ABSTRACT
Stage plays are now being written with much more relevant and realistic plots and increasingly diverse casts (more roles for people of color and women as well as for older actors and disabled artists), while stage is adding in more technical elements (multimedia, video, the cast doing puppetry or playing musical instruments) than ever before in theater history. The genres of songs are also becoming much more diverse. A prime example of Broadway singing styles changing is the famous musical Annie, which was belted by everyone on stage and continued the classic Broadway belt style. Performance artist Taylor Mac does full twelve hour stage shows where people are flown in across the stage and raised and lowered as a matter of course. Stage actors are now far more valuable to casting directors for learning or having worked with these technical skills, and, having worked with puppetry or multimedia on stage, it thus increases their value as performers.
