Press

Here are a smattering of (mostly positive) reviews from my varied career. The really bad ones have been set to music (I’m kidding. But that would be kind of awesome, come to think of it….).

“While resources exist that proffer advice for music theater auditions, many do not pertain specifically to those for college admission. David Sisco and Laura Josepher, who between then hold degrees in vocal performance, musical theater, and educational theater, offer guidance on a wide range of topics relevant to the college music theater applicant. The authors speak not only to students, but also to parents and teachers who are usually involved in the process…

“The college application process has grown highly competitive, and students look for any
edge to make themselves stand out in the audition pool. Mastering College Musical Theatre Auditions contains useful tools for prospective music theater majors, particularly when consulted in conjunction with the advice of parents and teachers. Students who are contemplating a college degree in music theater should investigate this volume.”

—Debra Greschner
Journal of Singing (January/February 2018)


“I purchased this book because my 17-year-old daughter plans on auditioning for musical theatre college programs this coming fall. One of the main reasons that I chose this book was because of the authors being exceptionally well-qualified to offer guidance on the musical theatre audition process given their backgrounds in teaching courses at musical theatre colleges, performing arts schools, national and international workshops, and being involved in audition coaching. Mastering College Musical Theatre Auditions has turned out to be incredibly enjoyable to read, and it is brimming with extremely beneficial information. It is well-organized, well-written, and is understandable even to someone like me, with no background in musical theatre whatsoever. I especially like how the book devotes its opening chapters to helping students really think through if they genuinely want to major in musical theatre and if so, knowing what type of program would likely be best suited for them.

It does a fantastic job of systematically outlining how to choose material for auditions with several appendices regarding the steps to learning a new monologue or song, songs and monologues that are best for voice type, and of great importance, choosing material that is not overdone or inappropriate. Finally, the book masterfully walks the reader through what to expect on audition day with extremely useful strategies on how to best approach it. I have read other books on the musical theatre audition process, but without a doubt, I have found this one to be the most useful, and my daughter and I continue to refer to it on a regular basis. I highly recommend this book — it is a must for any parent/student/teacher wishing to make sense of the somewhat daunting process of musical theatre college auditions!”

— Gail Kang
Parent

Winner of 6 awards including Best of the Festival
2006 Columbus National Gay & Lesbian Theatre Festival

“It needs to be said… Charlie, Justin, the Gay Bait hosts, and the other 28 men looking for a date are all miraculously played by two versatile actors: Tom Gualtieri and David Sisco. Without costume changes, but with instant, carefully chosen shifts in voice, posture, manner, and level of nelliness, they transform into all of BAIT’s 32 characters.”

— Gary Larcan
www.stageandcinema.com (October, 2011)


“The laughs throughout are plentiful due to some sophisticated humor and the undeniable talents of Gualtieri and Sisco. These guys roll through 49 characters, one funnier than the other. Accents, genders, ages, body language, and speech impediments – no problem. They only serve as a showcase for the actors’ versatility. If you want to laugh for two hours straight (no pun intended), BAIT N’ SWISH is the place you need to be.”

— Laurie Lawson
www.eljnyc.com (October, 2011)


“The whole evening is a testament to the strength of Sisco’s writing and the brilliant performances of Gualtieri and Sisco. Gualtieri, particularly, shines in the second act, in which he plays every character that’s not Charlie—probably around two dozen or so, including a succession of outré drag queens; the delightful trio of Adam, Ryan, and Bill; and, especially, the formidable and fabulous Delores. Sisco has written enough meaty parts to satisfy an entire company of expert actors, and he’s lucky that, in Gualtieri, he’s got the one-man equivalent.”

— Martin Denton
www.nytheatre.com (October, 2011)

For more reviews, click here.

Winner of the Alex Libby Award for Best Musical Performance
2002 Columbus National Gay & Lesbian Theatre Festival

“HERE I AM is not only a coming of age tale – it is a one-man show about self-acceptance, growing up, the search for love, love and the sentient ability to find humor in it all. David Sisco has written himself a surprisingly witty and touching musical memoir.”

– Adam Hetrick
EDGE Boston (June, 2000)


“While it’s too early to identify festival bests from such a small sample, HERE I AM appeared to be the well-deserved favorite so far. Bookwriter/actor David Sisco, deftly accompanied by pianist Jill Brunelle, has fashioned a charming and witty one-man musical about the ups and downs of gay life and love. While a few of his beautifully sung melodies are rapturously romantic, others score with clever lyrics and a wry self-awareness.”

— Michael Grossberg
Columbus Dispatch (October, 2002)

My Best Beloved

“Melody dominates text in this song in terms of the word rhythms, but the melody is so lovely and so well expresses the mood of the text that it does not matter. In fact, the little twists and turns in the melody itself give proper stress to the words, either by a change in direction or harmony.”

— Judith Carman
NATS Journal of Singing

Dear God

“Although the texts are childlike, and the music does not overwhelm them, neither are the vocal lines and the piano parts in any way simplistic. Sisco both reflects the moods of the texts and penetrates to the core meaning, which can be simply a child’s surface feelings or something more profound, provoking wonder at their powers of observation and understanding.”

— Judith Carman
NATS Journal of Singing

AIDS Quilt Songbook

“Of the 17 songs that were heard Saturday, the best remain Ricky Ian Gordon’s “I Never Knew,” sung with heart-breaking sincerity by David Sisco.”

— T.J. Medrek
Boston Herald (February, 2001)