Final+Research+Paper

“Another Op’nin’ Another Show” Discussing the Business and Theatrical Components of Musical Theatre Meredith Bleemer Mr. Martin Senior Thesis November 12, 2009 Acknowledgments I would first like to thank my mother and mentor, Angela Bleemer, for helping me find good sources and keep up with my deadlines. Thanks to my father, Jonathan Bleemer, for helping me find a lot of good sources, and to Dr. Valenza for helping me narrow my research and find good initial sources. I would also like to thank my project partner, Maggie Schweppe, for helping me narrow my research, brainstorm ideas, and helping me come up with a good title, and Tara DeMarco for helping me stay on task and brainstorm ideas. I would especially like to thank Marlene Thornton, my topic expert, for helping me obtain the rights to “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and advising me on my project. Thanks to Mr. Martin for editing my work and helping to narrow my topic sentence. Finally, thanks in advance to everyone that will help or has already helped with “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”.

Broadway musicals, one of the country’s most beloved forms of entertainment, delight a broad range of audiences with intricate sets, fancy costumes, and flashy dance numbers. But what is behind all the fancy glamour? The answer to that question is a lot of hard work. There is an unimaginable amount of labor and dedication put into producing and performing any musical, especially one at a Broadway scale, and all of the creative and technical elements must come together in order for the show to be a success. Many business and artistic essentials are needed to produce a successful musical, including purchasing the rights, budgeting, and finding the right people to fill the necessary roles and jobs. There are plenty of necessary steps and key components needed to produce a successful musical, but even before someone decides they want to produce a musical, there has to be a foundation, the idea that the musical comes from. In order to write a musical one must have a librettist, a composer, and a lyricist. The composer and lyricist are the people who write the music and lyrics, and are often the same person but not always (Kenrick 1). The librettist writes the book, or script, of the show. Sometimes the librettist becomes the composer and the lyricist, like "[i]n musicals where the dialogue is almost completely replaced by music (//Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables//). Here the librettist is essentially responsible for making sure everything weaves into a coherent dramatic flow" (Kenrick 1). In show business the script is thought of as a property, like a piece of land hoping to be sold and developed (Hischak 140). After the script and story are finished and developed, the producer takes over. The first step a producer takes is to find and purchase the rights to a story. The rights prove that the producer has permission to promote and perform the show. Whether it is a brand new, original story or well know musical, obtaining the rights is the necessary first step because without them you cannot produce the show. This is done by contacting the playwright, and or composer, and negotiating a settlement allowing the producer to be in control of the rights of the show. The next step is to find people to invest in the show, giving the producer the money they need to make the show happen. Additional producers may be needed to contribute more money if the show requires a large budget. The producer has many jobs because they are in charge of the overall product (Theatre Production 8). Broadway producers agree that "[b]ecause the costs of presenting a musical on Broadway have risen so high, it often takes several producers and organizations to find the money to finance such an expensive operation" (Hischak 139). Then the producer must form a talented creative team. The needed roles are director, musical director, choreographer, lighting, sound, set, costume, and makeup designers (Trapnell 1). Each individual member of the creative team has an extremely important job. The director has one of the most important jobs because the “director can help to play a crucial role in the actual pre-production of the musical itself" (Sinn 1). He is responsible for the creative and artistic decisions and making sure the show looks like one unified production. In another area, "[t]he director, usually in conjunction with the designers (and perhaps the producer), determines a concept, motif, or interpretation for the script or scenario; selects a cast, rehearses them; and usually has a deciding role in scenery, costumes, lights, and sound. Movement, timing, pacing, and visual and aural effects are all determined by the director; what the audience finally sees is the director’s vision" (Theatre Production 8). To keep the shows visually interesting and entertaining "The modern director must take the playwright's blueprint and, using actors and designers, turn it into a conceptualized piece of art" (Hischak 116). The musical director deals with the musical numbers or the score in the show. In addition to teaching the songs to the cast members, "[h]e or she is in charge of everything involving the musical aspects of a show -- from song rehearsals to maintaining musical performances through a show's run" (Kenrick 3). The choreographer creates and teaches the dance numbers in the musical. They also often take on the role of director for dance numbers and scenes that have songs but no dancing (Hischak 133). The choreographer must create movement that visually keeps the show flowing together (Kenrick 2). The lighting and sound designers create appropriate lighting and sound cues for the specific show and direct these cues during the performance in the technical booth. There are some that think the lighting designer is one of the most unappreciated and yet most