Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Bright Half Life Assistant Director, Charles Lawver

Honors Thesis

My Theatre Arts thesis project was working as an assistant director (AD) on the play “Bright Half Life,” alongside my director/professor, Dana Resnick. This play ran from August 29 through September 1 at the beginning of the Fall 2018 semester in the Strub Theatre at LMU. For this project I was expected to perform a number of duties and responsibilities. The other assistant director and I were present at every production meeting, rehearsal, and performance to assist our director in establishing, creating, and guiding her vision for the play into life. We all met with the designers for the show’s …

Building My Director’S Toolbox: For Scab And Beyond, Rebecca Whitney Klein

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The research question forming the basis of this project was “What can I learn about directing and who I am as a director by researching the processes of others and applying aspects of them to a production of Sheila Callaghan’s Scab?” For my research, I first learned as much as possible about the processes of several professional directors, by means of personal interviews and secondary research. I selected directors who I had worked with previously and wished to learn more from, whose methods I believed would be useful as I directed a production of Scab, and/or on whose methods …

Light Eaters: A Study On The Affect Of Light Depicted Through Different Art Mediums, Samuel Dyck

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Humankind has spent its entire history defining and creating the things that make up our physical world. Everyday, humanity continues to discover and create, furthering society’s knowledge and understanding of existence. However, there are facets of nature that have never been entirely understood by mankind, because they have a unique affect on each individual. It is known how a tree manifests and grows but no one can explain the feeling of relief that comes in the shade of a long limbed oak on a cloudless day. Nature is unique in its simplicity and mystery. Artists often use aspects of nature …

A Christmas Carol (November 29-30, December 1, 2018), Charles Dickens

Student Theatre Programs

Program for A Christmas Carol.

To view the photos from this production of A Christmas Carol, please click here.

Center For Art & Theater News, Georgia Southern University

Center for Art & Theater News (2008-2021)

• Master of Fine Arts candidate has steel sculpture exhibition on Statesboro Campus

Mary Poppins (November 1-3, 2018), Julian Fellowes

Student Theatre Programs

Program for Mary Poppins.

To view the photos from this production of The Curious Incident of the Mary Poppins, please click here.

Theatre And The Overwhelming Question: Why Make Theatre In These Times?, Mónica Valeria Sánchez

Theatre & Dance ETDs

The following essay communicates my journey as a longtime theatre artist as I have navigated my way through the discipline, and towards the craft of playwriting. My intention to study in the program was soon escalated by an existential turning point subsequent to the neoliberal agenda that gained momentum pre, post, and during the election of 2016. This thesis is in response to the question, "Why make theatre now?" I approach this query through the themes and the characters in my plays; through a socio-cultural-historic lens, and via an examination of the creative process as it relates to the metaphysics …

All My Sons (October 5-6, 11-13, 2018), Arthur Miller

Student Theatre Programs

Program for All My Sons (October 5-6, 11-13, 2018).

To view the photos from this production of All My Sons, please click here.

Fools, Diane C. Merchant, Tim Phipps, Rebekah Priebe

Theatre Productions

Fools, by Neil Simon, is the comic tale of Leon, an enthusiastic young schoolteacher who seeks to cure the Ukrainian village of Kulyenchikov from the curse of chronic stupidity from which they have been suffering for 200 years. Taking place “a long time ago,” the story becomes complicated when Leon meets the lovely Sophia, so stupid that she only learned to sit down a week ago. She presents quite the challenge for Leon’s goal of freeing the town from stupidity, but he is motivated by her charm. Her longtime suitor, Count Gregor, whose ancestors placed the curse on the town …

Center For Art & Theater News, Georgia Southern University

Center for Art & Theater News (2008-2021)

• William Daniels brings textile exhibit to Georgia Southern Statesboro Campus

Center For Art & Theater News, Georgia Southern University

Center for Art & Theater News (2008-2021)

• Artistic take on technology coming Statesboro Campus' Contemporary Gallery

(The “Avos” Phenomenon: A Non-Censured Theatre In The Novosibirsk University, 1975-1976). In: Mosty (The Bridges), Frankfurt, Germany, 2012, 34: 236–284.] [Part 1], Victor Fet, Serge Camyshani, Aleksandr Troitsky, Oleg Polyankov, Elena Fedorovskaya, Aleksandr Butorin, Mark Taraban, Sergei Kovalenko

Victor Fet

In 1975-1976, a group of science students of the Novosibirsk University (Russia, Siberia) created a small theatre that managed to avoid the official censorship for the entire season. In this memoir, several former actors, now scattered across the world, reconstruct the detailed history of their “Phenomenon” theatre 35 years later. The central event was the (first) staging (December 1975) of Andrey Voznesensky’s long poem “Avos'!”, long before the famous rock opera appeared.

