Aims and scope:

With musical theatre studies now thriving in the fields of musicology, theatre and literature, it is time to expand into a more ethnographic mode that explores the broader musical theatre ecosystem. Musical theatre, after all, extends well beyond Times Square through an astonishingly rich variety of musical networks. From national tours, cruise ships, films, ‘live’ television and theme parks, to amateur venues including high schools, summer camps, community theatres and regional pageants, to widely flung developmental networks highlighted through such entities as the BMI workshop and college musical theatre programs, musicals are an everywhere phenomenon. In broadening the focus of musical theatre studies to include the everyday lived experiences of and with musicals, this special issue promotes ethnographic methodologies as a means to investigate the genre more readily and robustly, illuminating such areas as social function, community and Indigenous theory. By acknowledging the important yet understudied methods by which communities, large and small, practice musical theatre—and choose what stories to tell—the essays in this issue will provide a meaningful context for understanding both canonical and non-canonical works from the point of view of the people who create them.

We welcome performers and scholars from all disciplines to consider musical theatre ethnographically. Topics might include: