FMP musical theatre research

1. Research
Alice Leeman

2. Existing Product
This cover of a musical magazine and DPS is from a website called
issuu.com where you can find different types of magazines depending
on what you search for.
One of the first aspects of the magazine cover that stands out is the colors that
are used on the front cover. The purple background and effects makes the front
cover catch the eye. On the cover photo the stage light is focused on the
performers in their costumes so the audience are already quick to notice that the
magazine’s set in a theatre setting. You can also already notice a color theme.
When you open up onto the first DPS there are a couple of other images that have
purple backgrounds so the reader gets the sense that these image are all from the
same show.
Also, on the front cover of the magazine, the publisher has made sure that the
font used is clear against the dark purple background. The color of the font is
white which will always stand out against the darker colors. The font is quite
simple and there isn’t much writing on the cover photo, however the audience
will already get a feel for what the magazine is about just by looking at the cover
photo of the performers in costumes on stage.
The magazine is a programme for a college where musical/performances take
place. This may be appealing for people in that area to read and understand the
events taking place in their area. This is the kind of thing I want to do with my
magazine.
On the DPS, the background for the first page is just plain white with a black font
to talk about what the programme is about. I think that it would be more
appealing if there was more color on the first page however on the other side of
the DPS there is a couple of action shot images of a performance taking place
which show lots of detail and color, which is visually appealing for the audience.

3. Existing Product
This magazine cover and DPS (from the same magazine) is from a
website called issuu.com. This magazine talks about popular musicals
today, careers in the theatre industry, the theatre crew and more.
The big text on the cover of the magazine which reads ‘Theatre’ is likely to be the first
aspect of the magazine you will see when the audience first views it. The fact that the
magazine says the word ‘Theatre’ and is the most noticeable means that the audience
will understand straight away what the magazine is about/based on. The colour of the
large cover text fits with the colour theme of the picture on the front cover. The text is
yellow and the picture has a yellow mist in it where you can also see a man in a yellow
outfit.
The magazine cover also doesn’t have that much text on the front cover which, to
a lot of people, may be appealing as it might put people off buying it or having a
flick through if there is a lot of information and text to take in at first glance.
When you open up the magazine and view this DPS, you see that it is mainly large
photos covering the page, with text over it. On the left hand side of the DPS the
background colour is a bright red/orange which will catch the eye of the audience.
The image used on this page is of two women sat at a table and it looks kind of
print-made and is graphic designed to look more interesting and artistic.
On the right hand side of the page, there is a different photo that covers the full
page of performers in their costumes on set. The picture has a dark and suspicious feel
to it as the performer is in a dark/dull setting and looks nervous.

4. Existing Product
Website- Musical Theatre Review
This magazine talks about popular musicals in the musical theatre industry and how people
review them. There is also a DPS of an actor, who was part of musicals, having an interview
about her time as a performer.
Cover:
Firstly, the main thing that catches the eye on the cover of the magazine is the image and the
colours used. The bright costumes of the people in the image stand out greatly against the black
background making it quick for the audience to notice the magazine. The image has performers
on stage dancing, holding their hats in the air. Lifting your hat up after a performance is seen a lot
in theatre dance shows so just by viewing the image the audience has an idea of what the
magazine is based around. The title is at the top of the page in fairly large writing. I feel like the
title could have been more effective/noticeable if the title had the same colours as the image. So,
for example, the title ‘Musical Theatre’ is a gold/orange colour. I do also think the layout is neat
and clear. The magazine does provide context on the front cover to show what is included inside
the magazine so this is appealing for the audience if they are interested in what the magazine
entails.
DPS:
The first DPS is well laid out, in my opinion. The large images shown are relevant
to what the article is talking about so the audience can get an idea of what the
musical they are talking about is like on stage. The pictures used have a
black/dark blue theme to them. The spotlight, in the pictures, is focused on the
performer which are effective angles to show who’s the main stage performer. If
the article is talking about a musical play then it would be better to have clear
images to show who you should be focusing your attention too.

