In this course, we'll examine the musicals of Stephen Sondheim from WEST SIDE STORY (1957) to ROAD SHOW (2009) as a lens onto America. How have Sondheim's musicals conversed with American history and American society since the mid-20th century? How do Sondheim's musicals represent America and Americans, and how have various productions shaped and re-shaped those representations? We'll explore how Sondheim and his collaborators used the mainstream, popular, and commercial form of musical theatre to challenge, critique, deconstruct, and possibly reinforce some of America's most enduring myths.

This course will invite student singers and pianists to prepare and perform songs from 20th and 21st century American Musical Theatre. Each week students will be coached on their songs in a master class format with an emphasis on musical, vocal, and acting issues. Repertoire will be covered in a historical overview from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Student singers and pianists must audition for the class and are expected to collaborate outside of class time to choose and rehearse repertoire. A final concert during Reading Period on December 12, 2024 will showcase chosen repertoire from the class.

An intensive immersive exploration of experimental, documentary-style music theater that investigates the history, form, and performance of the choreopoem. Navigate intricate narratives of liberation, expression, and oppression through multi-vocalism, poetic discourse, and a collaborative rigorous investigation of movement, acting, music and writing. Intensive archival research informs critical inquiries into theories of contemporary social and political power dynamics. The course will culminate in the creation of an original choreopoem.

This workshop will introduce students to the craft of writing words and music for the musical theatre. In addition to weekly and in-class practical assignments in technique and skill-building, the course will explore key moments in musical theatre history and criticism to place students' work in a larger context. Readings will illuminate how the specific areas of craft addressed have been handled by masters in different areas of musical theatre. Because collaboration is central to the creation of musical theatre, students will work in different teams during the semester. The workshop will culminate with a presentation of works-in-progress.

Students will explore the world of voice acting and vocal foley design. Students will investigate historical and contemporary techniques used in audiobooks, animation, commercials, and video games. They will utilize industry-standard Logic Pro and user-friendly Garageband to collaborate with the Princeton University Library's Special Collections and reimagine public domain masterpieces through a sonic lens.

The course will lead students toward the creation of a work of musical theater (for lack of a better term) which will run parallel to the collaboration of the two instructors of the course, Adam Gidwitz and Steven Mackey. Instrumental musical performers of any instrument, composers, writers, actors and others who feel they can contribute to a theatrical presentation are needed. The course will include introducing existing relevant works, the progress and process of the ongoing work of the instructors collaboration and of course facilitation of the student creations.

Introduction to Theater Making is a working laboratory, which gives students hands-on experience with theatre's fundamental building blocks -- writing, design, acting, directing, and producing. Throughout the semester, students read, watch and discuss five different plays, music theater pieces and ensemble theater works. We will analyze how these plays are constructed and investigate their social and political implications. In-class artistic responses provide hands-on exploration as students work in groups to create and rehearse performances inspired by our course texts.

An exploration of theatrical sound design and engineering, this class will explore sound for both theater and music theater. We will investigate text from the point of view of sound, and learn how to communicate the ideas, palette and arc of a design to others. We will explore developing a creative process and turning our ideas into sounds that can be used onstage.

This course offers an exploration of visual storytelling, research and dramaturgy, combined with a grounding in the practical, collaborative and inclusive skills necessary to create physical environments for live theater making. Students are mentored as designers, directors or project creators on realized projects in our theaters, or on advanced paper projects. Individualized class plans allow students to imagine physical environments for realized and un-realized productions, depending on their area of interest, experience and skill level. Students will see one or two shows off campus, typically in NYC, during the course of the semester

The course is designed to encourage the development of directors for Theater and Music Theater. The course will incorporate a strong practical element, giving student directors the opportunity to explore and hone their own practices, developing useful and appropriate style and language as they move forward in their work as young directors.

Students will work with professional director Bi Jean Ngo in rehearsals towards performances of Naomi Iizuka's play Anon(ymous), a powerful retelling of Homer's epic Odyssey. The play explores themes of identity, coming-of-age, and the shifting nature of home, through the story of a young refugee. Performing roles will be cast through our Try On Theater process on April 29th, open to all - please see the theater program website for details. Performances will be held early November in the Berlind Theater.