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The Waa-Mu Show (pronounced "wah mew") is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization within Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, that produces student written, orchestrated, produced, and performed original musical theatre work every year. The song lyrics, script, and music are developed in a series of classes. It is the institution's longest standing theatrical tradition and is held in Cahn Auditorium on Northwestern's campus. This tradition began as a musical revue, showcasing several different student-written Northwestern-inspired vignettes connected by one single theme. Over the last six years, the Waa-Mu show has evolved into an original full-length musical.
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History
The first Waa-Mu show took place in 1929. A senior Northwestern student Joseph W. Miller and his classmate Darrell Ware wrote the script and staged the college musical comedy that became "The Waa-Mu Show," the first co-educational college musical show. The Women's Athletic Association (WAA) and the Men's Union (MU) collaborated to put on the first show. The name "Waa-Mu" is derived from the synthesis of the two groups’ acronyms. The WAA had been staging popular all-female musical comedies since 1912; the MU had presented less successful all-male comic operas for a number of years prior to 1929. Both men's and women's shows had been losing money and Miller and Ware raised $1,200 by borrowing $5 a piece from interested students to finance the first show. It also was Miller's and Ware's idea to feature both male and female students in their premiere production. At first, the female WAA committee was reluctant about sharing the stage with the male Mu members, but they eventually agreed to combine talents. The premiere show that Miller and Ware collaborated on was Good Morning Glory. The Daily Northwestern wrote, "Campus interest is the highest yet for any single dramatic activity in University history." This review prompted the producers to begin formulating and writing the following year's show. Walter Kerr was the principal writer for the 1936 musical revue entitled It Goes to Show. Kerr graduated the following year and eventually become a famous theatre critic for the New York Times. After graduating in 1929, Joe Miller stayed at Northwestern to do graduate work in personnel administration, and Darrell Ware went to Hollywood to write screenplays. In 1931 Northwestern president Walter Dill Scott offered Miller a position on the university's staff as Freshman Advisor and Waa-Mu Director.
In 1938, Waa-Mu board members were not pleased with that year's student-written script. Instead, they staged George Gershwin's musical Of Thee I Sing, about a presidential candidate who promises to bring more love to the White House. Actor Tony Randall (who was then known as Leonard Rosenberg), portrayed a boisterous Texas congressman in the production. Only three times in Waa-Mu's history has non-original material been presented; in 1935 with Ray Henderson's musical Good News (musical), in 1938, with George Gershwin's musical Of Thee I Sing, and in 1993 with Leonard Bernstein's musical On the Town (musical).
Waa-Mu went on hiatus during the World War II years, but was re-launched in 1946. During the three-year break, profits from previous Waa-Mu productions were invested in war bonds. Miller directed the Waa-Mu Show until 1975; his last show was Quick Change. He retired on August 31, 1975 and died in 1979. Tom Roland succeeded Miller as the second director of the Waa-Mu productions in 1976. Occasionally, Waa-Mu has been performed off-campus. The show traveled to Chicago several times after its Evanston run, most notably in 1931 (at the Civic Theatre in Chicago) and 1933. And renowned orchestra leader Fred Waring played original Waa-Mu songs on the radio in 1951.
Waa-Mu performances have been presented at Cahn Auditorium since its 1941 production, Wait A Minute, premiering on the new stage the same year that Scott Hall was completed. Before performances began in Cahn Auditorium, Waa-Mu productions were held at and around the Evanston area, at the New Evanston Theatre and the National College of Education.
Statements of the Organization
Mission Statement: The Waa-Mu Show fosters Northwestern student theatre makers as they participate in a comprehensive artistic process that culminates in a new musical every spring. Above all, The Waa-Mu Show strives to be an accessible community that celebrates creativity, collaboration, and tradition.
Vision Statement: The Waa-Mu Show aims to share stories that engage the hearts and minds of Northwestern's campus as well as give students unparalleled experience that prepares them to lead and advance the world of musical theatre
Values Statement: The 2016-2017 Co-Chairs aim to make the Waa-Mu Show more accessible to all students on Northwestern's campus. By promoting inclusion, we hope to create a production that better represents our campus and our society. We also hope to gain and foster new members for the Waa-Mu community who will continue to improve upon the organization in coming years.
Current Director
David H. Bell is the current director of the Waa-Mu show and has been in the role since 2011.
