Outline

Overview

This course will survey the history and development of the musical (the combination of song, dialogue, dance and acting onstage) from its antecedents including operetta, singspiel, musical comedy, cabaret and revue to the present day, including Broadway/West End/international, book musicals, epic, through-composed, jukebox and rock influenced, political, didactic, biographical, dance, film and tv. Students will analyze the specific mechanics of the musical (i.e., music, lyrics, book, design, etc.) and the major historical movements from the nineteenth to twenty-first century as contextualized in particular musicals. Students will become familiar with key historical repertoire from 1850 to the present. Students will consider how the musical has interacted with, reflected and influenced social and political culture across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Analysis, History and Cultural Studies
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Karen Cummings, karen.cummings@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 31 August 2026

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Written work	Personal reflection statement Personal reflection on your historical experience of music theatre.	10%	Week 02 Due date: 11 Aug 2025 at 23:59	500 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Group Presentation 15 minute group presentation detailing one form of music theatre	30%	Week 04 Due date: 25 Aug 2025 at 23:59	Equivalent of 1500 words =15 minutes.	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Portfolio or journal	Creative Portfolio task based on an existing musical Multi-modal with example lyrics, recordings, music, and narrative.	40%	Week 12 Due date: 27 Oct 2025 at 23:59	Maximum 10 minutes (1500 words)	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Contribution	Tutorial participation Contribution to tutorial activities, including readings	20%	Weekly	Weekly participation	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ? = early feedback task ?

Early feedback task

This unit includes an early feedback task, designed to give you feedback prior to the census date for this unit. Details are provided in the site and your result will be recorded in your Marks page. It is important that you actively engage with this task so that the University can support you to be successful in this unit.

Assessment summary

See Canvas for assessment details.

Assessment Requirements

All assessment tasks must be attempted. Failure to submit or attend any assessment task will normally result in an Absent Fail (AF) or failure of the unit.

If a task is specified as a hurdle requirement, you must obtain a minimum mark of 50% in that task to pass the unit, even if your overall mark is higher.

Assessment criteria

As per Coursework Policy 2021

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the听Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the听Current Students website听for more information on AI in assessments, including听details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Simple extension available as per policy

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website听provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the听Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM)听which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the听Current Students website听for more information on AI in assessments, including听details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a听simple extension.鈥� The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can鈥檛 complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for听special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students,听听includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy听reflects the University鈥檚 commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	What is music theatre? What is a musical?	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Operetta to Poperetta: From European and American origins in Operetta, musical comedy, variety and Cabaret to megamusicals. Key concepts: Integration and metatheatre.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 03	Ragtime to Rap: Ragtime and early African American music. Case studies: Shuffle Along, Ragtime (best revival at Tony Awards 2026) and Hamilton. The evolution of representation of African American culture in Musicals.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 04	Electronic Mediation and Changes in the medium of the Musical, e.g. Television, movie, TikTok and YouTube. Electronic mediation and evolutions in musical and vocal styles in the musical.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 05	From Gender Duality to Diversity. Representations of genders in musicals focussing on recent works in the last twenty years, including australian works.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 06	First Nations Voices in Australian Music Theatre.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 07	Nation and nationhood: The influence of immigration on the American Musical.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 08	Globalisation and the Megamusical; standardisation versus innovation and the place of local productions in a global industry.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 09	The Musical Outside of the West End and Broadway; for example musicals in South Korea, Latin America, Nigeria and China.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	Special Projects week-no class.	Self-directed learning (2 hr)
Week 11	Revisal or revival?Historical perspectives on the changing approaches of musicals to race, gender, sexuality, social class, Indigenous communities, colonialism and disability.	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	The Australian Musical Theatre	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 13	Presentation of Pitches	Lecture (1 hr)
Weekly	1 hr tutorial after the lecture each week	Tutorial (12 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Full attendance required.

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Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

MUSC2675 History of the Musical Reading List

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Davis Johnson, Mara. Australian Music Theatre. Routledge. 2026.
Tepper, Jennifer Ashley. Women writing Musicals; The Legacy that the history books left out. Applause Theatre and Cinema Books.2024
Osatinski, Amy S. 20 Seasons: Broadway Musicals of the 21st Century. Routledge. 2024.
Hoffman, Warren. The Great White Way. Rutgers University Press.2020.
Peters, Sarah. Verbatim Theatre Methodologies for Community Engaged Practice. Perspectives from Australian Theatre. Routledge. 2024.
Whitfield, Sarah. Reframing the Musical. Race Culture and Identity. Methuen Drama. 2019.
Wolf. Stacy. Changed for Good. A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical. Oxford.2011.
Wolf, Stacy. Beyond Broadway. The Pleasure and Promise of Musical Theatre Across America. Oxford University Press. 2020.
Roesner. David. Musicality in Theatre. Ashgate Interdisciplinary Studies in Opera. Routledge.2016.
Farina, William. The German Cabaret Legacy in American Popular Music. McFarland & Company, Inc, Publishers. 2012.
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre. A History. Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
Matzke, Christine, Van der hoven, Lena, Odhiambo, Christopher and Roos, Hilde. African Theatre Opera and Music Theatre. James Currey. 2020.
Donavan, Ryan. Broadway Bodies: A Critical History of Conformity. Oxford Academic. 2024.
Harris, Amanda. Representing Australian Aboriginal Music and Dance. 听1930-1970. Bloomsbury
Dolan, Jill. Utopia in Performance. Finding Hope in the Theatre. University of Michigan Press.2005.
Macpherson, Ben. Singing Utopia. Voice in Musical Theatre. Oxford University Press. 2024.
Reside, Douglas. Fixing the Musical: How Technologies Shaped the Broadway Repertory. Oxford University Press. 2023.
Flynn, Amanda. So You Want to sing Music Theatre. Rowman and Littlefield. 2022.

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Websites

Broadway Refocused. broadwayrefocused.com, We amplify the stories of women, queers, black, indigenous and people of colour in musical theatre.

The Aboriginal Theatre. Reclaiming-performance-music.sydney.edu.au

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Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Understand the historical and cultural development of music theatre from canonic works created in Britain and America to a contemporary transatlantic form.
LO2. Understand and analyse the porous boundaries between music theatre and other performance forms that combine theatre and music.
LO3. Apply historical and cultural knowledge of music theatre to critically evaluate contemporary music theatre, including identifying and analysing the way that marginalised communities have been excluded or misrepresented in the form.
LO4. Differentiate, describe and critique all the elements that create meaning in music theatre including the performance elements, the creative and technical elements and the musical elements.
LO5. Apply research and creative thinking skills to critically reimagine historical works in a culturally responsible way.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all 爆料王 graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one鈥檚 personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Updated learning outcomes and activities in response to student feedback and new research and debate in music theatre.

Disclaimer

Important: the 爆料王 regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an .

爆料王

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

爆料王

MUSC2675: History of the Musical

Semester 2, 2026 [Normal day] - Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links