This thesis explores the American liberal Protestant religious influences on Oscar Hammerstein II, and investigates how they are manifested in his musical plays written with Richard Rodgers in the period 1943-1959. Identifying these influences, which stem from Hammerstein's Protestant maternal family and from his attendance during his youth at the prominent Universalist church, The Church of the Divine Paternity, enable a widening of the theological engagement with popular culture to include the neglected realm of musical theatre. Having identified the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical play as a particularly powerful popular art form that explores the existential questions faced by human beings, I investigate the previously unexplored Unitarian and Universalist influences on Oscar Hammerstein II, refuting claims that he was part of the Jewish theatrical community on Broadway. Tracing these influences in Hammerstein's lyrics and libretti shows his response to these fundamental questions as human beings seek to create meaning and build identity in relation to that which is ‘other'. Within Hammerstein's personal philosophy I distinguish, the relationship between human beings and God, and the ethical relationships between human beings in community. I begin by exploring the Unitarian moral philosophy and belief in the fatherhood of God found in Carousel, The Sound of Music and Cinderella, and engaging with the Universalist depiction of the restoration period of the soul found in Carousel. Having revealed Hammerstein's liberal Protestant understanding of this relationship, I turn to his social and political activism connecting it to a social gospel understanding of the brotherhood of man and assertion of human unity. Engaging with his ‘American' musicals – Oklahoma!, Carousel, and The Sound of Music - and his ‘Asian' musicals – South Pacific, The King and I, and Flower Drum Song - separately, I question the theological implications of his late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century understanding of human unity have with regard to diversity. Throughout each of his musicals evidence is adduced of an unwavering belief in the progress of humankind onward and upward, as he reveals a significant liberal Protestant understanding of the nature of humanity, the brotherhood of man, and the possibility for human development and change.

A Newfound Passion- Choreography analyzes the artistic process and life journey of creating choreography for musical theatre. My training as a dance minor at East Tennessee State University from 2011-2015 culminated in my final senior capstone experience as a choreographer for the ETSU Division of Theatre and Dance’s production of Oklahoma!. Composing a new musical theatre dance and analyzing the original choreography of Oklahoma! (and the art of choreography more generally) provided significant material for analysis, and the following research reflects what I learned and experienced. Overall, the experience of choreographing has changed the way I see myself as a dancer and has instilled in me a new sense of respect for choreographers around the world.

This thesis is documentation and analysis of the stage management process working on the 2014 production of Striking 12 at the University of Iowa’s Department of Theatre Arts. In this thesis, the author analyzes the challenges and successes of Striking 12 from a stage management perspective as well as reflects upon the process and its influence on her as a stage manager.

The sound ascending is a musical theater work for two actors, four singers and piano. This project was a collaboration with playwright, Jason Tremblay. The story is a loose adaptation of Orpheus descending, by Tennessee Williams. Displaced from the rural, American South, most of our story takes place in Mazer, Afghanistan. Jason and I attempted to create an untraditional model. The work lies somewhere between a musical, oratorio and a song cycle. We both walked away with mixed feelings about the success of the work, following a preliminary premiere. I believe that the work is successful in its drama and storytelling. But in such a confined presentation, the work needs more diversity of material and character strength. Although complete for now, Jason and I plan on revising The sound ascending in the coming year. Most significantly, this project has been a learning experience. We both take away valuable lessons about writing and collaboration. / text

This phenomenological study examined the long-term significance of participation in elementary school musical theatre productions. The research aimed to explore the common and unique themes that emerged from adults recalling their childhood experiences, and how these experiences affected the development of musical and life-related skills. A questionnaire was used as the initial exploratory tool. It was distributed to a diverse group of 134 individuals, in retail, business and education settings, representing a stratified sample in two Ontario communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants to elicit further memories of significant experiences related to their participation in elementary school musical theatre. The data analysis revealed five core themes and qualities related to the elementary school musical theatre experience including community and gender roles. The most significant meaning of school musical experiences for the participants had little to do with the skills developed in the arts, but rather focused on an increased sense of community and growth in self-awareness and confidence. Suggestions for future research on other salient aspects of elementary school are offered to shed further light on this phenomenon, which appears to have life-long and deep effects on those who are able to participate in elementary school musical theatre. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-26 09:05:17.979

This qualitative multiple-case study examined the pedagogical role that performance arts training played in the emergence of students’ mature artistic identities. As one of many instructors in the musical theatre program of a post-secondary college, the author fulfilled both the roles of researcher and studio music teacher. Multiple learning contexts were observed for eight first-year students; these contexts included the regimens in various artistic classrooms and in the vocal studio. The data comprised field observations from studio and classroom settings, individual interviews with eight students from the vocal studio, and audio recordings from their studio sessions. Data analysis revealed that the students’ construction of identity was positively impacted by: the “triple-threat” program components, the unique dyad relationship between the vocal studio teacher and her students, and the rigorous, professional training the students underwent. A study of the interactions amongst the disciplines of music, dance, and drama exhibited several implications in relation to the students’ acute identity experiences. Recommendations for improved musical theatre curricula centred on improved integration of the three disciplines, enhanced studio time, and greater skill development in the studio. Suggestions for future research in performance arts education were also offered. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-08-12 23:23:52.131

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.