5. Existing Product
Website- Issuu.com
This magazine focuses on the play of ‘Beehive’ which is a musical play
Shown, currently, in the US and Canada. Even though my magazine will not be
focusing on one certain play, the visual effects and layouts are similar to how I
envision my magazine.
Cover:
The main title ‘Beehive’ is more or less in the middle of the page, making the title just at
eye level when the viewer first views the magazine. Therefor the viewer will have an idea
of what the magazine is about, in this case it is about a particular musically called
‘Beehive’
The picture on the front cover of the magazine has brightly coloured lights, showing the
outside of a theatre. This image can be viewed as quite aesthetically pleasing with all the
lights, especially as it has a colour theme of red. When people think or see adverts for
things related to theatre, red is a common colour to be seen (reference to the red curtains
at a show/play). So therefor the theme of the colour red is effective for a way to grab the
audiences attention.
DPS:
The first thing I like about the DPS inside this magazine is the colours used. In this DPS
there isn’t really a particular theme. There is article text in green font, a white font and
pink font in the same title. Also, the image used on the first page doesn’t really have a
colour theme as the performers shown in the photo are all wearing different coloured
clothes. In my opinion, this makes the layout look more interesting and appealing to read
as the different colours stand out, instead of the font colours being all the same. I had
already decided that I wanted my magazine to have different colours and images.
I also like how some of the DPS is laid out, for example, the way the top half of the title
text overlaps the picture and the bottom half of the text is a different colour underneath
the picture.

6. Research Analysis
Colour theme and Images:
In all of the products that I have researched there have always been example images and action shots of musical
performances taking place. All these photos show the different costumes that are worn which gives out a lot of
colour inside the magazine instead of just one colour theme. As I am doing more than one DPS I will do one
which has mainly a colour theme, like the magazine for ‘Fullerton College’ and ‘Southern Theatre’. I will always
create another DPS that is more creative and full of colour like the DPS in the magazine ‘Beehive’. The images
can be taken at different angles, for example, there are images of views from the stage, an audiences point of
view and how they would view the play. There seems to be quite a lot of images on each page, some which
cover the full page and has writing over it. For this type of magazine (a theatre magazine) I think it is effective to
have lots of different images inside the magazine as the theatre is a viewing experience where you appreciate
the music, lights, costumes, stage set up, etc which are mostly visual related. Images will give the audience a
better idea of what to expect which is partly why I want to add in images in my magazine.
Musical Plays advertising
Depending on what type of musical theatre magazine you are looking at, there will be different things included
inside the magazine. However in all of the magazines I have researched there have been pages or articles
dedicated to a certain musical/performance. Therefor I could use this research example and use one of my
favourite musicals to talk about, or a musical that is currently on in a theatre near me so I can try and get more
information about it.
The Magazine Cover
Looking through my researched product, I have noticed that on all the front covers, there is not a lot of writing
or extra banners on it. This could be because the producer of the magazine want you to appreciate the visual
side of the magazine and the image on the front instead of there being lots of text and having a lot of
information to take in at once. The front page is going to be the audience’s first impression of the magazine so
it’s normally better for the front cover to be quite basic with an effective image and title to draw the attention.

7. Comparison with US theatre and UK (Opera)
theatre
US Broadway show- Hamilton
UK Opera show- The turn of the screw
The American show ‘Hamilton’ is a hit musical that is played all
around the world due to it’s massive popularity and favored musical
songs. It is probably one of the biggest musical phenomenoms for
decades. With the musical being toured world wide, with different,
large Broadway companies across the world, the musical
advertisements and audience appeals will be professionally made
and all different. The poster shown to the left of Hamilton will have
been professionally produced by different photographers, art
directors, etc. Whereas with the advertisement of the Opera
musical of ‘The turn of the Screw’ is a different case. ‘Opera North’
is a company in the UK, mainly based in Leeds, and creates all their
posters, websites and advertisements by themselves in this one
company. The ‘Opera North’ will have their own team of producers
and directors where they will create their own way of advertising.
As the UK Opera show’s are only based inside of the UK there will
be a lesser audience for the shows however show’s like ‘The turn of
the Screw’ will still be shown in theatres, etc. no matter the size of
the audience or the popularity of the show. With the show
‘Hamilton’ it is expected that the show stays having a popular
audience as it is important to keep the show running. So if there
were cases where the show ‘Hamilton’ wasn’t getting enough
audiences in Broadway the show would likely go downhill and
would have to not be performed as often or the tours cancelled.

