Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Introduction To Theatre Oer Course, Carmen R. Meyers

Open Educational Resources

Study of theatre and performance throughout history and across cultures including an examination of European, Carribean, and North and South American theatrical styles and genres.

This course is organized for a hybrid/asynchronous format. Our class meets on-campus every week for 75 minutes and the other 75 minutes will be completed asynchronously with weekly learning modules on Blackboard.

The first half of the course focuses on the history of theatre from Ancient Greece through Modern Realism. The second half of the course, students engage in the procedures of professional theatre artists through writing and refining a dramatic text; enacting a performance; …

Puppy Love And [Information] Play: An Intersection Of Theatre, Queer Kink, And Consent, Emily Kitchens

Faculty and Research Publications

This note from the field centers on a nexus of queer kink subcultures and consent-based intimacy work in theatre. I report, investigate and wrangle with the process of incorporating queer kink aesthetics into the production of Love and Information by Caryl Churchill I directed at KSU February 2023. What I have learned and hope to demonstrate throughout the paper, is that queer kink subcultures are often paradigmatic examples of communities built on consent, and we as performing arts practitioners can more visibly expand the margins of our cultural competency dialogues to not only include them but look to them as …

Active Analysis In The Beginning Acting Classroom, Michael Shipley

Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

Often, the exercises in the acting classroom can feel at odds with the processes used in the rehearsal room. I believe Konstantin Stanislavsky’s rehearsal method of Active Analysis provides tools and perspectives for dealing with these challenges. At The S Word Symposium in November 2022, I outlined a process I developed for teaching beginning acting using principles of Active Analysis as a tool to bridge the gap between training and rehearsing. This article outlines the experiences and thought processes that went into creating this class structure and reviews the benefits for students. Applied in this way, Stanislavsky’s impulse to place …

The Power Of Play: Theatre’S Potential For Healing The Wounds Of Capitalism, Danielle Phillips

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Capitalist hegemony wreaks havoc on the psyche through exploitation, isolation, and encouragement of worry. Actor training offers healing in the ways in which it encourages self value, connection, and mindfulness, therefore serving as a powerful tool for coping with anxiety and depression exacerbated by life under a capitalist system.

Is Ai An Actor?, Emily Wirkus

AI Assignment Library

Students are taught a system of marking scripts and monologues using a series of steps to highlight the flow of action, including shifts in objectives and tactics (what the character wants, and the active language describing how they hope to get what they want). Students are challenged to mark a monologue themselves using these criteria taught in class. Students will then upload their monologue into ChatGPT and ask it to score the monologue using the same criteria. Students will compare and contrast the two monologues and evaluate what ChatGPT created that was useful, and what ChatGPT may have missed. Students …

Body Movement Syllabus - The City College Of New York - Department Of Theatre - Prof Timothy Allen, Timothy J. Allen

Open Educational Resources

This course will explore three modules of learning.

1. Anatomy and Psycho-Physical Centering, will explore two foundations: (1) the start of our research and practical application of the human anatomy in regards to how our body moves; and (2) your ability to tune into movement centers within the body by utilizing Chakra as a guiding study. Please note: Anatomy will be a continuous study throughout the entire semester.

2. THE SECOND MODULE, Partnered Connection, will focus on partnering with lifts, counter-balances, falls, and rolls that will build to a partnering sequence of the tools presented.

3. THE LAST MODULE, Global Archetypes, …

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Dwight Sora Interview, Jay Lee

Asian American Art Oral History Project

Artist Bio: Dwight Sora is half-Japanese (father) and half-Korean (mother) actor who grew up in the Chicago suburb of River Forest. He has studied the Japanese martial art of aikido since 1993, when he was an exchange student attending Waseda University in Tokyo. He holds a rank of sandan (third degree black belt).

Acting The Author: Observations On Authority In Collective Performance, Max Tapogna

Summer Research

Authorship in theatre is divided – and divisive. The focus of this essay is on actors, and how actors engage with authorship in the theatre. In contemporary Western theatre, the division of authorship is composed of three primary fields: playwrights, directors, and actors. This essay challenges the hierarchy inherent to commercial theatres and advocates for actors who think like authors, not as the creators of solely characters, but as the co-authors of the theatrical event as a whole. In result, theatres and theatre-makers might be fortified by a shared sense of authorship, enriched by a steadfast sense of collaboration and …

Monologuing The Music: A New Actor Training Practice For New Times, Nicole Stinton

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The myth that musical theatre actors cannot act is alive and well. Director, musician and lecturer Dr Zachary Dunbar asserts that the industry frequently chooses between actors who cannot sing or singers who cannot act (2016, 71). Popular blogger WestEndProducer purports that the musical theatre ‘twirley’ is often considered as a jack of all trades but a master of none (2017). In conservatoire style training, could traditional triple-threat skill-focused courses include more holistic educative approaches that integrate the three disciplines of acting, singing and dancing and, longer-term, contribute to dispelling the aforementioned myth? Whilst this question cannot be answered without …

