Dear Evan Hansen Actor Leads Masterclass for MIA Musical Theater Class

Students at Marco Island Academy took part in a masterclass on acting through song with Broadway actor Julian Diaz-Granados on Friday, February 25 on the stage in their new gymnasium. Diaz-Granados in Naples all week as part of the cast of the Broadway play, Dear Evan Hansen, that played all week at Artis-Naples.

Diaz-Granados is covering two roles in the popular play, Connor Murphy and Jared Klienman. Shows nationwide are relying on replacement actors more than ever in these COVID times. Productions without enough replacement actors have had to cancel performances.

Chris Dayett, MIA’s Arts Department chair, arranged to have Diaz-Granados work with his musical theater class. Dayett found the masterclass revealing for both his students and himself.

 "It’s such an incredible opportunity for the students - and me,” Dayett enthused. "I learned some new things today as well."

Diaz-Granados, a 2014 graduate of Oklahoma City University, is young enough to be very relatable to the MIA students. And with seven years of stage experience in New York City, he is able to pass along spot-on critiques to the aspiring singing actors.

Each of the dozen students were invited to show off their musical and acting chops in front of Diaz-Granados, Dayett and their classmates. It n’t exactly auditioning, but it certainly had the potential to give the performers a case of nerves. Diaz-Granados careful to put the students at ease immediately.

“This is so non-judgmental,” Diaz-Granados told the eager students. "I just want to see you open up a little bit and have fun with the song. Lose yourself in character. I’m just excited to be here. So, feel no pressure, just be loose, and we’ll just kind of talk through it. It’s going to be great.”

And it was great. The MIA students rose to the occasion. Dayett, who adroitly controlled the sound system from his iPhone, watched his students like a proud parent, cheering their successes while quietly rooting for them to hit all the right notes. He’s justifiably proud of his students.

"They really surprised me this semester,” Dayett said. "I had a few that started in January with the 'I don’t sing at all’ attitude. And in less than eight weeks to see them singing in front of the class and a complete stranger pretty awesome.”

Diaz-Granados’s appearance possible because of a partnership with VIP Broadway experience provider Broadway Plus. Broadway Plus has been creative in helping hundreds of actors stay afloat amidst the challenges brought about by COVID with programs like the masterclass the MIA students experienced. Dayett tried to find a sponsor for the masterclass but did not have any luck. He would like to see the masterclass return every year.

Dayett is currently raising money for MIA’s performance of The Little Mermaid, coming up April 8 and 9. It will be the first show in the school’s new theater facility. The MIA gym is designed to be quickly transformed into a theater with an independent sound system. Dayett said that anything raised over the goal for The Little Mermaid performance will help to cover the cost of the masterclass.

The MIA students performed during the first half of the masterclass. Diaz-Granados observed, listened, praised, encouraged, and offered targeted suggestions to each student. The Broadway actor impressed with the students.

“This such great work,” Diaz-Granados said at the conclusion of the session. “I actually had no idea what to expect. So, congratulations to all of you. They are all great selections. There’s a lot of great vocal talent in this room.”

Isabella Burgos set the bar pretty high when she encouraged by her classmates to start things off. She sang a number by the character Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Diaz-Granados impressed.

"That’s so great,” he told Burgos. "You’re in a great spot already. Going forward, try to put yourself where Belle is. She’s feeling trapped."

He also noted that Burgos stood with her arms folded across her stomach during much of the performance. 

"I just want to challenge you to find three arm positions to work your way into,” he suggested. "I want something wide open, I want something still, arms in, arms out, arms down. Don’t worry, it’s not a quiz. You don’t have to do them all. Just think about your positions. You are starting at such a strong point.”

He invited Burgos to give it another shot.

After she nailed it the second time around, including well executed arm positions, her classmates exploded with applause.

Kiera Swanson struggled early in her performance, then gained confidence as she progressed. When she finished her performance, she clenched her fists and exclaimed ‘Yes!’  Her classmates shared in her triumph. Diaz-Granados could see Swanson’s talent.

“Really, really good,” Diaz-Granados told Swanson. “Your acting already is very natural. Very believable. The word acting itself is misleading at times because you really want to live in it. And I think you’re doing such a great job of that already. And you have a great voice as well. It really, really great. You really threw your arm out and your body really opened up. I don’t know if it because you were nervous in the beginning, but it like you were gaining confidence as the song went on.”

Paulina Kaminski also in for praise from Diaz-Granados. She felt bad because her voice cracked at times.

“Don’t ever apologize for your voice cracking,” he counseled. "It literally happens to people all the time. In my own voice lessons, my voice teacher said, 'If your voice never breaks, you’re not really going for it, you’re not pushing it.' Honestly, you have a beautiful voice.”

 He also impressed by Kaminski’s comedic flair.

"I love how comfortable you seem in your body,” he said. "You’re loose. I think you embody this character really, really well. I think you have excellent comedic timing. At the beginning, I don’t think you needed to be pacing. At the end, when it starts to kick in, you can start bringing the energy into it.”

Another young actor swaying during his performance. Diaz-Granados suggested ways to improve.

 “Try to find your stillness,” he said. "That will bring about a sense of confidence and bring something interesting to the character. Honestly, I think you were swaying because you wanted to move. Instead, try to slowly pace, or something like that."

The second half of the Masterclass dedicated to a question-and-answer period. The MIA students were extremely engaged in the exercise. Their enthusiasm never flagged until the bell rang to end the school day.

You can donate to the Marco Island Academy’s performance of The Little Mermaid at https://igg.me/at/MIAPerfArts2022.