Theatre department expands with new class and consecutive years of musicals

By Abby Haney | Oct. 20, 2026

Maryville College has course changes every year, and one new addition this year is Introduction to Musical Theatre. Students learn from Andy Vaught and Dr. Robyn Rocklein about the history, business, audition process and logistics of musical theatre. Vaught has been a theater professor for a few years, and while Rocklein is newer to teaching, she is a vocal coach at MC. The class is a 100-level music course, meaning students can take it for their creative arts credit or as part of their major.

“We added the class to help our theater and music students have a better understanding of the origins and the history of musical theater, as well as to give the students another opportunity to hone their craft as singing actors,” Rocklein said.

While the class is new to MC, musicals aren’t. Traditionally, the theater program performs a musical every two years, and last year’s was Grease. In a break from this tradition, MC will also put on a musical this spring, the fan favorite Into The Woods. The class helps prepare students for these performances by teaching aspects of theater that aren’t explicitly taught in the rest of the program. 

“I really like musical theater, and so it’s nice to have more training and get more experience for when those do roll around because they’re the bigger productions,” Sarah Christy (’28) said. 

Christy is minoring in theater but plans to continue it after graduation. The class helps her improve at something she is passionate about.

“I’ve always kind of said that I want performing to be my fun thing, and so I just kind of see it as enhancing my hobby,” Christy said. 

“Nobody really teaches you how to prepare for [musical theatre]. So having a class and getting to learn that before we go out into the professional world, I think is super important. I’m very grateful that they’ve offered that to give us good insight,” Kathryn Bornhoeft (’28) said. 

The class covers how to prepare for auditions, a huge benefit to many students. Bornhoeft, a theater education major, especially sees the value in this because it can help her in her own theater career as well as in teaching others. 

“I’ll also need to know all that information, considering all of that for myself and also my students,” Bornhoeft said. “… It’s going to get you the job, or it’s not.”

The final exam will consist of performing a musical, which may be open to the public to showcase the class for prospective students. 

“I think it might be good too if they want to keep the class around, so people can see what you get out of it,” Bornhoeft said. “Maybe if you’re hesitant about taking the class, you can come see it.” 

With the theatre program putting on a musical for the second consecutive year with Into The Woods, the class gives actors a chance to prepare for the auditions and performance, and it lets the instructors share what they look for when casting.

“From the student side of it, I feel like it has really helped me understand what they want to get out of ‘Into the Woods,’” Christy said. “I also think that with our last unit being all about auditions, it’s definitely going to make [auditions] easier because we’ll know exactly what they want us to do,” — for example, how to talk to the collaborative pianist. 

Both Christy and Bornhoeft believe musicals will occur more frequently at MC now and that the class will be a factor. 

Auditions for Into the Woods are Nov. 16, with an audition workshop Nov. 2. Bornhoeft and Maddie Yalove (’29) also offer theater tutoring Mondays from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and 3:30 to 5 p.m. 

Rocklein is currently unsure of the class’s future. It was not scheduled to be offered again next year, but after hearing student feedback, she will look into adding it back to the course offerings.

“I would love to eventually offer it as a repeatable course each year, but for now, I think our goal is to see how it goes and maybe repeat it in two years. It depends on the feedback from the course and the desire for the students to take it,” Rocklein said.