About the Workshop
Playwrights, Matt Webster and Taylor Ferrera, will be in Plano this July to workshop their new musical, County Fair! While at NTPA, this dynamic duo will host a workshop on ACTING THE SONG. Musical Theatre performers often struggle to apply the same acting to a song as they do to text.
Matt and Taylor’s passion as professional writers, actors, and directors is helping performers find specificity, truth, and depth while singing! Attendees should be prepared to work a 16-32 bar musical cut with Matt and Taylor. Open to grades 6-12.
Meet the Playwrights
Matt and Taylor are true industry professionals based in NYC who have worked on Broadway, on National Tours, with Andrew Lippa, and with Broadway Licensing.
Taylor Ferrera
Taylor Ferrera is a writer and performer based in New York City. Her satirical songs on YouTube have over a million views and have been featured in the Huffington Post, on NBC, and for Stephen Sondheim at the New York City Center (The Lobby Project).
Writing credits include Broadway Does Mother’s Day (Executive Producers Megan Loughran & Stanley Bahorek); Smocks (New York Film Academy); Cinderella (American Pops Orchestra); Democracy, Day 1 (New York Film Academy); County Fair – A Country Hits Musical (Broadway Licensing); Questionable Choices (Music Choice); Community Theater: Seinfeld the Musical (Producer: CubanJu); and Propaganda! The Musical (winner Best Featured Actress and Best Choreography at NYMF) which was released as a podcast musical in 2020.
Taylor is also an arranger/vocalist for the award-winning a cappella group The Perfect Fifths (Instagram: @the_perfect_fifths). She is a founding member of the Magic Forest Theatre Company (Instagram: @magicforesttheatre), PropWorks Virtual Theater camps (Instagram: @propworks_camp) and a resident playwright at the New York Film Academy. Instagram: @taylorferrera
Matt Webster
Matt Webster is a New York City based actor and writer. Matt performed on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre in DGF Toasts: Stephen Schwartz. In addition to singing in the show, Matt contributed the vocal arrangements.
Matt has been seen onstage as Glad Hand in the Broadway Tour of West Side Story and won Best Actor for his portrayal of Johnny Pope in A Hatful of Rain (BroadwayWorld.com). In 2019, Matt portrayed the role of Derek in the award-winning, world premiere of his new play BACK at the Teatro SEA in NYC. Matt has performed with many companies throughout NYC, including: LaMaMa Theatre, LABA Theatre, Vital Theatre, Connecticut Children’s Theatre, and Rescue Agreement.
In addition to BACK, Matt’s plays and musicals include: Kingdom Come (winner Best Musical at the NYC Downtown Urban Theatre Festival) and Jay and the Contest. With his frequent collaborator Taylor Ferrera, Matt has co-written: Cinderella; Democracy, Day 1; County Fair – A Country Hits Musical; Propaganda! The Musical (winner Best Featured Actress and Best Choreography at NYMF). Propaganda! The Musical made its international debut at the Gaetnerplatz Theatre in Munich, Germany in July of 2018.
This past fall, it was released as a one of a kind, fully produced, podcast musical, featuring a full sound design, complete orchestra, and a cast filled with Broadway stars. Matt co-owns the production company Propaganda Theatricals, is a founding member of the Magic Forest Theatre Company, and teaches acting and text analysis at The New York Film Academy, where he also works as a playwright in the Acting for Film department.
He received his BFA in Acting from West Virginia University where he was named the outstanding graduate from the College of Creative Arts. Matt now serves as a Creative Consultant Mentor for the college. Matt won the Johnny Mercer Award for Songwriting and currently works as assistant to Broadway’s Andrew Lippa. www.TheOtherMattWebster.com
