Sunday 11 October 2015

Back to School

One of the major purposes behind my decision to get my MA in Musical Theatre was the notion that I could teach musical theatre history. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to do just that at a conservatory in West London. One thing I confirmed was that I absolutely loved doing it. I begean with Mozart’s The Magic Flute and worked my way forward with Orpheus in the Underworld, The Pirates of Penzance, Show Boat, Porgy and Bess and Oklahoma!, showing video clips to illustrate each show. They are planning to bring me back to cover post-war musicals up to the present. Best of all, the class all stayed behind to talk to me. There was one from South Africa (who, surprisingly, had never heard of Sarafina!) who was very interested to know more about A Million Miles from Broadway, my book on international musical theatre. There were also students from Australia and France. This may turn into a full teaching position if this school is able to receive accreditation for a diploma program next year.

The other part of my MA that I am hard at work on is The Last Queen of Paradise, a musical about the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai’i. It will be showcased at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London in September of next year.

My new book Breaking Into Song is also available from Lulu as well as Amazon Kindle. I look forward to letting you know of future developments.

Mel Atkey
To purchase A Million Miles from Broadway:
A Million Miles from Broadway
To purchase Breaking into Song:
Breaking into Song