History of Musical Theater
THEA 208
Spring 2012
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
MUSC 276, ENGL 233 |
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 Lin-Manuel Miranda's IN THE HEIGHTS. 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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Essential Capabilities:
Intercultural Literacy, Interpretation |
| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA THEA |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AMST)(MUSC) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
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). |
| Instructor(s): Shaw,Rashida Z. Times: ....R.. 02:40PM-05:30PM; Location: CFAHALL; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 25 | Permission of instructor approval will be granted by the instructor during pre-registration through the Electronic Portfolio. Click "Add to My Courses" and "To request a POI electronically, click here" to submit your request. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 1 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 1 |
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