The Waa-Mu Show

The first Waa-Mu show took place in 1929. A senior Northwestern student, Joseph W. Miller, and his classmate Darrell Ware wrote the script for 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 it on. "Waa-Mu" is a synthesis of the two groups' acronyms. In 1938, Waa-Mu board members were displeased by 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 (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, in 1938 with George Gershwin's musical Of Thee I Sing, and in 1993 with Leonard Bernstein's musical On the Town. Waa-Mu went on hiatus during World War II and relaunched 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 director. 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. 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 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. == People ==

The 92nd Annual Waa-Mu Show: Romance En Route • Director: Johanna McKenzie Miller • Co-Chairs: Daniel Maton, Madeline Oberle, Mitchell Huntley, Francis Brenner • Writing Coordinators: Lena Moore, Kailey Morand, Reva Sangal • Music Directors: Wes D’Alelio, Oliver Paddock • Choreographer: Ashley Valent The 91st Annual Waa-Mu Show: A Peculiar Inheritance • Director: Johanna McKenzie Miller • Music Supervisor: Ryan T. Nelson • Co-Chairs: Daniel Maton, Madeline Oberle • Writing Coordinators: Trevor K. Band, Mitchell Huntley, Jared Son, Francesca Wimer • Music Directors: Cameron Miya, Samuel Perlman • Choreographers: Emily Brooks, Alex Angrist, Amanda de la Fuente The 90th Annual Waa-Mu Show: The Secret of Camp Elliott • Director: Amanda Tanguay • Music Supervisor: Ryan T. Nelson • Co-Chairs: Jessica Nekritz, Annie Beaubien, Pallas Gutierrez • Writing Coordinators: Brandon Acosta, Sarah Geltz, Alex Manaa, Bennett Petersen • Music Directors: Ezri Killeen, Ben Roberts The 89th Annual Waa-Mu Show: State of the Art • Director: Amanda Tanguay • Music Supervisor: Ryan T. Nelson • Co-Chairs: Leo Jared Scheck, Emma Griffone, Olivia Worley, Jonathan Toussaint • Writing Coordinators: Ruchir Khazanchi, Emmet Smith, Matthew Threadgill, Mikey Walden • Music Directors: Mason Frasher, Saoirse Lee The 88th Annual Waa-Mu Show: For the Record • Director: Stephen Schellhardt • Music Supervisor: Ryan T. Nelson • Co-Chairs: Gabriella Green, Ziare Paul-Emile, Alexander Rothfield, Lindsay Whisler • Writing Coordinators: Lauren Katz and Carly Mazer • Music Directors: Sam Groisser, Tynan Friend, Saoirse Lee, Abe Oxley-Hase, Will Finnegan, Mo Yeh • Associate Director/Choreographer: Amanda Tanguay • Choreographers: Olivia Whitmer, Sophie Civetta The 87th Annual Waa-Mu Show: Manhattan Miracle • Director: Stephen Schellhardt • Music Supervisor: Ryan T. Nelson • Co-Chairs: Kaja Burke Williams, Maxwell Beer, Sarah Ohlson, and Andrew Restieri • Head Writers: Alex Rothfield, Jordan Knitzer, and Alec Steinhorn The 86th Annual Waa-Mu Show: Beyond Belief • Director: David H. Bell • Music Supervisor: Ryan T. Nelson • Co-Chairs: Jessie Jennison, Charlotte Morris, Justin Tepper, and Eric Peters • Head Writers: Maxwell Beer, Carrie Caffrey, and Alexander Rothfield The 85th Annual Waa-Mu Show: Another Way West • Director: David H. Bell • Music Supervisor: Ryan T. Nelson • Co-Chairs: Elizabeth Romero, Fergus Inder, Charlie Oh, and Myrna Conn • Head Writers: Maxwell Beer, Casey Kendall, and Jon Bauerfeld The 84th Annual Waa-Mu Show: Gold • Director: David H. Bell • Music Supervisor: Ryan T. Nelson • Co-Chairs: Max Rein, Kylie Mullins, and Hannah Dunn • Head Writers: Jon Bauerfeld, Charlie Oh, and Myrna Conn Previous Directors • 1929–1975: Directed by Joe W. Miller • 1976–1990: Directed by Tom Roland • 1991–1993: Co-Directed by Tom Roland and Dominic Missimi • 1994–2010: Directed by Dominic Missimi • 2011–2017: Directed by David H. Bell • 2018–2019: Directed by Stephen Schellhardt • 2020-2021: Directed by Amanda Tanguay Notable alumni • Claude Akins • Warren Beatty • Karen Black • Jeff Blumenkrantz • Zach Braff • Nancy Dussault • Gregg Edelman • Penny Fuller • George Furth • Frank Galati • Ana Gasteyer • Larry Grossman • Charlton Heston • Laura Innes • Brian d'Arcy James • Cloris Leachman • Shelley Long • Paul Lynde • Garry Marshall • Jenny Powers • Tony Randall • Charlotte Rae • Ann-Margret • Tony Roberts • Kate Shindle • Sheldon Harnick • Billy Eichner • Cody Sweet • Alan Schmuckler • Michael Mahler • Ian Weinberger == Organization ==

Several different positions and sub-groups with distinct responsibilities 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 creative and administrative decisions. Writing Coordinators: The student leaders 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 administrative, financial, and organizational needs. Creating the Musical Class: A large group of students enrolled in a winter class who generate material, including the script, songs, and lyrics. Orchestrating the Musical Class: A group of students enrolled in a winter class who make orchestrations; many go on to join Team Music. Team Music: A group of students led by the Music Director that orchestrates the songs generated in the Creating the Musical class as well as the incidental music and overture. The Secret of Camp Elliott The Secret Of Camp Elliott premiered digitally in June 2021. State of the Art State of the Art was originally set to open on May 1, 2020. On March 13, the co-chairs decided to cancel the final reading of the show before it was set to go into rehearsal due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The university suspended In-person classes, and it became clear that a performance as usual in Cahn Auditorium would not be possible. The team quickly pivoted to online rehearsals and decided to have an online presentation. State of the Art became the first new musical to be presented live over Zoom to an international audience. Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Ken Davenport featured an article by the co-chairs on his blog, and Larson Award winner Ryan Cunningham also wrote an article about the process. For the Record The 2019 production followed a female Chicago journalist embarking on a project to create obituaries for history’s most incredible women, including mathematician and cryptanalyst Gene Grabeel, French swordswoman and opera singer Julie d’Aubigny, and early civil rights leader Ida B. Wells. Inspired by the real life Overlooked (obituary feature), initiated by Amy Padnani at the New York Times. Another Way West The 2016 performance was Another Way West. It 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. Double Feature at Hollywood and Vine, an adaptation of Twelfth Night Inspired by Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, the 2014 Waa-Mu Show was Double Feature at Hollywood and Vine. The protagonist, Viola, disguises herself as a man to find fame as an actor in the 1930s. Opening night was May 2, 2014. Flying Home The 2013 performance, Flying Home, combined the ideas of three well-known productions, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. It is about adolescents leaving home and developing throughout college. Opening night was May 3, 2013. == List of Shows ==

Shows with (*) denote previously produced and non-student written material. == References ==