теъане

В 1975-1976 гг. группа студентов Факультета Естественных Наук Новосибирского университета (Академгородок) умудрилась создать свой неподцензурный маленький театр «Феномен», который успел просуществовать целый сезон. В этих мемуарах бывших …

Story & Style: Pursuing Excellence On The Academic Stage, Ryan M. Decker

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis is a brief view of the 2017-2018 production of Marco Ramirez’s contemporary play The Royale, as produced by Theatre UNO, the theatre production arm of the University of New Orleans’ Department of Film & Theatre. This thesis will include initial responses, analysis, interpretation, production synthesis and communication, and reflection with conclusions on performance, directing, and pedagogy in academic theatre. This thesis is supported by documentation of the production process, including a scored script. The play was performed in New Orleans, Louisiana at the University of New Orleans Performing Arts Center’s Robert E. Nims Theatre, November 9-19, …

Center For Art & Theater News, Georgia Southern University

Center for Art & Theater News (2008-2021)

• Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art presents 2018 Faculty Exhibition

Center For Art & Theater News, Georgia Southern University

Center for Art & Theater News (2008-2021)

• Center for Art & Theatre upgrades gallery lighting with $12k sustainability grant

Playwriting Project [Theater], Celia Braxton

Open Educational Resources

HUT 101, The Art of Theatre, is the entrance level course for the Theatre program. It addresses the integrative learning core competency and the oral communication ability. As a freshman course, it provides a baseline for measurement of this competency and communication ability. It is required of all Theatre majors, and is part of the CUNY Flexible Core in Creative Expression. There are generally more non-majors than majors in the class. This assignment was originally developed during our first mini-grant period (2016-17 the academic year) by Celia Braxton and Abby Gerdts with the global learning core competency rubric and digital …

#Parlezvousfemme - A One-Woman Show, Victoria G. Lindbergh

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

#parlezvousfemme is a one-woman show set in 2018 that reimagines the lives of several infamous French women. Each character approaches modern life differently based on her given circumstances and reveals several universal truths about being a woman in today’s society. The famous military leader Joan of Arc is a 19-year-old youtuber criticizing the far-right for using her as their symbol, while revolutionary Olympe de Gouges is a modern-day women’s rights activist. Marie Antoinette is a housewife being interviewed by Vogue and scientist Marie Curie hosts a PBS telethon and addresses the lack of women in science. Designer Coco Chanel is …

Anxiety: An Epidemic Through The Lens Of Social Media, Holly M. Wright

Honors College Theses

Anxiety: An Epidemic was originally inspired by the mental health crisis in my hometown, Palo Alto, California, and evolved to specifically focus on social media-related anxiety. I examined the question: How has social media evolved over the last decade and what effect does the proliferation of social media have on the young adult population? I hypothesized that social media would have a predominately negative effect, especially on young women, and set out to create a theatrical piece inspired by my research. In my meta-analysis of studies conducted, I found that more data needs to be collected on the relatively new …

Lord Of The Flies - A Scenic Design, Lisa Haldeman

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Theses, Student Research, and Creative Work

The purpose of this thesis is to provide research, supporting paperwork, production photographs, and other materials that document the scenic design for the co-production between the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film and the Nebraska Repertory Theatre titled Lord of the Flies. This thesis contains the following: research images collected to develop and communicate ideas about location, shapes, forms, texture, scale, mood, and historical reference to the production team; preliminary sketches and photographs of the 1/4” scale model, visual tools used to convey the ideas of the scenic design; a full set of drafting plates, 1:1 paint samples and …

Designing A World: A Foray Into Scenography And Settling, Nathan David Ynacay

LSU Master's Theses

This work examines the design process as taught and what was practiced during Louisiana State University’s production of LMNOP the Muzical.

This will examine the design process as typically taught to undergraduate theatre students in all aspects of the discipline. The collaborative nature of the design process as taught to cast members, directors, and production team will be examined. After this examination, the design process for Louisiana State University’s production of LMNOP the Muzical will be used to compare and contrast the actual process with the theory of a collaborative design process. After, there will be an evaluation of …

Anna Larpent And Shakespeare, Fiona Ritchie

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640-1830

Anna Larpent (1758-1832) is a crucial figure in theater history and the reception of Shakespeare since drama was a central part of her life. Larpent was a meticulous diarist: the Huntington Library holds seventeen volumes of her journal covering the period 1773-1830. These diaries shed significant light on the part Shakespeare played in her life and contain her detailed opinions of his works as she experienced them both on the page and on the stage in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century London. Larpent experienced Shakespeare’s works in a variety of forms: she sees Shakespeare’s plays performed, both professionally and by …

