Musical Theatre Production Research Articles

Vocal Dose and Vocal Demands in Contemporary Musical Theatre.

To document and quantify vocal dose and student-singers' self-assessment during rehearsals for a contemporary musical theater production. Six student singers fastened the sensor from the KayPentax APM 3200 dosimeter to the lower neck to capture neck vibration data during their preparation for the musical Wonderland by Frank Wildhorn. Data were collected during 8-hour periods, at four different stages throughout the rehearsal process: beginning (music and choreography learning phase), middle (staging phase), and end (running the entire show/dress rehearsal phase), plus a post-production day once the production had concluded to establish a baseline vocal load. Students concurrently completed the EASE questionnaire1 after each data collection day. The EASE score (Appendix1) and demographics/perceptual questionnaire (Appendix2) revealed that all subjects (three males and three females) found the singing role vocally and physically demanding but only two found the roles to be emotionally challenging. The musical score demanded a higher usage of chest register (judged perceptually) than mixed register from lead singers. All subjects' maximum fundamental frequency range exceeded the pitch range required by the score. The mean daily vibration dose (distance dose, as computed with Kay Pentax Software) of the three individual female singers' during rehearsals, 5,203 meters, was higher than the mean daily dose of the three male singers, 3,766 meters. The subjects' self-ratings on the EASE were not correlated with the distance dose. A review of Wonderland's score and perceptual judgment of the singers' performances revealed extensive use of chest register, with belting and mix vocal strategies being the predominant stylistic choices. Students described the singing roles' vocal and physical requirements as more challenging than the character's emotional components. This pilot study provides information on the vocal dose for lead and ensemble singers in rehearsal for a Contemporary Musical Theatre production. Singers and voice professionals may find dosimetry a valuable tool for monitoring the vocal dose during rehearsals and performances.

Cause of Death: Lähiö

As geographically and socially marginalized neighbourhoods, Finnish lähiös are associated with urban segregation and a set of stereotypes about their residents. Claiming to portray everyday life in the lähiö, in 2018, Turku City Theatre premiered a musical theatre production Varissuo, which was set in the city’s largest and most multicultural housing unit. This article investigates how Varissuo was constructed and depicted both on stage and beyond the stage by analyzing several characters and their storylines, as well as material details present in the theatre building’s lobby area. Drawing from Richard Dyer’s notion of stereotypes as a product of assumed consensuses about specific social groups, the article first focuses on plotting how both novelistic and stereotypical characters contributed to an understanding of the lähiö as a locus of ill-being and personal struggle. Critically approaching Jill Dolan’s conceptual utopian performatives, the article then discusses the elements of utopia and dystopia in Varissuo, suggesting that the representation of the lähiö on stage and in the theatre building erased political potential of the utopian performatives and subverted them into a counterproductive force. I argue that the utilization of lähiö stereotypes and Varissuo’s detachment from its real-life origins potentially contributes to further stigmatization and polarization between social groups

Social Media Marketing Strategy in Chinese Musical Theatre Industry

The usage of social media in the context of musical theatre marketing continues to grow. More and more musical theatre production companies in China are using social media tools such as Weibo to provide various services and interact with customers. In an effort to help understand how the current musical theatre industry conducts social media marketing and the future development direction, this paper describes a case study which applies content analysis to examined posts on Weibo sites of five top musical theatre production companies: Seven Ages, Shanghai Culture Square, Musicals, Focustage, and Amazing Musicals. The results provide insights into the characteristics of social media marketing strategies of musical theatre production companies and changes after covid-19 pandemic. The study results add to the rapidly evolving field of social media within the musical theatre industry marketing context. Moreover, it advocates for an active role for the musical companies to explore and actively participate in the customer and musical fan communities on social media.

Technical Design and Production of Special Effects in Musical Theatre Performances

In contrast to the other theatre form, which requires a more predominately dominant combination of acting, singing, music, and choreography, a musical theatre performance is a sophisticated piece of art. Similarly, paying greater attention to the technical special effects design is essential, especially throughout its production process. In order to clarify their requirements and design objectives, this study explores the features of the technical special effects used in the selected case studies. The result shows how well the entire musical theatre production includes customisation requirements and solutions in developing the technical design of special effects production.

Fires of Joy and Anticipation Wedding Firework Displays of the Central European Habsburgs in the Second Half of the 17th Century

Early modern firework illuminations and displays formed part of festivities in both secular and sacred contexts from the end of the 14th century. During the 15th and 16th centuries their designers, often high-ranking artillery officers, became an increasingly important part not only of army but also of court life. The development of fireworks, and especially rockets, gave prominence to intricately conceived displays, which were gradually developed according to the changing tastes of musical theatre productions and the skills of masters of pyrotechnics. In Central Europe, several performances were staged at the Habsburg court from the middle of the 17th century onwards which were clearly among the most costly, complex and, above all, the highest-quality pyrotechnical displays of their kind in the history of human culture. They were instruments of the complex patterns of contemporary propaganda and courtly representation, and their stories reflected the reality, desires, visions and concerns of the ruling dynasty. We can deduce their forms, stories and messages from surviving synopses and printed illustrated sheets.

