Class Description

Instructor: John Dietrich (Lyricist) Semester: Summer 2026 - Six-Week Session In 1942 there was a seismic shift in the American theatre. The musical “Oklahoma” opened on Broadway and a radical new form emerged, the completely integrated musical, where every element: music, dance, dialogue, were all working together toward telling a dramatic story in a seamless way. Though the formula would morph, often being completely blown apart and reimagined, as it should be, there are still ingredients in that formula that should be respected as tools for the emerging writer of musical theatre, and they surprisingly continue to pop up today. In this course, we will develop our own toolbox for creating musicals – a toolbox that we will expand and shape over 6 weeks and through the examination of seven musicals and plays. This course will require analyzing book and lyric, as well as understanding the importance of stage direction as a tool for conveying the other integrated elements of a musical such as dance, movement, and design. Students will gain an understanding of song form, rhyme scheme, and scansion in lyric writing, as it all relates to the tone of the book and the forward motion of the story. Students will also develop a vocabulary for understanding musical structure, learn to recognize form, genre and style, allowing us to draw from these tools and discover new ways of approaching our own musical storytelling, because in the end, what makes for a great musical? Abundant creatively, a great story, solid craft, the unexpected, and a lot of heart. Please note that this course does require the student to acquire/purchase/borrow several musical librettos or plays. WEEK 1: Lyric, Song Form & A Little Politics ("South Pacific") WEEK 2: The Concept Musical ("I Am a Camera" & "Cabaret") WEEK 3: Creating a Lovable Monster and the Perfect Book ("Gypsy" & "Little Shop of Horrors") WEEK 4: Say It With Dance! ("West Side Story" & "Jelly’s Last Jam") WEEK 5: The Group Protagonist and Unconventional Storytelling ("Assassins" & "The Last Five Years") WEEK 6: Colliding Worlds and Being Original ("Dear Evan Hansen" & "A Strange Loop") John Dietrich has had a career immersed in musical theatre storytelling working as a professional Director, Choreographer, Writer and Educator. This has included a 17-year relationship with Radio City Entertainment, where he was the Director/Choreographer for the world-famous Rockettes as well as for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.