Center For Art & Theater News, Georgia Southern University

Center for Art & Theater News (2008-2021)

• Exhibition highlights local music legend Blind Willie McTell

Uri Theatre Presents: Rob Neill And The Neo-Futurists, Caitlyn Sloan

Senior Honors Projects

The University of Rhode Island has given me the opportunity to explore and recognize many different interests that I never knew I previously had. While at the university I discovered my love for Theatre and the talent I have as a manager, as well as a love for event planning through my employment with University Events. These passions drove my desire to create an Honors Project that would help me learn more about management and planning on a scale that could have a large impact. When the theatre department won the Distinguished Visiting Artist Grant for 2017, I seized the …

Wait, She's Alive?! Playing Characters Based On Real, Living People, Courtney Jensen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is for the performance of Sara Jane Moore in Assassins and for development, contributions, and performance of a new play written for our graduating class, A Hamlet: West of Why. This thesis also consists of my statement of artistry, documentation of artistic materials, and thesis related performance materials.

The Work Of Living Art, Empathy, And The Creation Of An Aesthetics Of Perception In The Early Twentieth Century, Sarah Peil Winstead

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Adolphe Appia (1862-1928), theorist and pioneering voice of the New Stagecraft Movement in twentieth century theatre, was a transformative influence on the history of scenic design. This paper looks at the links between Appia’s theories in theatre scenic design and contemporaneous German aesthetic theory. At the time German theorists like Adolf Hildebrand and August Schmarsow developed an aesthetic theory, Einfülung or empathy theory, based on the connection between the human body and perception. I will argue this theory influenced not only Appia and his contemporaries it also shaped the landscape of mid-century theatre design. Appia’s own theories revolved around three …

The Art Of The Dress: How Getting Into Costume Affects An Actor’S Self-Perception, Ella Embry

Honors Theses

Both actors and psychologists devote enormous amounts of time to understanding how people think, act, and respond even if for completely different reasons. While there are psychological studies that look at the way clothing influences attraction, aggression, and attitude, none of it looks critically at theatrical performance. Costuming is a vital part of the theatrical process that has yet to be studied empirically. As such, my study is an inter-disciplinary endeavor dedicated to developing an understanding of exactly how and whether costuming affects an actor’s personality perception as a way to contribute to the field of psychology, future theatrical performances, …

A Natural Pairing: Social Justice And Theatre Education, Danielle Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Social justice curricula are often solely geared toward middle and high school students. I intend to prove that a social justice curriculum can be creatively paired with a theatre curriculum. I also intend to prove that social justice can be taught as young as pre-kindergarten. I will design a social justice curriculum for various grade levels, beginning with pre-kindergarten. Through research and age-appropriate strategies, I will develop curriculum goals and learning experiences for all grade levels. The curriculum is not an end point for teachers, but rather a starting point for theatre teachers who want to integrate social justice into …

Male Belting: An Exploration Of Technique And Style From 1967 To Current, Bruce Earnest

Dissertations

Male belting is found in many different stylistic forms of musical theatre repertoire. Its evolution began in the late 1960s with the emergence of the rock musical phenomenon and the early musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Belting is a musical theatre singing technique that achieves specific vocal tone qualities derived from speechlike tones. These tone qualities can resonate through a performance space without the use of amplification.

Belting technique has also evolved to support the singing of musical theatre repertoire that requires an extended male vocal tessitura and honest communication of text. The advance of belting as a legitimate vocal …

Being In Performance: A Philosophical Account Of The Embodied Actor, Brad M. Krumholz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this dissertation I present and analyze three distinct actor-training exercises primarily through the lens of the Embodied Cognition (EC) branch of contemporary philosophy, which attempts to frame human understanding as a fully embodied interaction with the environment. Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, and other branches of philosophy, EC provides both an excellent set of tools and a strong theoretical framework to help explain how people encounter meaning in life. I apply its unique perspectives to this philosophical account of the embodied actor as I analyze the various elements at play in actor training praxis, which allows me to shed …

The Craftsman Mirroring The Creator: Explorations In Theatrical Theology, Andrew Noah

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This will be my presentation given to theology faculty on Scholarship and Creativity Day required for the Theology Capstone course. I will be discussing the idea that when doing theology in a theatrical mode, it becomes a way to focus on God working in the world and our call as the audience to take part in the performance. Because God does not just exist in the abstract, but makes Godself known through the senses, theatre, as a sensual art, becomes the perfect mode to explore and make relevant God’s divine revelation.