8. Secondary Audience research
For my secondary research I decided to interview an actress, who I know called Bethany
Winteringham, who is involved in musical theatre (which is what my project is about)
1. What inspired you to be a stage performer? Is there anyone you look up to?
I have been performing for as long as I can remember ever since I started dance lessons at the age of
It is my life's passion! There are 4 people that I especially admire- Saoirse Ronan, Sutton Foster, Jodie
Comer, and Sierra Boggess (who has managed to play ALL of my dream roles!). These 4 women are
not only incredible actresses bursting with talent but also down to earth and extremely inspiring
human beings- I very much aspire to be like them.
I asked this question to Bethany because she is clearly passionate about musical theatre and
for her to be involved in the theatre industry, it may be likely she has people she looks up to,
or someone she may have watched and admired growing up.
If someone, who is also passionate about musical theatre, is reading this question it may be
interesting for them to see what other people involved in the acting/theatre industry are
inspired from. They can also see if they are inspired by the same people.
For the audience who haven’t really taken a strong interest in musical theatre, they can get
to know other performers in the industry and possibly watch the shows that these
performers were involved in. People could even start to develop a passion for musical
theatre just by getting to know more people in the theatre industry.

9. Secondary Audience research
Bethany Winteringham interview
2. What has been your favorite role to play and why?
My all-time favorite role is definitely Maria from West Side Story, it has always been my dream role
ever since I watched the film at around 9 years old so I feel incredibly lucky to be able to tick that off
my bucket list! Maria has so much spirit and you can't help but wish the best for her which I think is
why I warmed to her when I was younger. It's hard to put into words exactly why but the experience
was just amazing, the songs I got to sing were exceptional and the story I got to tell was enthralling.
I feel like this is an interesting question coming from an actress in the theatre industry as
the answer can be different for every actress/actor involved in the musical theatre industry.
The question is also a good way of getting to know the actress and her experiences being
an actress. Understanding the actresses favorite role’s she has played can also give the
audience an insight of the kind of person Bethany is and you can see from the answer that
Bethany looked up to this character.
I think it’s really inspiring to learn about an individual actor/actress’s best experiences in
theatre to see how far they’ve come. You start to realize that performing on stage and
playing different characters isn’t just a job and something that is forgettable, but it’s a part
of actors’ lives and their passion. It’s intriguing to see the affect of being involved in
something you love.

10. Secondary Audience research
Bethany Winteringham interview
3. What shows have you been involved in that have been shown in York?
My first production with a theatre company was Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat,
followed by Hot Mikado, High School Musical, Les Misérables, Honk!, Cats, Penny Millionaire, West Side
Story, The King and I, Fiddler on the Roof and most recently Oklahoma!. Not to mention the many
school productions and dance shows I've been involved in over the years!
The reason I asked this question about show's Bethany has been involved in, in York is
because the magazine I am making is mainly focused on the theatres in the local area which is
York. Audiences who may have seen these musicals in York could realise that they may have
seen Bethany perform. The audience who is reading this who hasn’t been to a musical in York
may feel like they would want to go and even see Bethany perform live as it would be
fascinating to read about Bethany’s involvement in musical theatre and then to go and
experience her acting with her.
In my magazine I am going to be talking about students, who have a passion for musical
theatre, who are taking part in courses/apprenticeships in York. Students who may read this
interview would be able to feel more inspired to see how far they can go in the theatre
industry. Students can also see the kind of shows that they want to bee involved in that
Bethany was involved in.

