Juilliard Extension Division Fall 2026 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
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EVDOL 28 - Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd
Art Williford
This class is a semester-length exploration of Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 masterpiece Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This towering work draws equally on the traditions of opera and the Broadway musical, in the service of a fascinatingly macabre story of Gothic horror and romance. Starting from Sweeney’s nineteenth-century origins and Christopher Bond’s 1973 play, the class will trace Sondheim’s entire creative process. Every one of Sondheim’s musical and dramatic decisions will be considered, as he builds tiny musical cells into the vast structure of the complete work. Multiple interpretations of the work will be encountered along the way, from Harold Prince’s original Broadway production, to modern performances at Broadway venues and opera houses, to Tim Burton’s cinematic rendition.
Biography: Art Williford
“Art is a brilliant teacher with an understanding of Sondheim’s work that is dazzling. The course revealed complexity in Sondheim’s work that I, as a long-time admirer of his, did not begin to imagine. This course was life changing.” – Juilliard Extension Student, Fall 2025
One Section Available | 10 Classes Total | Extension Holiday Schedule
Wednesdays 5:30–7pm ET
September 30–December 9
Online Only
$525
Register by Phone: (212) 799-5000 ext. 273
Our phone line is open Monday–Friday (excluding holidays), 9:00 am–5:00 pm ET.
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