From Playwriting To Production, Lauren Wade

Senior Honors Projects

Theater has been a beloved art form for centuries, originating in Ancient Greek times and evolving into what we know today. For as long as I can remember I have been involved in theater, performing in my own school plays starting in elementary school and, upon entering high school, assisting the middle school next door in their productions. While I have been studying acting here at the University of Rhode Island, I have also had the opportunity to expand my knowledge in many aspects of stagecraft including stage management, costume and set design, set construction and scenic painting, and more …

Blowing Off Ste(A)M: The Value Of The Creative Arts For Gifted Stem Students (Iagc 2017), Tracy A. Townsend, Michael W. Hancock, Michael P. Dean

Faculty Publications & Research

The following is a collection of teaching documents, including classroom activities and assignment prompts, used in the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy’s Graphic Novels, Creative Writing, and Modern Theater classes. These materials are easily included in courses with broader topical focuses, however, either as single-day activities or units of study. The specific materials included here are especially beneficial as means of encouraging student creativity, building up a variety of communication skills, rewarding experimental work, and providing new outlets for critical thinking and social-emotional development.

Thea 401: Advanced Acting—Acting For Camera—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portoflio, Wesley Broulik

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

In the pursuit of teaching the art of acting, and specifically acting for the camera, how do we measure growth? Additionally is there a correlation between high academic achievement and talent? In this portfolio we will examine how to evaluate acting, student growth, and examine test and paper results to see if the most “talented” performers are also the highest academic achievers.

Cognitive Neurosciene And Its Applications To Contemporary Acting Theory, Ryan Stiffelman

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

I personally believe that anyone can be a performer so long as they have the determination, dedication, and refuse to take no for an answer. There are all kinds of training out there designed to help turn hopeful wannabes into the “stars” that we know them as, however, not every “star” we see has had this kind of training. We often hear of young actors like Jennifer Lawrence hailed for their “natural talent”. Does this mean there’s some kind of birth-right, a specific natural inclination or ability that makes someone a potentially great actor from the start? I will refer …

Reese Witherspoon: A True Role Model, Vanessa Hemmen

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

A profile of Reese Witherspoon.

Shimmers Of Truth In The Art Of Theatre, Natasha M. Goetz

Senior Honors Theses

Many Christians have noted Romans 1:20’s statement that God is reflected in His creation. As a theater student, I have found this to be true even in how theatrical artists actually execute their craft. Thus, for my senior honors thesis I have decided to further study this connection between the Lord and theater, for which I expect to find more of what I have already found in parallels between the Christian walk and theater arts. For the completion of this thesis, research for theatrical content will include acting and design, and research for biblical content will include the Bible and …

Suzan-Lori Parks: Essays On The Plays And Other Works Edited By Philip C. Kolin (Review), Jocelyn Buckner

Theatre Faculty Articles and Research

The anthology Suzan-Lori Parks: Essays on the Plays and Other Works offers new perspectives to the growing body of scholarship about Parks’s artistic achievements. The text features a contextualizing preface and twelve new essays about her plays, novel, and screenplays. It also contains two new interviews, one with Parks herself and another with her longtime friend and collaborator, director Liz Diamond, as well as a timeline featuring major productions of her works from her first play reading in 1984, to projects anticipated for future production on stage and screen. While Parks’s works, and works on Parks are widely anthologized in …

Telling Our Stories: Community-Created Theatre As Intra-Cultural Diplomacy In A Transnational World, Sarah Ann Standing

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

A Creative And Scholarly Exploration Of Edna Obrien’S Iphigenia, Danya Gee Martin

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I will document the creative work I completed for my Senior Acting Project. I will also explore my Senior Acting Project from a more ‘conventional’ academic standpoint. I will explore various definitions of tragedy and argue my own definition; I will also investigate who Euripides was as a writer and human being. I will then apply my findings to three different versions of Euripides’ tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis: a classical translation, a more contemporary translation, and the adaptation I performed for my SAP. I will argue whether or not each meets my criteria for a tragedy, …

A Penitent Prepares: Affect, Contrition, And Tears, Christopher B. Swift

Publications and Research

This essay draws upon a poetic and devotional texts from late medieval Spain to show how public displays of emotion (weeping, in particular) during penitential processions could be learned and prepared for in advance.

Random Acts Of Violence: Bringing John Cage’S Chance Techniques To Fight Choreography And Stage Combatant Acting, T. Fulton Burns

Theatre Faculty Research

The concept of chance utilized by John Cage is a frightening, exciting, and liberating process for any artist. It was so effective that other musical artists such as Morton Feldman, Earle Brown and Christian Wolff used it. In the world of theatre these concepts are constantly used today by the Neo-Futurists in Chicago and New York in their production of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind and by Improv Troupes throughout the country.

