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Anything But Crazy: How American Musical Theatre Can Change Societal Stigmas Against Mental Illnesses, Benjamin Walton
Anything But Crazy: How American Musical Theatre Can Change Societal Stigmas Against Mental Illnesses, Benjamin Walton
Honors Undergraduate Theses
There is a societal stigma that villainizes or degrades anyone diagnosed or associated with any mental illness. While many different forms of media have attempted to destroy this stigma through psycho-centric narratives, I wanted to argue that musical theatre has the greatest potential as a live entertainment source to deconstruct and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. For my research, I theorized that musical theatre can most effectively change societal stigma about mental illness by communicating a clear understanding of the disease through music, and achieving popularity in the public eye longer than other live forms of theatre. I chose …
The Last 2500 Years: Defining, Dissecting And Directing The Less Linear Musical, Andrew Lewis
The Last 2500 Years: Defining, Dissecting And Directing The Less Linear Musical, Andrew Lewis
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Since the first recorded theatrical events, theatre has been presented in a linear fashion. It is no surprise that the majority of American Musical Theatre also follows a linear plot conception. Musicals that blatantly defy linearity are often called "concept" musicals. However, there is a small portion of concept musicals that do not abandon their linear plot altogether, but instead choose to skew the line in order to give the audience a unique perspective of the story being told. This mass categorization does not accurately take into account the extreme difference in structure of the two types of concept musicals. …
Jerry Herman's Leading Ladies, John Mansell
Jerry Herman's Leading Ladies, John Mansell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Jerry Herman is celebrated for his ability to showcase strong leading female roles in his canon of work that spans some fifty years. In writing such strong female characters, he must produce strong male counterparts to these women who can communicate on their level and not become overpowered by the women's presence. I was cast in the musical revue, It's Today: An Evening of Jerry Herman, conceived, directed, and choreographed by Earl D. Weaver. My portion of the revue explored Herman's leading male roles of Cornelius from Hello, Dolly!; Mack from Mack and Mabel; Colonel Tadeusz Boleslav Stjerbinsky from The …
Defining A Character Through Voice Quality: An Analysis Of The Character "George" In Sondheim And Lapine's Sunday In The Park With George Using The Estill Voice Model, Michael Swickard
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis explores the use of the Estill Voice Model, in particular six voice qualities (Speech, Twang, Falsetto, Cry/Sob, Belt and Opera) and their permutations, to define character, character traits and emotions. Traits and emotions that specific voice qualities can influence are, but are not limited to, location, age, background, socioeconomic status, genre, intelligence, nationality, class, culture, gender, promiscuity, disposition, pain and revelations. In particular, this thesis explores the use of voice qualities to show specific human qualities of the character "George" from Sondheim and Lapine's "Sunday in the Park with George" and the people he imitates in his painting …
The Braggart Soldier: An Archetypal Character Found In "Sunday In The Park With George", Paul Gebb
The Braggart Soldier: An Archetypal Character Found In "Sunday In The Park With George", Paul Gebb
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In preparation for performance, an actor must develop an understanding for the character they portray. A character must be thoroughly researched to adequately enrich the performance of the actor. In preparation for the role of the "Soldier" in the production, Sunday in the Park with George, it is important to examine the evolution of the "Braggart Soldier" archetypal character throughout the historical literary canon. It is also of equal importance to study an author's canon of literature to acknowledge the reoccurring use of similar archetypal characters in order to successfully interpret the intentions of the author. This thesis paper will …
Not Quite The Ingenue: The Development Of The Middle-Aged Female Character In Musical Theatre, Tara Snyder
Not Quite The Ingenue: The Development Of The Middle-Aged Female Character In Musical Theatre, Tara Snyder
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Not Quite the Ingenue: The Development of the Middle-Aged Female Character in Musical Theatre is an exploration of the influences which have defined the function of middle-aged female characters within the musical theatre genre. This author was cast in the role of Arlene MacNalley, a forty-three year old woman, in the University of Central Florida's fall 2006 production of the musical Baby. Preparation for performance of this thesis role required identification of the traits and factors which would be vital for a realistic and relevant portrayal of Arlene. This document provides the reader with a working definition of middle age. …
Portraying Pointillism: An Actress's Journey Through Pointillism To Define The Role Of Dot In Sondheim And Lapine's Musical Sunday In The Park With George, Chris Staffel
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Upon receiving a role, an actor must research the major themes, concepts, and relationships associated with the play, its collaborators, and the character they are to portray. Only by layering this combination of research and analysis to the rehearsal process and performances in a detailed format can an actor cohesively transform the learned knowledge from the performer's training and research to a finished product on stage. Many forms of art are created using a similar process. This thesis will explore the similarities between the Post-Impressionist technique of pointillism and the actor's process in developing a role. Upon observing the basic …
A 16 Bar Cut: The History Of American Musical Theatrean Original Script And Monograph Document, Patrick Moran
A 16 Bar Cut: The History Of American Musical Theatrean Original Script And Monograph Document, Patrick Moran
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
A final thesis for my Master of Fine Arts degree should encompass every aspect of the past few years spent in the class room. Therefore, as a perfect capstone to my degree, I have decided to conceive, write, and perform a new musical with my classmate Rockford Sansom entitled The History of Musical Theatre: A 16 Bar Cut. The History of Musical Theatre: A 16 Bar Cut will be a two-man musical that will capsulate all of musical theatre history in a single evening. Starting with the Greeks and finishing in the present, the show will comedically inform the audience, …
A 16 Bar Cut: The History Of American Musical Theatrean Original Script And Monograph Document, Rockford Sansom
A 16 Bar Cut: The History Of American Musical Theatrean Original Script And Monograph Document, Rockford Sansom
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Believing that a thesis should encompass all aspects of a conservatory training program, I will write and perform--in collaboration with my classmate Patrick John Moran--a new musical entitled A 16 Bar Cut: The History of American Musical Theatre as the capstone project for my Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. A 16 Bar Cut will be a two-man show that tells the entire history of American musical theatre from the ancient Greeks to today in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The goal of the project is to pay homage to an original American art form in a night of zany silliness …
The Challenge Of Playing Multiple Arthurian Characters, Cynthia Lowa
The Challenge Of Playing Multiple Arthurian Characters, Cynthia Lowa
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis examines the portrayal of multiple roles in a production of Camelot, written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Performance and content analysis identifies and explores the difficulties and challenges in portraying multiple roles in this production, including the understudying of the leading role of Guenevere. A detailed historical analysis provides background into origin of the Arthurian legend and an examination of its historical development. A social analysis provides information on the role of women in medieval society with a discussion of the customs and laws that applied to them. Furthermore, a structural analysis of the script examines …