Intro to Musical Theatre

What is Theater? Theater as a PLACE Theater as an ART

What is Theater? Theater can refer to any space where performances take place Plays, music or dance concerts and operas are all performed in theaters A theater can be a formal building or a temporary platform placed inside or outside Can also be known as an auditorium or stage

What is Theater? Theater also refers to everything connected with the theatrical arts The play itself The stage Scenery Lighting Makeup Costumes Music Dancing Acting Actors

Kinds of Shows Broadway Off-Broadway West End

Kinds of Shows- Broadway The term Broadway comes from the legendary street found in New York City: Broadway A “Broadway show” is a play or musical performed in one of the specially designated theaters along or very near the street It can also refer to a traveling show that has once been in one of these theaters Many towns have a “Broadway Series” featuring the famous plays and musicals that have been performed on Broadway

Broadway St. New York City

Broadway Shows The Lion King Wicked Spider-Man Jersey Boys Mary Poppins Chicago How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Sister Act Phantom of the Opera Mamma Mia Billy Elliot Anything Goes Porgy and Bess Godspell The Addams Family

Kinds of Shows- Off-Broadway Off-Broadway refers to theaters that are smaller than those on Broadway These theaters show different kinds of plays or musicals that works better in small settings/areas Draw smaller audiences and are about less popular topics The longest running play in the history of New York, The Fantasticks, played Off-Broadway for 42 years!

Off Broadway Shows Stomp Blue Man Group Rent Avenue Q The Fantastiks You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown Rock of Ages Shows that may no longer be showing on Broadway

Kinds of Shows-West End In London England, Broadway style shows are called West End shows because they are performed in the West End of London When people begin to see enough shows in one area, they begin to call the plays by that location Depending on where you are, you might call the play a Broadway show, an Off-Broadway show or a West End show

Mary Poppins plays at Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre

The Lion King plays in London’s Lyceum Theatre in the West End

Touring Shows A show that is popular in New York or London is often restaged around the country or around the world. A domestic tour is a show that is loaded into trucks so that the show can be seen all over the United States An international tour is a show that is loaded into boats or airplanes and taken all over the world The Lion King is performed in English, Dutch, German, Korean, Japanese and French!

Touring Show Jersey Boys is currently performed on Broadway and is also a Domestic Touring show. Currently showing at the Ohio Theater in Columbus August 17th through September 4th!

Other Theaters Regional Theaters: professional theater companies located in cities throughout the United States Actors Theatre of Columbus California Shakespeare Theater Children’s Theater Company Cincinnati Theater in the Park Old Globe Theatre Players Theatre Columbus

Other Theaters Summer Stock Theaters: plays put on in a tourist area by professionals and students. These shows are put together in only a few weeks Carousel Theatre in Akron/Canton Ohio

Other Theaters Community Theaters: plays put on by amateurs or people that are not paid. These are people that do it for the love of theater and to have fun with friends and other people who love putting on shows Columbus: Curtain Players, Center Stage Players, Worthington Community Theatre, St. Brigid Players, Emerald City Players Columbus Children’s Theatre?

Styles of Theaters Just like there are lots of types of shows, there are many different kinds of theaters The main thing that makes them different is where the audience sits in relation to the stage There are several options

Proscenium The most familiar kind, a proscenium theater is where the action of the show takes place on a stage at the front of the room and the audience sits facing the stage

Thrust Stage A thrust stage is like a proscenium, but with an additional piece: the “thrust” is an extra section of the stage area that extends beyond the proscenium into the audience

Amphitheater One of the oldest styles of theaters that was originally built outside, this theater is a half circle of seating raised up to look down on the stage

Theater-In-The-Round Any theater where the audience is seated on all sides of the stage is known as theater-in-the-round but it can be not only round but square, triangular or any closed shape

Oklahoma! A musical by Rogers and Hammerstein Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein joined together to write many musicals together including Carousel, State Fair, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music They have been awarded 34 Tony’s, 15 Acadamey Awards, 2 Pulitzer Prizes, 2 Grammy’s and 2 Emmy’s. They are considered the most successful musical writers Broadway has ever seen.

Oklahoma! Based on a play called Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs Curly (good guy) and Jud (bad guy) are 2 cowboys who compete for the love of a girl named Laurey. Eventually, Curly and Laurey fall and love and get married. Jud picks a fight with Curly and is accidentally killed when he falls on his own knife. Throughout the musical they are celebrating the new state of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma!

Oklahoma! Lyrics Eller: They couldn't pick a better time as that in life Andrew: It ain't too early and it ain't too late Laurey: Startin' as a farmer with a brand new wife Curley: Soon'll be livin' in a brand new state Company: Brand new state, gonna treat you great! Gonna give you barley, carrots and pertaters, Pasture fer the cattle, Spinach and termayters! Flowers on the prarie where the June bugs zoom, Plen'y of air and plen'y of room, Plen'y of room to swing a rope! Plen'y of heart and plen'y of hope.

Oklahoma! Lyrics pg. 2 Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet When the wind comes right behind the rain. Oklahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk Makin' lazy circles in the sky. We know we belong to the land And the land we belong to is grand! And when we say Yeeow! Ayipioeeay! We're only sayin' You're doin' fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma O.K. (REPEAT)

Oklahoma! Lyrics pg.3 Okla-homa-Okla-homa-Okla-homa Okla-homa-Okla-homa-Okla-homa... We know we belong to the land And the land we belong to is grand! And when we say Yeeow! Ayipioeeay! We're only sayin' You're doin' fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma O.K. L - A - H - O - M - A OKLAHOMA! Yeeow!