LGBT in the Musical Theatre World

By: Hannah Holthaus and Jackie Miranda-Klein

ThemeDelve into the connections between the LGBT community and the theatre world

Explore habits and individual personalities

Purpose

To give personal reflections on the LGBT community

Showing people for their beliefs and as individuals, rather than just a mass group of people

Individual accounts are what make change and changes the way people think

Audience

Our audience is aimed more towards college aged students and those who have an interest in musical theatre/those who want to learn about it.

Also the greater community to show the personality and voice of those in the LGBT community

Observations (inside look)

Habits: Adult children with ADHD – Tapping, singing, and dancing at every moment

Jargon: abbreviations, “Gorg”, “Hein”, Belt, Mix

Constant Pep

Hierarchy:Seniority

Talent-based

Observations

Observations (outside look)

It was amazing the amount of work that goes into a show. Individuals have to work as a team and it was interesting to see the various personalities.

It was clear to see the friends among the group, as well as the jokers and those who were being serious about their work.

People talked about coffee shops and their weekend. The word “like” was used a lot in their speech.

During the performance, everyone was on task, but personalities from before stood out on stage.

Research Articles

The theatre troupe provided a safe-haven for gay people to live and work.

Gay people could sing and dance and be praised for it, rather than prosecuted.

“In a business where actress Sarah Bernhardt blithely announced that she slept in a coffin, no one really cared if a supporting actor was "that way," or if an effeminate dresser twinkled with admiration as he assisted the leading man into a costume.”

Kenrick, John . Our Love Is Here To Stay II. The 1800s. 1996. http://www.musicals101.com/gay2.htm

Research Articles

• Impact of Theatre on LGBT Youth • By: Mary Suzanne Conway

This article covers the basis on why LGBT youth need a place to feel safe and express themselves.

It talks about the various stresses in the life of LGBT youth and the consequences that would come of that.

“LGBT adolescents are at high risk of drug and alcohol abuse, social isolation, poor  relationships, poor school performance, disease, homelessness, prostitution, chronic 

depression, and suicide (Youth Pride)” (conway 2011)

Research Articles Cont.

There are Youth LGBT Theatre Programs created to help with stress and expression in a safe environment.

The students are the authors of the works the groups  perform, with each of the groups reporting that the act of  expressing their thoughts and feeling aids in positive development for the students.

Research of this topic helped to create an understanding of why people in the LGBT community go into theatre. It seems as if this discourse is non-judgemental, and allows for full expression of ones self.

Dallas – Freshman MT

Loves theatre as a safe, accepting place

Says it’s a blessing and a curse to be with the same 20 people every day for 4 years

Uses the jargon

Talks about the busy schedule and hard work put into being an MT at CCM and elsewhere

Theatrical Interpreter

I first interviewed a professor here on campus who preferred to remain anonymous and have a transcript of the interview taken

He has been involved in theatre since high school, and now does Theatrical Sign Language Interpreting.

Ryan Church - MT

Part of theatre since he was six years old

Part of the LGBT community

Interview Clip

What We Learned

Theatre community ties with the LGBT community because of being an accepting environment

While their profession is playing pretend, their dedication and hours of hard work show in their performance

MTs LOVE jolly ranchers and fruit snacks