crucial members of the creative team. Some believe "[w]ith the exception of the music, nothing sets the mood for a scene as quickly or clearly as the lighting" (Kenrick 2). The set design is the visual space that tells where the show takes place and the set designer is the person who develops and builds those sets (Theatre Production 10). The costume designer designs what each individual actor wears onstage. They must make sure that the “[c]ostumes convey information about the character and aid in setting the tone or mood of the production” (Theatre Production 14). When costume designers make period pieces they must study that period to make sure their costumes are accurate (Frommer 239). The makeup designer designs the makeup that each character wears. In theatre, "makeup is used for two purposes: to emphasize and reinforce facial features that might otherwise be lost under bright lights or at a distance and to alter signs of age, skin tone, or nose shape" (Theatre Production 14). All these key jobs put together help create a successful musical. Once the producer has his creative team, the next step is to cast the show. This involves auditioning numerous actors for the roles until the perfect fit is found (Sinn 1). Some think "[c]asting is one of the hardest parts of the process" (Frommer 253) because sometimes it is nearly impossible to find the right fit for a certain character. If the producer casts the right people for the right parts, the audience will get a real good sense of the play (Frommer 253). Then, after the cast is set and the creative is ready to work, it is time to start the rehearsal process. During the rehearsal process, blocking is taught, lines are memorized, actors interpret their characters and it all turns into one polished show. Since the show is a musical, extra rehearsals are needed to learn the dances with the choreographer and the songs with the musical director (Theatre Production 9). For musicals it is necessary be sure to organize enough rehearsals for dancing, singing, and acting because musicals are harder learn than straight plays (Sinn 1). Most rehearsal periods begin with a read through, then move into blocking rehearsals, then retrace rehearsals, interpretation rehearsals, run through rehearsals, tech rehearsals, dress rehearsals, and some directors even have a preview performance before opening night (Hischak 129-130). The next step in producing a musical is to publicize the show. It is important to advertise the show well before opening night so people know about it and will want to see the show (Trapnell 2). Sometimes producers are afraid to go heavy on publicity because they are worried about their budgets. What they need to know is "[w]hen money is tight, it may seem difficult to spend another thousand dollars on promotion, but if that additional thousand dollars brings in an extra thousand and one dollars in ticket revenue, then it is usually worthwhile to make the investment. In addition to extra ticket sales, there is also likely to be an increase in concession income, as well as the intangible but important benefit of simply having a larger audience in the house" (Ford 164). There are many different types of advertising, like print advertising, which consist of flyers and window cards, radio, and television (Ford 164). The person who is usually in charge of publicity for the show is the theatre manager. The theatre manager has many jobs. The theatre manager must oversee the budget for a production and handle the financial outcome. They also administer the staff including the box office workers and backstage help (Spilman 1). He has to deal with everyone including the artist, the producer, the patron, the stagehand, the ticket seller, the cleaning staff, and the board of directors. It is the theater manager's job to bring all the different elements of a production (onstage, backstage, and the front of the house) together. To manage a theater you must have business, organizational, and technical skills, but most importantly people skills (Ford 231). Another quality necessary in a theatre manager is that they must "have responsibility for all the artistic work produced within a theatre and for the management of all parts of the organization, in a career that demands both commercial and creative skills " (Spilman 1). Once all of these creative elements come together, they form a top notch musical. Every step is needed in order for the performance to be a success. Performing a musical may seem to be fun and easy, but in actuality it takes a lot of hard work and dedication from a large number of people. Never take the glitz and glamour for granted, because behind that is sweat and determination.

Works Cited

Ford, Mary Jo and Richard E. Schneider. //The Theater Management Handbook//. Ohio: Betterway Books, 1999. Print. Frommer, Harvey and Myrna Katz Frommer. //It Happened on Broadway - An Oral History of the Great White Way//. New York: Harcourt Brace. 1998. Print. Hischak, Thomas S. //Theatre As Human Action - An Introduction to Theatre Arts//. Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2006. Print. Kenrick, John. //Musicals101.com//. 2002. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. . Sinn, Aaron. //EHow//. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. . Spilman, Beverley. //Prospects//. Aug. 2008. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. . "THEATER PRODUCTION." //History.com//. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. . Trapnell, Lynda. //The Stage Advice//. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. .

Works Consulted Daniels, Cora. //The Business of Broadway//. 9 May 2008. Web. 21 Sept. 2009. . Rhine, Anthony S. "The MFA in Theater Management and the MBA: An Examination of Perspectives of Decision Makers at Theaters in the United States." //Journal of Arts Management, Law & Society// 37.2 (2007): 113. //MasterFILE Premier//. EBSCO. Web. 10 Nov. 2009.