Music Theatre (Minor)
Program Guidelines and Mission Statement
The Music Theatre minor, open to students in any major, provides a grounding in the fundamental principles of the music and theatre arts as well as an opportunity to explore how the disciplines come together in both conventional musicals and productions that combine music and theatre in new and innovative ways. The Music Theatre minor is designed not only for performers but also for students interested in dramaturgy, directing, composing, dance, history, and criticism, as well as costume, stage, lighting, and sound design. Minors will gain an historical perspective, an appreciation of aesthetic form, and the tools to perceptively question their fundamental assumptions about the relationship between music and theatre. At Denison, we value the role of the liberal arts in helping students make connections across disciplines; this program is designed to spark collaboration and innovation in this interdisciplinary way. Our goal is to provide students with engaging, creative experiences and to prepare them for postgraduate pursuits in Music Theatre as well as for lives as active supporters of the arts.
Faculty
Professor Ching-Chu Hu, Associate Professor Richard D. Blim, Associate Professor Mark Bryan, Assistant Professor Alison Morooney, Visiting Assistant Professor Peter Graff, Instructor Kevin Wines
Requirements
The requirements for the Music Theater minor differ depending on whether a student is a Music major or minor, a Theatre major or minor, or neither. All three tracks require 26 credit hours, including MUTH 100 - Introduction to Music Theatre. In the case of a student with a double major in both Theatre and Music, the Music Theatre minor requires a reduced track of 22 credit hours.
Music Theatre courses count toward the Fine Arts GE separately from either Music or Theatre courses. That is, students may fulfill their Fine Arts GE requirement by taking one 4-credit Music Theatre course and either a 4-credit Music course (or the equivalent in 1-credit ensembles) or a 4-credit Theatre course (or the equivalent in 1-credit laboratories).
Each student’s course of study should be developed in consultation with and approved by the Music Theatre Committee. Students are advised to choose electives that deepen their knowledge of music and theatre and meet their primary area(s) of interest (e.g., performance, dramaturgy, directing, composing, dance, history, criticism, and/or costume, stage, lighting, and sound design).
A list of approved electives is updated each semester by the Music Theatre Committee (see below for the current list). Elective courses are selected based on their ability to meet the program’s learning goals. For example, dance courses will help students build artistic skills in movement in ways that will expand their versatility as performers or directors and/or spark new ideas for collaboration. Likewise, courses in creative writing, playwriting, and screenwriting will deepen students’ understanding of the fundamental principles of dramatic narrative, whether designed to be read, staged, or filmed.
The Music Theatre Committee Chair will maintain careful records of student course approvals and keep in close contact with the Registrar to ensure regular updates.
STUDENTS WHO ARE NEITHER MUSIC NOR THEATRE MAJORS OR MINORS
| Code | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| MUTH 100 | Introduction to Music Theatre | |
| THTR 100 | Introduction to Theatre-making | |
| THTR 200 | Intermediate Theatre-making [1] | |
| or MUS 215 | Popular Musical Theater in America | |
| or MUS 315 | Popular Musical Theater in America | |
| MUS 200 | Music Theory I | |
| 1 elective from a list of approved courses or approved by committee | ||
| 2 credits of Theatre Laboratory | ||
| MUSP 132 | Music Theatre Workshop - Ensemble (2 credits required) | |
| Private Lessons, minimum 2 semesters (on the same instrument) | ||
| Total: 26 Credits | ||
STUDENTS WHO ARE THEATRE MAJORS OR MINORS
| Code | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| MUTH 100 | Introduction to Music Theatre | |
| MUSP 132 | Music Theatre Workshop - Ensemble (2 credits required) | |
| MUS 200 | Music Theory I | |
| MUS 215 | Popular Musical Theater in America | |
| or MUS 315 | Popular Musical Theater in America | |
| 2 electives from a list of approved courses or approved by committee | ||
| Private Lessons, minimum 4 semesters (on the same instrument) | ||
| Total: 26 Credits | ||
STUDENTS WHO ARE MUSIC MAJORS OR MINORS
| Code | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| MUTH 100 | Introduction to Music Theatre | |
| THTR 100 | Introduction to Theatre-making | |
| MUSP 132 | Music Theatre Workshop - Ensemble (2 credits required) | |
| THTR 200 | Intermediate Theatre-making | |
| or MUS 315 | Popular Musical Theater in America | |
| 2 electives from a list of approved courses or approved by committee | ||
| 2 credits of Theatre Laboratory | ||
| 2 credits of ensemble experience, approved by the Music Theatre Committee | ||
| Total: 26 Credits | ||
