2025 Theses Doctoral

The Broadway Musical Production Vocal Coach: An Exploration

Flynn, Amanda

Problem: Performing on Broadway is a challenging profession. Physical therapy is provided to help treat and prevent physical injuries. However, voice services are not typically provided, despite the grueling vocal demands placed on musical theatre performers.

Methods: This constructivist grounded theory study looks at the phenomenon of vocal coaching in Broadway musicals with the aim of understanding the role more thoroughly. There are three phases of this study. Phase one is a survey with actors who had a vocal coach provided to them during the run of a Broadway show. Phase two is interviews with people who have been production vocal coaches on Broadway shows. Finally, phase three is a survey with producers and general managers of Broadway shows. Each phases’ data was coded using constant comparison to identify themes based on in vivo and thematic coding.

Results: Three frameworks were constructed based on the data. The first identifies the skills required to vocal coach on Broadway. This framework could serve as the basis for curriculum development or could assist producers when hiring a vocal coach for a Broadway show. The second framework establishes the habilitation specialist as the leader of the voice team that also includes a laryngologist and a rehabilitation specialist. Performers could move between each specialist as needed. Finally, the last framework identifies the specific steps each voice team member plays as performers move from performance to medical care and back to performance. All three frameworks enhance our understanding of the role of the Broadway production vocal coach and will hopefully create pathways for more production vocal coaching in the future.