A disproportionate amount of research into musical theatre focuses on the positive and accessible nature of the books and librettos. Very little, if any, research into musical theatre explores its darker side, specifically the considerable amount of villainy (i.e., traditionally immoral and/or criminal behavior) practiced by some of its protagonists. Moreover, it is important to note that several of the most popular musicals contain villainous characters, and that many of these characters are highly popular and even sympathetic (i.e., understandable, pitiable, and deserving of compassion) to audiences. Therefore, this thesis explores sympathetic villainous personalities in popular American musicals, focusing on the defining characteristics of the sympathetic villainy presented within specific musical works. Specifically, this thesis examines a variety of American musical theatre pieces, chronologically, from Show Boat (1927) to Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz (2003) which have strong sympathetic villainous characters. This thesis primarily addresses musical theatre villainy primarily from a critical literary analysis standpoint.

abstract: A resurgence of the American art song is underway. New art song composers such as Adam Guettel, Michael John LaChiusa, and Georgia Stitt are writing engaging and challenging songs that are contributing to this resurgence of art song among college students. College and University musical theatre programs are training performers to be versatile and successful crossover artists. Cross-training in voice is training a performer to be capable of singing many different genres of music effectively and efficiently, which in turn creates a hybrid performer. Cross-training and hybridity can also be applied to musical styles. Hybrid songs that combine musical theatre elements and classical art song elements can be used as an educational tool and create awareness in musical theatre students about the American art song genre and its origins while fostering the need to learn about various styles of vocal repertoire. American composers Leonard Bernstein and Ned Rorem influenced hybridity of classical and musical theatre genres by using their compositional knowledge of musicals and their classical studies to help create a new type of art song. In the past, academic institutions have been more accepting of composers whose careers began in classical music crossing between genres, rather than coming from a more popularized genre such as musical theatre into the classical world. Continued support in college vocal programs will only help the new hybrid form of American art song to thrive. Trained as a classical pianist and having studied poetry and text setting, Georgia Stitt understands the song structure and poetry skills necessary to write a contemporary American art song. This document will examine several of Carol Kimball’s “Component of Style” elements, explore other American composers who have created a hybrid art song form and discuss the implementation of curriculum to create versatile singers. The study will focus on three of Georgia Stitt’s art songs that fit this hybrid style and conclude with a discussion about the future of hybridity in American art song. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2018

L’histoire des relations culturelles internationales à travers l’étude des circulations et des transferts culturels, dans un contexte de mondialisation, est un sujet de plus en plus fréquent. Nous comprenons alors que l’action dans le domaine culturel correspond à l’intérêt que portent les États et les nations à faire connaître leur réalité sociale, politique, économique, scientifique et technique, afin de mieux échanger leurs réalisations. Dans le contexte particulier de la Corée du XXe siècle, les spectacles en langue française sont davantage perçus pour leur approche académique. Si ces derniers sont compris comme des œuvres savantes, mais aussi critiques et politiques, les spectacles coréens se focalisent davantage sur leur popularité auprès du grand public. En revanche, la comédie musicale de langue française, déjà présente sur le sol coréen mais qui jusqu’alors était perçue pour son approche académique, investit désormais le champ du divertissement populaire. Nous pouvons relever les principaux facteurs contribuant à ce succès au travers d’une approche esthétique et une méthodologie propre au marketing. Dans un contexte de circulation internationale des produits culturels, le plus important est de saisir dans quelles mesures cette culture peut s’adapter et influencer le développement d’une autre culture. Notre étude consacrée à la réception de la comédie musicale de langue française en Corée devrait constituer un moyen de révéler les points de convergences ou de différences entre deux cultures radicalement éloignées, géographiquement, certes, mais aussi sur le plan historique, social ou généalogique. Notre analyse du rôle de la mondialisation repose sur la réception d’une culture sur un terrain étranger afin d’évaluer les influences réciproques que se portent ces deux cultures. / The history of cultural relations in the international arena, carried out through circulations andtransfers, has come to be a subject emerging more and more frequently in the context of globalization. It hasbecome apparent that actions of interchange in and from cultural domains respond to the states’ interestwhile countries allows others to acknowledge their social, political, economic, scientific and technical reality,in order for their realizations to be exchanged better. As for the context of Korea in the midst of its 20thcentury development, performances in French have been well perceived mainly through their academicapproach. They tend to be understood as technical, as well as critical and political maneuvers, whereasKorean performing arts exhibit the tendency of focusing on gaining popularity from a large public. On theother hand, musical theatre in French, readily present in Korean stages but perceived predominantly in thelight of academic approach, is starting to shift to the popular entertainment realm. Some of the principalfactors to its success can be studied through an aesthetic approach and methods oriented on marketing. Interms of international flow of cultural products, with the recognition of globalized economies, the essentialquestion is to grasp to what extent one culture can be assimilated into and influence the development ofanother. The efforts directed towards the Korean reception of musical theatre in French will have to give riseto a system in which the point of convergence or the differences between two radically distinct cultures notonly in geographical, but also in historical, social and genealogic respect should be duly noted. Our analysisof the role of the process of globalization lies on the inflow of one culture into a foreign territory, with thereciprocal influences arising from the relationship between the two.