American musical theater conjures images of bright lights and big cities, but its lifeblood courses through local and amateur productions around the country. Our guest, Stacy Wolf, examined the widespread presence and persistence of musical theater in United States culture as a live, pleasurable and participatory experience. She traveled from Maine to Hawaii, visiting schools, performance festivals, summer camps, outdoor theaters, community theaters and dinner theaters, where she interviewed over 200 practitioners and spectators, licensors and administrators. She’s here to illuminate musical theater’s enduring power as a joyful activity that touches millions of lives. 

Click to get more information and to order her book:

BEYOND BROADWAY: The Pleasure and Promise of Musical Theatre Across America