Musical Theater Unit Bundle (History + Composers + Time Periods)!

This AWESOME bundle will have your drama kids swooning! By the end of this substantial unit, students will have a solid grip and musical theater and Broadway across time.

My students knew some modern musicals, but they really felt like they didn't have a solid grasp on major musical theater works, when I would reference a song or a sing a line, they often looked at me confused. This unit completely changed that! Now they have a MUCH wider understanding AND many of them went off and watched the full length musicals after this unit.

Depending on how long and how often your classes run, this unit will take 3-5 weeks to complete. All of these assignments are built to be done either digitally or in print, you will need to have access to a computer for students to watch the clips either individually or together as a class.

This is formatted for printable Word docs., Google docs and/or Google Forms version, and Microsoft Forms versions. This allows you to easily shift between in person and online platforms.

This includes:

1. Our History of Musical Theater Powerpoint, worksheet & Quiz (also includes Google Slide version).

1. 21 beautifully laid out slides that take you and your students from the start of musical theatre with the Greek and Romans, all the way to musicals in the 2000s.
2. A worksheet for students to take notes on for the slides.
3. 15 question quiz on the History of Musical Theater based on the notes they take. Answer key included.
4. A week long Poster Project where students research a musical theatre genre/time period and create a poster.

Topics discussed in the PPT:

1. What is musical theater?
2. How is it different than Opera?
3. Where did it come from?
4. How has it evolved across time?
5. What counts as "On-Broadway"?
6. How has theater been connected to and affected by historic events?
7. What were the most popular shows in each time period?
   
   For example, the Gilbert and Sullivan slide also has links showing how the music evolved over time ("I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General" has different modern versions clips from Animaniacs, Minions, the elements song, etc. to help students understand how even very old musicals can still be relevant to their lives today).
   
8. Who are the famous composers?
9. Fun Broadway facts

2. A great follow up to the History of Musical Theater ppt with three assignments where students watch and analyze a different time period in each (Golden Age up through 1960s, 1970s-2000s, 2000s-current day). Students will analyze performances for set design, costumes, lighting, acting choices, choreography, and more. Some musicals have multiple clips for students to compare, learn about behind the stage elements, and the over-arching story line. Each section includes a synopsis of the musical so students understand the broader story being told.

3. A deep dive into FIVE of the biggest composers in musical theater history including: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alan Menken, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Schwartz, and Stephen Sondheim. Students will learn about the background each composer, and they'll also familiarize themselves with the works of each composers by watching clips and answering questions. Each composer assignment includes a Microsoft Word document (AND Microsoft Form) where students can click on the links as they go, it is also editable by you to include or cut any other clips you would like.

4. A History of Musical Theater Poster Project

In Part 1 of this project:

Students will select one (out of 8 options) musical theatre genre/time period (ex. Golden Age, Rock Musical, Disney Musical) to research. They fill out a packet where they research:

1. What's happening in the world/culturally during the time period
2. Research 5 musicals and watch at least 3 clips
3. Research the major composers/actors/directors of the time period
4. Come up with a list of common characteristics
5. Identify strengths and weaknesses of the genre

In Part 2 of this Project:

They will create a poster to represent the genre they researched.

This project takes about a week for students to complete depending on your schools schedule and length of class periods.

This is fully editable to be adjusted to your needs AND includes a rubric.

Ways it could be easily adjusted for fit your needs:

1. Genres/Time periods could be chosen by the students OR assigned by you to ensure all of the genres are represented.
2. This could be an individual research project OR you could have pairs/groups work together.
3. You could extend the project to include a presentation of their poster
4. Instead of a poster, you could have them create a ppt using the same information so they could also share clips from the genre with the class.

**Important Note: Youtube videos are included in this resource, you and/or your students must have access to technology to view certain parts. We always try to select grade appropriate clips, but each state, district, and classroom have different expectations, so please review all content before showing to students. Links to content on Youtube are always subject to change based on Youtube’s policies, the content creator, etc.; if you find any links that are not working, please reach out and let us know so we can fix them.