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Articles 1 - 16 of 16
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Speech In America: Tracking The Evolution Of Speech Pedagogy In Theatre Training, Zachary Campion
Speech In America: Tracking The Evolution Of Speech Pedagogy In Theatre Training, Zachary Campion
Theses and Dissertations
Speech work, as it relates to actor training, has undergone many important changes since its formal introduction to the field over a century ago by Edith Skinner. Unfortunately, there are many who hold on to antiquated, misinformed and often harmful approaches to this kind of training. This thesis questioned the traditional models of speech pedagogy by creating a narrative for its development, questioning its efficacy, and exploring the alternatives that have developed over the years. I looked at the texts and approaches of Edith Skinner, Patricia Fletcher, Louis Coliaini, and Dudley Knight/Phil Thompson. I acknowledge that each practitioner has made …
Code-Switching In The Classroom: Teaching The Neutral American Dialect To The 21st Century Student, Hollis Louise Casini
Code-Switching In The Classroom: Teaching The Neutral American Dialect To The 21st Century Student, Hollis Louise Casini
Theses and Dissertations
Language is a personal process, a product of not only our development, but of one’s culture. Yet in the United States, an actor must be able to speak without a detectable dialect to be competitive in the entertainment world. How can voice teachers in a multi-cultural society, train students with more attention to the individuality of the students we educate? In this thesis, I present the information I have found important in my development as a voice teacher that has influenced my approach to training actors to use the Neutral American dialect. I begin by outlining human language acquisition and …
Applied Theatre: History, Practice, And Place In American Higher Education, Joseph A. Obermueller
Applied Theatre: History, Practice, And Place In American Higher Education, Joseph A. Obermueller
Theses and Dissertations
The goal of this paper is to examine the practice of Applied Theatre in order to better define the genre and make a case for its legitimization and inclusion in higher theatre education. By looking at the theatre practitioners of the 20th century who paved the way for its existence as well as modern practitioners, a definition will be distilled down to five core characteristics of the practice with several case studies illustrating those characteristics. Once a clear distinction has been made between Applied Theatre and other similar genres, the case will be made for why the field should be …
Serve The Ones Below: The Dramaturgy Of Sweeney Todd, Michael Hegarty
Serve The Ones Below: The Dramaturgy Of Sweeney Todd, Michael Hegarty
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis is a personal journey. My work on VCU’s production of SWEENEY TODD began in the Spring of 2012 when I came on board the production as dramaturg. Part of what is contained within is both an explanation of my dramaturgical research method as well as samples of the research I have compiled. However, my role was drastically changed in the Fall of 2012 when I was cast as the primary antagonist in the production. The thesis chronicles the rehearsal process as my role as dramaturg increasingly gave way to my role as actor. It attempts to answer the …
In Perceiving Monsters: A Costume Design For Caryl Churchill's The Skriker, Joshua Quinn
In Perceiving Monsters: A Costume Design For Caryl Churchill's The Skriker, Joshua Quinn
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this thesis is to document my process for a costume design of The Skriker by Caryl Churchill. Included is the design account confronted in telling the story, analyzing the script, developing concepts and looks, and final rendering of the characters. The paper finishes with a reflection on how the design served the script and my conclusions on its success.
Shockheaded Peter: A Junk Opera. Costume Design., J. Theresa Bush
Shockheaded Peter: A Junk Opera. Costume Design., J. Theresa Bush
Theses and Dissertations
My concept is rooted in the fairy tail land of the dark woods like so many other terrifying fairy tails from my youth. Shockheaded Peter, our boogie man, is of the trees. The blood of the rotten children feeds the trees in this concept for the marbles that fall from our children literally representing blood will flow down the rake, across tin gutters, and into a huge tin washbasin out of which grows our gnarly set tree, a gnarly knobby willow. Peter comes from this tree that is fed by the blood of children. I set my costumes in the …
Teaching And Performing Theatre For Youth Using Physical Storytelling, Brooke Turner Alison
Teaching And Performing Theatre For Youth Using Physical Storytelling, Brooke Turner Alison
Theses and Dissertations
For children to enjoy theatre they must see a story played out physically. The same is true when children act. Young performers must be taught to act using a simplified version of the Stanislavski System that puts emphasis on playable action. This thesis evaluates current acting texts for youth based on whether or not the author is able to outline a method that is accessible for children, and highlights the importance of playable action in scene work. It also provides a guide to teaching theatre for youth based on a class of the author’s design where students developed curriculum, managed …
Laughing Together: Comedic Theatre As A Mechanism Of Survival During The Holocaust, Robin Knepp
Laughing Together: Comedic Theatre As A Mechanism Of Survival During The Holocaust, Robin Knepp
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis aims to analyze the ways many Jewish victims of the Holocaust used comedic theatre to help them overcome their dire circumstances by exploring the high demand for comedic performance in both the ghettoes and concentration camps and analyzing the numerous comedic works that were penned amidst the terror and catastrophic loss surrounding the Jews at this time. The second portion delves into the therapeutic values of comedy and explores the ways laughing may have benefitted those who partook in comedic theatre events. The final chapter investigate whether or not laughter should still be used to help cope with …
Considering Strasberg’S Method In The Twenty-First Century: A New Pedagogy, Terry Hardcastle
Considering Strasberg’S Method In The Twenty-First Century: A New Pedagogy, Terry Hardcastle
