INSTRUCTOR: Kristin Richins

DATE: 4/2/2012

COURSE TITLE: Theatre Methods

LESSON #: 9

UNIT: History in Plays and Musicals

SPECIFIC TOPIC:
Musical Theatre

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL: (Goals for the entire unit)

-Students will see that history and theatre are intertwined.
-Students will understand how historical topics impact plays.
-Students will gain a greater understanding of history and theatre based on
their play project.
-Students will understand the basics of Musical Theatre and how it can help
with the development of a musical/play.
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE:
-Understand the history of Musical Theatre and how it can help with the
development of a musical/play.
-Be able to state the history behind Musical Theatre
LESSON CONTENT:
Day 1:
Taking a trip through Musical Theatre history!

Greece and Rome:

-Welcome to the birthplace of Theatre; Athens, Greece. Quick
overview of the BIG 4 Greek play writes: Sophocles, Euripides,
Aristophanes, Aeschylus. What was the chorus role in Greek Theatre?
The chorus told the story, reflected the audiences thoughts, and
acted as omniscient characters. They were the narrators. Thoughts of
the importance of the first theatre.
-Rome: Rome adopted many characteristic of Greek culture including
Theatre; but made it their own. Took out the morals and lessons that
Greek Theatre is known for and left only the scandal and smut.

*Opinion question (discussion): What is art? Would Romans version of

Theatre be considered art? Why or why not?

Medieval Europe:
-Next stop- Medieval Europe! Explain that at this time the Christian
church largely ran European society. *Opinion discussion question:
Without being taught think about how the Roman Theatre and the
Medieval Europe Theatre contrast. Theatre was majorly based on the
Bible. Dance was considered evil and so if there was any dancing in
these plays it would have to be by the performer portraying the devil.

Renaissance:
-Next stop-The Renaissance! What is the Renaissance? A time of
rebirth that started in Italy. Evolved into what we know as Opera.
A monologue= aria. Dialogue between two people= duet.
Conversation or chorus parts=recitative. Show quick examples of all
of these and discuss how they are similar or dissimilar to their
Theatre counterparts.

Pre-Civil War South:

-Next stop- Pre-Civil War South! Contrast between the Northerners
(roots in Puritanismnot a lot of musical theatre was occurring) and
the slaves in the South. Come from Africa so music, dance and
theatre were a part of their tribal cultures. To pass the long hours
spent doing hard labor in the fields, many slaves would sing. At nights
they would entertain themselves by singing and dancing. One artistic
form that came out of this era was tap dancing. They would sprinkle
sand or dirt on a hard surface which made the sounds more distinct
and take turns developing intricate rhythms. Their songs often acted
as a way for them to vent their sorrows. This was the beginnings of
Blues music. Play the students a brief clip of some Blues artist (Louie
Armstrong etc.)
Activity: Talk about how the slaves, encouraged by their masters
would have competitions to see who could do the best impersonation
of their master. This is called a cake-walk because the winner was
awarded with a cake. Time to do a cake walk!: Divide them into two
groups and have the first group stand in a line and ask them to give
their best impersonation of some authority figure (i.e. principle, a well
known teacher, you etc.) Announce that the winner gets a cupcake.
Have the other group act as the judges and then switch.

Note: Students should keep their worksheets since they will finish
them and turn them in at the next lesson.
Day 2:

Vaudeville:
-Continuing on from the previous day: Next stop- Vaudeville! Later
into the 20th century introduced Vaudeville. Much like a talent show.
Vaudeville showed a variety of acts from singing and dancing to
magic tricks and pet acts. *Opinion: Discussion- Can anyone think of
modern Vaudeville acts? Show clip of Saturday Night Live.

Pirates of Penzance:
-Next stop- Pirates of Penzance! In England: W.S. Gilbert and Arthur
Sullivan, created shows that mocked the dramatic operas of the day.
Most famous piece in Pirates of Penzance. (Play a short musical clip of
Pirates. Show the police scene.) Beginning of the musical theatre
craze that would soon hit the U.S. *Opinion and discussion: Why is
this type of theatre successful? Is this something that you would want
to watch?

