Music Director - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 10

The music director is the person that oversees all aspects of a theatrical production that involve music. This music can be live or recorded. It may be a combination of both things as well. The music director may be in charge of all live music or he or she may be in charge of overseeing others such as conductors and directors hired to be in charge of music.

The music director will read a play and understand how the music in it helps to serve the show. He or she will understand how it brings out emotions, helps the characters, and enhances the story telling. The musial director will make sure to be present, unless otherwise stated, or the casting and possible hiring of singers, orchestra members, and other musicians.

Once members are cast or hired as actors and musicians, the musial director may be in charge of teaching music to everybody. At the least, the musical director will make sure that all people are being taught music by the appropriate people delegated to that task. If teaching the music, it is like that the musical director will lead warm ups. The musical director, if not directly teaching and leading rehearsals, should be sure to attend at least a few of the musical rehearsals.

Once the play is coming together as a whole, the musical director will work closely with the sound designers in order to figure out where recorded sounds and music happen in the show if they are there. The sound designer may not be needed if live music is the only thing used. However, a sound designer will be an important part of the music director's team any time even the slightest recorded sound is used in a production. This can be even the pre-show and intermission music.

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Dramaturg - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 9

People often think that a dramaturg is only responsible for historical research and bringing that into the theatre. However, the dramaturg does much more than only historical research. The dramaturg usually talks mainly to the director, but will work closely with every person or team in the theatre.

Some people call the dramaturg the glue that holds everything together. It is like all of the other people - the director, the designers, the actors, and others who work on the production are pieces of paper that need to be held together and the dramaturg is the glue that holds them all together. Others prefer to compare the dramaturg and the rest of the team to weaving terms. All the other people are the warp, so the strands go vertically up and down. They can't be held together without the weft. The weft is the yarn or material that goes left and right to weave the material together. Of course, ultimately, it depends on what the director wants the dramaturg to do.

Check out posts from the earlier series: Examples of What Dramaturgs Do:

• Part 1 - Countertext
• Part 2 - Educational Packets
• Part 3 -Actor Packets
• Part 4A - Media Packets - Presses Releases
• Part 4B - Media Packets - Program Notes
• Part 4C - Media Packets - Talkback Guides
• Part 5 - Production Packets
• Part 6 - Designer Packets
• Part 7 - Sitting in on Rehearsals
• Pre-rehearsal Presentations

So, the dramaturg does do historical research. However, other research such as looking into possible lighting ideas to give to the director and lighting designer are a possible thing she may do. She may write a study guide for the play being produced. She may write publicity to send to schools and community members. She may work on organizing talkbacks.

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Marketing Director - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 8

The marketing director is in charge of finding out the particular wants and needs of patrons and possible future patrons of the theatre. This is done in a variety of ways through market research. It is important to figure out what a theatre can do to win patrons over the competition.

Competitions for theatre include sports, video games, television, movies, and can even include other theatre companies if the companies in a city do not work together in order to support each other. Once these are figured out, they can go into the marketing plan, which is also a responsibility of the marketing director.

The marketing director is also usually in charge of media relations. He or she will work closely with the graphic designer to approve designs for advertising in local media. He or she will also work closely with the graphic designer in order to make in-house media such as theatre newsletters, season brochures, and programs.

While some of the advertising, media relations, and publicity may be delegated to others, it is usually the marketing director that is in charge over these people. The marketing director will work closely with whoever is over each small part to ensure that the theatre's marketing goals are accomplished.

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Business Manager - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 7

The business manager in a theatre is the person who is in charge of all the financial aspects. In a large theatre, the business manager will oversee that the proper actions are being completed by each person to which they are delegated. In a smaller theatre, the business manager may be the only person who takes care of financial matters.

The business manager will know the most up-to-date status of the theatre's financial health. He or she is an extremely important person in the theatre because of this. It allows the theatre to know what can be spent in different ways.

The business manager pays bills, executes payrolls, makes financial deposits, and keeps financial records. He or she is also responsible for the money that comes through the box office and concessions. He or she also deals with accounting, taxes, financial reporting, and dealing with auditors.

The business manager may also help with budgeting, concessions, contracts for both producing plays and hiring employees, licensing rights for plays, union negotiations, endowments, investments, and personnel policies. He or she is also the primary liaison with the business community. While the business manager may also be given the title "director of finance," it is important to realize that he or she is a principal executive of the theatre and not just a bookkeeper.