Genki: A Case Study of Benefits for Foreigners Producing Theatre in a Japanese Regional Dialect

This paper describes the Genki Tosaben Musical (Genki), a unique community theatre project in Kochi prefecture in Japan. Since 1996, foreigners living in Kochi have been creating original musical theatre productions in Tosaben, the local Japanese dialect, and touring the prefecture to raise money for charity and promote cross-cultural exchange. In this study, qualitative survey responses from 35 former participants in Genki were analyzed. Based on these survey responses, this paper explores the motivations of the participants in this production, how the experience impacted language learning and community integration, as well as the positive and negative aspects of partaking in this event.

‘You never need an analyst with Bobby around’: The mid-20th-century human sciences in Sondheim and Furth's musicalCompany

This article offers a case study in how historians of science can use musical theater productions to understand the cultural reception of scientific ideas. In 1970, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's musical Company opened on Broadway. The show engaged with and reflected contemporary theories and ideas from the human sciences; Company's portrayal of its 35-year-old bachelor protagonist, his married friends, and his girlfriends reflected present-day theories from psychoanalysis, sexology, and sociology. In 2018, when director Marianne Elliott revived the show with a female protagonist, Company once again amplified contemporary dilemmas around human sciences expertise—this time, the biological fertility clock. Through Company, Sondheim and Furth—and later Elliott—constructed arguments about modern society that paralleled those put forth by contemporary human scientists, including psychoanalytic models of the mind, the lonely crowd phenomenon, and shifting conceptions of masculinity and femininity. Because of their wide popularity and potential for readaptation, musicals such as Company offer a promising source base for analyzing the relationship between contemporary society and scientific expertise in specific historical contexts.

Bootlegs over Broadway: musical theatre (re)productions, digital circulation, and the informal media economy

In recent years, the longstanding practice of producing and circulating bootleg recordings of Broadway musicals has escalated as have condemnations of this activity as detrimental to the commercial theatre industry. Drawing on work from media industry studies, this article reframes theatre bootlegging not as a detrimental practice, but as one that may have generative contributions to the theatre industry for its promotional effects. Rather than celebrating such efforts as wholly resistant or co-opted, however, we must understand bootlegging as essentially fraught, staging the inherent tension between the Broadway musical as art and commerce and blurring the distinction between producers and consumers. Critical attention to theatrical bootlegging as a social and cultural practice foregrounds the range of stakeholders in theatre culture as well as the myriad ways that they function as market actors.

The Namasagali experience: performing Utopia

ABSTRACT It has been almost twenty years since Namasagali College, a co-educational secondary school in Eastern Uganda, staged its last performance, yet the memory of these musical theater productions are recalled with the nostalgia of a lost renaissance. These transdisciplinary productions that utilized modern dance, acting and mimed songs transformed the education of students from the Freirian ‘banking system’ into a liberating educational experience where students participated in the co-creation of these theatrical works. With Father Damien Grimes, Mill Hill Missionary from Wales, at the helm, more than 25 productions were staged during his years as headmaster (1971–2000). What Grimes never lost sight of was the performing arts pedagogy he initiated, which transformed the school into a self-made institution of hope despite the political instability that impacted the school throughout his tenure. This paper investigates the questions of agency, innovation and the role of performance in the self-fashioning of a liberated feminist self among the female students of Namasagali. Drawing on interviews from former students and teachers, this article will discuss the notion of solidarity among students within a modern dance world view as practised in a post-colonial education system.

‘To really trust [...] we had to be open with ourselves and each other’: Community building through Spring Awakening

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to better understand how participation in St. Lawrence University’s (New York, the United States) production of Spring Awakening served as a means of intimate and broader community building. This narrative ethnography investigated the director and a focus group of actors involved in the production of Spring Awakening. Analyses of the data revealed four themes: content, interconnectedness, emotion and vulnerability and magic. St. Lawrence University students welcomed and embraced the language, the music and the subject matter presented to them in the content of Spring Awakening. The willingness with which the students opened up to conversation and community continued to resonate with them in an interconnectedness that seemingly had more depth and more meaning than other productions they have worked on, including other musical theatre productions.

