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What Makes Musical Theater a Community?

Megan Tachiyama

Arizona State University

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Abstract

This is an ethnography on the musical theater community. The research focuses on what

makes musical theater a community, and identifies what the important aspects of that community

are. It discusses the outcome of interviews with a musical theater actress and a production stage

designer /props designer for a youth theater, the role of a Playbill in the community, and the

results of secondary research performed using popular and academic sources. It also talks about

the benefits of musical theater during this time, and how these benefits affect our shifting culture.

What’s concluded is the strength of the musical theater community is formed from the passion

their members have for what they do that seems to be stronger than the general person’s desire to

have a job that makes a lot of money.

Keywords: Musical Theater, Community

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The whole theater was quiet besides the sniffling from the audience members, the loudest

being my mom and my aunt. We watched as the main character, Sammy, is forgiven after being

estranged from his Japanese American family for volunteering himself for the U.S. army for

World War II. I tensed and clung to the necklace given to me by my grandmother who was also

separated from her family as a little girl after her house was bombed during the war. Watching

the reactions of the audience during the play, and listening to the discussions afterwards while I

waited in line to meet the actors, it was clear that this play hit home for a lot of people. Even

though the war ended just over 70 years ago, it still affects many families today.

Musicals have been around since the 1700s, but the first musical that conformed to the

modern concept of combining dancing, singing, and acting to portray stories on a live stage was

in 1866. Thousands of musicals have been created and performed since musical theater began,

and it continues to grow throughout the country. Musical theater has a powerful way of bringing

together performers from different cultures and experiences that are able to, through their

performances, universally reach audiences that are also made up of individuals of varying

ethnicities, genders and backgrounds. It is this unifying power that led me to my central research

question which is “what drives the unifying passion that is the foundation of the musical theater

community?”

Musical theater is special in that it has something to offer to everyone. Many people

believe that musical theater isn’t for them or that they won’t find it interesting or entertaining.

However, my research suggests otherwise. I conducted my research by going to 2 shows at a

large local theater, the ASU Gammage. I saw ​Waitress ​and ​On Your Feet ​that were put on by a

professional national touring company. I also interviewed Joycelin Jacobs, a production stage
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and props designer, and Hannah Harrison, a musical theater actress. Through my research I

learned how unique and different this community is, and how those differences bring the people

in the community together.

People often misunderstand and believe that musical theater is not for them. When

people think of musical theater they often think of overly animated music and scenes. However,

nowadays there are countless numbers of musicals that cater to modern music. Musicals like

Mean Girls​ and ​Frozen ​are extremely popular and include multiple songs on their albums that are

a part of the pop music genre. Even plays like ​In the Heights​ and the hit musical ​Hamilton​ have

incorporated rap and hip-hop styles. There are also plays that cater to children including

Spongebob​, ​School of Rock,​ and Disney musicals like ​Lion King​ and ​Aladdin​.

When people think of musical theater, many think solely of Broadway in New York , but

there are always shows being performed all around the country. There are numerous touring

companies that travel to a multitude of cities to perform; there are also local community theaters

that put on smaller productions that are more affordable and convenient for locals to see, and

there are also small performances in places like high schools. This gives a large part of the

population the opportunity to see the shows that they want to. All of the musicals are run fairly

similarly, including the use of Playbills and intermissions.

Something that makes musical theater unique is they produce and distribute small

booklets called Playbills to their audience members before each show. Playbills are essentially a

way for an audience member to learn about the cast members that are performing in the play,

including what projects they have done in the past. Playbills are unique as they hold a

significance for both the audience and cast members. Hannah said that Playbills serve as a nice
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reminder for cast members of how the extensive time and effort they put into a show has paid

off. According to Hannah, she isn’t aware of a single person who doesn’t automatically flip to

their own picture and information when they first see the Playbill for the play they are in. Cast

members usually keep the Playbills as a reminder of the many experiences they have had in the

plays they’ve been in. Audience members also keep them as a souvenir to remind them of the

musicals they’ve seen, and the memories they made during each show.

Musical theater also has many benefits and important lessons people can learn. An

audience member at one of the musicals I attended mentioned that a lot of musicals cover

sensitive subjects which can kick-start conversations on certain topics. Hannah said “the shows

themselves almost always carry an important message that if it is done well, will make sense as it

is being communicated through song and dance. And when the performers are being truthful, you

can feel the emotion pouring out of their body, truly affecting your own.”

Not only are important topics covered within musicals, Hannah and Joycelin both talked

about how much being in musical theater can teach people. Hannah says “you learn great

communication skills. You also learn how to talk to people in authority about conflicts, and how

you feel about certain things going on in the play, which can in turn translate into being able to

talk to employers at other jobs.” Joycelin works with kids in musical theater and also feels

strongly that musical theater, or any theatre for that matter, “teaches kids how to get along with

others, discipline, time management, and respect.” As common core becomes the standard in the

United States, there is more focus on sciences and less on the arts. There has been less funding

for education which has led to a reduction in art programs for kids. Research has been done
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showing how beneficial it is for children to have an art program. Art programs improve creativity

which is especially true for musical theater since it covers acting, dancing, and singing.

Nowadays people often choose majors and jobs in science solely based on how much

money they are able to earn without taking into consideration what they actually like to do. This

often leads individuals to find themselves stuck in a major or occupation that they do not enjoy at

all. Being in the musical theater industry is often difficult. Joycelin said there are countless

auditions coupled with many rejections. Even if someone is cast in a play, the pay is often very

low. Yet people in the musical theater community consider themselves lucky because not only

are they doing something they love, but they are usually working with people who are as

passionate as they are. The reward they get from being a part of a supportive community, as well

as the joy they get from successfully engaging an audience, provides them with a level of

happiness that often eludes those that make a lot more money.

Musical theater is also a community that is very diverse and accepting. There are

countless numbers of musicals about different religions and races and even about LGBTQ+. Not

only do the cast and crew have to work closely together, but they have to be very accepting of

one another in order to achieve the level of creativity and synergy that is needed to successfully

draw the audience into the story that is being told. This closeness results in strong bonds between

cast members. Joycelin said there is definitely a comradery between actors in the community that

results in them being supportive, even if they themselves didn’t get a part in a play.

Musical theater is one of those rare experiences that can be enjoyed and shared by people

of varying ethnicities, backgrounds and genders. The musical theater community itself is

inspiring as it can teach people that being happy is not necessarily about having lots of money,
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but more about doing something you love and are passionate about. This passion, as well as the

acceptance, love and support the members of this group have for one another makes the musical

theater a strong and unique community.

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References

Bigsby, C. (2000). Beyond Broadway. In Modern American Drama, 1945–2000 (pp. 363-424).

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from

https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/doi/full/10.1080/00094056.2016.1150743

?scroll=top&needAccess=true

Harrison, Hannah. Personal interview. 11 October 2018.

Jacobs, Joycelin. Personal interview. 12 May 2018.

Soloski, A. (2016, May 03). Sixteen ways Hamilton transformed theater – and the world.

Retrieved from

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/may/03/hamilton-tony-awards-broadway-lin-manu

el-mirand

Musical Theater. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Musical_Theater

Why Musical Theatre Is Still Important. (2018, August 06). Retrieved from

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/musical-theatre-important