Description: Seminar, one hour. Prior knowledge of music history, theater, or disability studies not required. Musical theater aims to solve problems while bringing audience along for journey. Typically at closing of final number in musicals, problems are either resolved or left for audience members to assume best or worst has happened. Similarly, society views disability as problem, something that needs to be fixed. Some may argue that disabilities should not be seen as problems, but as part of one's identity, not needing to be fixed. When applying these social norms to art of musical theater one may ask how disability is represented within musical theater, one live art form. Survey and exploration of representation of disability in Sweeney Todd, Rent, and Next to Normal. How representing disability in musicals, whether positive or negative, can deepen plot of musicals. P/NP grading. Facilitated by Richard Tucker, with Raymond L. Knapp as faculty mentor.

Units: 0.0