11. Primary Audience research
These are the first set of results I got from my survey
about Musical Theatre. From the people who have
done my survey, the typical age group that my
magazine is appealing to is possibly people about 16-
20 years of age. This means I can use the rest of my
survey answers to find out what people of this age
group typically feel about musical theater and their
experience in going to see or watching a show. I can
then use this information to get a better understanding
of what this age group may want to see included in the
magazine I am making. As my audience are still
generally young adults, they may not have a lot of
knowledge on musicals that were created 50+ years
ago. Therefor it would possibly be more appealing to
include recently released musicals, however it could be
quite interesting to include older musicals that they
may not have seen before-they may find it fascinating!
You can also see that more females answered my
survey than males, however there is still nearly an
equivalent amount of males who answered it to
females considering how many people took the survey.
This means I don’t have to focus on making my
magazine specifically targeted to one gender.

12. Primary Audience research
With this question I wanted to get an
idea of how interested some of my
audience really are with musical
theatre. If you look at the graph from
a scale of 1-10 instead of 1-50, you
can see that most people voted 6-7
as their point of interest. This shows
that people of this age clearly have
some sort of enthusiasm for musical
theatre. You can also see that the
people who took my survey have
stated that they would be interested
in going to see a musical in their local
area which proves that younger
adults (the people who took my
survey) are willing to experience
musical shows and see musicals that
they haven’t seen before. Therefor I
could include some
promotion/advertising for upcoming
musicals in the local area (York) in my
magazine and talk about what
musicals people of this age may be
curious to watch.

13. Primary Audience research
I wanted to ask my audience about their personal favorite
musicals so I could get an idea of the type of genre of
musicals people like, and if there are certain musicals that
people nowadays are more into watching.
You can see on the graph that the musical ‘The Greatest
Showman’ is a more common choice. This could be due to
the fact that The Greatest Showman has only recently
been released (2017) so it is understanding that this is a
popular choice as most people of this age group would
have seen the musical. Also, The Greatest Showman was
shown in cinemas and is on a DVD so it is easier for
people to watch this musical. Therefor it is going to be
common for more people to choose this as their favorite
musical as it could be one of the few musicals they could
watch. A lot of old musicals are originally performed at a
theatre which people may not be able to afford. The fact
that more people chose ‘The Greatest Showman’ as their
favorite musical may show that not many people who
took this survey hasn’t really seen other musical classics
that were released 50+ years ago that are still around
today. Musicals like Les Miserables, Hamilton or Miss
Saigon are musicals that people of this age may not have
seen due to it not originally being made on film.
Half of the people who answered the survey chose two
different musicals which are old classics. The Sound Of
Music and The Wizard of Oz are two very popular
musicals that are still performed today.
I could include some old musical classics in my
magazine like The Wizard of Oz or The Sound of Music.
Even if someone hasn’t seen the musical itself, it is
likely that the audience may recognize it.
In my magazine, I could include something that
involves The Greatest Showman as it a well known
musicals. Therefor more people may be willing to buy
the magazine if it has a popular and recognizable
musical in it.

