The Making of a Musical: The Creative Process

TDM 194 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

This course introduces students to the collaborative process of creating a musical through an analysis of both revivals and new musicals.  Students will learn about the key components of a musical including: book and adaptation; music and lyrics; choreography; and visual design through close readings of existing and new musicals and their source material, through viewings of film adaptations, and through readings by theorists and practitioners. The course will also feature engagement with professionals across the field through in-class conversations with artists and producers.  

Students will study a range of American musicals, including work in development at the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.). 
 

Over the course of the semester, students will write a paper analyzing the process of adaptation from source material to musical on stage. As a culminating project, they will also develop a vision and “pitch” for their own musical theater project.  

Course Notes

This course satisfies the “Critical" requirement for TDM concentrators and Secondary Field students.