Musical theatre in schools : an analysis of best practices

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the processes involved in the production of musical theatre shows within educational contexts. It does so by (i) creating a link between mainstream musical theatre and applied theatre practices and outlining the hybridity of musical theatre within schools; (ii) outlining the main effects of globalisation and female gender stereotypes on musical theatre practices within schools; (iii) studying a number of textbook guidelines on what the step-by-step process of musical theatre productions in schools should be like; and finally by (iv) analysing the perspectives and processes of four local educators regarding this matter and creating a comparison with the aforementioned literature. The result emerging from this study is an outline of a possible process which could subsequently be adopted and adapted when putting up musical theatre productions within local schools.