Gestão e fluxos de informação na produção de Teatro Musical

Investiga a existência de práticas relacionadas à Gestão da Informação (GI) e Gestão do Conhecimento (GC) nos fluxos informacionais do processo de produção de espetáculos de Teatro Musical. As bases teóricas para o estudo foram constituídas pela literatura das áreas de Ciência da Informação e Artes Cênicas, abordando as temáticas de GI, GC, Produção Teatral e Teatro Musical. O campo empírico foi uma produção profissional de teatro musical de médio porte, utilizando como metodologia o acompanhamento e observação da produção desde o período de Ensaios, passando pela Montagem, até a Estreia; entrevistas com as equipes da produção e o mapeamento dos processos e fluxos de informação, com a metodologia para notação de modelagem de processos de negócios conhecida pela sigla BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation). Conclui que há a utilização de certas práticas associadas à GI e GC nos processos observados, entretanto sua execução se dá de forma intuitiva e não-coordenada. A produção teatral muito poderia se beneficiar da presença de um Gestor da Informação e da aplicação das práticas de GI e GC em seus processos.

Amateur Music Theatre Singers’ Perceptions of their Current Singing Voice Function

The primary aim of this study was to investigate amateur music theatre singers (MTS)' perceptions of their current singing voice function according to evaluation of ability to sing easily (EASE) scores while involved in a musical theatre production, to determine if scores were influenced by demographic or voice-related factors and to compare EASE scores of amateur MTS and previously published professional MTS. Amateur singers were recruited through the Townsville Choral Society during the preproduction of Les Misérables. A total of 51 amateur MTS completed an online questionnaire including the EASE scale and a supplementary demographic questionnaire. Nonparametric statistical analyses were conducted. Three singers reported they had a voice problem at the time they completed the questionnaire. The EASE did not detect significant differences in perceived vocal function among the singers according to demographic (age and gender) and voice-related characteristics. The amateur cohort reported lower current voice-use demands, such as current vocal load and number of shows over past week, than the previously described professional MTS and no significant differences were found between the two cohorts in the median EASE scores. The results of this study supported both the overall validity of the EASE scale and its use with amateur MTS. In addition, the findings suggest the value of future research investigating the potential use of the EASE for broader clinical application with other population groups.

‘Who Tells Your Story?’: Narrative Theory, Public Memory, and the Hamilton Phenomenon

The popularity of Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical Hamilton has been unprecedented. Hamilton tells the story of the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, a founding father who, until recently, was often forgotten in American public memory. Miranda's unique musical, which fuses an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century story with contemporary music and text, features actors of various races and genders in order to tell the story of ‘America then’ by and for ‘America now’. Through a close textual analysis of the musical's script, cast recording, and sheet music, Valerie Lynn Schrader uses narrative theory to explore how Hamilton creates public memory of one of the lesserknown US founding fathers. She argues that, through the narrative paradigm, Hamilton creates what narrative theorist Walter Fisher refers to as ‘public moral argument’,1 through which audience members can discern life lessons, or ‘equipment for living’,2 for their own lives. Finally, the article suggests that the rhetorical theory of Burkean identification may play a role in how public memory of Hamilton's story is formed and how audience members learn life lessons from the musical. Valerie Lynn Schrader is Associate Professor of Communications Arts and Sciences at the Schuylkill Campus of the Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on rhetorical messages in theatre works, especially musical theatre productions. She is herself a classically trained lyric soprano/soubrette.

Queering Brechtian feminism: Breaking down gender binaries in musical theatre pedagogical performance practices

This article explores how musical theatre pedagogy might begin to dismantle modes of practice that perpetuate exclusion and a dualistic, gendered perspective. I draw on my experience of directing postgraduate musical theatre students at Mountview in a production of Pippin (1972). Casting a trans man as Pippin – in many respects an archetypal male hero role – set in motion a process of queering and subverting norms. However, casting is only one element of creating an inclusive practice: in this work, I developed a hybrid approach that honoured students’ identities and experiences and took a critical, political view of the material being presented. My approach brings together Elin Diamond’s feminist theoretical framing of Brecht with queer concepts including heteronormativity and chrononormativity, which are then applied to David Barnett’s practical explanation of a Brechtian process. I argue that feminist and queer approaches can work together to meaningfully critique hegemonic forces influencing musical theatre training and production processes.