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Company Manager - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 6

A company manager is in charge of many things for a theatrical company. Just like it sounds, this position should be filled when a company of actors exists, and not just a theatre where students and/or community members act. When a company tours, the company manager is the top representative for the theatre company.

The company manager is responsible for booking all travel and housing accomodations for the company. He or she is also responsible for being intimately knowledgable of contracts in order to specify what is required for each show according to the producer. The company manager also responsible for letting theatres know about the cast's needs and problems.

The company manager should also keep in constant contact with the other managers of the theatre. Sometimes there is a general manager over all the other managers and other times there is not. However, daily e-mails and phone calls should be made to the specified manager. Weekly correspondence concerning programs, petty cash reconciliations, box office statments finanacial settlements, check registers, and media reviews should be e-mailed to the specified manager of the theatre.

When a company is not on tour, the company manager is responsible for payroll, ticket requests, payment of bills, royalties, and other various management issues. Payroll can be difficult because it is never the same each time it is issued due to the possibility of differest cast and crew. There are companies that can help with this aspect of the job. When there is not a company manager, these duties are assigned to other managers or the producer.

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The Mountaintop in Lake Charles for Seven More Performances

Camae, the newly hired maid of the the Lorraine Motel stands on the bed while wearing the jacket and shoes of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She gives a passionate speech while Rev. King watches from the other bed in the room. When she finishes, Rev. King asks her if that is really what she would have him say.

The first act of the play then ends with Rev. King refelcting on how he is now 39 and that Malcolm X was 39 when he was killed. The second act of the play reveals more about this mysterious maid who seemed to produce cigarettes out of thin air and know more about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King than he let most people know.

The play is The Mountaintop by Katori Hall. It is a re-imagining of the night before Rev. King was assassinated. It is currently playing at The Lake Charles Little Theater. Dr. Mary Guidry-Ringo, a veteran of the stage, gives a wonderful and thought-provoking performance of Camae. Minister Darol King, Sr. gives a heart-wrenching performance of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The only truly confusing part of the play was that there were times some type of a hissing sound seemed to be employed. However, that did not take away from the play. The play is directed by Dan Sadler and assistant directed by Joseph Comeaux. Costumes are by Heather Partin and Hari and Make-Up is by Kevin Driscol.

There are seven more chances to see this wonderful and extremely emotional play. You can buy tickets online from The Lake Charles Little Theatre or in person at the box office before the show. The show runs on Fridays through Sundays from Sunday, August 26, 2018 to Sunday, September 9, 2018. On Fridays and Saturdays, the show starts at 7:30pm and on Sundays, it starts at 3pm. The Lake Charles Little Theatre is located at 813 Enterprise Blvd in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

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Zoo Story in Lake Charles for One More Performance

Two men are on a bench and one starts tickling the other. The one being tickled can't control his laughter and states that the parakeets are making dinnner and the cats are setting the table. While this is extremely funny, it is only part of Edward Albee's Zoo Story.

Jonathon Richards and William Lormand as Jerry and Peter give an excellent performance. You can tell that both of them are extremely talented and easily show the emotions that go with the play's dialogue. The play is intense and you easily feel the unease that is given by Jonathon while playing Jerry.

The play is set in a park, so a bench in an empty space in a coffee shop works perfectly for this play. There are a row of lights that work for the daylight sun and then the end of the play when the lights go down. The settign is also extremely intimate. While little work was needed for the set, you can tell the work that the actors put into knowing their lines and providing the emotion needed.

There is one more performance of Zoo Story at Stellar Beans on Saturday, August 25, 2018 at 7pm. Stellar Beans is located at 319 Broad St. in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Doors open at 6pm and tickets are $10 general admission or $7 with the purchase of food or a beverage (although no iced beverages will be sold) provided by Stellar Beans. Come support local theatre.

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Director - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 5

A director is the person that is responsible for guiding actors all throughout rehearsals in order to achieve the vision that the director has for a play. This entails many duties involving the play itself, actors, and other teams and workers in the theatre. It is important that the director be able to work closely with others. While some theatres have a resident director (meaning that there is always a director available to direct a play), most theatres hire directors on a freelance basis. Even when there is a resident director, some theatres may invite guest directors.