Rogers and Hammerstein:

--Next stop- legends in the making- Rogers and Hammerstein. Some
of their shows include: The King and I, South Pacific, Cinderella, State
Fair, Carousel, and The Sound of Music and Oklahoma! Oklahoma!
was a landmark because of its legendary Dream Ballet. Dance is
used to show the hidden fears of the main character Laurey. (Show
the chip from Oklahoma! with the dream sequence.)

West Side Story (1957):

-Based on Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet and takes place in the
rough neighborhoods of New York Citys West Side. Trouble between
gang of Puerto Ricans (the Sharks) and the reigning gang (the Jets).
Landmark because it deals with serious issues such as youth
delinquency, gang violence, racial violence and eventually murder.
Also a landmark because it integrated dance into the everyday
movements of the characters. (Show the opening dance of West Side
Story)

1970s and 1980s:

-Foreign invasion of Broadway. Andrew Lloyd Weber and Boubilil and
Schonberg came from Europe and stole the show from the Americans.
. Andrew Lloyd Webers pieces include; Phantom of the Opera, Cats,
and Starlight Express. Boublil and Schonbergs biggest hits include;
Les Miserables, and Miss Saigon. Another characteristic of this period
was the use of large spectacle. In Phantom, at one point, a large
chandelier falls from the ceiling and crashes on stage. In Miss Saigon,
a real helicopter lands on stage. (play a short musical clip from one of
these shows, I recommend On My Own from Les Miserables since
most of them will be familiar with it already).

Modern Broadway:
-Talk about how the 90s and 2000s are marked by a division on
Broadway. Contrast of Rent and Disney shows.Talk about how Disney
wanted to make musicals that were family friendly and would show a
cleaner side to musical theatre while Rent presented the opposing
view. It promoted an alternative lifestyle to traditional family values
and showed the raw edge that often accompanies social decay. It
talks about difficult issues and promotes tolerance for those with
alternative lifestyles.
*Activity: Have the students divide into two teams and play Broadway
Feud. Have them study their notes for a few minutes and then begin.
The students all have to come up with two questions from the
material. One at a time team members go up to the front of the room.
The first person to push the buzzer gets to answer the question. If
they get it wrong or take too long, the other person gets a chance. If
neither of them can answer it they both return to their teams and the
first team with the right answer gets one point. If one of the
individuals gets it right the first time, their team gets two points. The
quiz questions cover both days from Athens to modern musical
theatre.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES: (How you will measure outcomes to

determine if the material has been learned?)
Broadway Feud.
MATERIALS AND AIDS:

-Pictures from each era, C.D. player, music selections from the various eras (Medieval Choral
pieces, opera clips showing arias vs. recitative, Blues music clip) copies of worksheet (see
supplements).
-T.V./VCR, movie clips from the various featured musicals, musical selections for those not on
video, buzzer, quiz.

Quiz/Worksheet
1. Name 4 Greek play writes. (Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Aeschylus)
2. What was the chorus role in the Greek theatre? (Told the story, reflected
audiences thoughts, act as omniscient characters)
3. Who was the first actor? (Thespis)
4. What did dancers in Medieval times have to wear and why? (Devils
costumes, dancing was evil)
5. What did the Italians during the Renaissance do to Greek theatre? What
did it become? (Added music, opera)
6. Name two different art forms that the slaves in the south gave us. (Tap
dance, blues music)
7. What was Gilbert and Sullivans most famous work? (Pirates of Penzance)
8. Name one modern example of the Vaudevillian structure. (Saturday Night
Live)

9. What was Rogers and Hammersteins first and biggest show? Why was it a
landmark musical? (Oklahoma! It introduced the Dream Ballet as a means of
telling the main characters hidden thoughts.)
10. What made West Side Story a land mark musical? (It dealt with difficult
issues such as youth delinquency, racial violence, gang activity, murder. It
didnt have a happy ending. It integrated dance into the everyday
movements of the characters.)
11. Name one writer or partnership that thrived in the 70s and 80s and
name one show they wrote. (Andrew Lloyd Weber: Cats, Phantom of the
Opera, Joseph and the Technicolor Dream coat, Boublil and Schonberg: Les
Miserables, Miss Saigon)
12. There seems to be a dichotomy on Broadway today. Name two shows
that demonstrate the two extremes and what the extremes are. (Rent:
Promotes alternative lifestyle and Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aida
(anything Disney): Promotes traditional family values)