Demographic Content Analysis of Musical Theatre Anthologies

Objective: Recent studies have found limited demographic diversity in resource materials used in music theory, art song repertoire, opera repertoire, music education textbooks, and competitions. Musical theatre anthologies are commonly used resources in voice lessons but have yet to receive a content evaluation. The objective of this study is to assess demographic diversity as seen in the composers and lyricists of musical selections included in musical theatre anthology resources, as well as the characters portrayed in these pieces.

Methods/Design: Ninety generalized musical theatre anthologies curated for teen or adult users were found in commercial search engines. “Generalized” defined resources without a specific demographic, show, or identity marker noted as the basis for their musical selections. Composer, lyricist, and character demographic data were compared to demographic data of current voice studio demographics in higher education, Broadway performers and audience members, and other stakeholders. Musical theatre competition lists were similarly analyzed to compare the usability of resources with the requirements of the professional market.

Results: Significant alignment exists between musical selections in the analyzed resources and those included in competition lists, as well as remarkable disparities between creator identities and public stakeholders. When diverse identities are extant in a resource, they are most often not explicated to the reader, making it less likely that a user will know this identity without further research. Women and BIPOC creators are incorporated disproportionally compared to populations learning, listening to, and performing musical theatre. Jewish composers and lyricists comprise a significant portion of the musical selections but are left unidentified in biographic material. Queer identities are rarely explicated or indicated to the user. An emphasis on “Golden Age” musical selections, an era with minimal works produced on Broadway written by minoritized social groups, regularly appear in these resources.

Conclusions: Musical theatre anthologies currently available on the market do not contain musical selections written by creators with diverse demographics, possibly due to exclusionary historical factors beyond the scope of this study. Critically examining vocal resources creates supportive evidence that helps justify the need for improved inclusion of culturally responsive pieces in future anthologies.