The director must read the script and come up with a vision for it. Sometimes the script specifies how it is to be staged. This may include the set and blocking, just the set, or just the blocking. Other times, everything is left up to the director's vision. Either way, the director still has to analyze the script to figure out what he or she wants the actors to do and how he or she feels they should be saying lines. While the director will most likely let the actors make personal choices (although there are some that treat actors like pawns and tell them exactly what to do), there will be some ways that the director will want to see things on or hear things from the stage. The director will guide actors and will work with them one on one or in small groups when needed.

The director is also responsible for holding auditions. Sometimes the director is responsible for casting people in roles. Other times, this is delegated to a casting director. However, the production's director will most likely still be at auditions and discuss casting with the casting director.

During the rehearsal process, the director will also attend production meetings that are held so the different departments can discuss what is needed for the production. Once the entire rehearsal process is done, the director's job is done. It is then up to the director (unless there is a certain contract in the theatre specifying what should be done) to attend or not attend the performances of the play.

The director will also set a rehearsal schedule. If there is a production manager, the director will work closely with that person in order to figure out a rehearsal schedule and help that person be able to keep others on schedule so everything is ready for the production.

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Production Manager - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 4

When a theatre has a production manager, that person is responsible for supervising all aspects of a production and allocating the budget for resources. This position may not be found in a theatre because the duties assigned to a production manager may be assigned to a producer. It is also possible that a theatre will have both and the duties will be split or even shared.

It is important that the production manager works closely with all of the departments in the theatre. This includes all of the departments that work backstage. A main duty is making timelines to make sure all work is completed in a timely manner in order for a production to take place. If needed, the production manager will provide help in however the theatre sees fit. This may be by hands-on help or it may be by finding people to hire if that is within the theatre's budget.

The production manager is a liaison between the different deparents of a theatre. He or she checks on what is needed in each department. The production manager may also be in charge of the budgets for different departments and making sure that they are followed. Another duty may be hiring and firing cast and crew.

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Executive Director - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 3

The executive director is basically the person that is in charge of all non-artistic operations of a theatre. Everybody on the theatre departments and staff that deal with non-artistic operations reports to the executive director. This position may also be called the president or CEO.

Other possible responsibilities are heading human resources and aiding with fund-raising. It ie likely that the executive director will be the person to whome staff brings complaints dealing with illegal activities, required protection over medical issues, or harassment. When it comes to fund-raising, it is likely that the executive director will help with setting income goals. Fund-raising reponsibilties may include more than setting income goals if there are not staff members that deal with finding funds.

It is also likely that the executive director will act as a company liaison. He or she will appear at official events to represent the theatre. These may be community functions, government functions, or get-togethers of artistic and theatrical groups in the community.

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Artistic Director - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 2

The artistic director is the person who is responsible for maintaining and developing the major artistic goals of the theatre. Once again, these posts are general and each theatre may differ. However, in general, this means that the artistic director is above and sometimes even hires all of the designers.

It is common for the artistic director to make the decisions about hiring the set designer, lighting designer, sound designer, costume designer, and prop designer. This does not mean that the artistic designer will have full say in what happens artistically in the theatre. Mostly likely he or she will supervise the designers who will report to the the artistic designer.

The artistic director is on the same level as the managing director. In some theatres, the artistic director is the same person as the managing director. Whether or not these two positions are filled by one or two people, they both report to whoever is above them in the theatrical hierarchy. Sometimes this is the producer who reports everything to the board of directors. Other times, these people or this person reports directly to the board of directors. Sometimes the artistic director is the president of the board of directors, so a report is still given to the board.

Other possible duties of an artistic director are being the chief spokesperson for the theatre and coordinating talk-backs that relate to the plays. The artistic director may also possibly find the theatrical companies (or at least the director and the actors) who will produce the plays, as well as the plays that will be at the theatre.

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Producer - Jobs in the Theatre - Part 1

In the United States, in professional theatre, the producer is the person that raises the money for a theatrical performance or a run of theatrical performaces and also finds the venue or venues. This person will also secure the rights for the performance.

The producer will also publicize the play. A producer usually has a team of a variety of managers and at least one publicist to help fulfill these duties. That way, the producer is able to delegate responsiblities to different people and not become too overwhelmed.

