Matthew Sklar – HuffPost 11.25.11

Mike Ragogna: Matthew, do you have any advice for any budding musical theater composers or artists in general?

Matthew Sklar: I think the best thing to do is stick to what you know. If you’re an actor, act. If you’re a pianist, play. Also, try to work on every project that you can. Everybody has got to start somewhere, so if you have an opportunity to put on a show at your school, do it. Experience is really what keeps getting you someplace, and you learn by doing. This is really one of the few industries where with each new project you complete, you take away brand new information and people. With every project I do, I usually find people that I want to work with on my next project, and then I take them with me for the rest of my life. I have accumulated a team of people that I love, trust, and feel comfortable with as I move on to whatever is next. I think that’s something you can only do by doing as much theater as possible.

MR: Since we see recording artists appear on Broadway more frequently now, do you have any advice for those artists looking to make the transition?

MS: Well, I think it’s great if you’re a great singer, but if you want to be a part of the musical theater world, you have to make sure you’re going to acting class and dance class. These days, you kind of have to be a triple threat to be working in musical theater–that’s the way Broadway is heading because there’s so much movement in shows now. My advice would be to concentrate on the acting and dancing if you’re already comfortable with the music part.