Audience: This unit is designed for high school students who are enrolled in a beginning drama course. Because these students have already chosen to enroll in a drama class, they have an interest in the subject matter and they are motivated to learn about different aspects of the theater. They have had minimal exposure to the subject matter. They are relatively mature enough to handle higher level cognitive thinking skills. As high school students, they can understand the abstract ideas and appreciate the aesthetic components of a musical production.

Materials: The teacher will need to provide albums (C.D.'s cassettes, etc.) for each musical so students can listen as they view websites. If movie versions of musicals are available, these should also be available for viewing by the student. Supplemental reading materials such as: articles, programs, and books are not required but are suggested.

Instructional Goal: The instructional goal of this unit is to introduce and give students exposure to the genre of the musical. Also, students are able to learn about and observe a musical that they would otherwise not experience.

Rationale: Musicals are an important element of drama and theater but students do not usually have the means to see them. Most students do not have the luxury of flying to London or New York to keep up with contemporary shows. Even tour shows or local productions are often do not offer affordable ticket prices for high school students' budgets.

This unit will give students the opportunity to develop opinions and learn about various musical productions. This unit will move beyond verbal, declarative knowledge in that students will be required to interact with the actual musicals and other students. Students will learn to develop the life skill of planning a trip to a city across the nation or even the world. This skill is essential for students who plan to travel to see productions.