Musical Theatre Initiative

Founded in 1938, the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin proudly nurtured the study of musical theatre and regularly featured musical theatre productions in its performance seasons for several decades. Among those featured include Hipsy-Boo, the first artistic collaboration of College of Fine Arts alumni, Tom Jones (B.F.A., 1949; M.F.A., 1951) and Harvey Schmidt (B.F.A., 1952). Jones and Schmidt, who met as members of departmental student organization The Curtain Club, later went on to create the world's longest running musical, The Fantasticks.

Beginning in the 1980s, however, an unprecedented rise in student enrollment and the addition of new graduate curricula prompted the department to focus its training program to take better advantage of the available resources and facilities. While this led to an increased level of national and international visibility, particularly in Acting, Playwriting, and Design, it led to a diminution of other practical training experiences, particularly those related to voice and movement training for musical theatre.

Students rehearse in class, The Broadway Musical: Survey of Broadway Choreography Pre-1970

Today, musical theatre training is a top priority to many students who intend to pursue professional careers on the stage. In response to increased student interest, faculty support, and donor patronage, the Department of Theatre and Dance launched the Musical Theatre Pilot Project in 2007.

The two–year project incorporates newly offered courses such as Singing for the Stage and The Broadway Musical: Survey of Broadway Choreography Pre–1970. " In addition to providing voice and movement training, the department produced Stephen Sondheim's bold and thought–provoking musical Assassins in April 2008.

Due in part to the pilot project's success and increasing demand of musical theatre course offerings, the Department of Theatre and Dance is continuing to move forward with the project, now re-titled, the Musical Theatre Initiative. The Musical Theatre Initiative commits to ongoing student training through an expanded curriculum and the inclusion of fully-mounted musicals productions during the mainstage season.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Initiative is the emphasis on the development of new, commercial musicals, particularly those which push the envelope of traditional form and expose students to the processes of creating new work of all genres. Students will participate in concentrated, intensive workshops in which they will work with musical theatre professionals to experience the musical production process from conception to performance. The first workshop of a new musical is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2009.

Guest faculty Lyn Koenning, Singing for the Stage

Through the Musical Theatre Initiative, students with a focus in design, technology, playwriting, stage management, and directing will gain valuable experience from the production and creation of musicals. Similarly, voice and movement classes allow for a sense of self-discovery among students finding their place on the musical theatre stage. Some students are continuing to pursue their drive to be cast as leads, others are learning to feel more comfortable as dancers and singers who will do really well as members of the chorus, and they are all adding valuable information to their knowledge base and skill set.

"My goal is to take each student in my class from their present level of skill, whatever that may be, to a place where they feel empowered and equipped to participate most fully in all types of theatre. I believe that our students will be much more marketable in their future endeavors," explains Lyn Koenning, guest faculty and musical director of Assassins.

Students enrolled in the currently offered musical theatre courses have found their classroom experiences to be rewarding, encouraging and at times challenging and humbling. But, their continued enthusiasm combined with the instruction of talented guest faculty is pivotal in allowing the Musical Theatre Initative to provide them with a foundation applicable to any performance career, and aid in the discovery of their place in the world of musical theatre.

The Musical Theatre Initiative is made possible in part through donor support. To learn more about giving opportunities for the Musical Theatre Initiative, please contact Cassie Gholston, Assistant Chair for External Relations, at gholston@austin.utexas.edu or (512) 232–5301.