Will “you be found?”—Intratextual social media and going viral in the contemporary teen musical

Abstract

As musical theater has gained traction with younger audiences, producers have put out numerous new shows that focus on the modern high school experience in an attempt to capture this target audience. Social media has moved beyond being an off-stage marketing tactic and has since warped into an on-stage plot device to feel authentic to audiences. Through analyzing Dear Evan Hansen, The Prom, and Teenage Dick, social media in contemporary theater is a proven means to stay relevant to young audiences that can highlight the unificatory and divisive nature of digital spaces with respect to twenty-first century adolescence and identity.