The producer is usually right under the board of directors when it comes to theatre hierarchy. A producer may not be found in non-profit theatrical companies. This is because the board does the jobs mentioned in the above paragraph.

However, sometimes a producer is assigned in non-profit theatre. When this is the case, the producer is the person who oversees every aspect of the production. In general, the board is still responsible for taking care of funds for productions. However, the producer will help to raise the funds. He will also make sure that each person in the theatre is doing is or her job.

Once again, sorry for the last post. This time I was out of town and I managed to get off of the Interstate and ended up driving through a little down in the dark and I don't know my way through it, so it took me longer to get home than I expected.

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Board of Directors - Jobs in the Theatre

A position on the Board of Directors in a theatre usually is not a job. The board of directors is usually made up of volunteers. Often, these volunteers will also be theatre employees, but there may be other people from the community who are interested in serving on the Board of Directors, too. It always depends on the constitution of the theatre.

Sometimes the constituion of a theatre will state who is allowed to be a board member. This may include or preclude employees of the theatre. Others that it may affect are those involved with other theatres or art centers, those in certain professions, those with certain criminal records, people who were involved in founding the theatre, and people of certain ages. The constitution will also specify if the members of the board of directors are paid anything for their service or not.

The board of directors is the highest position in a theatre, though. They run everything. While duties may be delegated to employees, the board of directors is in charge of delegating those duties. The employees responsible for those duties are also responsible for reporting to the board of directors unless they are told that they do not have to report to them.

Just a few duties of the board of directors are establishing the theatre's purpose and mission, planning organization of different aspects of the theatre, recruiting new board members, monitoring and managing finances, and spreading the word about the theatre. The board of the directors has a duty to the employees and the community in order to help keep the theatre running.

Depending on the theatre's constitution, board meetings may be open or closed to the public. When they are open to the public, this means that anybody can attend. Sometimes meetings are open in general, but there have to be parts that are closed. At times, special privilege is given to people who founded the theatre or have been involved with the theatre for a long time. They may be given the right to attend board meetings and even be allowed to vote.

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Theatre Hierarchy - Jobs in the Theatre

I am getting ready to do a series on theatrical jobs (or jobs in the theatre). Tonight and early this morning (because it is so hot during the day and because I'm usually up late into the mornings doing stuff for work), my sister started rearranging my desk and computer to how I want it. She is the one that decided to start. It was completely her decision. (So, sorry for the late post . . .)

Anyway, above you can see one image of theatre hierarchy. Below, you'll find more images of theartre hierarchy. There's always the general hierarchy in theatre. Sometimes hierarchy will differ by theatres depending on how they are run. However, the actors are never at the top of the hierarchy.

In many non-professional (and even some professional) theatres, not all positions are going to be filled by one person. One person may hold many positions. It is extremely important to respect those higher in hierarchy in order to make theatre run smoothly. It becomes even more important to respect those people when one person is holding more than one position.

You can find more examples of theatre hierarchy below:

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Inspirational Quotes from Musicals

While I gather my thoughts and get ready to start a new series, this post is just a small break between series. Thanks to many people in the Facebook group, Theatre Teacher Lesson Lending for the idea.

Here are some inspirational quotes from musicals. If you are a teacher that has a classroom, you may want to find an appropriate picture and put one of these quotes on the picture. Obviously, this can be done with as many quotes as you'd like. You can then have the poster with the quote printed out as a picture at places like FedEx or Office Depot and have inspirting decorations for your classroom.

Dear Evan Hansen

• It takes a little patience, takes a little time. A little perseverance and a little uphill climb.
• Even when the dark comes crashing through, and when you need a friend to carry you, when you're broken on the ground you will be found.
• At least you're you and, well, that's enough.

Legally Blonde: The Musical

• Keep it positive.
• Being true to yourself never goes out of style.

The Sound of Music

• After all, the wool from the black sheep is just as warm.
• Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, ’til you find your dream.

Wicked

• It's just life, so keep dancing through.
• Some things I cannot change, but 'til I try, I'll never know.
• Everyone deserves the chance to fly.
• I'm through accepting limits because someone says they're so.

Hamilton

• I’m just like my country — I’m young, scrappy, and hungry, and I am not throwing away my shot.”
• Every action’s an act of creation!
• Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now!
• There’s a million things I haven’t done. Just you wait, just you wait.
• I am the one thing in life I can control. I am inimitable, I am an original.” (Or break this one up "I am the one thing in life I can control." and "I am an original.")
• Seize the moment and stay in it.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

• Any dream will do.
• If you think it, want it, dream it, it's real.

