Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Department

Theatre and Dance

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

In recent years there has been a surge of interest in directing musical theatre in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Western Kentucky University. Western’s theatre department offers three directing classes and three musical theatre classes, but no class that teaches how to direct musical theatre. The Musical Theatre History and Repertoire class, however, provides students with the opportunity to present half-hour summaries of musicals, in order to experience the process of succinctly telling a story with scenes and songs. It is because of this class that I and many other students have taken an interest in the art of directing musical theatre. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, there is not a class that is able to focus on this particular craft, and while the professors are more than happy to assist students in their directing endeavors, there is little precedent for student-directed musicals at WKU. Therefore, with the intention to direct The Spitfire Grill as a part of the 2011 Advanced Performing Arts Studio Series, I decided that I would document my directing process, noting the challenges I encountered in preparation, the rehearsal process, and performance, and including the solutions I found to overcome them. It is my belief that the student directing musical theatre at Western Kentucky University will encounter problems similar to mine, and so it is my hope that he or she will be able to learn from my experience.

Advisor(s) or Committee Chair

Dr. David Young

Disciplines

Theatre and Performance Studies

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