CLARTTH007 - Hammerstein and Sondheim: Broadway’s Creative Legacy
The most famous mentorship in Broadway history is that of Oscar Hammerstein II taking a young Stephen Sondheim under his wing and encouraging his growth as a budding composer and lyricist. They are links in a chain of mentorships dating from the days of operetta to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton.” Otto Harbach and Jerome Kern mentored Oscar Hammerstein, leading to Hammerstein’s groundbreaking collaboration with Kern on “Showboat.” Rodgers and Hammerstein went on to change the rules of successful musicals, which young Stephen Sondheim absorbed as Hammerstein’s protégé. We examine how these mavens of musical theater passed along their knowledge and influenced generations of artists. We also consider how the younger generations took these lessons and transformed them into Broadway as we know it today.
You may also be interested in Debra Dickinson’s pre-recorded/on-demand course, Broadway Pulitzer Prize Winners.
Course Details
Debra Dickinson, M.A., was the artist-teacher of opera studies for acting and movement at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music for nearly three decades, directing 25 productions for the Department of Opera Studies. She was a professional singer and actress in New York for 15 years before starting her career as a director. She performed with Richard Burton on Broadway in “Camelot” and as Guenevere opposite Richard Harris in the subsequent national tour. Ms. Dickinson has taught master classes for Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ebony Opera, served as the acting instructor for Glimmerglass Festival, Brevard Opera and Chautauqua Opera, and was the recipient of the Marcus Bailey and Betty Graves Shelfer Eminent Scholar Chair in Music Theatre at Florida State University. Ms. Dickinson holds an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and a graduate degree from Hunter College in New York City.
On campus
This course will be delivered on campus/in person. Classroom and parking information will be sent prior to your course start date.
- The Early Days: Harbach, Kern and Hammerstein
- A Revolution in Musicals: Rodgers, Hammerstein and Sondheim
- Collaborations: Sondheim, Bernstein, Styne and Rodgers
- Book Musicals vs. Concept Musicals
- Serious Subject Matter
- Exploring Ethnicity and Culture
- Love Songs
- Carrying on the Legacy: Sondheim, Larson and Miranda