Seussical

• I have wings and I can fly. Around the moon and far beyond the sky.
• Oh, the thinks you can think.
• Think and wonder and dream far and wide as you dare.

Cinerella

• Impossible things are happening every day.
• On the wing of my fancy, I can fly anywhere.

Shrek: The Musical

• It's a big, bright beautiful world.

The Little Mermaid

• You’ve got your own style, now let it shine through and remember no matter what, you got to be you.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 106 - Movicals

A movical is a stage musical based on a movie. Many times the movie was already a musical, but that is not a requirement of the movie for it to become a movical. The only requirement is that it ends up as a musical on the stage. The term "movical" wasn't coined until 2002. However, movicals have existed for a long time before the term was coined.

Rick of Rick on Theatre wrongly states that the trend of movie to stage musical adaptations started in 1980. While they may have become more popular in the 1980s, the now-termed movicals started much earlier, though it is uncertain when the first movical took place.

Rick also quotes Steven Suskin, who seems to be incorrect in assuming that the first movical was 1953's Hazel Flagg.It is guessed that the first movical may have been 1944's Sadie Thompson. The stage musical was based upon the 1932 film Rain. The next movical may have been 1949's Regina based on the 1941 film The Little Foxes Obviously movicals continued throughout the years. Examples are 1966's Promises, Promises, 1973's A Little Night Music, and 1983's La Cage aux Folles.

While it is not completely certain why the term movical was created, it may have been because of the constnat creation of musicals based off of Disney films. Just a few that exist are The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Obviously, movicals are not only produced by Disney because they started earlier and there are still other movicals. Some recent movicals are Heathers and Mean Girls.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 105 - In-Yer-Face Theatre

In yer-face-theatre is a term applied to many plays written in Britain during the 1990s. The term refers to plays that were written in order to present vulgar, shocking, and confrontational material on the theatrical stage. This was usually done by young playwrights of the time. Aleks Sierz called it "theatre which grabs the audience by the scruff of the neck and shakes it until it gets the message."

The reason for the style is that they wanted to involve the audience by making them feel the emotions that come with the extremes of distressing issues.

The languages of such plays was often raw and course. Swear words were often used liberally throughout the scripts. Uncomfortable stage images were also presented. Things such as rape and cannibalism may have been shown on the stage without any censoring.

Some people claim that Aleks Sierz coined the term "in-yer-face theatre," however he denies this. He claims that he adopted the term from people that were already using it and he was only the first to celebrate the form and popularize it. It seems that the first coinage of the term "in-yer-face theatre" may have happened in November 1995 in an interview between Sarah Hemming, a critic with Financial Times and the director and playwright Anthony Neilson.

Some people may refer to in-yer-face theatre as new brutalism. However, the reason that in-yer-face theatre works better is because it doesn't describe just the content of the play. It also describes the relationship of the stage to the audience. New brutalism would describe the content of the play. Some people see in-yer-face theatre as a renewal of Theatre of Cruelty. However, theatre of cruelty depended more upon visuals while in-yer-face theatre depends both upon visuals and the language used.

Some of the significant plays of this genre are Blasted by Sarah Kane, Shopping and Fucking by Mark Ravenhill, and Infidelities by Richard Zajdlic. In 2002, a conference was held on the form of in-yer-face theatre. At that time, it was acknowledged that the form was a historical phenomenom. While this seems to be true in general, at times, playwrights may still write in this form.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 104 - Jukebox Musicals

Many people consider jukebox musicals to be a new form of musical theatre. They assume that they only started in the 2000s. The term "jukebox musical" is applied to many different musical and theatrical forms, but for this post, the jukebox musical has a specific definition. The jukebox musical is a musical that is built around the songs of a certain artist, of a couple or of a few certain artists, or songs from a certain time period.

If the songs already tell a story when they are put together, the musical may revolve around a story that the songs tell. If they songs don't tell a story, dialogue that makes a whole story is written to connect the different songs and keep them relavant for the musical.

Jukebox musicals are as old as the second half of the 18th century. Of course, the term jukebox musical would not have existed at the time because the jukebox was not invented until 1890. 1728's The Beggar's Opera by John Gay interspersed dialogue with popular 18th century songs.