14. Subject Research
The main types of singing in musical theatre
https://musicaltheatreresources.com/2015/11/28/the-four-main-types-of-singing-on-broadway-today/
There are lots of different genres involved in musical theatre but from the research I have conducted I have found out
that there are four main genre types that are included in musical theatre; Legit, Traditional Musical Theatre,
Contemporary, Pop/Rock. Learning about the different genres in musical theatre will help me get a better
understanding of the genres I am including in my magazine and how I could write about it.
LEGIT: Legit singing could also been known as the ‘trained voice’. While this singing was generally not quite operatic or
too dramatic, the perf ormers would have to have a wide range of vocals, with a smooth and balanced tone quality,
etc. The ‘trained’ sound was most associated with musicals from ‘The Golden Age’ (1940s, ‘50s, ‘early 60s) But as
aspects of musical theatre changed, the Legit sound become less and less used throughout musicals. However it is still
one of the main musical genres used in musicals performed today. Musicals such as ‘Amélie’, ‘Bat Boy: The Musical’ and
‘Carrie: The Musical’ can be viewed as Legit.
TRADITIONAL MUSICAL THEATRE: This type of singing is a speech-based vocal genre that features crisp, percussive
phrasing. This type of singing would mostly be used for character/comedic roles only. In the 1930s, Ethel mermen
helped validate this type of singing for Broadway leading ladies. Examples of the traditional musical theatre genre
would be shows like ‘Chicago’, ‘City Of Angels’ and ‘The Producers’.
CONTEMPORARY: This kind of singing features ‘bright, speech-based, mostly straight-toned production and frequently
requires higher belting than traditional musical singing. Examples of musicals that include this type of singing include
‘Wicked’, ’Avenue Q’, ’Thoroughly Modern Millie’.
POP/ROCK: This genre of musical singing can be portrayed in lots of different ways in musicals, and men and women
can both sing in similar ranges in this genre. The ‘Pop Opera’ genres include musicals such as ‘Les Miserables, and ‘Miss
Saigon’. 1950s/60s Rock ‘n’ Roll musicals may include ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Grease’.

15. Subject Research
York Theatre Royal-Website
https://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/page/whats_on.php
For my magazine, I want to have pictures inside theatres that are in my local area and that are open today. In my case, I
would be going to places in York like The Theatre Royal or The Grand Opera House. I was thinking of creating a ‘what’s
on’ page in my magazine so I have decided to view the ‘What’s On’ page from the York Theatre Royal page.
I want to look into what shows are actually going to be on in York in the
next few months so then I have an idea of the kind of musical plays that
are going to be shown and what I could add in my magazine. This may
also let me decide on colour theme ideas if I were to focus on a certain
show for an article in my magazine. For example, if I were to focus on a
musical like the ‘Heart Of Darkness’, which is the first show that comes
up on the what's on page, I would probably add a darker coloured
pictures or fonts.
The main musicals that are likely to have a larger audience are shown on
the main stage (main house) in the Theatre Royal. Upcoming shows like
‘Turn Of The Screw’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Heart Of Darkness’. As these
shows are likely going to be more popular I could use one of these
shows to talk about in my article. For example, talking about reviews,
what it’s about, the actors/actresses involved.

16. Subject Research
YouTube Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBjntZmrxg0
This documentary is about the development of musical theatre after World War 2. You learn
about how musical theatre impacted the people of Britain once WW2 was over, and how
musical theatre grew internationally. In the ‘part 1’ video you see how the musical
‘Oklahoma’ had impacted the people of Britain in a positive way. The producer of Oklahoma
described the musical as a “ray of sunshine” after the war, and how the musical left many
people blown away.
In the early-mid 1900’s there wasn’t any musical films made so the people would have to go
to a theatre to go and watch a musical for the musical to gain popularity, unlike now in the
present day where you can easily stick a film on and watch it. In the documentary you see
people from the who lived through the mid 1900s and how they explain their experiences
going to see musicals live. You get the feel that more people from the 1900s would have seen
a musical play live than the people in the modern 2000s who may have only seen musicals
through a TV screen. This shows how society as a whole has changed over the years and how
musicals can be appreciated.
The documentary also talks about how Britain reclaimed The West End musicals after WW2,
like ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Tommy Steel’.

17. Practical Research
Original Image: Edited Photoshop Image:
In Adobe Photoshop I decided to experiment in using some of the image editing tools. I wanted to see if I could discover any tools that
may be useful for when I am using my own images. As you can see on my settings, I have adjusted the colour balance of the photo.
From experimenting with this tool, I have come to the conclusion that this tool would be useful for making a particular photo fit into a
colour theme you want. In my example you can see that the edited image has more of an overall yellow tone to it, which is especially
noticeable against the green colour effects. So, if I wanted my magazine to have more of a yellow colour theme I could use this tool.
Same if I wanted my photo to be more red or blue, etc.
I also adjusted the contrast of the original photo to make the tones of the photo lighter. The light intensity in the edited image is a bit
brighter compared to the original image due to the change in contrast. If I wanted to have a more smoother and lighter tone on my
image then adjusting the contrast could be useful.

