Music Theater Workshop
THEA 279
Fall 2023
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
MUSC 230 |
This class will be a collaborative, hands-on workshop for playwrights and composers who will work together throughout the semester, simulating the real-world process of writing a piece of musical theater. Students will explore standard works in the musical theater canon as well as less traditional pieces, concentrating on dramaturgical elements specific to the form (opening numbers, "I Want/I Am" songs, extended musical sequences, act one finales, 11 o'clock numbers, etc.). Students will then apply this knowledge to their own work as they generate scenes, songs, and outlines for libretti. Students will leave the class with a grasp of the classic components of this art form, hopefully inspired to follow or bend the "rules" to suit their own creative instincts. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA THEA |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| 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: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Readings and listenings will include:
Jackson - A STRANGE LOOP
Kron, Tesori - FUN HOME
Kushner, Tesori - CAROLINE; OR CHANGE
Laurents, Stine, Sondheim - GYPSY
Masteroff, Kander, Ebb - CABARET
Merriam, Miller - INNER CITY
Nemiroff, Zaltzberg, Woldin, Brittan - RAISIN
Perkins, Reid - PRISM
Ragni, Rado, MacDermot - HAIR
Sater, Sheik - SPRING AWAKENING
Stew, Rodewald - PASSING STRANGE
Wheeler, Sondheim - SWEENEY TODD
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Examinations and Assignments:
Assignments to write songs, scenes, and outlines based on weekly lessons. |
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 playwrights, the prerequisite is THEA199. Students that have taken other Creative Writing course can email the instructors to accept these as their prerequisites.
Also accepting THEA239 (Songwriting) as a prerequisite.
Interested in this course but have quesitons? Email the instructors (ndame@wesleyan.edu and rbaumgartner@wesleyan.edu)
This course counts towards the Theater Arts requirement for the THEA major. |
| Instructor(s): Dame,Nathan Baumgartner,Robert Times: .M..... 01:20PM-04:10PM; Location: TST101; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 12 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 1 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 0 | JR non-major: 2 | SO: 4 | FR: X |
| 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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