THA-280 Putting it Together: How to Create a New Musical

The class will examine the creation of the modern musical play from initial idea, through collaborations, re-writes, readings, and early productions to opening night. Students will examine all the pieces and players that go into the creation of a new musical by doing case studies of new and classic musicals using texts from and about the shows, cast recordings, primary interviews with current leading practitioners via Skype, and videos, especially American Theater Wing’s series on “Working in the Theater”. Shows to be studied will include some of Broadway’s biggest hits (Chicago, Hamilton) and flops (Spider-Man, Carrie), as well as in-depth study of some of musical giants (Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim).As musicals are a collaborative form, the semester will culminate in group projects where students will be present their own case study of an assigned show. 4