2025
Welcome to the preview issue of MusicTheatreDance, a free, open-access, peer-reviewed journal created by the Music Theatre Dance Association (MTDA). This free, open-access, peer-reviewed journal will be a multi-disciplinary space for investigations at the intersections of music, theatre, and dance, as well as the intersections of music, theatre, dance, and other disciplines. Seeking to disrupt traditional disciplinary boundaries, this multimodal journal will live online, playing host to both convetional scholarly essays and digital scholarship that takes other forms. MusicTheatreDance also serves as the publication home for papers presented at the annual Bruce Kirle Memorial Debut Panel in Musical Theatre, held at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) conference. The Kirle Panel showcases the work of emerging scholars in the field of musical theatre who are presenting at a national or international conference for the first time.
The field of musical theatre studies has expanded significantly over the past few decades. Founded in 1993, the Music Theatre Dance (MTD) focus group of ATHE marked the inception of the field as a codified area of study. Since its founding, MTD has grown substantially in both membership and disciplinary reach. In 2024, MTD became MTDA, an independent professional organization dedicated to broadening the field in scholarship, pedagogy, and practice. MTDA supports scholars and practitioners working in the field through free, accessible programming and resources, including this new journal.
In keeping with our mission, MusicTheatreDance is proud to be the first open-access, peer-reviewed journal focused on musical theatre studies. In publishing MusicTheatreDance, we hope to engage in new and meaningful conversations within the field, while complimenting the important work of existing journals and professional organizations.
Launching a new journal—particularly one that is open-access and volunteer-run—requires time, effort, and care. To share the publication of the exceptional work of the 2023 and 2024 Kirle panelists without delay, we are releasing this preview issue in advance of our inaugural issue, planned for June 2026. Submissions for the first issue are currently open, and we invite you to visit our journal submissions website for the call for papers and submission guidelines.
We are excited to step into the publishing landscape as a new space for scholars and practitioners to publish their work in an inclusive and accessible framework. Thank you for joining us for this preview issue, and we are thrilled to have you with us for our journey. There is much more to come from MTDA and MusicTheatreDance, and we warmly welcome you to be part of our growing community. If you are not yet a member of MTDA, we encourage you to join; membership is free and open to all. Please visit musictheatredance.org to sign up for our listserv and become a member.
With great enthusiasm,
The MTDA Leadership Team