A bright young girl of 3 years sat in a dark auditorium watching the magic that was happening on stage. For weeks she had sat in those seats watching as the annual spring musical rehearsed. She watched as those high school students were transformed into experienced actors. That very moment started her love for musical theatre.
That little girl was me and 12 years later my love and passion for musical theatre is still burning strong. I didn't officially choose to go into the field of musical theatre until I was 11. Since then I have been focusing constantly on my future, taking classes and going to camps. Every single thing I do affects my future and I know the Alfred University Theatre Program could help me immensely.
I believe I could be
What started out as a hobby transformed into a passion for an art form that allows me to use movements and expressions to tell a story. Whether I’m on stage in front of an audience of just friends and family, hundreds of strangers and a panel of judges, or the whole school, performing over thirty times, has helped me build lifelong
...ush. Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theater Hanover: Brandeis University Press, published by University Press of New England, 2003.
The theater community came together throughout history to influence the world in its own way. When the American people became negatively influenced and less optimistic, Broadway gave them an opportunity to escape their troubles and engage in a different world on a stage. The people of Broadway were filled with hope and freedom to inspire others through their talents in the arts. The talents and love of the arts were passed down from generation to generation to make Broadway what is it today. Despite its rise and fall in popularity, Broadway played a key role in shaping the entertainment industry and impacted American culture.
On a Wednesday night I saw Texas State Theatre and Dance Department's performance of A Chorus Line. The main plot of the musical entails the audition of 17 dancers for several Broadway roles on the chorus line. However, during their auditions the director Zach asks for personal stories of each dancer's life. Though the plot of this musical is seemingly simple in its twist on the traditional audition, it explores themes that reveal the human experience, the search for individuality, and the sense of self.
When studying musical theater, or any type of theater, you cannot just expect to start at Wicked, without understanding how shows of that magnitude came to be. We look at musical theater today, and sit in the theater seats, in awe at the spectacle that we were so fortunate to get orchestra tickets to. Yet, when studying, we need to begin somewhere. This episode is that somewhere. It highlights an individual crucial to the creation of the modern day production. Through his work, other directors and producers have been able to bring their ideas to the stage. Florenz Ziegfeld is an inspiration to any student, artist, or anyone with a passion for musical theater. Miles Krueger said, “The history of Musical Theater is divided into two eras- everything before Showboat and everything
On March 31, I had the pleasure of seeing Hello Dolly at Mandeville High School. As a talented theater student at the school, I take the shows that are put on very seriously. Being involved in the show, helping make set pieces, and working at the box office brings light to me as an individual, every little helping hand counts. I want to make sure that my school represents theater in the best way possible. With this production put on, I am proud to say that I am a theater student at Mandeville High.
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
As Leonard Bernstein once said, musical theatre is “an art that arises out of American roots, out of our speech, our tempo, our moral attitudes, our way of moving” (Bernstein,???). Therefore, it stands to reason that society will continue to engage with musical theatre to witness themes that reflect their daily lives and social history. For example, “Hairspray” deals with African-American integration, “Wicked” addresses social exclusion and “Hair” conjures themes of the sexual revolution and political uprise (GROVE MUSIC). Moreover, Miller (2007) describes that musical theatre, its lyricists and book writers, composers, directors and actors, have continually had to evolve to suit the modern day audiences desires for more relatable material, which is now recognised in modern theatre’s energetic, dissolute, intense and emotional presentation (reference??). NEW PARAGRAPH? Now, more than ever before, America, and the world, can access these thought-provoking themes through the increasing use of disseminating musical theatre through mediums other than live theatre. These include movie musicals such as Les Miserables (2012) and Into the Woods (2014), TV series such as Smash (2012-13) and Glee (2009-15), Disney- animated musicals such as Frozen (2013), which showcase the
I wish that Annie the musical could be my elective all year long. As I did whatever needed to be done in this play, I thought a lot about what made this play be so magical. Was it Allie Gilbowit’s amazing voice, or Rebecca Hensley’s sly sarcasm in her dump of an office? Tessie’s whining or the beautiful sets? For me, I feel like it came in the form of all these things, and more. It was a marvelous experience because I was in charge of music, delighted in my costume and being a choreographer, and felt like I was someone else as I acted as a Star-To-Be and Servant.
