Musicals and Musical Theatre

Overview

What you will study

The Musicals and Musical Theatre course offered by University of Oxford will be a mix of taught input, discussion of script and video extracts and discussion. No creative writing will be undertaken in class: but students will have a lot of information to take away for their own creative work, or to enhance their enjoyment of musicals from their seat in the stalls.

Aspiring writers will gain insights into key creative writing techniques;  musical lovers – or those wanting to be convinced of the credibility and joy of the genre! – will learn how to better appreciate and understand how a musical unfolds its story. 

From high kicking chorus lines dancing down an illuminated staircase, to the grim humour of Sweeny Todd’s bloody barber’s chair, there are key techniques that are used to take us into a world where emotion equals music and lyrics. There are key things to look for, and things an audience is asked to accept when they enter the world of stories told with song.

We will look at different genres in music theatre and cinema, where and why songs are placed, how we transition from ‘natural’ dialogue to song and dance, and how the plot is developed and character revealed through lyrics. We will also look at the options of ‘book’ or ‘sung through’ script writing.  

Each essential skill that is used to shape the telling of stories in musical theatre will be exemplified by a script or video extract from a wide range of music theatre productions. Many of these will be from Broadway and West End productions, but lesser known, less conventional examples of musical theatre will also be presented.