Type of Submission
Podium Presentation
Keywords
Music, musical theatre, america, 20th century, musical
Abstract
While entertainment is usually seen as a distraction from people’s everyday lives, it is actually more accurate to see it as a reflection of the society and culture from which it came. This is especially true for the genre of musical theatre, which has been known to be both shaped by culture and a commentary on it. This presentation seeks to examine the interaction between the culture and mindset of America from the early to mid-twentieth century and the musicals of that time period. This can be seen especially when it comes to the subjects that the writers of these productions have chosen to present. The presentation also acknowledges important events of this time period in America, such as the World Wars and the Great Depression, and how the musicals of this time period reflect the reaction of the American population to these events. Common ideas of the time period, such as nationalism, racism, xenophobia, and others are also examined throughout this work through their representations on the Broadway stage.
Campus Venue
Stevens Student Center, Room 245
Location
Cedarville, OH
Start Date
4-20-2016 3:20 PM
End Date
4-20-2016 3:40 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
PowerPoint
Life-Like: American Society and the Early to Mid-Twentieth Century Musical
Cedarville, OH
While entertainment is usually seen as a distraction from people’s everyday lives, it is actually more accurate to see it as a reflection of the society and culture from which it came. This is especially true for the genre of musical theatre, which has been known to be both shaped by culture and a commentary on it. This presentation seeks to examine the interaction between the culture and mindset of America from the early to mid-twentieth century and the musicals of that time period. This can be seen especially when it comes to the subjects that the writers of these productions have chosen to present. The presentation also acknowledges important events of this time period in America, such as the World Wars and the Great Depression, and how the musicals of this time period reflect the reaction of the American population to these events. Common ideas of the time period, such as nationalism, racism, xenophobia, and others are also examined throughout this work through their representations on the Broadway stage.
