Special Topics in Musical Theatre (350-0-20)

Topic

Queer/Queering Musical Theatre

Instructors

Aaron Godwin

Meeting Info

Wirtz Center BERGEN: Mon, Wed 3:00PM - 4:20PM

Overview of class

Queer music theatre is not simply representing LGBTQ+ people on stage. Rather, queer music theatre takes up questions at the very foundation of what music theatre is and what it means to do music theatre. In this course, students will explore the intersections of queer theory and music theatre, asking how performance can both reflect and disrupt norms around gender, sexuality, identity, and power. Students will investigate the queerness of music theatre itself—its histories, forms, and aesthetics—while considering what it means to queer a musical text, performance, or reading. Through close analysis, we will examine distinctions between LGBTQ+ and queer theatre and the relationships between queer content and queer form. We will also critique representations of queerness in theatre and media, situating them within broader contexts of intersectionality. Ultimately, this course considers the potentials of queer music theatre not only as an art form but also as a practice of resistance, healing, and social transformation.

Registration Requirements

This course is not strictly geared toward performers. While performance is an option for mid-term and final projects, it is one of several options for evaluation and assessment. Regardless of performance interest or experience, all students enrolled in this course should be familiar with reading and analyzing assigned texts and synthesizing that information to inform the ways in which they view, read, and respond to creative works. Please email the instructor with questions at aaron.godwin@northwestern.edu.

Class Materials (Required)

Our course will engage with scholarship across music theatre studies, queer theory, gender and trans studies, among other disciplines. All course materials will be posted on CANVAS or can be accessed via the NU Library. Some materials will need to be accessed via common streaming platforms (e.g., Prime Video, Kanopy, etc.). If access to these platforms is cost prohibitive, students are encouraged to discuss with instructor. $1-25