Broadway Divas 101: Course Description & Partial Syllabus

So I recently found out that people who should know about all of the great ladies of the Broadway Stage don't actually know about all of them.  Does that make sense?  Apparently, I wrongly assume that everyone knows who these actresses are.  So we are going to fix that.  As time permits, we will work our way through the current "Broadway Divas".  At least the ones that I am familiar enough with the teach you about.  This will include their resumes, recordings you MUST listen to, various You Tube videos of note, and any other stories I might have about them.

But first, let's define Diva:  A Diva is a distinguished female singer.  The term originated with opera and has since been used with all kinds of music.  Divas were often demanding, thus leading us to use the term as a derogatory term for an actor/actress who is difficult to work with. ("Oh, my gosh!  She is SUCH A DIVA!")  We all know a few of those, I'm sure.  But for purposes of this course, we will focus on the original definition of the term.

I am in the process of compiling a list of the lovely ladies we will be studying.  The list will, I'm sure, be a work in progress.  But first up, and the reason that I have started this course in the first place, is:  Audra McDonald.

Here's the list, off the top of my head, that we will start with.  Please note that this list is subject to change:

Audra McDonald
Patti LuPone (to be taught by Prof. Jordan Roberts)
Sherie Rene Scott
Victoria Clark
Sutton Foster
Kristin Chenoweth
Idina Menzel
Bernadette Peters
Rachel York
Susan Egan
Stephanie J. Block

This is all I can think of at the moment, but it's a start!  I know there are more, but these are the ones I'm familiar with.  So look for Lesson 1, coming soon!!!