The Waa-Mu Show
The Waa-Mu Show; ; is a nonprofit 501 organization at Northwestern University 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 Northwestern's longest-standing theatrical tradition and is held on campus in Cahn Auditorium. This tradition began as a musical revue, showcasing several different student-written Northwestern-inspired vignettes connected by a single theme. By 2013, the Waa-Mu show evolved into an original full-length musical.
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 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 and the Men's Union collaborated to put it on. "Waa-Mu" is a 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 several years before 1929. Both men's and women's shows had been losing money and Miller and Ware raised $1,200 by borrowing $5 apiece from interested students to finance the first show. It also was Miller's and Ware's idea to feature both men and women in the production. At first, the WAA was reluctant to share the stage with the MU, but they eventually agreed. The premiere show 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 next year's show. Walter Kerr was the principal writer of the 1936 musical revue, It Goes to Show. Kerr graduated the next year and became a theatre critic for the New York Times. After graduating in 1929, Miller stayed at Northwestern to do graduate work in personnel administration. 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 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 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 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
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.