While there were certainly more jukebox musicals written in the 1800s and 1900s, they exploded in popularity during the 2000s. There are two types of jukebox musicals that fall into the definition for this post. There's the type that tells the story of the artist (here refered to as a biographical jukebox musical) and the type that uses songs to tell a completely different story connecting the songs with dialogue, sometimes in between the songs and sometimes during them.

Jersey Boys is an example of a biographical jukebox musical. It tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Mamma Mia! is an example of a jukebox musical that tells a different story using the songs of an artist. Disaster! The Musical is an example of a jukebox musical that tells a story using the songs from a certain time. Sometimes jukebox musicals work really well such as The Marvelous Wonderettes/. Other times, there are very clever ways of using songs like how Disaster! using the song "Hot Stuff," and inserts dialog changing the meaning of hot stuff for each character. However, the plot can be weak and the show can fall flat. It seems certain that as long as people are producing music, jukebox musicals will exist.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 103 - The Beginnings of Broadway

Broadway is now iconic as "the place" that people go to see professional plays and musicals. However, just like most things in the United State, it began with humble roots. Broadway was first called Wiechquaekeck Trail by the Algonquins who used it as a trade route. It was then called Heere Straat (High Street) by the Dutch. It was one of the two main streets that led north and liked New York Harbor with upstate New York.

The first significatant theatre in New York was founded in 1750 by Walter Murray and Thomas Keane. This was on Nassau Street and the theatrte held about 280 people. Most of the performances were usually either ballad operas or Shakespeare.

In 1775, theatre in New York was suspended because of the American Revolutionary war. However, it resumed in 1798. In the same year, a 2,000 seat theatre was built on Chatham Street (now Park Row) called Park theatre. Afterwards, many theatres started opening in New York. The first show to have a long run on Broadway was 1857;s The Elves.

Broadway's history then somewhat coinsided with the development of American Musical Theatre, Today, Broadway is not just one street. It is a group of 41 professional theatres in Midtown Manhattan's Theatre District. The theatres are mainly located from 42nd to 53rd street.

The major significance in Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway is the amout of seats in a theatre. Broadways means that there are 500 or more seats. If there are anywhere from 99 to 499 seats in the theatre, it is considered Off-Broadway. Theatres with 99 or less seats are considered Off-Off-Broadway. Sometimes the pay that actors get is a factored into considering the classification of the theatre.

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Theatre History Overview - Part 102 - The Beginnings of American Musical Theatre

The rise in popularity of ballad opera coincided with the beginnings of Europeans settling in the United States. The first musical production that took place on February 8, 1735 in the colonies was Flora and it took place in a courtroom in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1753, New York's first permanent playhouse was established by Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Hallam. It offered operettas including Flora.

People in Philadelphia were given hope that a comic opera called The Disappointment would appear on the stage on April 20, 1767. However, four days before the comic opera was to open, a notice was run in papers that it was inappropriate for the stage being that it contained personal reflections.

More attempts were made at making a uniquely American musical. On December 11, 1781, Francis Hopkinsin debuted his work, The Temple of Minerva as part of a concert in honor of George Washington. In 1790, The Reconciliation; or, The Triumph of Nature by Peter Markoe was supposed to be produced in Philidelphia, but the production was canceled. Then in 1796, William Dunlap debuted his work, The Archers. Even though Dunlap was born in New Jersey, there are people who don't consider his work a truly American musical and call it hackwork.

The widely accepted play to be considered the first American musical, despite being called an imitation of European extravaganzas that visited the states, is The Black Crook. It debuted in New York on September 12, 1866. Up to that time, it was the most successful musical written by Americans, It also introduced some of the elements that have become associated with American musicals. These include elaborate costumes, ornate production numbers, sexual inuendos, sexually provactive songs, chorus girls, and large dance numbers.

The first truly American operetta was 1886's The Little Tycoon by Willard Spencer. it owes its popularity to the fact that earlier, The Mikado was popular. However, the operetta did not both have a cohesive plot and concentrate on American experiences. The first musical to do this was The Brook by Nate Salesbury in 1879. While the songs were obvious adaptations of familiar tunes, the humor was obvious. From this point on, more people wrote musicals for the American stage and American musical theatre is still going strong today.

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