When Broadway stars come to visit, theater lovers are going to be starstruck. But when Broadway stars offer master classes with students, it’s hard to sit still.

Coming to campus as the second performer of five in the Pulse Performing Arts Series, Sutton Foster will be putting on the ritz as she shares her Broadway talents center stage at 8 p.m. on Saturday in Goldstein Auditorium. Tickets are available at the Schine Box Office for $5 for students, $16 for faculty, staff or alumni and $20 for the general public.

Before Foster was a household name, she graced the coveted Broadway stage in “The Will Rogers Follies,” “Grease,” “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” “Annie” and “Les Misérables.” Then, in 2002, she was cast as Millie Dillmount in “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” a sassy role that earned her the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress.

The Pulse Student Advisory Board, made up of about eight students, is in charge of recommending and deciding which artists to bring to Syracuse University throughout the school year. Courtney Jones oversees the board and said Foster has been on its radar for the past few seasons. Jones said when the board applies for its annual funding, it ranks its top performer choices based on the question: “In an ideal season, what would that include?”

“Sutton was at the top of everyone’s list. It was like, if we only had one person come all season, what would be our first choice?” said Jones, assistant director in the Office of Student Activities in the Division of Student Affairs.

To date, Sutton has performed in 10 Broadway shows, originating lead roles in “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Little Women,” “Young Frankenstein” and “Shrek the Musical.” Her latest show-stopping performance was as the lead in the revival of “Anything Goes.”

But she strayed away from the main stage for a while to perfect a new superstar power: as the dance instructor in ABC Family’s series “Bunheads,” created by Amy Sherman Palladino.

Foster also has her hands in education. Since receiving an honorary doctorate degree from Ball State University in 2011, she has held a regular position as an instructor in the university’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

The current Pulse season was planned by last year’s student board. So although the current board is finalizing the program for the next school year, they will also be staffing the current season’s events.

One aspect of Pulse that Jones and the Student Advisory Board credit as unmatched within the Syracuse community is the caliber of performing artists that the organization works to bring in. Plus, the artists are often willing to make their visits at SU more inclusive than just the concert. Foster, for instance, is holding a closed workshop for students involved in recognized drama and performance organizations that aren’t necessarily studying the arts as their majors.

“She was all about spending time with students,” Jones said. “She’s cool because she’s younger, and I think that makes her feel more approachable.”

Getting critiqued by a powerhouse Broadway diva is undoubtedly nerve-wracking for the lucky select students who get to hold a master class with Foster, but Jones said it’s an opportunity of a lifetime — so find a way to calm those nerves.

For those less lucky to get one-on-one time with Foster, the Saturday evening concert does not have assigned seating for tickets, so line up outside the Goldstein Auditorium doors early to snag a front row seat.

Published on October 17, 2013 at 2:32 am

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