Spider M Turn Off The Dark

At the end of World War I, an excited America was poised for a cultural renaissance; patriotism was on the rise, the strong concept of Manifest Destiny had passed its peak of influence, and, most importantly, there had not been a clear shift in culture for decades. The Jazz Age of the 1920s was about to dawn, bringing with it youthful, risqué morals and a carefree look on life. From these ideals, a new, strongly American form of entertainment would emerge: musical theatre. Most commonly found in New York City on Broadway even to this day, musical theatre became an escape from reality and an entry into the imagination. The grand and splashy components that make up what is considered a classic Broadway musical can ultimately be traced back to Cole Porter. Porter’s writing, albeit at times controversial or raunchy, was able to harness the frantically beating heart of the Jazz Age and turn it into treasured shows. Using his unique melodies, romantic or idealistic lyrics, and his pioneering of writing about the human experience, Cole Porter shaped American music and theatre from the 1920s through the 1940s.

I’ve adored theatre for as long as I can remember. From writing plays throughout elementary school, to being involved in Drama Club in middle school, to performing in community theatre in high school, and to visiting the theatre as often as I could from the very beginning, theatre has always been a part of my life. Every aspect of it engages me: the directors working to bring their vision of the show’s scenes, choreography, or music to life, the actors transforming into different characters through their expression of dialogue, song, or dance, the costumers and set-builders transporting the audience into the setting and time period with their artistry, the backstage tech and crew working quickly and precisely to keep the show flowing to curtain call, and the orchestra bringing the show to life through music. There is nothing like the experience of live theatre, both as a member of the audience and as a member of the cast and crew.

Above all, I wouldn’t be where I am today without theatre. Without the chance to perform throughout my life, I would be disconnected from the wide array of communities and histories that’s been imbedded in my daily routine. Unfortunately, it’s speculated that the theatre is a dying art form, because of the expanding popularities of movies (“Is”), but I think that it’ll remain a well renowned part of expressing imagination and interpreting history as years pass; it only takes cooperation with school faculty and young students that go above and beyond to change their

Theatre and Musical Theatre has been a form of entertainment since before North America was “discovered”. Broadway shows have been dated back to the early 1920’s and 1930’s. By 2016, over 25,000 tickets are sold to Broadway shows in a week. Thousands of people enjoy the shows that are featured on Broadway but have no idea the work and process that brought it to life. The process of getting a show on to Broadway can be broken down into three phases: pre-production, staging, and performance/promotion.

Ever since I can remember I have loved theatre. It’s been a constant presence, and an important touchstone, in my life. However, for as long as I’ve loved theatre, I have also been ridiculed for my enjoyment of it. As a child, my interest was tolerated as something precious, something I was bound to grow out of. My parents and teachers would sit in the audience, clapping and cheering me on, all the while thinking to themselves “I bet she’ll make a great lawyer one day.” They thought, like most of society, theatre was an unnecessary luxury; a pastime for the rich and powerful, for those who didn’t have to worry about putting food on the table, or clothes on their children’s backs. Certainly not

The Bucks County School of Performing Arts is preparing to present 2017 Broadway Revue. Tonight was the night-dancers in position, the rest of the cast lined up backstage, band tuned and ready for the top of the show. My director gives the cue, “Lights on stage, open the curtain.”

The Public Theater has been a staple of the New York City theater community for over 50 years now. Part of The Public’s core values include providing great content for the community and making sure that content is accessible to as wide an audience as possible. This mission is highly appealing to potential donors and foundation committee’s as it provides a very transparent place for donations to land and be used to directly improve the community. Through a clear mission, a great legacy and a proven track record of community centered engagement, The Public Theater’s clearly has a great capacity to fundraise.

Ginger Adams Otis a writer for the NYC Daily News, has written about the contribution of Broadway to New York Culture and the Economy. However obvious, it is extremely relevant to discuss Broadway as a contribution to defining the culture within New York City and we will touch upon just that plus the contribution to the economy. Tickets: According to statistics from the New York City Daily News, Ginger Adams Otis writes that, there are 50,000 tickets sold each day- 100,000 on a Saturday matinee, 365 days a year. This is a phenomenal amount of tickets to be had all of 50,000 audience members which will fill Broadway. However, does New York City benefit from this in terms of the money spent? Let’s talk about the amount of dollars pumped back

Recalling my first exposure to the glitz and glam of Broadway through Newsies in 2013,

“Social Issues in Theatre” How has theatre reflected social issues throughout time? Olivia Little W.B. Ray High School Candidate Number: 006241-0009 Session: May 2015 Category: Theatre Supervisor: Mr. James Stroud Word Count: 3,092 Citation Style: MLA Abstract

Broadway is one of the most dazzling places I have ever worked. The lights and the actors all work together in harmony to produce a dazzling show for the crowd to watch and blow their little minds away. Even though it was a glamorous place to be, never in my entire life would I blow away like I did when I walked into Jay Gatsby’s mansion.

One of the most frequently asked questions posed to a revival of a musical is in regards to its current social relevance. Whether that is a fair question is a debate for another day. After attending opening night of the 20th Anniversary tour of RENT at the Dr. Phillips Center For The Performing Arts in Orlando, it is obvious from the sold out crowd and instant standing ovation that Jonathan Larson’s updated ode to La Boheme is perhaps more relevant now than ever.The death of the show’s creator/composer the night before the first Off-Broadway preview is now part of musical theatre lore and is also embedded into latency of the piece every time the actors step out to begin a performance. That spiritual latency was evident when I had the privilege of attending the final Broadway preview performance at the Nederlander Theatre and remains an

I have since concluded that community engagement must be a part of every theatre-making process. In the professional world, I’m finding myself pushed to think about the audience more actively, and am so thankful for it — both as an artist and as a citizen. Now, as the Community Engagement Manager at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, CT, I am certain: community engagement is not just something that’s nice to do, tangential to the theatre-making process – it is essential to the creation of the art itself.

The musical theatre scene of the 1980’s was dominated by the emergence of the “mega-musical,” on the West End and Broadway alike. These elaborate shows usually featured a pop-influenced score, consisted of both large casts and sets to match, and were heavily characterized by their sizable effects and budgets. Many of the mega-musicals were based on beloved literature or other previously existing works, a formula meant to guarantee success. The big budget mega-musicals redefined everyone’s expectations for commercial success on both Broadway and the West End. “In earlier years, it was possible for a show to be considered a hit after a run of several hundred performances, but with multimillion-dollar production costs, a show must run for years

With resounding consistency, every reference to The Theatrical Syndicate begins with the same anecdotal tale: “One day in 1896, six theatre businessmen met for lunch at the Holland House Hotel.” The gentlemen gathered that day where in a consensus about a few things, but the greatest of which being the state of the American theatre and its institutional need for centralization. (Mroczka) The aim of the following discussion is to contextualize this organization within American theatre history while illustrating the positive and negative impacts of The Theatrical Syndicate on the theatre community.