In this essay I will address racial issues in Musical theatre, specifically the black and white divide. I have chosen this subject because I find it interesting how racism used to be so accepted in society, and although it’s decreasing presence it is still an issue today. I will be looking at two similar yet contrasting musicals written at different times. Both these musicals have racial issues through their storyline. I will look at the similarities and differences between these two musicals and how racial issues are expressed. Additionally I will consider when the shows were written; what impact these musicals had on society and vice versa.
It’s a very rewarding feeling knowing you’ve helped someone who has been really struggling, and knowing that they trust you with their problems and that they know they can rely on you for assistance when they need it. Being involved with the musicals is some of the most fun i’ve had in my highschool career. I’ve always tried out for the highschool musical and always gotten a part, and just last year I helped the backstage crew of the middle school musical. Just being a part of it is what I like the most, being a single part in an entire production, and i’m the person who was best fit for that specific part. It makes me feel unique and different knowing that I was picked for that certain part. Last year I got my first actual lead as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard Of Oz. It had to have been the greatest experience of my life, I read my script any chance I could because I wanted to make this the best performance I have ever done, and I feel like I had
As the curtain came down, the audience roared. The same little girl is now twenty years old. She gets out her cell phone and quickly sneaks a picture of the beautiful golden curtain. Captioning the photo as “the best spectacular on earth”, she posts it to Instagram and hits over one hundred “likes” within minutes. She walks outside and looks up at the marquee. With a smile on her face, she walks to the subway dreaming of the day she will be on that stage. This celebrated theatre has found a place in her heart, creating an eternal love for New York and an eternal love for the beautiful landmark that is Radio City Music Hall.
I’ve learned to appreciate the beauty of how theater is more than a mere performance, but rather an artform with nuance and depth. My knowledge on theatrical styles has expanded and some of my favorites we have studied in class are Brechtian and Chinese theatre styles. I grew up participating in musical theatre, but never had the opportunity to truly learn the history and details of the craft. After studying RENT, I am inspired by the various possibilities for theater beyond acting, singing, and dancing. Theater can be used for activism or as a form of commemoration. Theater is relevant by communicating issues to the world. Theater is so much more than a dramatic presentation. The theater that I have come to appreciate the most are the performances that relay a greater purposeful message about society amidst the theatricals on
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” This is a famous quote by one of my favorite musicians, Bob Marley. Carl, Mani and I, Caitlin, all have a thriving passion for music and the influence it has on people. Ever since I was a little girl, music has been an imperative part of my life, as it is a distraction from the harsh reality of the world. Truthfully, I would be lost without music; it’s one of the few things that have kept me sane. For that exact reason, my group and I chose to revolve our project around music. Mani has been playing the saxophone for 5 years and now is learning piano. His passion for music has greatly impacted his life for his interests in how different artists have different styles even while in the same genre. Carl has been and currently takes piano lessons since he was 6 years old; he has over 900 songs on his phone alone depicting his strong passion and bond with music. While researching online if any such project exists, to accentuate the necessity for music in third-world countries, I discovered that my objective would be the first of its kind. Although there are many companies with “zero impact” guitars or sustainable guitars, ours is unique because of the nonprofit sector and the design aspect. That is how GreenTunes began; sensibly our funds for supporting this are nonexistent. While brainstorming several ideas on how we could solve our financial problems, I thought of a brilliant concept. Our destined goal is to start a non-profit organization to satisfy the creative and musical cravings in third-world countries; however this sets an unrealistic initial goal. We decided that we must begin small, collaborating with famous instrument manufacturers, those that have an interest...
Anybody that knows me knows that my passion and goals in life have to deal with fashion. If I could be anything in this world I would love to be a designer of some sort or at least be in the industry. When it comes to clothing and style it just comes easy one of the easiest things I’m good at. Fashion is an art form it allows you to express your view on style anyway you choose. And to me I feel like nobody has the right to judge that. Style hasn’t always come easy to be though just like everything else it takes time and practice it’s still a work in progress. When I look back to my middle school and early high school years I wonder deeply about my choices, middle school had to have been the worst. I was going through a colored jeans faze, I would wear bright yellow, honey mustard yellow, sky blue, purple, and pink. If somebody were to name a color I probably had jeans that color. It gets worse though because I would have the worst possible combination choice of shoes to go along with a matching bead necklace and bracelet set, followed by a grey or navy blue uniform shirt. It’s clear I had no idea what I was doing the best part is I was being myself and that’s all that matters. No matter how much I think my style has grown I’m only human and will look back and probably wonder why I wore the outfit I’m wearing sitting here writing this essay.