Musical Theater Fundamentals

Musical Theater Fundamentals is a semester-long crash course for middle school students ages 11–14. Students will meet new friends while developing the ability to combine singing, dancing, and acting into focused, compelling storytelling. The semester’s material will center on the musical *Newsies*.

Classes are taught by Sierra Lockrem and Brigid Smullen, whose backgrounds include directing, stage management, music direction, voice instruction, composition, performance, and arts education.

When: Tuesdays, September 22 through November 17, 2026. There is no class on November 3.

Showtimes: 6:00–7:30 p.m.

Tickets: Tuition is $300.

Financial Aid: Financial aid is available through an application.

Ages: Recommended for students ages 11–14.

Venue: Signature’s Education Studios, 2784 S. Arlington Mill Drive, Arlington, VA 22206.

Instructors: Sierra Lockrem and Brigid Smullen.

Sierra Lockrem: Lockrem’s professional work includes performing in Signature Theatre’s *This Ends in Blood*. Her directing credits include *The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee*, *A Christmas Story*, *Into the Woods*, and *The Music Man*, while her stage-management credits include *Footloose* and *The Drowsy Chaperone*. She has taught with Signature Theatre, STARS Performing Arts, and Fairfax County Public Schools, and serves as Signature’s assistant education program manager. She holds a B.S. in Theatre Education from Ball State University.

Brigid Smullen: Smullen holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition, with a concentration in Classical Voice, from Belmont University, as well as a minor in German. She served as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Austria from 2023 to 2024 and teaches voice at NM Productions, Inc., focusing on mixed voice for musical theater. Her teaching includes classical, musical theater, and pop styles for a range of ages, with an emphasis on helping students identify their creative purpose and deepen their enthusiasm for the arts. Her music-direction credits with STARS Performing Arts include *Hadestown—Teen Edition*, *9 to 5 Jr.*, and *Catch Me If You Can*. She also composes classical, musical-theater, cinematic, and commercial music, and her performance credits include Belmont composition and choral programs, *A Brief Shakespeare Festival*, and roles in *The Little Mermaid* and *Good News*.