Just Before Dawn: Pre-Test Rituals And Preparation For Test Day, T. Fulton Burns

Theatre Faculty Research

In Asian martial arts films there are usually beautiful moments that reveal the fighters in deep meditation before they are to meet on the field of battle. The process appears to center and calm the individual while preparing them for the final moments of their lives. The day of a skills proficiency test (SPT) can feel the same way. The day of the test can be frustrating for the testers as well as those around them. Nerves can run high during this stressful time. I can still recall the excitement and nerves of my first test day at the 2000 …

Dueling With Spt Questions: Members Of The College Of Fight Masters Share Their Ideas For Skills Proficiency Tests, T. Fulton Burns

Theatre Faculty Research

As the rehearsal process grows closer and closer to the Skills Proficiency Test (SPT) common questions arise regarding what is needed in order to pass. Many of these questions involve the same basic idea – “What are the Fight Masters looking for so that I can pass the test?”, but the most important question that is asked is – “Do you think I will pass?”

Beating The Punches: Scene And Fight Break Down Techniques, T. Fulton Burns

Theatre Faculty Research

As a fight choreographer it is my responsibility to sit down with the director and discover her/his vision for the production. Similarly, actors need to serve the script and work with the choreographer in connecting the action to the playwright’s words. Each preceding article, relating to the exploration of the skills proficiency tests (SPTs), has offered tools for connecting the scripts, stories, and characters with the language of the choreography. We are now ready to move deeper into directly linking fight choreography with the script and vice versa.

Some actors see pre-planning objectives for a scene and rehearsal as an …

The Games People Play: Rehearsal Games & Approaches For Fight Scenes, T. Fulton Burns

Theatre Faculty Research

There are as many approaches to the rehearsal period as there are directors, actors and acting texts combined. Rehearsals are the time that we all look forward to because we truly get to do what we do best in theatre, which is “play.” The games and approaches in this article are intended to spice up the life of your stage combat scene and enhance the time spent in rehearsal; following the initial time period of learning choreography and discovering initial acting choices. Many people see the rehearsal process as the time to work. I couldn’t agree more but, as stated …

A Violent Character: Stage Combat Character Analysis, T. Fulton Burns

Theatre Faculty Research

It is so deceptively easy stating who your character is but it is over looked more often than you may think. A good character analysis is important in the actor/character relationship and here we will look at the key elements of character research and their specific relationships to the stage combatant.

What A World – What A World: Scene/Script Analysis For Fight Plays, T. Fulton Burns

Theatre Faculty Research

“While perfection is a wonderful goal, there comes a point where you have to let your creation out into the world or it isn’t worth a tinkerer’s damn.” This is a fantastic quote by Twyla Tharp from her book The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life: A Practical Guide. So what does this have to do with you, the stage combatant? Well you are working hard but you are being told not to strive for perfection because perfection can never truly be achieved in the arts, so naturally itwarrants the question “then for what exactly do you …

Fighting The Elements: Determining The Best Scenes For Skills Proficiency Tests, T. Fulton Burns

Theatre Faculty Research

In the last edition of The Cutting Edge I provided tips for locating fight-specific scenes. Now let’s narrow our search from the vast quantity of scenes to a playing field of only the best quality. For a Skills Proficiency Test (SPT), choreography comes first to ensure that the proper techniques are included within the fight. Following these lessons in technique and choreography, the scene selection process begins. In a traditional acting class, the scene selection occurs first and is followed by the explored action. So even though the cart may be before the horse, as it were, with an SPT, …

...And Scene: A Guide To Locating Fight Scenes, T. Fulton Burns

Theatre Faculty Research

It is one of the most daunting tasks: trying to find a strong fight scene for a Skills Proficiency Test or even a class project. The truth of the matter is that your main focus is to pass your skills test while hopefully leaving an impression on your peers(especially the adjudicator!). Passing, and hopefully receiving an Examiner’s Award for Excellence, is the best result; or if you are at a National Stage Combat Workshop, you could possibly receive a Certificate for Best Actress or Actor. At the very heart of the issue, you need a scene that will work for …

The Bourgeois Gentleman, Boar's Head Dramatic Society Of Syracuse University

Images and other materials from University Archives

Play presented based on the The bourgeois gentleman (Molière, 1622-1673). The playbill is part of a collection of playbills from the Boar's Head Dramatic Society of Syracuse University covering productions from 1904 to the late 1960s. The playbills are housed in the collections of the Syracuse University Archives. For more information regarding this collection as well as the Boar's Head society, please visit the Boar's Head website at http://archives.syr.edu/collections/boars_head/search.html.