Content in this section explores the popular art form of musical theatre and theatre works that integrate music in other ways. You’ll find thoughts and conversations from artists, articles about contemporary and historical works, and performance videos. The #MusicalsWeek series is a great place to begin, as is “The Black in Black Musical Theatre” episode of the Daughters of Lorraine podcast.
The Latest
Video
Voicing Innocence
Trauma, Memory, and Contemporary Opera in the Work of Kaija Saariaho
This year, it’s all about financial advocacy. Now more than ever, we need to be equipped to be able to advocate for ourselves and our fellow community members.
This is a call for diversity, equity, and inclusion in pit orchestra hiring. Joe LaRocca surfaces inequities embedded in the current contractor system of pit musician hiring, as well as some steps companies can take to remedy these issues.
Lass uns die Welt vergessen: Volksoper 1938 stages Austria’s fascist past, reckoning with the ghosts of Nazism and their legacies. For Jordan Schildcrout, the docudrama-metamusical becomes an opportunity to interrogate Austria’s history—and to imagine the future of the United States.
Parrots at the Pagoda imagines an afterworld where parrots guide Puerto Rican drag performer Johnny Rodriguez through memories of his life. In this journey, Citlali Pizarro writes, the transformation of death and life into memory illuminates a queer Latinx theatricality that celebrates itself against erasure.
The team at Shanty Theatre dove deep into Igbo mask and masquerade traditions to stage the largest of them all: the Ijele Masquerade. Angelea Okolo and Eseovwe Emakunu detail the research and creative process they used to bring the masquerade to Benin City, Nigeria.
Through non-narrative rock numbers, Dan Fishback is Alive, Unwell, and Living in His Apartment targets contemporary societal betrayals, from COVID denialism to the genocide in Palestine. Taylor Leigh Lamb writes about the show’s genesis and its multi-pronged commitment to safety and access for audience and artists alike.
In today’s episode, Leticia and Jordan discuss the Canadian premiere of A Strange Loop—a co-production between The Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre, Crow’s Theatre, and TO Live. They re-appraise the musical’s impact in today’s sociopolitical climate.
In this episode, Leticia and Jordan interview Whitney White about her journey in theatre, her artistic craft, and the potentials and possibilities of Black theatre.
Josephine Lee discusses the casting and performance choices of the 2024 Gypsy revival—from Audra McDonald’s Rose to a Chinese waitress in yellowface—to consider what they signal about the complex histories of racial performance that continue to influence theatre today.
kara lynch and Seema Sueko use their own artistry as a jumping off point for a conversation about methodologies for creation informed by consensus, alternative economies, community organizing, and more.
In this conversation with Kat Mustatea we chat about her project, BodyMouth, that is also a new instrument where a dancer’s movements prompt a speech synthesizer. For an extra twist, we ponder if we could use this instrument to reverse and decode the messages behind Tai Chi or the magical gestures of Carlos Castaneda.
A Look into the Collaborative Writing Process for Musical Theatre
Monday 29 July 2024
United States
The session gave participants a chance to watch Kit and Melissa collaborate on new material, add methods and skills to their writing toolbelt, get an intimate look at what it means to write collaboratively, learn how to support this process from other roles in the theatre, and participate in a Q and A.
The Culminating Money Jam of the 2024 Hip Hop FinFest Rap Song Competition and Contest
Wednesday 5 June 2024
New York City
Featuring winning student performances, guest artists, money stories with MC Dyalekt, and community conversations about one of the most crucial topics in our lives: money.
The Segal Center celebrates the publication of a new book on underground culture and performance at the infamous Pyramid Club. A panel with John Jesurun, Kestutis Nakas, and others.
Segal Center celebrates the history of legendary CLUB 57. In 1978, a Polish emigré Stanley Strychacki rented a basement space of the Holy Cross Polish National Church at 57 St. Marks’ Place with an intention "to create an environment for artists so they could meet, collaborate, and create.”
Masi Asare is an assistant professor of theater and performance studies at Northwestern University. She is a songwriter and dramatist and also works as a performance scholar specializing in the study of race and vocal sound and musicals. On this episode, hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley interview Masi on her experiences as a Black woman working in musical theatre and why Black women’s vocal training is so important.
Some stories transcend time and continue to resonate across generations. Undoubtedly, one might consider The Color Purple as one of those stories. Hosts Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley discuss this new movie musical adaptation of The Color Purple and delve into questions around the genre of the movie musical and the challenge and necessity of representing Black women stories on screen.
Giulianna Marchese discusses productions from the Ubumuntu Art Festival, which is held annually at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda. Throughout this year’s festival, performances explored what it means to be a human post-tragedy—the highs and the lows.
Different art forms (such as theatre, film, visual arts, and social media) have often been used to communicate, educate, and promote climate justice issues. This episode offers the opportunity to hear stories of practitioners using their art forms in this era of climate emergency. We focus on theatre practices and digital art forms and ask guests to share their work and that of others from the continent.
The power of language, memory, and creativity are intertwined in this performance featuring readings of poetry written in Zoque, Tzotzil, and Spanish accompanied by music composed and arranged by musicians from the Chiapanec culture, an extinct language but one that continues to manifest itself culturally in rituals and festive practices.
Joined by Jean Passanante and Patricia McGregor and moderated by Frank Hentschker
Thursday 27 April 2023
New York
Join us for an evening celebrating the work of Linda Chapman and James C. Nicola at the legendary New York Theatre Workshop. In their thirty-four-year run, Linda and James, at the 199-seat East Village theatre, gave birth to hundreds of important theatre works including Tony-winning best musicals Rent, Once, and Hadestown,as well as What the Constitution Means to Me and Slave Play.
The 2022 national tour of Oklahoma! brought Daniel Fish’s critically acclaimed revival to commercial theatre audiences nationwide. Those audiences met the production with overwhelming disapproval and animosity rooted in its departures from decades-old conventions. Actor Christopher Bannow, who played Jud in the touring production, details his experience of enduring audience rejection while remaining committed to engaging audiences in challenging conversations through risky theatrical choices.
A Live, Virtual Conversation on Directing and Collaboration with Phelim McDermott and Frank Hentschker
Tuesday 28 March 2023
New York City
In advance of McDermott’s upcoming New York Premiere of Tao of Glass at NYU Skirball, they discussed McDermott's work and career, Improbable’s work with Open Space Technology, and McDermott’s long-term collaborations with Philip Glass.
Melissa Lin Sturges shares her experience attending Olney Theatre Center’s bilingual production of The Music Man, which was presented in both English and American Sign Language.
In this episode, Jordan Ealey and Leticia Ridley look at the life and legacy of playwright Robbie McCauley, who recently passed away. They discuss her work as a pioneer of solo performance as a Black woman and how she impacted the world of Black feminist theatre.
