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African-American Men And A Journey Through Musical Theatre And Opera, Shonn Mccloud May 2014

African-American Men And A Journey Through Musical Theatre And Opera, Shonn Mccloud

HIM 1990-2015

The purpose of this study is to outline the origins of African-American men in musical theatre, uncover their contributions to the art form, and explore how their legacy is continued today. I was inspired to do this research because through my undergraduate curriculum I have only narrowly studied African-American men in musical theatre and opera history. Upon realizing the lack of attention to this subject matter, not only in my curriculum but in historical resources, I was inspired to address the need for this research. The courses I have taken included Theatre History 1 and 2 and Musical Theatre History …


The Oppression And Sexism Of African-American Women: Then And Now: Substantial Contributions To The History Of Musical Theatre, Kelli Owens May 2014

The Oppression And Sexism Of African-American Women: Then And Now: Substantial Contributions To The History Of Musical Theatre, Kelli Owens

HIM 1990-2015

A wise Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Freedom is never given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed (King 1)." For as long as men and women have shared the planet, sexism has been a universal issue in civilization. In a social justice context, American society has found ways to oppress people for centuries. The Oxford Dictionary defines sexism as a "prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex ("sexism")." Voting rights in America were established in 1790, but it took years of petitioning at various women's rights conventions before the Nineteenth …


This Stuff Is Finished: Amiri Baraka's Renunciation Of The Ghosts Of White Women And Homosexuals Past, Susan Stone-Lawrence Jan 2013

This Stuff Is Finished: Amiri Baraka's Renunciation Of The Ghosts Of White Women And Homosexuals Past, Susan Stone-Lawrence

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines auto/biographical, theoretical, critical, literary, and dramatic works by and about LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, primarily focusing on the eruption of “Hate Whitey” sentiment and rhetoric that characterized a decadelong cultural nationalist phase of the henceforth selfdeclaredly Black poet-playwright’s career. As a black militant, LeRoi Jones left his white wife and other white associates in Greenwich Village, moved to Harlem, changed his name to Amiri Baraka, converted to Islam, and started the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School. This thesis contends that Baraka’s Black Arts Movement era plays emphasize negation of the value of white women and gay men, who had …


Between Two Worlds Representing Duality In The Costumes Of The University Of Central Florida Conservatory Theatre's Production Of Seamus Heaney's The Burial At Thebes: A Version Of Sophocles' Antigone, Grace Lorraine Trimble Jan 2011

Between Two Worlds Representing Duality In The Costumes Of The University Of Central Florida Conservatory Theatre's Production Of Seamus Heaney's The Burial At Thebes: A Version Of Sophocles' Antigone, Grace Lorraine Trimble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The costume design for the University of Central Florida Conservatory Theatre‘s production of Seamus Heaney‘s The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles’ Antigone took an ancient Greek classic by Sophocles and infused it with influences from avant-garde theatre. This thesis documents the process of designing the costumes from academic, artistic, and technical aspects. Through this process, I explored how to communicate abstract ideas about humanity into actual costumes and how multiple cultural heritages can be intertwined in a united visual which pushes the audience to think more critically about the story. The recurring themes of duality are central to …


Machinal: A Sourcebook For The Actress Playing "Young Women", Brittney Rentschler Jan 2009

Machinal: A Sourcebook For The Actress Playing "Young Women", Brittney Rentschler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will document four phases of my rehearsal process/performance while portraying the role of Helen in Sophie Treadwell's Machinal. The first phase of the project will be researching and analyzing historical material on: Sophie Treadwell (the playwright) Ruth Snyder (the murderess upon whom the character of Helen is based), and the actual murder that occurred in the 1920's. The second phase that will be documented is a character analysis. I will take each episode and divide it into the following sections: given circumstances, what is said about the character by the playwright, by others, or by herself, objectives, tactics, …


Beyond Blonde: Creating A Non-Stereotypical Audrey In Ken Ludwig's Leading Ladies, Christine Young Jan 2009

Beyond Blonde: Creating A Non-Stereotypical Audrey In Ken Ludwig's Leading Ladies, Christine Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

American society possesses strong, if not basic, stereotypes for each hair color: the "dumb" blonde, the "intelligent" or "serious" brunette, and the "spitfire" redhead. In contemporary entertainment culture, blonde women have achieved unique status beyond the stereotypes accorded to their brunette and redheaded counterparts. Revered and reviled simultaneously, these women cannot be ignored or dismissed. The convention of the "dumb blonde" is at the heart of this issue. When scrutinized, it is possible to discern at least four distinctions of this stereotype: the perceived as truly dumb, or innocent, blonde (Johanna in Sweeney Todd); the bombshell blonde (Lorelei Lee in …


A Performance Study And Analysis Of The Role Of Soot In The Marriage Of Bette And Boo, Jodi Coleman Jan 2008

A Performance Study And Analysis Of The Role Of Soot In The Marriage Of Bette And Boo, Jodi Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1985, Christopher Durang created a master work titled The Marriage of Bette and Boo which was described by The New Yorker as a "brimming cornucopia of brilliant lines." Frank Rich of the New York Times called it "so speedy and chipper that it could almost be mistaken for a Bob Fosse musical." Douglas Watt of the New York Daily News referred to it as a "farcical study of a disastrous marriage, marked by still births, insanity in the family and divorce." These critical responses indicate the necessity to maintain the complexity of the character of Soot without allowing her …


Making Victim: Establishing A Framework For Analyzing Victimization In 20th Century American Theatre, Victoria Hahl Jan 2008

Making Victim: Establishing A Framework For Analyzing Victimization In 20th Century American Theatre, Victoria Hahl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is my belief that theatre is the telling of stories, and that playwrighting is the creation of those stories. Regardless of the underlying motives (to make the audience think, to make them feel, to offend them or to draw them in,) the core of the theatre world is the storyline. Some critics write of the importance of audience effect and audience reception; after all, a performance can only be so named if at least one person is there to witness it. So much of audience effect is based the storyline itself - that structure of which is created by …


The Belle Of Amherst: Developing A Solo Performance, Janet Sue Raskin Jan 2007

The Belle Of Amherst: Developing A Solo Performance, Janet Sue Raskin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will document the process of rehearsing and performing a one-woman show based on the life of the poet Emily Dickinson. The script is a cutting of the full-length play, The Belle of Amherst, written in 1976 by William Luce. This self-directed project will document the process that all actors use when developing a role. The first part of developing a role includes historical research, character analysis, and script analysis. The second phase is the rehearsal process. This includes developing the physical and vocal qualities of the character and staging the action of the play. Because this performance is …


Mistress Quickly In The Merry Wives Of Windsor: A Performance Monograph, Paula Rossman Jan 2006

Mistress Quickly In The Merry Wives Of Windsor: A Performance Monograph, Paula Rossman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The subject of my Thesis and accompanying Monograph Document in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree / Performance Track is my work in the role of Mistress Quickly from William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. In my research, I will be focusing on a number of issues, many of which will bear direct relevance to and undoubtedly, more fully inform, my interpretation in performance. A key element of the performance-related side of my research will be an exploration of the cultural, historical, political, economic, and religious attributes of Shakespeare's times and how these …