going to come through in any character you do…but if you don’t know yourself, there’s just going to be a lot more gray area,” Morrison said. “Being able to figure out who you are as a person and express your individuality is what it’s all about.”
