History of Musical Theater
ENGL 233
Spring 2016 not offered
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| Crosslisting:
THEA 208, MUSC 276, AMST 248 |
This course is a survey of American musicals produced in theater and film, roughly from the 1940s to the present. We use early revivals of Oscar Hammerstein II's SHOW BOAT and George Gershwin's 1935 production of PORGY AND BESS as the entry points of our analysis and end with RENT. Using Broadway, Hollywood, the contemporary Chitlin Circuit, and regional theaters across the country as sites of investigation, we trace the development of American musicals as they traverse different racial, social, cultural, and aesthetic boundaries. In each case study, our analysis is supplemented by a review of historical production documents, theater criticism, and theoretical texts. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ENGL |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AMST)(MUSC) |
Major Readings:
Selected articles on American musical theatre history, theory, criticism. Musicals include, but are not limited to, the following titles: CAROLINE, OR CHANGE by Tony Kushner, IN THE HEIGHTS by Lin Manuel Miranda, DREAMGIRLS by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen, PURLIE adapted from Ossie Davis's play PURLIE VICTORIOUS, and RAISIN adapted from Lorraine Hansberry's A RAISIN IN THE SUN.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Short papers; group and individual research project presentations. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
POI Application for History of Musical Theater enrollment
Please submit your answers to the following questions on a formal, single-spaced, typed document. Documents should be emailed to Professor Shaw (rshaw@wesleyan.edu) NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH AT 5P.M.
Please provide your NAME, MAJOR, and CLASS YEAR. Please list all of the courses you have completed, towards the major, within the following departments: Theater, English, Music. Please state your interest in the course (5 sentences or less). Please state a research area/topic that you would beinterested in exploring within the course (5 sentences or less). Please state your current understanding of the relationship between theater/performance/music AND American history by referring to an example that you are already familiar with (5-10 sentences). |
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