No description available.

The concept musical, a fourth category of American musical theatre, has been accepted as a legitimate category but never fully defined. This study examined the attributes making up the category (theme, structure, character, and song), identified the hallmarks of the category, and provided a concise definition. Two concept musicals, Company and A Chorus Line were analyzed.

No description available.

Placing the musical theatre in the context of its most recent developments, between 1957 and 1989, the study begins by aiming to define the term, 'musical theatre',and notes the lack of serious critical attention paid to it. In the succeeding four chapters, the author constructs a basic model for critical analysis of musicals, rooted firmly in dramatic principles, not musical ones. He also examines: a) the inherent expressive qualities of its four basic media and their dramatic functions; b) the traditions and conventions which have developed to give theatrical life and dramatic significance to the form; c) questions of style as related to the musical,and, most importantly; d) the principles and process of synthesis,which, he argues, creates a new language of the musical and gives it its place as art. In the second part of the thesis, the author examines shows from the set period in relation to the four variables of his analytical model: i) the ideas artists want to express ii) the discovered devices of creation iii) the mechanics of presentation iv) public and critical response. By this means he explores the expressive range of the musical's recent history and its potential which continues to attract artists and audiences alike.

The world around us has changed so much, socio-economically, that musical theatre departments around the country are facing budget shortfalls, staff attrition and even vertical cuts leading to full departmental closings. This paper attempts to divert these measures, as well as address the new role of student as consumer, by way of proposing a new musical theatre curricular model to satisfy the needs of both student and university alike. Topics such as fiscal responsibility in academe, departmental expectations, current employment statistics in the musical theatre field and current student learning outcomes are covered. The current student learning outcomes are then joined by two newly proposed outcomes and serve as a lens through which the curricular redesign is possible.

The shift in the American economic viewpoint before and after World War I left an indelible mark on the arts, allowing the only indigenous music to arise, jazz. In the transitory period following the war, it was George Gershwin who paved the way for jazz to become America's only indigenous music. Yet, the current definition of jazz is so racially polarized that it has lost focus on the music. This work explores George Gershwin's role in creating a jazz culture in a xenophobic country and argues for an inclusive definition of jazz, one based on the music itself.

The Golden Door is a new musical created in answer to the question "how does one write a musical?" This short work is based on immigration through Ellis Island in the 1920s. The script focuses on three young adults immigrating from Sweden in 1922, exploring the reasons why each might choose to leave their homeland and attempt a new life in a completely foreign land. The script also details historical information such as how long the crossing was and the reception that awaited them in the "promised land", juxtaposing promises and actuality. The script and score examines themes such as bravery, homesickness and loss, and the perception of Americana and its processes dating back to a romanticized time. This document details the writing process, justification of the document, and historical research to support it, as well as the performance text itself (including both script and score).

This dissertation presents a notional model, as a taxonomic system, to describe dramaturgical elements of sound design in musicals. Developed in tandem with a prototype virtual environment interface - termed ‘The MaxStage’ - and authored in the Max/MSP software, the thesis uses Rebecca - the musical as a case study to test the efficacy of the model. Rebecca - the musical is in the form of a Broadway-style musical. Consisting of two Acts, the work is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name. Whereas the technical art and practice of sound design for large-scale Musicals is increasingly well documented, the art form of sound design as a dramaturgical element in its own right, has received less attention. Analyses of the rôle of Sound-Designers in the theatre have tended to perpetuate the concept that sound design is commensurate with sound reinforcement. This tendency, however, delimits the creative potential of sound design to inform and elucidate the drama, as an extension of the musical score. A potentially more fluid interrelationship between music and sound design is postulated, as observed in the work of Sound-Designers for interactive computer games. As an electronic form of non-linear theatre, it is argued that new methodologies in adaptive-audio techniques, increasingly evident in computer gaming design, are relevant in defining an invigorated dramaturgy for sound design within the stage theatrical context.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 decimated the theatre industry. Nevertheless, the Department of Theater at Southern Illinois University Carbondale elected to produce live performances of Tuck Everlasting: The Musical to satisfy the thesis requirements of its graduate students and continue the education of its undergraduate students. This document chronicles the production amidst the pandemic from its inception through its closure from the director’s perspective by detailing the pre-production, production, and post-production phases. Pre-production examines the play analysis, directorial interpretation, design process, and casting. Production recounts the processes of executing rehearsals and developing production elements, including complications from COVID-19. Finally, post-production considers the final product through performance and self-reflection, addressing areas of success and opportunities for growth.

Limited training exists for young, aspiring choreographers who wish to work in the realm of musical theatre. University programs turn you away if your focus is not on concert dance and few good books can be found on library shelves to gain knowledge. Most books that do exist are very outdated and lack the practical knowledge and information necessary to become a successful musical theatre choreographer today. This research will help to determine whether a methodology can be developed for training musical theatre choreographers. The research data collected stems from the creative minds of choreographers and performers. A select group of professional musical theatre choreographers completed surveys in regards to the craft. Three of the participants were observed using their creative teaching strategies in rehearsals. Furthermore, selected performers responded to a set of questions in regards to the selected participants' strategies. All of the collected data was analyzed to determine which choreographic methods and strategies result in the most successful rehearsal periods and products. The favored methods and strategies, as well as other information, assisted with recognizing the necessary knowledge that an excellent musical theatre choreographer must possess. That knowledge was divided into elements that will make up the courses within the desired methodology. The conclusion finds that a methodology for training musical theatre choreographers is obtainable, consisting of the study of the determined elements. With the development of a text and a university to pioneer the program, aspiring choreographers will have a way to gain beneficial knowledge and experience in the craft of musical theatre choreography.