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The Right Way To Direct A Play, Erin Kraft

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

A director needs more than inspiration to guide their work. During grad school, I learned, abandoned, modified and re-embraced many tools for directing in order to develop my own process. In this paper, I examine the revelations and challenges that arose from my coursework and the plays I directed at The Theatre School: Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker, The Lady From the Sea by Henrik Ibsen, The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, Tender by Nikki Bloom, We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, from the German Sudwestafrika, …

Theatre Of Trauma, Nathan Devanand Singh

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

In his thesis paper, entitled: Theatre of Trauma , MFA Directing candidate Nathan Singh uses his three years of graduate school to further develop his theories of a theatre of trauma. He uses class-work, productions and the philosophies/works of other theatre-makers to articulate how theatre is a powerful outlet to show survivors processing different types of trauma. In doing this, he has expands his vision and aesthetic on directing (or generating) works about trauma and human suffering. He also investigates how theatre can help heal and/or reclaim trauma. In the first part, he shares his background on how to got …

Breaking Surface: Unearthing Meaning In Jenny Schwartz's "God's Ear", Andrew Peters

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

I struggle with language. I don’t trust definitions or labels. Words elude me – articulating a thought becomes a painful exercise for my brain. I often adhere too strictly to meaning, and can pinpoint when an idea I’m mulling over doesn’t quite fit the word I’m using to describe it. My workaround habit is tacking on less definite, open-ended phrases (“This is kind of…” “This might be…”) – the enemies of someone training to be a clearer, well-spoken leader.I am intrigued by messy human stories that can’t be told through realism alone. I seek truth through a more imaginative theatrical …

How I Screwed Up My Thesis Production And Forgot Everything I Knew About Directing, Brian Balcom

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

This was supposed to be my best work; a complete display of not only three years of graduate instruction, but a life’s worth of education and experience. It was supposed to be my introduction to the city of Chicago: a calling card, a conversation starter, a means of validation that would get my foot in the door of any storefront I chose. Instead, it was possibly the most disappointing production I’ve ever directed.

“Cold Coach = Victory” And Other Guidelines To The Director’S Playbook, Lavina Jadhwani

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

ESPN columnist Gregg Easterbrook argues that "cold coaches," ones who expose themselves to the same elements their players are facing by wearing light jackets instead of warm parkas, are more likely to lead their teams to victory. The same is true for great stage directors; if we, as artistic leaders, expect our colleagues to open themselves up and be vulnerable in process, we must lead by example.

This essay includes other insights into the director's process, including working with actors, designers, and assistant directors, as well as working on specific types of plays (Shakespeare, Chekhov, musicals, American realism, etc.); it …

Theatre Directing Without An Mfa: A Practical And Systematic Approach For Directors In Kuala Lumpur, Kelvin Wong

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

This paper investigates a practical and systematic directing approach for up-and-coming directors in Kuala Lumpur who may not have the time and resources to attend graduate school. This approach was constructed from production practice and multiple hours of classroom sessions over three years. The author hopes to elevate standards of local production practice in Kuala Lumpur; create a more vibrant, competitive and eclectic theatre scene; and inspire new directors in the city to discover their own directorial approaches.

Play From The Heart: On Crafting A Community Of Empathy In The Theatre, Kevin Kingston

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

The power of story goes beyond mere escapist entertainment. Yes it should entertain, but that is not the ultimate goal. It may even offer a bit of escape, but again this is not the holy grail. When we experience a well-crafted narrative, we are called to cross a threshold. We pass through the door of our own life and enter into the experience of another. This is what we mean when we say we "got lost" in the story. We take on the experience of another as our own. When a group of people experience a narrative they cross this …

A Method To The Madness: My Quest For A New System Of Acting, Michael Osinski

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

How does one get actors to embrace work and imbue it with the same truth they bring to realistic theatre and how does one prevent them from turning into robots performing meaningless gestures? How does one work in experimental ways while still giving actors something human to hang onto? This thesis will examine a new system of acting to embrace the demands of the work and explore how to articulate and collaborate with actors to create the work.