Musical Theater Performance Bootcamp
Ages 13-18

Overview
Advanced teen performers will join vocal instructor Emi Eiting, along with acting coaches and choreographers from Acting for Young People, for a week of musical theater skill-building! Students will quickly learn new repertoire focusing on vocal technique, musicality, interpretation and movement as they celebrate the tradition of Broadway and popular music. Students will also be taught how to make quality repertoire selections for themselves, and will be provided a list of repertoire from which to begin building their own musical theatre vocal library. The week will culminate in a high quality performance supported by professional musicians.
Ages: 13-18
Dates: July 24 – July 28, 2023
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuition: $475
Location: Mason Fairfax Campus, Harris Theatre
An application and successful video audition are required to participate in this program. Application Deadline is May 1st. All Admission Decisions will be sent by May 8th.
Only students ages 13-18 will be considered:
Covid Safety Information
- Mason Community Arts Academy follows all safety protocols required by George Mason University. Visit our COVID Safety Guidelines for more information.
- Mask & PPE Requirements—Masks are optional, but strongly recommended, for students and faculty in all programming. *See University Policy on Face Coverings for full details.
- George Mason Offers Covid Vaccine Appointments
Program Faculty

Emi Eiting
Director/Vocal Instructor
Emi Eiting is a freelance performer, vocal coach, choral conductor, pianist, music director, and choral adjudicator working in Northern Virginia. From 2010-2016 she served as choral director at JEB Stuart High School in Fairfax County, Virginia. There she led 4 choirs, taught Music History and directed the school musical each year. As a freelancer she supports multiple schools throughout Northern Virginia working on their musicals and Broadway cabarets as vocal coach, repertoire consultant, and pianist. She is also a teaching artist for the Mason Community Arts Academy and also serves as Vocal Director for the annual Cappies Gala at the Kennedy Center.
Before her career in education Emi worked for many years as an actor, music director, pianist, and stage manager at a number of regional theatres around the country, spent some time singing on a cruise ship, and toured the country with a familiar children’s show. Emi has performed her solo cabaret show- ‘Standing in the Middle of the Road’ at Danny’s Skylight Room (New York) and Speakeasy Stage Company (Boston), where it received positive mention from Cabaret Scenes Magazine. Emi has performed as a solo artist at the Kennedy Center in a concert featuring the music of Scott Evan Davis. She has worked in New York with composers Jason Robert Brown, Lance Horne, Brian Lowdermilk and Scott Evan Davis. Emi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from George Mason University. She has additional training in Musical Theatre from Interlochen Arts Program in Traverse City, MI. Emi lives in Alexandria with her husband and 6 year old daughter, Nora.

Mary Lechter
MCAA Executive Director and Faculty at Mason’s School of Theater
A graduate of University of Maryland, College Park with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and Speech Communications, Mary has been working professionally as an actor in the metropolitan Washington-area, Los Angeles, and New York since 1985. She has worked at Washington area theaters including Theater of the First Amendment, Arena Stage, Studio Theatre, and Source Theatre. Television, radio and film credits include ABC’s All My Children, Barry Levinson’s Avalon, Diesel Films’ Dracula’s Mother, the MGM/Lionsgate thriller Hit and Run, and several spots for NPR’s Morning Edition.
Mary founded AFYP in 1997, and has seen the company grow from being its only teacher with a sporadic program schedule in rented spaces to where it is today: a year-round program with a full staff, working in conjunction with Potomac Arts Academy, for which she is Associate Director.
She is a longtime member of Mason’s School of Theater faculty in the areas of Performance and Theater Education. She was named a 2013 “Teacher of Distinction” and was a 2014 TEDxGeorgeMasonU speaker (“Magic Moments: the Transformative Power of Theater“). She previously taught at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Her professional memberships include The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Actor’s Equity Association, and the Educational Theatre Association.
Mary’s directing credits include An Experiment with an Air Pump and Shakespeare in Hollywood (George Mason University); Still Beating Hearts and A Godless Man (Theater of the First Amendment First Light Festival); Happy Holidays, Charlie Brown, 101 Dalmatians, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play; Willy Wonka, Jr.; Peter Pan, Jr.; A Seussified Christmas Carol; Alice in Wonderland, Jr. (AFYP).
Notes
- Please note that group classes are subject to cancellation if minimum enrollment is not reached.
- Be sure to check our policies and procedures regarding registration, withdrawals, refunds, and more for summer group classes.
- All students will receive a Welcome Letter via email at least 1 week before the class starts with all necessary details.
- Online registration closes 2 business days before the first class, however space may still be available. Please contact academy@gmu.edu for more information. A $10 late registration fee may apply.
- For additional information, please contact the Academy at academy@gmu.edu.