Music and choreography interaction in the stage dances of musical theater productions of the 17th – the first half of the 18th century

Music and choreography interaction in the stage dances of musical theater productions of the 17th – the first half of the 18th century

‘Another National Anthem’: Public Memory, Burkean Identification, and the Musical Assassins

In this article Valerie Lynn Schrader examines the musical Assassins through the rhetorical lenses of public memory and Kenneth Burke's theory of identification. Offering a close textual analysis of the musical's script and cast recording, she argues that Assassins, along with its audiences, serves to co-create a public memory of the men and women who attempted to assassinate Presidents of the United States of America. Her article contends that Assassins creates a chilling consubstantiality between the characters in the musical and theatregoers through Burkean identification, which may cause cognitive dissonance for many audience members. Through identifying key themes in the musical, she argues that these both connect with the assassins' motives and are common human experiences, serving not only to create public memory of the stories, but also to humanize the assassins and create a bond between audience and characters – while the song ‘Something Just Broke’ undermines this connection and encourages audience members to identify with the mourning American public. Valerie Lynn Schrader is Associate Professor of Communications and Interim Director of Academic Affairs at the Schuylkill Campus of the Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on rhetorical messages in theatre works, especially musical theatre productions. She is herself a classically trained lyric soprano/soubrette.

Raising the curtain on audiences at The Phantom of the Opera

South Africa provides an abundance of entertainment options. Over 100 active spaces across the country offer everything from indigenous drama, music, dance, cabaret and satire to West End and Broadway hits, classical concerts, opera and ballet. The result is stiff competition to attract attendees. Adding to this worry, with an ageing population, and young people less inclined to attend live theatre, audiences are getting smaller. There is thus serious concern about the future sustainability of theatre. A literature review confirms that little research has been done on who goes to the theatre and why. This study investigates audience members’ motives for attending performances of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera at the Teatro at Montecasino in Johannesburg and uses these motives to categorize the attendees into market segments. The survey, carried out from 31 January to 6 May 2012, was the first analysis of attendees at a musical theatre production of this magnitude in South Africa. The survey provided valuable insights into the behaviour of people attending productions of this kind in South Africa and the findings suggest policies and marketing strategies for attracting more visitors to the theatre.

Music preferences with regard to music education, informal influences and familiarity of music amongst young people in Croatia

The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between music preference and music education, informal influences (attending classical music concerts and musical theatre productions) and familiarity of music. The research included students of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Split (N=341)1. The results showed that participants usually listen to popular music in their leisure time and that popular music is their most preferred music style. A positive relationship between familiarity and preferences was found but this effect was not unambiguous. A relationship between music preferences and secondary school music education was not found, but those participants who attended music school preferred some music styles more than did those participants who did not attend music school. There was a significant correlation found between the frequency of attending classical music concerts and preferences for classical music, jazz and world music. Finally, the results indicated that people who frequently attend musical theatre productions have significantly higher preferences for jazz and world music. The authors pointed to the problem of unattractiveness of music lessons in secondary schools and suggest possible solutions to the problem.

Factors Affecting Healthful Eating Among Touring Popular Musicians and Singers

Maintaining good health is essential for touring musicians and singers. The stressful demands of touring may impact food choices, leading to detrimental effects on health and performance. This exploratory pilot study aimed to assess factors affecting healthful eating of touring musicians and singers. A 46-item survey was used to assess food- and nutrition-related attitudes, knowledge and behaviors, and environmental factors, as well as lifestyle, musical background, and demographic data. Participants (n=35) were recruited from a musicians' assistance foundation as well as touring musical theater productions and a music festival. Results indicate that touring musicians and singers had positive attitudes regarding healthful foods. Of 35 respondents, 80.0% indicated eating healthful food was important to them. Respondents reported feeling confident selecting (76.5%) and preparing (82.4%) healthful foods; however, they showed uncertainty when determining if carbohydrate-containing foods should be consumed or avoided. Respondents indicated environmental factors including availability and cost of healthy food options and tour schedules limited access to healthful foods. Venues (73.5%), fast food restaurants (67.6%), and airports (64.7%) were the most frequently identified locations in need of offering more healthful food choices. Respondents (52.9%) indicated more support from others while touring would help them make healthier food choices. More research is needed to develop mobile wellness programs as well as performance-based nutrition guidelines for musicians and singers that address the unique demands associated with touring.

Acting and Collecting: Imagining Asia through material culture and musical theatre

This paper explores the link between Asian-inspired material culture and musical theatre through the collections of Anglo-Australian performer Herbert Browne (1895-1975). Brown played lead roles in 1920s Australian musical theatre productions of The Mikado and Chu Chin Chow and re-lived his connection with oriental theatre by collecting and responding to objects performatively in the Chinoiserie room of his Melbourne home. Oriental musical theatre blended exotic cultures and locales in visually spectacular productions which bore little resemblance to reality. The taste for escapist fiction in the theatre took place against a backdrop of museum collecting which aimed to reproduce authentic Asian and Other cultures. In this paper, I draw on French philosopher Merleau-Ponty’s observations on the relationship between thought and the body’s interaction with space to interpret the influence of Browne’s theatricality on collecting choices. From this perspective, objects materialize particular understandings of the world which originate in the body and the body’s performative engagement with space.