Updated User Profiles

Steve Singer

Name: Musical Theater Fan (Steve Singer)

Demographic: Male, gay, middle-class, college-educated who has acted in amateur productions and regularly attends musicals; 20-30 yrs old

Descriptive Title: Musical Theater Maniac

Quote: “I want to let everyone know how wonderful musical theater is!”

A Day in a Life Narrative:

Steve listens to podcasts while driving, working out, or cooking. He listens on his smartphone through streaming audio on the Spotify website. He values most highly shows that give him additional information to what he already knows about the shows he loves; he particularly likes interviewers who ask interesting questions and then let the guests talk about their areas of expertise. He sometimes “binge listens” to a series that particularly interests him over a short period of time.

End Goals:

Steve values podcasts for what they can teach him about a subject. He values hearing from the creators, actors, and backstage people who help put on a show. He particularly enjoys podcasts that have lots of backstage gossip or reveal “secret histories” behind the songs, actors, and shows that he loves. His primary goal in listening to a podcast about musicals is to get insight into the entire process behind their creation.

Kyra Adams

Name: African-American Woman (Kyra Adams)

Demographic: African-American, straight, female, academic historian who studies the Black contribution to American culture; 40-50 yrs old

Descriptive Title: Cultural/social historian

Quote: “I want to promote the importance of African-American culture to mainstream America”

A Day in a Life Narrative:

Kyra Adams teaches at a major research university in the history department. She spends a good deal of her time when school is in session on class preparation and developing materials for her students. She also conducts extensive historic research on her own. She focuses on areas of Black theatrical history that have not been adequately documented in the past and is concerned that the role of the Black artistic community and its contributions to theatrical history are generally underrepresented in traditional histories.

End Goals:

Kyra would value most in a podcast a complete investigation of how racism and sexism have stymied the achievements of African-American artists. She would advocate for a diverse panel of historians, performers, and theatrical producers in examining the complicated history of a show like Shuffle Along. She would want the show’s content to be examined with sensitivity, acknowledging the limitations on how Black voices could be heard a hundred years ago.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *