THEA 315 Musical Theater Performance

The American musical presents unique challenges to performers. They act and they sing, and most importantly, they must act while singing. THey also need to understand both the literary and musical meaning of a work of musical theater, and how they two are intertwined. In this course, designed for the novice performer as well as the advanced actor or singer, we focus on introducing students to the art of acting a song. we place character within the context of the music and the story, and explore how the elements of healthy singing (including breath control, phrasing, and placement) express character. Through solo and collaborative selections from contemporary and classic musical theater, we examine the intersection of singing, acting, and movement unique to musical theater. May be repeated once for credit.