Literature: The Future of Musical Theatre

My inquiry stems from my interest to discover whether the components of a successful audition have changed since professional training, and if so what they are. What is expected of us at auditions is dependant on the style of show we are auditioning for. This article discusses some of the latest developments in musical theatre which could suggest what may be expected of us in the audition room in the future, and maybe what colleges might consider vital for future curriculums.  

Whats Next: The Future of Musical Theatre - (Nick Morrison, July 2015)

Nick Morrison is a theatre blogger and west end production assistant. 

In this article, Nick Morrison suggests that there are three main avenues in which musical theatre is evolving. Content, Style and Form.

CONTENT

'Cut to where we are today: the Tony Award for Best Musical this year went to Fun Home, the coming out story of a lesbian cartoonist and her father’s subsequent suicide; The Scottsboro Boys musicalises the racist trial of a group of black teenagers falsely convicted of raping two white women; Next to Normal is a two-act rock musical about grief, mental illness and the pharmaceutical industry. Writers and (more importantly) audiences are coming to realise that there is no limit to what can be successfully musicalised in the right hands. The genre is becoming unpredictable, and we must wait with bated breath to see whatever ‘they’ come up with next.'

Although this extract doesn't give me any answers in regards to auditions, it does tell me that content is becoming more gritty and the need for musical theatre artists who are also extremely strong actors may be developing. If this is the case, Musical Theatre courses (which often focus on singing and dancing) may need to dedicate more lesson time to acting. 

STYLE

'An obvious example of this change in the current musical theatre scene is Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose In the Heights and Broadway-bound Hamilton use rap and hip hop influences in ways not previously seen onstage. By adapting modern, culturally relevant styles to the musical theatre mold, Miranda is pushing Broadway forward, keeping its reach wide and doubtless drawing more varied audiences than another Gershwin jukebox show. As popular music progresses, no doubt new writers will match it beat for beat, and musicals in 40 years will sound as fresh and à la mode as Hamilton does to us today.'

Morrisons points on style reflect my own views that I have previously blogged about and the general opinion of my sig. As 'modern, culturally relevant' styles are used to influence current musical theatre, a need for the talents that accompany these styles will begin to surface in the audition room, and therefore may need to be taught at college. If rap and hip hop is the future of Musical Theatre then there may be need for colleges to add these styles to singing lessons.  

FORM

'What will perhaps be the most significant change we are still to see in musical theatre will come as a breaking down of the barriers between genres. As we have it now, there is a clear and marked distinction to an audience between a play, a musical and a dance show. There are of course examples of works that blur that line (‘plays with music,’ dance-heavy musicals like Contact or An American in Paris), but generally speaking, the separation has always been noticeable. When the average audience member buys a ticket, he wants to know what he is going to get: song and dance or monologues? There is ground to be broken where the genres overlap, and stories to be told using the tools available in each branch of the art – musical theatre is already incredibly collaborative and fuses techniques and devices every step of the way. However, the rigidity of certain conventions combined with audience expectations is arguably an impediment to real progress and change coming about. Why not have a soliloquy with a dance break? A sung sonnet? When the walls break down between what we traditionally think of as distinct modes of storytelling, then truly revolutionary work can begin.'

If Morrison's predictions in regards to form are correct, this would mean that everyone in the industry would have to be a true triple threat. By breaking down the barriers that distinguish a play from a musical, you are essentially over lapping the talent pools as well. this would mean that when training, colleges should no longer define themselves by being 'dance' or 'straight acting' schools. 

Nick Morrison. (2015). Whats Next: The Future of Musical Theatre . Available: http://newmusicaltheatre.com/greenroom/2015/07/whats-next-the-future-of-musical-theatre/.