| Course ID: | THEA 4500/6500. 3 hours. |
| Course Title: | The Broadway Musical and American Culture |
Course
Description: | Studies the Broadway musical as one of the most
quintessentially American forms of performance. Explores the
history of musical theatre and its relationship to other
entertainment media. Analyzes the messages about gender, race
and ethnicity, sexuality, and the meaning of "America" that
musicals have conveyed. |
| Oasis Title: | Broadway Mus and Amer Culture |
Semester Course
Offered: | Not offered on a regular basis. |
| Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
|
| Course Objectives: | Upon successful completion of this course, students will be
able to:
* Analyze musicals as performances, which include music,
lyrics, script, staging, dance, and design
* Describe the development of the musical as a key element of
U.S. culture
* Identify the contributions of significant creators of musicals
* Utilize a range of historiographical and critical methods to
examine musicals
* Theorize the significance of a given musical as a form of art
and entertainment in its cultural context
* Interrogate musicals as contemporary performances
* Write clearly and engage in informed discussion about musical
theatre. |
| Topical Outline: | TOPICAL OUTLINE:
1. Roots of the American Musical
a. Vaudeville and Variety Theatre
b. Operetta
c. Blackface Minstrelsy
2. Analyzing the Integrated Musical
a. Stardom and the Broadway musical
b. Broadway and Hollywood
c. Methods for analyzing music and dance
d. Analysis of Rogers and Hammerstein musical (e.g.,
Oklahoma! or South Pacific)
e. Methods for analyzing design elements
f. Musicals from the �Golden Age� of Broadway
g. Ongoing evolution of the integrated musical: e.g., West
Side Story
3. Branches of the American Musical
a. The dance musical: (e.g., A Chorus Line)
b. The concept musical: (e.g., Into the Woods)
c. The megamusical: (e.g., Cats)
d. The rock musical: (e.g., Passing Strange) |