Music Theater Workshop
THEA 279
Fall 2015
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
MUSC 230 |
This writing workshop will be comprised of half composers and half librettists, who will pair up throughout the semester and practice the art of collaboration. It is this collaborative element that makes this artistic process so distinct from nonmusical playwriting, therefore necessitating a separate classroom inquiry, rather than including music theater under the auspices of preexisting playwriting classes. Students, in pairs, will write songs based on classic structural models: the "I want song" and "double hook song," for example. In addition to practicing the art of collaboration and peer critique, students will explore the history and various artistic genres of the American musical. We will study the works of Gershwin, Bernstein, and Sondheim, among others, in addition to reading about the collaborative process involved in the making of great American musicals including West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, and others. Students will leave the class with a firm grasp on the legacy and components of this art form, as well as an understanding of the particular challenges of collaborative art making. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA THEA |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: THEA199 OR MUSC103 OR MUSC201 |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (MUSC)(THEA) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Readings and listenings will include:
Bernstein, Sondheim and Laurents, WEST SIDE STORY
Bock, Harnick and Stein, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Breuer and Telson, GOSPEL AT COLONUS
Sondheim and Wheeler, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
Larson, RENT
Webber and Rice, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Gershwin and Heyward, PORGY AND BESS
Kron and Tesori, FUN HOME
Sheik and Sater, SPRING AWAKENING
Kander and Ebb, CABARET
Loesser, Swerling and Burrows, GUYS AND DOLLS
Rodgers and Hammerstein, CAROUSEL
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Examinations and Assignments:
Six original songs, each one based on a traditional music theater structure. For example, an "I want" song, a double hook song, an opening number, a finale, an eleven o'clock number. Plus written responses for all assigned reading and listening. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
For composers, the course prerequisite is MUSC103, MUSC201 or equivalent skills as demonstrated through the Music Department theory placement test. For lyricists/librettists, the prerequisite is THEA 199. Songwriters/composers: please submit two to three original compositions or songs, via email to the professor. Lyricists/librettists: please include two to three original lyrics, or two original lyrics and one five-page dramatic scene or poem, via email to the professor--please note, for original lyrics music submissions are helpful. |
| Instructor(s): Hudes,Quiara Alegria Times: .M..... 01:10PM-04:00PM; Location: CFAHALL; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 18 | Permission of instructor will be granted during the drop/add period. Students must submit either a ranked or unranked drop/add request for this course. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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