Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to share the contributions of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the history of American musical theatre. You may choose to focus on a single person or on a show that highlights the voices/stories of BIPOC. The person must have contributed to American musical theatre or the show must have premiered on Broadway or off-Broadway or regionally in America between the year 1866 and the present day. Identifying unique voices from communities too often overlooked by traditional textbooks is crucial to broadening the understanding and appreciation of storytelling from new and varied perspectives.
Task: You will need to decide on a single person to focus on, or a single show. This must be a person or show in musical theatre. The person must be BIPOC or the show must center or highlight BIPOC voices and storytelling. This is not a report. It is more than that – thorough, organized research and persuasive and clear writing are required to earn high marks on this assignment.
You must develop a thesis statement for your research paper. This is one sentence that expresses the main idea of the research paper. From that statement, you should develop an outline that covers topics of research and your ideas you will present.
Then, you are to present information and persuasive arguments that attempt to prove your thesis statement, citing sources, as appropriate.
So, no – “Hamilton is a story about an immigrant who becomes a founder of our nation,” is not a thesis statement. That’s the start of a “book report” on the topic of a musical. That’s not what needs to be done.
“The success of Porgy and Bess greatly revealed an acceptance of burgeoning tolerance between white and black Americans in the 1930s,” is a thesis statement that I look forward to you arguing for 1700 words or so. Likewise, “Without Diosa Costello’s performance in Too Many Girls, we’d not have ever seen a Latina win a Tony Award,” is a thesis statement I’d like to see you prove over the course of several pages.
You will need to present research and analysis in this assignment. I expect you to cite any source you use in the appropriate manner. Parenthetical citations within the paper (and a corresponding Works Cited page) will be needed. Spend most of this paper asserting that you are right (about your thesis) and show me a bunch of reasons why you’re right.
This paper must be, at minimum, 1700 words long. Feel free to write more if you like. This paper should be as long as it takes to present your ideas thoroughly – and 1700 words in length (not including your name, the date, or any part of your heading or works cited page/footnotes), minimum.
Error-free, proofread, clear essays addressing the topic in full will receive full credit. Points will be deducted due to typographical errors, vagueness, incompleteness, or failure to meet the length requirement of the paper. Also, papers that fail to include specific research and citations will be marked down.
Spelling and grammar count toward your grade and so does sentence structure. This isn’t an English class, but you’re in college and need to be writing college level work. Make sure you write about what resonates for you, personally. “I liked it/him/her,” is NOT satisfactory. Tell me why that person or show made a difference – and use concepts and terms we have covered in class, as appropriate. Consider the following questions to be explored in your paper:
a. Why did you choose the person/show that you did?
b. What did you learn during your hours of research?
c. Describe the artists’ ability to utilize the techniques/elements we’ve discussed in class, if applicable.
d. Did you recognize anything from your reading in the piece/person you researched? If so, what?
e. What impact did this piece/person have on you? What further thought did it/they spark in you? Would American theatre be better or worse off without this person/piece?
f. Is it just this person’s Broadway contributions that matter or is their personal life crucial to the point you are making? Does the show live on, through revivals and home viewing, in a way that continues to make an impact?
Stay away from “I liked this; I grew up this way; in my experience.” This is not about you. Use the third- person perspective throughout this paper. Do not use a first-person perspective. Instead of, “This is impactful to me because…” write, “This is impactful because…”
Note the composer and the writers of the book and lyrics, as appropriate. Refer to cast members by character names if discussing the plot/story but by their actual names when describing their performing ability.
EXAMPLE: “General George Washington sends Hamilton away.” vs. “Christopher Jackson shows gravitas and vocal talent in his role as George Washington.
