The American Musical Research Project


Visit these websites to complete the project, which is reproduced below:


Musicals101.com: The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film
http://www.musicals101.com/

MusicalsdotNet: The Place for Musical Theatre
http://www.musicals101.com/

The Broadwasy Musical Home: A Comprehensive Directory of over 175 Broadway Musicals
http://www.broadwaymusicalhome.com/

Broadway: The American Musical (the PBS site for the documentary)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/

Broadway: 
The American Musical
Research Project

For this project, you and a partner will be selecting an American Musical major influence or genre to research.  You will be presenting your research to your classmates.  This project will be worth 600 points (about 1/3 of your 3 quarter grade) so it should be taken very seriously.

Requirements:  You will choose from one of the suggestions below to research.  You will be given some time in the computer lab, but you will also need to devote your own time at home to complete this project.  You will be presenting your research in front of the class on a large poster board along with other visual aides.  During the presentation, you will need to bring in examples from your musical, including excerpts from the songs (audio) or movie version (visual).  We will not watch the entire movie, so choose only about 5-10 minutes worth of material to best demonstrate your point about the genre.  The whole presentation should be around 15-20 minutes in length (including the audio/visual examples).

The Project will be Due on Wednesday February 10th, 2010

Be ready to present your subject in a 15-minute presentation at that time.  Each day that the presentation is late will cost 10% (60 points); so don't be late!!

Research Suggestions:

 
•    Florenz Ziegfeld, the end of vaudeville, and the Ziegfeld Follies.
•    George M. Cohan and the beginning of the Broadway musical.
•    The Rhapsody of George and Ira Gershwin
•    Musicals of the 1920's
•    "The Cradle will Rock" and other musicals during the Great Depression
•    Hollywood taking over Broadway: The Movie Musical—from the '30's to today
•    My Pals Rogers and Hart
•    The Sound of Rogers and Hammerstein
•    Kiss me Cole Porter!
•    Andrews, Brice, and Channing, the ABC's of leading ladies, and other memorable women of the stage (Martin, Minelli, Peters, etc.)
•    African Americans on Broadway
•    Call Me Irving Berlin and Get Your Gun!
•    The Modern Day Rock Operas
•    Jerome Kern and the influence of "Show Boat"
•    How to Succeed in Business like Frank Loesser
•    The Phantoms and Cats of Andrew Lloyd Webber on Sunset Blvd.
•    On the Town with Leonard Bernstein: A West Side Story
•    The Choreography genius of  Jerome Robbins
•    Lerner and Lowe in Camelot
•    Bob Fosse: Changing the Way Broadway dances
•    Stephen Sondheim: Broadway in minor key
•    The Cabaret of Kander and Ebb in Chicago
•    Broadway in the 21st Century—what's new at 42nd Street.

Broadway:
The American Musical
Research Project
Basic Information Sheet

Chosen Subject: ___________________________________________________________________

Key Musicals (and years first produced) included are: _______________________________________ ________________________________________

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The Era in History during the subject's prominence: _________________________________________________________________________________

What was happening in the country during that time?

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Chose one of the key musicals from the subject to fill out the following information:

1.    Name of key musical: ________________________________________________________

2.    Notes on the outline the plot of the musical: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.    Music composed by: __________________________________________________________

4.    Lyrics by: __________________________________________________________________

5.    Original Broadway Director: ___________________________________________________

6.   Original Leading Cast members:

CHARACTER ROLE                                            ACTOR/ACTRESS
   
   
   
   
   


7.   Opening Date: ______________________________

8.   Opening Theatre: ____________________________________________________________

9. List of songs (on a separate piece of paper)

10. When you viewed/heard the subject, what was your reaction?  What is your opinion of the musical?  Did you like it?  Did you not like it?  Why or why not?

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Bibliography:

1. _____________________________________________________________________________

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2. _____________________________________________________________________________

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3. _____________________________________________________________________________

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4. _____________________________________________________________________________

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