Creative Team
Program Head: David H. Bell
Artistic Director: David H. Bell
Music Director: Ryan T. Nelson
Co-Chairs: Jessie Jennison, Charlotte Morris, Eric Peters, Justin Tepper
Choreography Co-Chairs: Chris Flaim, Rosie Jo Neddy
Head Writers: Max Beer, Carrie Caffrey, Alex Rothfield
Stage Manager: Eloia Peterson
Executive Board
Alumni Relations Director: Rachel Guth
Community Programming Co-Directors: Chris Flaim & Gabby Green
Development Co-Directors: Emma Brick & Kaja Burke-Williams
Treasurer: Janie Dickerson
Digital Media Co-Directors: Alex Schneidman & Moriah Yeh
Events Co-Director: Daniel Leahy & Rosie Jo Neddy
Historian: Quinn Kelch
Student Outreach Committee Co-Directors: Chamaya Moody & Devon Levy
Marketing Director: Jacob Entenman
Promotions Co-Directors: Hannah Schiller & Josh Krivan
Public Relations Director: Sarah Ohlson
Production Managers: Andrew Restieri & Anna Backer
Waa-2 Co-Directors: Marielle Issa, Jacob Baim, & Sam Groisser
Previous Directors
All shows from 1929-1975 Directed by Joe W. Miller
All shows from 1976-1990 Directed by Tom Roland
All shows from 1991-1993 Co-Directed by Tom Roland and Dominic Missimi
All shows from 1994-2010 Directed by Dominic Missimi
All shows from 2011–present Directed by David H. Bell
Notable Alumni
Claude Akins: Sheriff Lobo in the two television series, B. J. and the Bear and The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo
Warren Beatty: Academy Award winner for Best Director for Reds (1981) and Irving G. Thalberg Award winner
Karen Black: Golden Globe award winner for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Great Gatsby (1974)
Jeff Blumenkrantz: Tony Award nominee for Best Original Score for Urban Cowboy and notable performances in Broadway shows including Into the Woods (1987), Damn Yankees (1994), and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1995), as well as his appearances in television in shows such as Will & Grace and 30 Rock
Zach Braff: Dr. John Dorian in the television series, Scrubs
Nancy Dusault: Muriel Rush in the 1980s situation comedy, Too Close for Comfort
Gregg Edelman: Four-time Tony Award nominee, Drama Desk Award winner, and two-time Outer Critics Circle Award nominee
Penny Fuller: Mrs. Kendal in The Elephant Man (1982) and Mae in 1984 version of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
George Furth: Tony and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical winner for the musical, Company
Frank Galati: Writer, actor, director, and Northwestern University professor
Ana Gasteyer: Notable roles in Saturday Night Live, Suburgatory, and Lady Dynamite
Larry Grossman: Broadway musical composer, film and television score composer most notably for The Muppet Show
Laura Innes: Dr. Kerry Weaver on ER and Sophia on NBC's, The Event
Brian d’Arcy James: Drama Desk Award winner, Outer Critics Circle Award Winner, and notable role in the film, Spotlight
Cloris Leachman: Eight-time Primetime Emmy Award winner, Daytime Emmy Award winner, and Academy Award winner for her role in The Last Picture Show
Shelley Long: Diane Chambers in the sitcom, Cheers
Paul Lynde: Notable roles in Bewitched and Bye Bye Birdie
Garry Marshall: Creator of Happy Days, notable work on The Odd Couple, director of Mother's Day, The Princess Diaries, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, Pretty Woman, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, and Runaway Bride
Jenny Powers: Singer, actress, and Miss Illinois in 2000
Tony Randall: Notable role in The Odd Couple
Charlotte Rae: Notable role in Diff'rent Strokes
Ann-Margret: Notable role in Bye Bye Birdie
Tony Roberts: Notable role in Annie Hall
Kate Shindle: Singer, dancer, actress, beauty pageant contestant and author of Being Miss America
Organization
Several different positions and sub-groups with distinct responsibilities exist within the institution to ease the process of creating an original musical each year. They include:
Program Head: A staff member of the Theatre & Interpretation Center who leads the creation process and makes all final decisions. The Program Head is typically the director of the production as well.
Co-Chairs: The student leaders of the organization who work alongside the Program Head to make decisions about creative and administrative matters.
Head Writers: The student leaders who are in charge of generating and combining material to form a cohesive script for the show.
Executive Board: A group of students who work under the Co-Chairs to handle all administrative, financial and organizational needs.
Creating the Musical Class: A large group of students enrolled in a winter class who generate material for the show including: the script, songs, and lyrics.
Orchestrating the Musical Class: A group of students enrolled in a winter class who generate orchestrations for the show; many of whom go on to join Team Music.
Team Music: A group of students led by the Music Director that creates all of the orchestrations for the songs generated in the Creating the Musical class as well as the incidental music and overture.
Another Way West
The 2016 performance was titled Another Way West. The story follows a female researcher, accompanied by her nieces and nephews, on the Oregon Trail searching for her late ancestor. This show merges the journeys of both the researcher and her ancestor on the Oregon Trail.
Gold
In 2015, the students put on Gold, based on the 1936 Olympics. The plot centered around journalists sent to report about the Olympics, specifically focusing on the US Basketball Team, the US Swim Team, and the US Track and Field Team. Opening night for the show was May 1, 2015.
Double Feature at Hollywood and Vine, an adaptation of Twelfth Night
Inspired by the Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night, the 2014 Waa-Mu Show was Double Feature at Hollywood and Vine. The protagonist, Viola, disguises herself as a man in order to find fame as an actor in the 1930s. Opening night for the show was May 2, 2014.
Flying Home
The performance in 2013 entitled, Flying Home, combined the ideas of three very well known productions, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. The main theme of this production is about adolescents leaving home and developing throughout college. Opening night for this performance was May 3, 2013.
List of Shows
Shows with (*) denote previously produced and non-student written material.