DTS2070 - Music Theatre

Leader: Peter Fitzpatrick

Offered

Clayton First semester 2007 (Day)

Synopsis

This unit deals with the history and analysis of 'the Musical'. It will provide a theoretical framework for the study of Music Theatre, which defines the formal characteristics of 'the Musical' in its Broadway and other manifestations, and explores the implications of particular choices in structure and score.

Objectives

Students taking DTS2070/3070 will develop:

1. An understanding of the conventions and traditions of twentieth-century musical theatre.
2. A knowledge of the major developments in the field, and of patterns of similarity between the works in which they are expressed.
3. A familiarity with the distinctive methodological issues involved in the study of the form, and of the languages appropriate to their articulation and analysis.
4. Skills in the performance and technical areas related to the genre.
5. The capacity to articulate critical analyses in systematic written argument, and in clear and confident oral presentations.

Assessment

Essay (2500 words): 50%
Review essay (1000 words): 20%
Seminar presentation and contribution (equivalent 1250 words): 30%

Contact hours

3 hours (1 x 3 hour lecture/workshop) per week