Identities and Audiences in the Musical
Book 3 of 3 in the The Oxford Handbook of the American Musical series
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Author Description
Issues Of Identity Have Always Been Central To The American Musical In All Its Guises. Who Appears In Musicals, Who Or What They Are Meant To Represent, And How, Over Time, Those Representations Have Been Understood And Interpreted, Provide The Very Basis For Our Engagement With The Genre. In This Third Volume Of The Reissued Oxford Handbook Of The American Musical, Chapters Focus On Race, Ethnicity, Gender, And Sexuality, Regional Vs. National Identity, And The Cultural And Class Significance Of The Musical Itself. As Important As The Question Of Who Appears In Musicals Are The Questions Of Who Watches And Listens To Them, And Of How Specific Cultures Of Reception Attend Differently To The Musical. Chapters Thus Address Cultural Codes Inherent To The Genre, In Particular Those Found In Traditional School Theater Programs.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This volume investigates how the American musical functions as a site for the construction, performance, and reception of identity. The editors, Mitchell Morris, Raymond Knapp, and Stacy Ellen Wolf, curate a collection of scholarly essays that examine the intersection of performance and social identity. By analyzing the mechanisms of representation, the text argues that the musical serves as a critical mirror for evolving cultural, racial, gendered, and class-based norms within the United States.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality in musical theater.
- Examination of regional versus national identity markers.
- Studies on the cultural and class significance of the genre.
- Research into audience reception and cultural codes in school theater programs.
Scope Limits
- The text focuses primarily on the American musical tradition and does not provide an exhaustive global history of the genre.
- It does not serve as a technical manual for musical composition or performance practice.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars and students of theater history frequently cite this volume as a foundational resource for understanding the sociological dimensions of the American musical. Experts note the academic rigor of the contributions, which provide a comprehensive framework for analyzing how identity politics shape both the production and consumption of musical theater.
Page Count:
176
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
ISBN-10:
0190877804
ISBN-13:
9780190877804
Music
Theater
Sociology
Performing Arts
American History
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