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An Introduction To Theatrical Scent Design As Compared To Traditional Design Areas With A Consideration For The Scientifically Notated Physical And Emotional Effects On The Human Body As It Potentially Relates To Future Creative Endeavors: A Framework, Katherine R. Holland

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional areas of theatrical design are established to the point of having a solid foundation for current and future designers to rely on as they strive to innovate. The same cannot be said for scent. I believe that art, like science, is a sector where the imagination is used to push the boundaries of what we currently know and can do. Artists are therefore entrusted with the responsibility to continue testing those boundaries, and that is what my topic lays the foundation for when it comes to scent. With my topic, I plan to look at the practical and ethical …

Surrogate Memories In Animation And Sound, Jared Duesterhaus

Theses and Dissertations

A document in support of my exploration into memory in relation to the mediums of animation, sound, and theater. A reflection on remembering as a creative act.

Theatrical Texts And Contexts: Poe And Hawthorne’S Fictional Women, Savannah M. Singletary

Theses and Dissertations

Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne are arguably two of the most highly read and heavily debated nineteenth-century antebellum authors in America. Their writings fascinate readers, while their character depictions, particularly their characterizations of fictional women, prompt intense academic debate. This thesis examines the previously less-studied historical developments surrounding Poe and Hawthorne in the antebellum era that shaped their approach to writing fiction. In particular, this study scrutinizes the effects of the development of a newly popular art form, ballet, the ascendency of female authorship, and the impact of American theatrical reform upon antebellum authors’ authorial faculties, especially Hawthorne and …

The Fatal Lamp And The Nightmare After Christmas: The 1811 Richmond Theatre Fire, Amber Marie Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE FATAL LAMP AND THE NIGHTMARE AFTER CHRISTMAS: THE RICHMOND THEATRE FIRE OF 1811

By Amber Marie Martinez, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015

Director: Dr. Noreen C. Barnes, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Theatre

“How strange a preface the loud laughter excited by a pantomime, to volumes of smoke and fire” (The American Standard, 27 December 1811). Building fires were not exactly uncommon back in the …

Audition Technique: A Survival Guide (For College Undergraduate Students), Meghan Kelleher

Theses and Dissertations

Many great actors don’t work and many mediocre actors do. Why? The perfect monologue and great song isn’t enough to get you hired. Sadly, students are not prepared and equipped with the necessary skill set to take control of their careers. In this economic climate, the ability to audition could not be more imperative. In this thesis, readers will be introduced to the basics of audition technique as developed for Theatre majors at Virginia Commonwealth University as a precursor to their senior year. It will guide them through the first stage of their career. Furthermore, there are unspoken rules, etiquette, …

The Konami Code: An Experiment In Dialect Pedagogy, Thomas Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations

The Konami Code is a tool for teaching stage dialects that I have been developing for the past three years. I wanted a method that didn’t rely on students’ having a keen ear for phonetics; rather one that offered context for each dialect, and presented individual sound-changes as small parts of an easy way to digest the whole. Most importantly, I wanted a process that was portable: a set series of applications that my students could incorporate easily into their actor’s tool-kit and carry with them into the professional world. The Konami Code incorporates kinesthetic and imaginative elements into the …

Gentleman Johnny Plays War: John Burgoyne And The Blockade Of Boston, Catherine Ann Peckinpaugh Vrtis

Theses and Dissertations

John Burgoyne, a British general during the American Revolution, is best known for his defeat by the Continental Army at Saratoga. In addition to serving as a general,Burgoyne was a playwright. While in Boston during the blockade following the Battle ofBunker Hill Burgoyne combined his interests, writing a satire of the war. The Blockade of Boston, Burgoyne's play, was first presented as an afterpiece to a production of The Busybody on January 8, 1776 (Silverman 292).Accounts of the performance differ in detail, but the central event is consistent: during the performance a soldier walked out on stage and announced that …

The Pedagogy And Ethics Of Improvisation Using The Harold, David Dellus Patton

Theses and Dissertations

Scenic improvisation is dramatic performance without a script. Performers develop scenes in real time in front of an audience. They do this by submitting to a set of rules of relating on-stage which allow them, by mutual assent, to develop scenes and stories based on their relationships with one another. This methodology by which improvisers develop their scenes can give us a tangible vocabulary and model by which we can fulfill the requirements of love. The Harold, an improvisational form created by Del Close and Charna Halpern and taught and performed at IO (formerly ImprovOlympic), emphasizes this relational ethic as …

The Art Of Collaboration In The Classroom: Team Teaching Performance, Julie K. Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

The Art of Collaboration in the Classroom: Team Teaching Performance is a co-written masters thesis which records our research in the field of team teaching as it relates to theatre education at the university level. It is our intent that this text be used as a tool for helping universities and teachers decide if a collaborative teaching model is right for their courses. A portion of the text is research-based, examining the scholarly writings which have preceded our work. In Chapter 1, we compiled a set of definitions, in the hopes of codifying the language used within this document as …

Reviving The Seventies, Aimee M. Huber

Theses and Dissertations

Design Analysis of the VCU Mainstage production process for The Nerd The comedic farce, The Nerd, written by Larry Shue and directed by Drew Fracher here at VCU, is the production I intend to analyze in terms of the scenic design process. From the initial conception of ideas, to their development through collaboration, to completion of construction, and ultimately, opening night, I plan to breakout my process step by step. I'd like to communicate the transformation of a literary play into the three-dimensional world in my mind.I. Introduction A. Overall description of process as it applies to this particular interaction …

The Civil War: A Collaboration In Direction And Choreography, Cara E. Rawlings

Theses and Dissertations

This text is a partial record of the development of the Virginia Commonwealth University production of The Civil War: A Musical that opened on April 7, 2005 for a three-week run ending April 28, 2005. The greater part of the text is devoted to the evaluation of the underlying principles of direction and choreography applied in the creation of an artistically aid financially successful production of this size. Included in the evaluation of The Civil War: A Musical are analyses of the directors' --Patti D'Beck and David Leong --individual creative processes, aesthetics, and working styles. The result of this evaluation …

The Use Of Music And Art As Directorial Tools In A Production Of Kevin O'Morrison's Ladyhouse Blues, Roseann Sheridan

Theses and Dissertations

Human beings make decisions every minute of the day. These decisions are based upon need, desire, impulse, mood, and knowledge. As we grow older, we learn skills in decision-making primarily through trial-and-error. The theatre artist, likewise, is constantly searching for new skills and techniques to aid this process. In life and in art, however, decision-making is not totally grounded in intellect but includes inst1inctive and emotional sensations. It is through finely blending intuitive responses with intellectual skills that a work of theatre art can be produced. In order to accomplish this blending however, the director needs first to identify his …