From pre-colonial to modern times, these resources survey the historical highlights of theater and musicals in America. Discover the magic and the many complexities that have surrounded these art forms, end by learning about the history of theaters in NYC!

Watch

Learn about the early days of Theater in America with the video below, courtesy of Crash Course.

Respond:

Is theatrical performance a European invention?

Why did British theater have a hard time catching up in America?

What are “red face” performances and why are they problematic?

Watch

Respond

Which were the first two plays written by African Americans performed in the US theaters?

What was “Uncle’s Tom Cabin”? and why was it so popular?

Read

Learn about the history of musical theater in America reading Chapter 9 of the OER textbook: Theatrical Worlds, edited by Charlie Mitchell.

Suggested activity: create a glossary of historical terms related to performance: vaudeville, revue, minstrelsy, melodrama, operetta, extravaganza… are these words you have heard before?

You could also make a list of important names in American musical theater: Sondheim, Bernstein, the Gershwin brothers, and many others!

Explore

Learn about the architectural history of theaters in NYC: THE CITY PERFORMS: AN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF NYC THEATERS (arcgis.com)

Navigate this website and write about something that was interesting to you in your weekly submission. Instead of providing page numbers, provide references about which particular part of the website you are looking at (which building, which period, etc).

Explore further:

Learn about contemporary musical theater with these lessons from the Kennedy Center. (This is one is not an OER resource).