Scholarship & Writing
I research and write about the aesthetics of musical theatre, the cultural context of Broadway musicals, popular culture and musicals, pedagogical approaches to theatre courses, and the role of theatre practice in the academy.
Publications
“Writing in Many Forms: The UnEssay as Means of Accessibility and Creativity”
in A Classroom Guide to Writing in Theatre and Performance Studies (forthcoming), edited by Jeanmarie Higgins and Samuel Yates
The research on the use of the Musical Theatre Canon and Glee was then expanded into a chapter in the edited collection Queer in the Choir Room.
“Finding Henry Street: the Broadway Revival of Funny Girl and New York City Dramaturgy”
in the Ransom Center Magazine.
“‘To Being an Us for Once, Instead of a Them’: Musical Theatre Aesthetics and Youth-Oriented Musicals”
in Milestones in Musical Theatre , edited by Mary Jo Lodge
“Glee and the Ghosting of the Musical Theatre Canon”
in Popular Entertainment Studies.
I have written book reviews about formative texts in Theatre Journal, Theatre Topics, and Studies in Musical Theatre.
Review of Beyond Broadway: The Pleasure and Promise of Musical Theatre Across America by Stacy Wolf in Studies in Musical Theatre vol. 16, no. 1
Review of America in the Round: Capital, Race, and Nation at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage by Donatella Galella in Studies in Musical Theatre vol. 14, no. 2
Review of Wonder of Wonders: A Cultural History of Fiddler on the Roof by Alisa Solomon in Theatre Journal vol. 66, no. 2
Conference Presentations & Public Scholarship
More details to be posted soon.
I regularly present my research at theatre conferences, including ATHE and ASTR (a full list of conference presentations is included on the resume page of this site). In addition to my scholarly research on theatre, I have presented papers on using Writing Across the Curriculum methodology in theatre history classrooms and presented my work with digital tools in theatre history courses. At ATHE, I have been a panel coordinator most years and have been responsible for devising a panel, writing the abstract, gathering participants, and structuring the session. I am regularly asked to participate in post-show discussions for off-off Broadway shows and to create lectures for cultural organizations. I also lead pedagogical workshops and am regularly invited to be a guest speaker at professional training events.
My Dissertation
“‘Here in America’: Broadway Musicals and the Making of Jewish Americans” examines the reoccurring themes and tropes in musicals that recreate, reframe, and reclaim narratives of and Jewish American cultural memory and Progressive Era New York City. The dissertation features an comprehensive intertextual study of Funny Girl, The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, Rags, and Ragtime. Each thematic chapter emphasizes the study of musical theatre aesthetics as a way to examine how Broadway musicals create narratives that intersect with history and become part of cultural memory. The first chapter, “The Haunted Jewish City” is a study on the ghosted presence of Ellis Island and the Lower East Side as seen through set design, staging, and ensemble work. The second chapter, “American Rags” is a thorough examination of the history of the Progressive Era garment industry and it’s inexorable connection to the history of Jewish Americans; the analysis traces historic moments such as Emma Goldman’s rallies and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire as told through Broadway musicals. And the final chapter is an investigation of how Jewish American identity is complicated by show business, featuring the story of Fanny Brice and the musical Funny Girl, accompanied by stories of Yiddish theatre, vaudeville, and how Jewish Americans found success in the U.S. entertainment industry.
“Thousands of Stories to Tell”: Broadway Musicals, New York City, and the Making of Jewish Americans
A cabaret based on Dr. Barrie Gelles’s scholarship that examines the themes and tropes in musicals that recreate, reframe, and reclaim narratives of Jewish American cultural history.
While getting my doctoral degree, I was aware that the work of a dissertation and the work of theatre-making were thought to be mutually exclusive. But, even if academic work and artistic work are considered separate endeavors, I cannot separate parts of myself and, so, I started to imagine what it would be like to turn a dissertation into a cabaret.
Featuring songs from Funny Girl (1964), The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N (1968), Rags (1986), and Ragtime (1998), this cabaret blends scholarship and artistry, history and storytelling. Beginning in the 1960s, for the first time, the Jewishness featured in Broadway musicals was neither represented through racialized comedic representations nor hidden underneath crypto-Jewish characters. Interestingly, many of the musicals of the latter half of the twentieth century that feature Jewish characters, culture, and history are set in the early part of the twentieth century, and most of those are set in the Progressive Era in New York City. These musicals, featuring representations of Jewish Americans, are steeped in a retrospective point of view, both romanticizing and problematizing narratives of immigration and Americanization. The selected musicals are among the many stories created to reaffirm how Jewish immigrants became Jewish Americans in the United States. Incorporating showtunes, lesser known songs, storytelling, and scholarship, this cabaret invites audience members to consider the historical narratives of musicals in addition to enjoying the pleasure they provide.
This cabaret is based on Dr. Barrie Gelles’s scholarship that examines the themes and tropes in musicals that recreate, reframe, and reclaim narratives of Jewish American cultural history.
The first presentation of “‘Thousands of Stories to Tell’: Broadway Musicals, New York City, and the Making of Jewish Americans” was on
January 18, 2024 at 7:30pm
Performed at the Center for Jewish History’s Leo And Julia Forchheimer Auditorium
Presented by The Jewish Music Forum
A Project of the American Society for Jewish Music
Created and Directed by Barrie Gelles
Music Direction by Sobina Chi
Featuring: Connor Barr, Laura Cetti, Samantha Cooper, Joshua William Gelb, Jonathan Gellert, Mara Jill Herman, Nehemiah Luckett, Jesse Manocherian, Amy Osatinski, Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld, Samantha SchiffmanWith:
Sarah Duren, Anya Maier, Braden Paulsen, Zoe-Maria Rivera, Grace VanBowen, Michael Vigilante, and Yu-Wei Hsiao on Violin
