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"Hey, Mr. Producer!"
Overview
It's not that uncommon for secondary school students to study the ups and downs of the stock market, but in this lesson, students will examine the economic roller coaster involved in the production of a Broadway musical. As an introduction to the lesson, students will read a series of online articles to investigate the similarities and differences between nonprofit theater production and Broadway, or commercial, theater production. They will view excerpts from the PBS series BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL to determine how the costs of producing on Broadway have changed over time, and to understand the economic gamble involved in the production of a contemporary musical. As a culmination of the lesson, students will write a persuasive letter describing the benefits and pitfalls of investing in either nonprofit or commercial theater.
This lesson can be used as a pre- or postviewing activity for the PBS series BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL, or as an independent lesson for the economics, social studies, or theater classroom. A basic knowledge of musical theater and a rudimentary understanding of business structures are required.
Time Allotment: Three or four 45-minute class periods
Grade Level: 9-12
Subject Matter: Economics, theater
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
- Compare and contrast nonprofit and commercial theater;
- Describe how the costs associated with producing Broadway musicals have changed in the last 40 years;
- Describe the speculative economic model used in the production of Broadway musicals, as well as how they can make a profit;
- Identify the challenges and hurdles faced by producers of Broadway musicals;
- Write persuasively and provide advice on whether to donate to a local nonprofit theater or invest in a commercial theater production.
Standards:
From the National Standards on Economic Education, available online at http://www.ncee.net/ea/standards/.
Standard 14: Profit and the Entrepreneur. Students will understand that:
Entrepreneurs are people who take the risks of organizing productive resources to make goods and services. Profit is an important incentive that leads entrepreneurs to accept the risks of business failure.
Standard 4: Role of Incentives. Students will understand that people respond predictably to positive and negative incentives.
From the National Standards for Theatre Education for Grades 9-12, available online at http://www.byu.edu/tma/arts-ed/.
Content Standard 3: Designing and producing by conceptualizing and realizing artistic interpretations for informal or formal productions.
Content Standard 7: Analyzing, critiquing, and constructing meanings from informal and formal theater, film, television, and electronic media productions.
Materials:
Media Components
Video:
BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL: Episode 6: Putting It Together (1980-Present)
For the class:
Computers with Internet access
TV
VCR
Chalkboard or whiteboard
A program, advertisement, or other promotional materials for a nonprofit theater in your community
One copy of the "Can Nonprofits Make Money?" (answer key)
One copy of the "I Want to Be a Producer" (answer key)
For half of the class:
"Can Nonprofits Make Money?" handout
For the other half of the class:
"I Want to Be a Producer" handout
For each student:
Pencil (or pen) and paper
Calculator (optional)
Prep for Teachers:
Prior to teaching this lesson, bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson on each computer in your classroom. Preview all of the sites and video clips used in the lesson to make certain that the links are up and active and that they are appropriate for your students. Cue the tape of BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL: Episode 6: Putting It Together to where you see Nathan Lane and a line of "little old ladies" dancing onstage, and you hear a woman's voice say, "Max Bialystock is really someone who wants to be a great impresario." Download and print the "Can Nonprofits Make Money?" and "I Want to Be a Producer" handouts, and make the appropriate number of copies for your students.
When using media, provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.
About the Author:
Christopher W. Czajka is an educational consultant for BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL Online. He was the educational consultant for the hands-on history series COLONIAL HOUSE, as well as an educational and historical consultant for FRONTIER HOUSE. Prior to his work in public television, he worked in Broadway theater on the renovated 42nd Street. He is also the associate director of the National Teacher Training Institute (NTTI), an initiative that teaches educators across the country strategies for integrating public television programming into their curricula. To learn more about using media in your classroom, visit the National Teacher Training Institute online at http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/ntti.
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photo credits: Martha Swope
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