The point of this investigation is to determine whether landing a role on the West End or Broadway is an opportunity of a lifetime for a young performer. Children have been performing in shows for hundreds of years but with today's society and competitiveness the stakes are even higher to be a starring name in theatre. From musicals like ‘The King and I’ and ‘Sound of Music’ to ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and ‘Kinky Boots’ musical theatre has expanded. With the expansion of musical theatre, the type of performers has expanded too. Children are expected to be skilled a lot earlier in their careers and the standard of training is higher than it was 10 years ago. There are few musicals around currently that don’t involve children so when it comes to the audition process hundreds of thousands of children come along to make their dreams come true.
Involving children in musicals helps attracts an audience, It creates a youthfulness about the show and helps develop a story. Using children in musical theatre also helps develop the social and cultural aspects of the productions and helps brings topics of today's society to
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With 40 theatres within Broadway (not including off Broadway) there is no chance you can miss one of the hit shows. The History of Broadway dates back to the 1700’s. In 1798 , after the American Revolution the first great NYC theatre was built. It wasn't till late 1800’s - early 1900’s that Broadway made its grand debut. Thanks to the upcoming train transportation and the New York subway, late night entertainment was in high demand and left Broadway with no choice but to up its game with bigger and better productions. It was then later nicknamed “The Great White Way” by the New York Evening Telegram because of the bright, white electric lights they used to advertise the shows which span from 42nd street to 53rd St Midtown
Musicals are usually known for their upbeat songs, dances, and the lighthearted stories that they tell through the art form known as theatre. What many people don’t know, is that since the beginning of theatre, musicals have dealt with serious social issues that have taken place within our society. Musicals have taken unique approaches in projecting impactful social movements and issues. In the past, musicals have made certain ideals, values, and perspectives easier for the people in society to understand and accept. One of the most prominent theatre production companies to deal with major social issues and that has had influence through their musicals is Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
The theatres in Chicago have a very vast and interesting history. Starting in the 1920’s, it has been around for a long time. Stephen Schwartz once said “I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return”(goodreads.com). Broadway can help teach people morales. Broadway is one of the most exciting parts of downtown Chicago. Broadway in Chicago is undoubtedly less recognized then what it should be due to its talent and national status.
Shakespeare’s shows have been performed throughout the world including Great Britain. They have been seen in the Globe Theatre in London since the Elizabethan times.
“Theatre is like a gym for the empathy. It’s where we can go to build up the muscles of compassion, to practice listening and understanding and engaging with people that are not just like ourselves. We practice sitting down, paying attention and learning from other people’s actions. We practice caring.” (Bill English of the SF Playhouse). This quote accurately summarises the purpose of Children’s Theatre, to help the growth and understanding of children whilst also keeping them entertained through theatrical techniques. The National Theatre’s Cat in the Hat, along with our performance pieces of Cranky Bear and Possum Magic all showcased these techniques in a number of ways, whilst also subconsciously coinciding with the child development theories
As in all genres, the musicals have had its share of failures. Some worthy dramas have been pressed into service and musicalized and sometimes butchered in the process, and audiences have had to watch a fine play diluted into a mediocre musical. But the successes have been many and spectacular and they have left a long lasting effect on the American art and 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.
entertainment trying to catch our attention. If we're interested, we can simply go the the nearest
One of the very first electrified streets in the United States was Broadway. This gave it many opportunities to become a large icon for our nation. As we know now it is one of the most well-known places for great entertainment. However Broadway was not always the iconic entertainment center it is today; it was stolen, had New York City emerge around it, and persevered through many difficult economic and cultural times.
First of all, Broadway is the heart of the American theater. The only other theatre district in the world that compares to Broadway is the theater district in West End of London, England. Just how big is Broadway? “Located in and around Times Square, the roughly thirty-five legitimate Broadway theaters form the backbone of one of the most highly concentrated entertainment districts in the world along with London’s West End” (Simonoff). The city of New York has had a professional theatre district since the eighteenth century. As time went on, the district slowly moved uptown to Broadway. In the early 1900s, the Time Square theatre district had a total of seventy theaters. These theaters were “scattered roughly in the area between Thirty-ninth Street, Fifty-ninth Street, Sixth Avenue, and Eighth Avenue” (McNamara). Today, there are approximately thirty-five theaters in the Time Square area. It’s true that today, the number of present day Broadway theaters has been cut in half from the number of theaters there once were. However, this decrease in the number of theaters does not mean that Broadway is extinct.
The Broadway musical has been entertaining a wide variety of Americans for generations. It is not always clear what exactly draws millions of people across the country to these shows each year, some scholars, including Stacy Wolf, argue that the spectacular costumes, grandiose music, and exciting story lines, offer Americans an escape from their reality. It has been argued that Broadway musicals do not promote positive or progressive views of women, but only depict them in roles that are stereotypically associated with women. While this may be the case in some shows, it is more common for a female character to have depth and defy traditional stereotypes. From the twentieth century on, Broadway became
The Lion King musical is a well-known musical that has taken the stages of Broadway, West End and the rest of the world by storm (The Lion King, 1997). Regarding the process of the musical, Artistic Director Julie Taymor’s first thoughts for choosing the Lion King as the next big thing on stage, was classed as ‘impossible’ due to the film’s lack of theatrical material (The Lion King, 1997). Therefore, staging this particular work contained a great deal of uncertainty and the need for taking huge risks. Taymor (1997) suggests how ‘the Lion King was the worst idea possible to create a stage show.’ It has become evident that a number of significant barriers had to be overcome to secure the practicality of the production. In view of this controversy, this dissertation will critically analyse the success of the Lion King by exploring two significant aspects that have helped to make the musical a success. Firstly, the essential components that make up this theatrical production will be explored and secondly, the roles of each producer within the Lion King and their combined and individual influences they have had from the production will be evaluated. By analysing these two central themes, this paper will show how and why this musical has developed and achieved its phenomenal success.
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Immanuel Kant, and Frederick Douglass are all authors who have strong societal and political convictions. The literary works of these authors that were published were revolutionary and impacted the views and ideas of those around them, making a large enough impact to still show importance to this day. An important idea they all contributed to was freedom and education. Although all these authors have similarities in pushing for a change in their society, they were initially driven by motives different from one another. Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was born in the 17th century and passed away at the age of 46 as a remarkable Mexican poet.
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding
Broadway is a familiar name to millions around the globe. Although, many who know this name have no idea of how it all started, it is a name that brings entertainment to the mind. Broadway means fame and talent, a name that has thousands of meanings. It is not only a world leading theater, but also a theater that made history. From the discovery of the theater itself, to the publishing of hundreds of ultra famous plays; Broadway has survived many rough times throughout history.