54-219 Special Topics: Music Theater History and Repertoire

6 units, Carnegie Mellon University

This course is a survey of musical comedy and musical theatre performances throughout history. Often considered a quintessential American theatrical form, we will also consider what "musical theatre" or "musical drama" means beyond the borders of the United States. The course will primarily focus in the time frame of 1860-present. We will examine the historical background, development and evolution of form, as well as impact and proliferation of this performance style. The class will look at all levels of musical theatre: music/lyrics, book, production, direction, choreography, marketing, popularity, cultural impact, globalization, etc. The course will involve lecture-based, discussion-based, and project-based styles of engagement. For this section of the course, students will engage in practice-based learning to build a diverse repertoire of songs. They will also continue to reinforce the principals of music theory learned in the first year by learning a new piece of repertoire every week that coincides with said week's topic.

Prerequisites: 54-281 or 54-500

Offered: Fall 2026, Fall 2025

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