Theses and Dissertations
Student of Richard Boleslavsky and Maria Ouspenskaya, co-founder of the Group Theatre, Artistic Director of the Actors Studio, founder of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, and developer of The Method, Lee Strasberg is one of the most famous acting teachers of the twentieth century. In the same way a concert pianist must practice her scales daily to maintain expertise, Strasberg believed an actor must regularly practice the use of sense memory to be emotionally authentic. Using Strasberg’s Method, this is achieved through a combination of relaxation and concentration, which leads to a sense of truth in performance. The …
Developing A Masters Of Fine Arts In Classical Performance For Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: The Transformation Of An Education Department Into An Education, Matthew Johnson
Theses and Dissertations
The thesis focuses on the development of a fully accredited Masters of Fine Arts in Classical Performance degree program for Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (CSC). Chapter 1 is a narrative of the author’s experience with CSC’s Young Company, the touring and teaching artist arm of the educational department. This chapter establishes culture of the company and the context of the program, the argument for the thesis. Chapter 2 is an exploration of existing and defunct MFA programs in Classical Performance or related fields of study, the steps toward NAST accreditation and curriculum development. Chapter 3 is a description of the MFA …
Decoding Acting Vocabulary, Daniel Granke
Decoding Acting Vocabulary, Daniel Granke
Theses and Dissertations
This paper compares seemingly similar words from a variety of acting teachers, and shows how it is impossible to draw clear comparisons between words that are often used as synonyms. The paper is a reflection of the journey from believing in translation to recognizing its impossibility. In Chapter 1 we focus on one of the most common elements in actor training, Attention/focus/concentration, and analyze the shades of meaning in those words and the difficulty of talking about them in isolation. In Chapter 2 we look at the way in which semiotic analysis can explain the words resistance to equivalence. In …
Live Art: A Positive Change In This World, Phillip Vollmer
Live Art: A Positive Change In This World, Phillip Vollmer
Theses and Dissertations
LIVE ART is a program for students with special needs and students who are typically developed. They work collaboratively, with integrated forms of performance and visual art, culminating in a live performance. LIVE ART sought to use innovative methods of pedagogy, peer support and artistic influence to create a new curriculum where all students, regardless of ability, could grow. Along with this account, this thesis illustrates the experience of one teaching artist and his growth and journey through the program. His personal struggles with previous educational systems are mirrored in the struggles of the students, with their successes leading to …
The Mysteries Of Breath: What Do We Need And How Do We Teach It?, Rachel Hillmer
The Mysteries Of Breath: What Do We Need And How Do We Teach It?, Rachel Hillmer
Theses and Dissertations
The aim of this paper is to explore the philosophies, attitudes and beliefs that surround the teaching of breath. Voice and speech teachers want students and actors to be versatile; able to adjust to the demands of any role, and each student enters the classroom with a myriad of mental and physical breathing habits. Many voice and speech trainers, however, only address a limited number of breathing habits and primarily teach "deep breathing." Why has deep breathing dominated voice training, and how do we effectively teach breath for all students and all habits? I will examine six major voice practitioners: …
Singing For The Actor: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Musical Theatre Training, Valerie Accetta
Singing For The Actor: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Musical Theatre Training, Valerie Accetta
Theses and Dissertations
Typically, singing training for the musical theatre student is divided into three subjects: music theory, private voice instruction and acting through song. By separating the study of the components of musical theatre performance, musical theatre programs reinforce this compartmentalization and few students are able to make connections between these components in performance. This thesis gives an account of my design of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of musical theatre, specifically a class I developed called Singing for the Actor. In this class, I focused on connecting three components of musical theatre singing: music theory, vocal production (specifically the Estill …
Theatre Triad: An Approach To Devising Collaborative Ensemble Theatre, Keith G. Fitzgerald
Theatre Triad: An Approach To Devising Collaborative Ensemble Theatre, Keith G. Fitzgerald
Theses and Dissertations
Theatre Triad is a new approach to devising collaborative ensemble theatre starting with the three main components of Performance: Voice, Movement, and Text. These components were deconstructed and reconstructed in pairs as the basis for the devising process. The performance process begins with creating an ensemble followed by four steps: exploring the theatrical genres affiliated with the pairings of Voice and Movement, Movement and Text, Voice and Text, and completed with reintegrating all three components. Through this process many things occur, a new play is created, ensemble members focus on exploring the elements of acting and performance, and a strong …
Fem And Funny: Three Women Who Changed The Face Of Stand-Up Comedy, Rachel Eliza Blackburn
Fem And Funny: Three Women Who Changed The Face Of Stand-Up Comedy, Rachel Eliza Blackburn
Theses and Dissertations
Phyllis Diller, Joan Rivers, and Lisa Lampanelli as performers demonstrate an arc of evolving female empowerment in the world of stand-up comedy. In this thesis I shall study the development of each woman’s career by examining her material, progression of her comic persona, and relationship to women’s gender roles, both personally and professionally. While there are many other female comics who contribute to the story of women’s stand-up comedy in the contemporary period (in particular, Moms Mabley and Elayne Boosler), Diller, Rivers and Lampanelli each represent a distinct shift in how their persona combined with subject matter, allowing women to …