Principle Production

Building on in-class workshops, students will develop a musical concept, song, or scene that narrates a selected ethos in American public life and/or Black Studies. The piece might celebrate, challenge, and/or parody the student’s chosen issue.

Students will be required to

1. bring a draft and/or creative process proposal to workshop in class during Week 12 [10%],
2. submit a final version during the last week of class [15%], and
3. present their original work during the course showcase [15%].

A performance of the work itself will not be required of non-music students, but all students will be required to apply an understanding of musical theatre presentation in the development of their scenes, and to demonstrate communication skills in how they share it at the showcase.

Workshop Draft [10% of Final Grade]

Prior to class in Week 12, students must research a chosen topic and begin brainstorming about the creative intervention they’d like to produce. The draft is intended primarily to help the student organise their thoughts, and thus can take most any format (including voice memos, soundbytes, or video clips); however, it must include at least some written aspect in order to record cited references (this can be an outline, a mind map, or a slide deck – there is no need for a formally written paper). While the draft is not graded for style, a significant amount of thought and beginning research should be clearly demonstrated. The purpose of this draft stage is to (1) support students in their creative process and (2) make the most of in-class workshops about musical theatre composition and production.

click for Workshop Draft Grading Rubric

Identify an American Ethos, Issue, or Historic Moment (2 points)
- - choose the topic you want to address in your final assignment, which might be an event or a theme, and might be seen as negative or positive (e.g., the destruction of Black Wall Street; the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act; the life of Sally Hemings; transgender access to medical care)
  - brainstorm a number of things you’re interested in, and then choose the one that feels most compelling
  - you can look at something we discussed in class, but you will need to expand on what you already learned
  - be specific: the more targeted you are with your issue, the more precise you can be (and the fewer rabbit holes you can fall down while researching and creating!)
Demonstrate Research Skills (3 points)
- - summarise the historical and contemporary facts about your issue or case study: what happened? what is the current ‘state of affairs’ around the topic?
  - the work must be your own: ChatGPT and other AI tools should not be used, except possibly for early brainstorming support – and if you use any of these tools, you must disclose which one(s) and how they were used
  - cite your source(s), with in-text citations to indicate where information came from, with full bibliographic details provided (in footnotes or a works cited list)
Acknowledge Previous Musical Theatre Work (2 points)
- - find and discuss any existing creative works that address your topic: are there other movies, musicals, and/or songs about your theme? what are you going to do that’s different from how they represent the issue?
  - evaluate creators, production, target audience, historical accuracy, critical reception, musical styles, creative design, etc. for any extant works
Suggest a Creative Method for Engaging with the Theme (3 points)
- - consider: do you want to celebrate, reproduce, critique, or parody your chosen topic? which styles of musical theatre would best have your desired effect?
  - brainstorm ideas for your piece: are you rewriting the lyrics to an existing song? composing a melody? proposing a new show? you don’t need to have the whole creative thing completed for this draft, but do think about the direction you’re going in…

Creative Work [15% of Final Grade]

No later than the start of the last class period, students must submit an original creative work that uses musical theatre to engage with a selected case study. The work might take a wide array of formats (script and/or lyrics, song composition, choreography, character arcs, etc.), though the selected medium should be agreed upon with the instructors well in advance of submission (usually during the in-class workshops). The piece must be accompanied by an artist statement describing the creator’s process and objectives with the work. The statement should clearly demonstrate the external research and intentional thought in American studies, musicology, and dramaturgy that went into creating the original work. Note that the artist statement could well be incorporated into the Showcase Presentation.

click for Creative Work Grading Rubric

Produce an Original Creative Work that Engages a Chosen Theme in American Studies (8 points)
- - while any number of formats are possible for this assignment, the creative work needs to be demonstrably your own and a significant output (i.e., pieces that superficially alter existing shows will not receive full credit, whereas a thorough redesign of a specific scene with attention to why and how it’s being redesigned could)
  - you are not being graded for your artistic or musical talent, but you will be graded for your approach to the assignment – including the general level of effort
  - the ideas and creativity behind the work must be your own; however, it might be appropriate to use AI generating tools to visualise and/or perform your work – be sure to disclose any tools used, acknowledging them and discussing how you engaged them
Integrate American Studies with Musical Theatre (3 points)
- - your creative work should engage audiences around your chosen theme, whether through education, critique, celebration, humour, etc.
  - the piece you create should ‘fit’ your chosen theme, with attention both to nuances of American studies and of musicology and dramaturgy
  - your piece should contribute something new to the intersection of American studies and musical theatre (e.g., a rap song about the Founding Fathers is not particularly novel, given Hamilton – what can you add to the multi-genre body of work that is “America, the Musical”?)
Write an Artist Statement Describing the Creative Process (4 points)
- - along with the creative output, you should submit an artist statement (which would generally be a typed piece of 1-2 pages) detailing your approach to creating the piece
  - the statement should contextualise your piece, addressing the historical and sociological issues that inspired it
  - the statement should also discuss your intentions: what do you want audiences to take away from your work?
  - where relevant, the statement should include in-text citations indicating where information came from, with bibliographic details provided via footnotes

Showcase Presentation [15% of Final Grade]

During class in Week 15, students will share their creative works with fellow students and special guests. Like the work itself, the presentation may take a variety of formats: Students with musical talent may elect to actively perform their compositions, but this is not required; instead, students may also choose to share their creative process and an overview of the output via a slide deck or prepared speech, or – where appropriate, and with acknowledgement – use generative AI tools. (Alternatively, with ample notice, it may be possible for the course’s partner artists to record a rendition of the work.) Whatever presentation format is chosen, students should bear in mind that a significant amount of the project’s grade comes from how they choose to share it with others.

click for Showcase Presentation Grading Rubric

Present Your Creative Work (4 points)
- - perform and/or describe your creative work in detail
  - if you choose not to perform (or if your piece is not readily performable), think carefully about how you will present it in a meaningful way…what can you do other than read from slides?
Demonstrate a Blended Disciplinary Approach (2 points)
- - your presentation should highlight how you have engaged an issue in American studies with musical theatre: put the two disciplines ‘in conversation’ with each other
Teach a Chosen Issue (2 points)
- - be sure to explain the broader historical and/or sociological context behind your issue and your piece
  - after your presentation, the audience should know or think something new about your chosen issue
Highlight the Creative Process (2 points)
- - describe how you went about generating the piece, and explain the creative choices you made: why does this original work make sense, given your issue?
Communicate to External Audiences (3 points)
- - students should present as though they are speaking to an external audience with no background information about the assignment, their case study, or musicology
  - prepare and share a presentation that your grandmother, your thirteen-year-old cousin, and your biology major roommate could all understand
Timekeeping (2 points)
- - each student will have a limited time period to present, which will be announced in advance
  - points will be deducted if students go over this time limit, or if they do not make good use of their allotted time

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