For many, contemporary theatre is represented by the musical. The form remains, however, virtually unstudied by literary scholars. In part, this may be a result of the difficulty of accessing the texts. Reading a musical from a traditional codex is no easy matter. The integration of text and music in a musical make it inappropriate to separate the two. One can try to follow along with a cast recording. In most cases, though, this is awkward. Many cast albums record a significantly modified version of the score and lyrics and few include the entire work. Further, musical theatre texts often exist in many different versions. This work begins with a summary of the problems one encounters when editing a multi-authored text (musicals often have a lyricist, librettist, and composer) which may be revised for practical (rather than aesthetic) reasons. The merits of restoring the material changed during the production process are debated. In this discussion some attempt is made to identify who should be considered the dominating collaborator (or auteur) of a musical. Ultimately, this dissertation argues that the notion of trying to restore an "authorial Ur-Text" makes little sense given the multitude of collaborators involved in the process of making musicals. Instead, an electronic variorum edition is presented as an alternative means of studying and teaching musical theatre texts. The study concludes with a narrative of the authors own work on an electronic edition of the 1998 Broadway musical Parade and ends with a critical introduction to this text.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Reginald Pittman / This Master’s Report contains extended program notes on the works performed on a graduate rectial of music for a Baritone. The text includes biographical information on each composer and an analysis of each piece performed. Text translations are included in the body of the discussions. The pieces discussed are Handel’s “See The Raging Flames Arise,” from Joshua, Poulenc’s Le Bestiaire, Strauss’s Zueignung, Nichts and Cäcilie, Puccini’s “Questo amor, vergogna mia,” from Edgar, Jason Robert Brown’s Moving Too Fast, The Next Ten Minutes, The River Won’t Flow and She Cries and lastly Jonathon Reid Gealt’s September of ’92. The graduate recital was given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree in vocal performance on April 7, 2014. It was performed in All Faiths Chapel at Kansas State University. It featured the piano talents of Amanda Arrington, Paul Meissbach and Norma Roozeboom, the vocal talents of Reginald Pittman, Elise Poehling and Patricia Thompson, and the insrumental talents of Nolan Groff and Craig Archer.

Communication, in its most basic sense, is foundational for any personal, human interaction and relationship. As theatre artists, we are charged with communicating complex story lines, conceptual ideas, and emotion to an audience. Sound communication is paramount to every aspect of a musical production, be it communication between actors/characters, actor and director, amongst the production team, and arguable the most important, between the actors and the audience. My years of education as a Masters in Fine Arts candidate in Musical Theatre have been spent polishing my ability to communicate physical and emotional choices with greater accuracy, depth, and truth. By staging Jason Robert Brown‟s musical The Last Five Years and performing the role of Jamie, this performance thesis will explore, develop, and examine my mastery of the aforementioned varied forms of communication, all of which are necessary in building a successful musical production. Research will be conducted to gather information on relevant topics, including the history of The Last Five Years, the life of Jason Robert Brown, and his musical and theatrical influences. By further understanding Brown, his life, and his ideas about his works, I hope to more fully understand and communicate the message of the musical itself. A dramatic and musical structural analysis will provide further depth and insight into the piece, with the hopes of informing my production and individual performance. A thorough character analysis will provide connective tissue that will allow myself, as the actor, to more effectively communicate the psychological and emotional make up of the character Jamie. Lastly, the thesis document will culminate with a production journal, documenting the pre-production, rehearsal, and performance process. Through the journaling process, I will document and address the iii journey that I have experienced with the production, giving focus and attention to its many obstacles and discoveries, successes and failures, all of which have contributed to my personal growth as a young theatre artist.