Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Concise History Of Underwear From Ancient Times To 1918, Nancye Knowles Van Brunt

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication by Nancye Knowles Van Brunt on May 4, 1990.

The Changing Face Of Fortune In Six English Versions Of The Tragedy Of Antony And Cleopatra, Mary Aileen Mallery

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study traces the development and changes in the depiction of the goddess Fortune in a selected group of dramas written between 1592 and 1678: the six English versions of the tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra. The concepts surrounding the goddess Fortune and her place in any culture change with the idea of the individual's ability to shape his own destiny. In the seventeenth century in particular Fortune becomes increasingly connected to questions of personal identity and what Stephen Greenblatt has called "self-fashioning," so that by 1678 the subject of John Dryden's All for Love is not the quest for …

Improvisation For Actor Training And Performance In 20th Century America (With Special Emphasis On The Spolin And Sills Tradition), Jeff David Brone

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the methods and value of using improvisation to train actors in their craft and to help them perform scripted material more effectively. The period and place covered is primarily America in the 20th century. The dissertation also analyzes the use of improvisation from a theoretical, historical and practical perspective and discusses the work of various acting teachers and companies who use (or used) improv to create theatre and who have been influenced by the basic teachings of Spolin, Sills or, in some significant instances, Stanislavski.

After a brief introductory chapter on the use of improv in the …

Influences Of The Post-World War Ii Era On The American Political Theater, 1968–1972, Lydia Alix Gerson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

From 1968 to 1972, years which many historians have determined as encompassing the most focussed characteristics of the Sixties as a whole, the United States underwent enormous political upheaval which affected every one of its major institutions, including the theater. The political turmoil of the period was reflected in the theater, both mainstream and alternative. Literally hundreds of political theater pieces were produced and acted in the streets, shopping malls, church basements and stages of the United States. Yet little scholarly attention has been paid to the phenomenon. What little work is available concentrates on aesthetics; content is largely ignored. …

"For Though It Swam In France, It Might Have Sunk In England": A Comparison Of John Vanbrugh’S The Confederacy With Its French Source, Les Bourgeoises À La Mode, Diane T. Harris

Masters Theses

In the summer of 1705, as Sir John Vanbrugh was casting about for dramatic source material which might play successfully at the new Haymarket theatre, he rediscovered Florent Dancourt's Les Bourgeoises à la Mode and, in the manner of Restoration theatre playwrights, created an adapted version in many respects quite different from the original. This adaptation, known as The Confederacy, is considered by many Vanbrugh scholars to be one of the English author's best works.

This paper is essentially a comparative study of the two plays. It begins with a plot summary of the play Vanbrugh used as the …

Masks: A Viable Option For The Modern Stage, L. Arlene Chapman

Theses

It is the position of this paper that masks have a viable place on the stage today. As we look at the historical usage and at the present views of masks, we will see the mystical effect of masks has not changed. Although our technology has improved, masks still create a mystical illusion for the audience and for the actor. Learning of the many techniques and approaches to mask-making has been a delightful experience. I must thank Niki Juncker for the many times she has cleared my muddled thinking. Without her guidance I am sure this project would not have …