Civic Artifact Idea

Excerpt from Something Rotten The Musical:

Nick (Spoken): What the hell are musicals?
Nostradamus (Spoken): It appears to be a play where the dialogue stops and the plot is conveyed through song.
Nick (Spoken): Through song?

Nostradamus: (Spoken) Yes.
Nick: (Spoken) Wait, so an actor is saying his lines and out of nowhere he just starts singing?

Nostradamus: (Spoken) Yes.
Nick: (Spoken) Well that is the (Singing) Stupidest thing that I have ever heard…

Throughout the course of civilization, there have always been certain instances in which words are simply not enough to convey a particular message about everything involved with the idea of being civic. Men and women alike have been bombarded with information in the form of speeches, written notices, and direct conversations, etc.; however, a wider range of audiences can be reached more effectively when a message is displayed almost subliminally through the entertainment factor provided by musicals.

Many people seem inclined to tune out as soon as the word “musical” is mentioned, but I ask you to consider some of the implications of real world issues that have gained the public spotlight simply because they were formatted into a three-hour long storyline sprinkled with vibrant costumes, heart-wrenching ballads, and connections that are formed between the excellence of the actors who bring the story to life and the importance of the issues themselves.

I intend to explore this idea of musical theater functioning as a civic artifact as I analyze various musicals based on their contents, styles, and diction as they pertain to the specific trends, key points, and social issues within the eras in which they were introduced.

For centuries, human beings have considered singing, dancing, and storytelling as a form of expression and entertainment; I pose the idea that these are merely instruments that serve to deliver the most crucial aspect of civic responsibility – using their appeals to shed the public light on imposing social issues.

One thought on “Civic Artifact Idea

  1. I think that is a good idea because people often pay more attention to musicals then regular plays. and they hold messages that the reader can more easily pick up on because they are interested in the play. and what you said about musicals being based on various things like styles or specific trend is with out a doubt true. because there has been many remakes of plays with different races of people as characters or different types of musical styles. By doing this is acting as a civic artifact because it’s asking people to respond civically to the issues it brings up. It has appeals to logic, reason, emotion, and can persuade people to open up their view on something. Go ahead with this idea because i personally think it would be a fun and educational topic to cover.

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