UW News

David Armstrong


August 18, 2025

Q&A: How marginalized artists invented the Broadway musical

An image of Times Square at night with Broadway musical billboards, including Wicked.

A new book from David Armstrong, University of Washington affiliate instructor of drama, is an historical and cultural account of how the Broadway musical was predominantly created by people marginalized from mainstream society. The book, “Broadway Nation: How Immigrant, Jewish, Queer, and Black Artists Invented the Broadway Musical,” traces this history through four major eras.