Summer Reading has officially kicked into gear. As has summer listening (podcasts) and summer watching (films and plays). It's very different from the school year because I can just read and watch all day and night and listen to podcasts as I take a walk. What a life.
I was listening to a podcast (maybe Theater People) interview with Sierra Boggess (who currently plays Ms. Mullins in School of Rock on Broadway but who also has played Christine in Phantom and will do so again this Fall in Paris), and she mentioned that the Winter Garden Theater used to be horse stables as she read in the book Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway. Because I like history and theater, I thought it would be a perfect summer read, and Amazon suggested simultaneously reading The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows are Built (Amazon knows me well). So I read both and enjoyed both.
The first was simply historically interesting and enjoyable, but the second may have classroom use as well in that it discusses the structure of a show and how various types of musical numbers come together to craft a perfect show (using musicals as varied as Oklahoma!, Gypsy, The Producers, Music Man, and Book of Mormon). My Lit and Performance students sometimes benefit from that type of instruction in stagecraft when designing their literary stage adaptations...so maybe I will copy some bits or work them into an activity.
In 2 weeks, I am taking a course and the required reading is three plays, so those are next on the list for summer reading (although I may throw in some other things as well since why not?)
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