Creating Musical Theatre: Conversations with Broadway Directors and Choreographers

Description

Creating Musical Theatre features interviews with the directors and choreographers that make up today's Broadway elite. From Susan Stroman and Kathleen Marshall to newcomers Andy Blankenbuehler and Christopher Gattelli, this book features twelve creative artists, mostly director/choreographers, many of whom have also crossed over into film and television, opera and ballet. To the researcher, this book will deliver specific information on how these artists work; for the performer, it will serve as insight into exactly what these artists are looking for in the audition process and the rehearsal environment; and for the director/choreographer, this book will serve as an inspiration detailing each artist's pursuit of his or her dream and the path to success, offering new insight and a deeper understanding of Broadway today. Creating Musical Theatre includes a foreword by four-time Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara, one of the most elegant and talented leading ladies gracing the Broadway and concert stage today, as well as interviews with award-winning directors and choreographers, including: Rob Ashford (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying); Andy Blankenbuehler (In the Heights); Jeff Calhoun (Newsies); Warren Carlyle (Follies); Christopher Gattelli (Newsies); Kathleen Marshall (Anything Goes); Jerry Mitchell (Legally Blonde); Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon); Randy Skinner (White Christmas); Susan Stroman (The Scottsboro Boys); Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys); and Anthony Van Laast (Sister Act).

Lyn Cramer is Endowed Professor of Musical Theatre Dance at Oklahoma University. Teaching for over 23 years in higher education, Lyn Cramer is also a professional director-choreographer and a member of SDC (Stage Society of Directors and Choreographers) and AEA (Actors Equity Association). Many of her former students grace the Broadway stage and work nationally and internationally in musical theatre.

The interviews are intensely pragmatic; Cramer and each choreographer speak artist-to-artist and dancer-to-dancer in frank, simple, and consistently practical terms that dancers at any level of the theatre industry will find insightful and useful. ... For any musical theatre dance lover, this book provides an intimate master class in both craft and artistry sure to enlighten and inspire. -- Rockford Sansom, American Musical and Dramatic Academy, USA * Theatre Topics *