On this episode,
Lee Pierce (she/they) interviews
Stacy Wolf of Princeton University about her book
Beyond Broadway: The Pleasure and Promise of Musical Theatre Across America (Oxford University Press, 2019)
, an exploration of the complexities of amateur and local theatre across the United States. From backstage moms to tiny divas to dinner theatres, Wolf demonstrates that this charming pastime of American culture that is anything but past. On the contrary, musical theatre continues to be an important culture touchstone for many and a pipeline to national phenomenon such as the
High School Music franchise. Told in a stunning voice with a wealth of attention to its case studies and examples,
Beyond Broadway feels like backstage pass combined with a cross-country road trip in early Fall. A must read for anyone interested in the untold story of musical theater, American culture, and truly embedded ethnography with a ground-up point of view.
I hope you enjoy listening as I much as I enjoyed chatting with Stacy about this fascinating book. I’d love to hear from you at
rhetoriclee@gmail.com or connect with me on
Twitter,
Instagram, and
Facebook @rhetoriclee and @rhetoricleespeaking. Share your thoughts about the interview with the hashtag #newbooksnerd. ~lee