18. Practical Research
Cutting out the background of a photo and replacing it with a new one:
For my project, I may be taking photos of places inside a theatre, and I also
may be taking photos of people dressed in costumes for a theatre
production.
There may come a time, when editing, that I want to replace the
background of my original image with a different one. Therefor I thought it
would be useful to teach my self how to do it on Photoshop.
The first thing I did was pick an image of which background I want to cut
out and place it in Photoshop. Then I clicked the ‘Select’ tab and clicked on
‘Select and Mask’. From here I was able to paint around the part of the
photo I wanted to keep. Once I had done this I clicked on the black and
white skin quickly so I could view any small parts I had missed. Once I had
done this and everything I wanted to keep has been painted over, I clicked
‘OK’ and my background will have disappeared. I then take the image I
want to use as a background and paste it onto another layer and move the
layer so the background picture is sent behind the original image. Now,
you can see on the third image down I have shown, the background is
different.
A way I could adjust this image to make it look more effective would be to
adjust the lighting to make the cut out have the same effects as the new
background. A way I could adjust the lighting would be to go to the
properties panel on the right hand side and adjusting the contrast or
smoothness, etc. This could then make the two images together look more
like one instead of a separate image overlapping the other image.

19. Practical Research
Selective Color Effect
I wanted to experiment with this effect because I really like
how it looks and the different ways you could use the
effect. As you can see when you look at the edited image,
the color stands out greatly against the black and white.
To create this effect I chose my image and put it in
Photoshop. Then I clicked on the ‘fill/adjustment layer’
tool below the layers panel and changed my image to black
and white. Once I had done this I was able to mask the
layer and use the eraser to erase the black and white
effect. I was then able to paint over the sections that I
wanted to have color.
My magazine is about Musical Theatre and Musical
Theatre is often associated with a lot of color and
creativity. If any of my photos have a lot of color in it I
could use this technique to make the colors of my photo
stand out.
This technique of having a black and white image with
color in it could also make the layout of the DPS look more
interesting and appealing as there are different effects on
it instead of just a plain image. The image with this effect
will likely catch the audiences eye which is what you want
when you create a magazine.

20. Practical Research
With this technique I was able to remove an object from an
image, using the layer & mask tool. This is an interesting tool
to learn as when I am adding my photos to my magazine there
may be certain objects that would look better out of the
picture, then I could use this technique to remove it.
This technique would probably work better with small objects
in the picture as with larger objects you can see an outline of
the removed object (as you can see in the image)
With this technique you have to make sure you select every bit
of detail you want to remove, as one small missed detail could
degrade the quality of the image.
Also, if the background of the image is really detailed it may be
more difficult to make the object totally invisible. As you can
see in the image I used the background is quite detailed so you
can still see the outline of the removed object. This technique
works better on a blank background or a vaguely detailed
background.

21. Bibliography
1. Website: Issuu.com (2019) The Musical Theatre Program at Fullerton College
2019/20 Season Brochure Published 25th March by Fullerton College
Link- https://issuu.com/fullertoncollegetheatrearts/docs/mt_brochure_-_current
2. Website: Issuu.com. (2019) Southern Theatre Vol.60, Issue 1 Published 1 month
ago from now (March) by South Eastern Theatre Conference
Link- https://issuu.com/setc.org/docs/southern-theatre-2019-winter
3. Website: Musical Theatre Review (2019) Musical Theatre Review Issue 1
Published by Musical Theatre Review, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, UK. Link-
https://musicaltheatrereview.com/digital-magazine/
4. Website: Issuu.com (2018) BEEHIVE- THE 60s MUSICAL Playbill- Spring 2018
Published 11 months ago by Great Lakes Theater
Link- https://issuu.com/greatlakestheater/docs/18glt_-_beehive_playbill_-
_final_hi
5. Website: Opera North (2019) The Turn of The Screw A show production with
Opera North Link-https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/the-turn-of-the-
screw/