Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre

Where did it originate?

• Ancient Greek theater

• The first musical theater performance in America took place in 1735

Subject | Subject

• Theater began about 2,500 years ago

• Greeks staged comedies & tragedies

• During the 12th &13th centuries, churches used musical theater to set their services to religious chants

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Early Musicals

• Roles were only played by men

• Only a small percentage of boys castrated to preserve their voices had successful careers on the operatic stage; but because of their marked appearance and the ban on their marrying, there was little room for them in society outside a musical context.

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Actors

Multiple Choice

True or False

Shows originated from Ancient Greek Theatre?

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or False

Women were allowed to perform

• True

• False

Modern Day Musical

What is it?

• Typically has 12-15 songs placed when a character needs to express something

• Music is at the forefront of a musical

• Is a staged production that tells a story through singing and dancing mixed with costumes and sets

What is it is not.

• Not a play - play may have music in between scenes or in the background but is not used to tell the story

• Not an Opera - an Opera has no spoken word throughout the show

Multiple Choice

Which does NOT fit?

A musical is...

• Music is at the forefront of a musical

• is a staged production that tells a story throughout singing and dancing mixed with costumes and sets

• Music is played to distract the audience from set changes.

• typically 12-15 songs used when a character needs to express something

Multiple Choice

Which does NOT fit?

A musical is not...

• music in between scenes or in the background

• music that portrays an emotion or feeling of a character

• has no spoken word throughout the show

Types of Songs

• Overture

• Opening Number

• Character Song

• Production Number or Closing Number

Multiple Choice

What type of songs can you NOT find in a musical?

• Aria

• Character Song

• Overture

• Production Number

• The orchestral piece at the beginning giving a brief introduction to songs throughout the show.

Overture

• "I am" talks about who they are

• "I want" talks about their dreams

Character Song

• All actors are on stage for a large dance or song

  It can be celebrating a happy ending or mourning a sad ending

Production Number

Multiple Choice

What is an example of a character song?

• "Fireworks"

• "Gaston" from Beauty and the Beast

• Composer

• Lyricist

• Librettist

Who is involved?

• The person who writes the music for the musical

Composer

• The person who write the words to the songs in a musical

Lyricist

• The person who writes the book or dialogue to tell the story of the musical

Librettist

Who helps put on a musical performance?

MANY people are involved in bringing a musical to life on stage

• The person who makes decisions about how a performance will be staged

Director

• The person who creates and teachers the dances in a musical

Choreographer

• The people who perform the musical through acting, singing, and dancing

Actors

• The person who conducts the musicians and singers throughout the performance

Music Director/ Conductor

• The musicians who accompany the singers on stage. These musicians perform in the "pit," or offstage. A pit orchestra could contain rock instruments, pianos, drum sets, winds, and strings. There are many musicals with all different kinds of accompaniment

Orchestra Musicians (Pit Orchestra)

Multiple Choice

A musical and play are the same thing

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

A musical uses singing and dancing to help drive the plot or storyline.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What does a choreographer do?

• Writes the music for a musical

• Creates the lyrics for a musical

• Creates the dances for a musical

• Performs in the pit orchestra

Multiple Choice

A composer write the ____________ for a musical.

• staging

• music

• book

• choreography

Multiple Choice

What does an orchestra musician do?

• Writes the music for a musical

• Creates the lyrics for a musical

• Creates the dances for a musical

• Performs in the pit orchestra