STUDENTS WHO ARE DOUBLE MAJORS OR HAVE A MAJOR AND A MINOR IN MUSIC AND THEATRE
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| MUTH 100 | Introduction to Music Theatre |
| MUSP 132 | Music Theatre Workshop - Ensemble (2 credits required) |
| MUS 315 | Popular Musical Theater in America |
| 2 electives from a list of approved courses or approved by committee | |
| 2 credits of Theatre Laboratory | |
| 2 credits of ensemble experience, approved by the Music Theatre Committee | |
| Total: 22 Credits | |
MUSIC THEATRE MINOR ELECTIVES
| Code | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| ARTS 225 | Stop Motion Animation | |
| ARTS 267 | Performance Art | |
| DANC 122 | African/Diaspora Dance Level I | |
| or DANC 222 | African Diaspora Dance Level II | |
| DANC 132 | Modern/Postmodern Dance I | |
| or DANC 232 | Modern/Postmodern Dance II | |
| or DANC 332 | Modern/Postmodern Dance III | |
| DANC 174 | Dance as an Art Form (depending on the topic) | |
| DANC 274 | Cultural Studies (depending on the topic) | |
| DANC 284 | The Art of Dance-Making (depending on the topic) | |
| DANC 384 | Laban Movement Analysis | |
| CINE 104 | Film Aesthetics and Analysis | |
| CINE 202 | Screenwriting | |
| ENGL 237 | Introduction to Creative Writing | |
| ENGL 240 | 20th-Century Drama | |
| ENGL 340 | Contemporary Drama | |
| MUS 215 | Popular Musical Theater in America | |
| or MUS 315 | Popular Musical Theater in America | |
| MUS 216 | Sound Editing and Recording | |
| MUS 246 | Psychology of Performance in the Arts | |
| MUS 247 | Music, Race, and Identity | |
| MUS 314 | Music in America (Majors/Minors) | |
| MUS 320 | Women in Music (Majors/Minors) | |
| MUS 331 | Film Music and Sound | |
| MUS 332 | Music and Sexuality | |
| MUS 339 | The History of Rock Music (Majors/Minors) | |
| THTR 200 | Intermediate Theatre-making | |
| THTR 210 | Scenic Design | |
| THTR 220 | Lighting Design | |
| THTR 230 | Acting: Realism I | |
| THTR 240 | Acting: Brecht and Beyond | |
| THTR 270 | Directing: Realism | |
| THTR 275 | Fashion: History, Culture and Identity | |
| THTR 301 | Advanced Theatre-Making: Performers, Directors, and Text | |
| THTR 302 | Advanced Theatre-Making: Devising and Collective Making | |
| THTR 340 | Practicum: Assistant Costume Designer | |
| THTR 373 | History, Literature, and Theory of the Theatre: Modern World | |
| THTR 374 | History, Literature, and Theory of the Theatre: Theatre of the Americas | |
MUTH 100 - Introduction to Music Theatre (4 Credit Hours)
A workshop course that explores the relationship between music (both instrumental and with lyrics) and theatre (the live presentation of drama) in the creation of music theatre works. The course will involve the investigation and discussion of significant concepts and theories regarding musical composition, playwriting, and lyric writing.
MUTH 201 - Acting the Song: Performance Skills for Musical Theatre (4 Credit Hours)
This course explores the singing actor’s responsibilities in preparing a vocal selection for performance in any given situation – as an audition piece, as a stand-alone piece in a recital, and as a song integrated in a full theatrical production. Opportunities to perform or create a simulated performance in all three areas will be provided. Spoken presentations will be given throughout the semester as well as musical performances.
Prerequisite(s): MUS 107 or MUS 200 or permission of instructor.
MUTH 280 - Musicals Adapted from Films (4 Credit Hours)
For more than a century, musical theatre artists have drawn inspiration from plays, novels, poems, and folklore to create many of Broadway's greatest works. In recent decades, however, the movie screen has become one of Broadway's most fertile sources. From Beauty and the Beast and Legally Blonde to Waitress, film-to-stage adaptations have reshaped the Broadway landscape, producing some of the most popular musicals of the last twenty years. This course examines the history and evolution of these adaptations, analyzing how stories move from screen to stage and how creative teams translate cinematic narratives into theatrical form. By examining their artistic strategies and cultural contexts, we will consider how film-based musicals have become a vital part of Broadway's identity and cultural fabric. Significant attention will be given to the craft and purpose of writing. Students will write in multiple modes while developing skills in audience awareness, revision, and adaptation. Through weekly readings, film viewings, and writing assignments, we will study how stories and arguments are reshaped across mediums and practice how to write with a specific objective for a particular audience.
Crosslisting: THTR 280.
MUTH 285 - Music Theatre Dance Styles (4 Credit Hours)
Repertory dance class exploring the major choreographers who have contributed to musical theatre, ranging from the advent of the genre to the present day. While this course will offer a historical and dramaturgical survey, the coursework is primarily made up of learning and performing the iconic and boundary-breaking choreography of these artists.