Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Inside The Boudoir: Designing The World Of Lynn Nottage’Sintimate Apparel, Megan Parish

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Scenic artistry and set decorating help build the world of a production and reinforce the themes woven into the plot of a script. For my project, I will be exploring the world of Lynn Nottage’s “Intimate Apparel.” This will include researching the historical context of the piece, which in this case is New York City at the turn of the century, alongside the role of the seamstress in society, in order to accurately convey the environment of this piece. Lynn Nottage’s piece is based in socioeconomic statuses, attitudes on race and femininity as well as women’s rights movements. Therefore, I …

Devising: Improving A Perceived Glistening Community!, Katie Laner

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Theatre for social change has long relied on devising methods to create pieces reflecting current cultural and societal issues. Through exercises, games and workshops, theatre for social change devising practices are as distinct and numerous as the many different communities they work with. The leading pioneer, Augusto Boal, created Theatre of the Oppressed, which utilizes many kinds of practices meant to address local issues effecting a group of people who have suffered from repression or whose needs have been invisible from greater society.Since his initial groundbreaking theories and practices, many modern artists and groups have adapted and changed his methods …

“I Can Take An Empty Space And Call It A Bare Stage”: Searching For A Through-Line In The Diverse Roles Of The Theatre Director, Bettina Mueller-Tuescher

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

While the director’s role in theatre is longstanding and well established, it is a position that can be approached from a variety of different angles, depending on the nature of the project. In an effort to discover and articulate a directorial philosophy that spans across my work, the first section of this thesis is a literature review discussing and analyzing the directorial beliefs, practices, and philosophies of two revolutionary directors in English-speaking theatre: Anne Bogart and Peter Brook. The second segment will be a reflection and analysis of my own performance as a director on three diverse projects in scale, …

Lighting Design Proposal For Tom Stoppard's "Rosencratz And Guildenstern Are Dead", Nikolai Eiteneer

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Tom Stoppard’s tragicomedy, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1964), earned the early popularity and the world-wide reputation that such a work deserved, booting Tom Stoppard into the limelight as an up-and-coming young writer. The play itself verges on an absurdist style, but due to the realistic nature of the title characters, the audience members find themselves sympathizing with their plight and lack of knowledge though any theatre goer acquainted with the works of Shakespeare, and Hamlet in particular, will know the final outcome of the play. For those not endowed with such knowledge, however, Stoppard gave the end away. Rosencrantz …

Staging Style: The Deconstruction And Reconstruction Of Theatrical Style, Peyton Ashby

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Style. The term itself is used in a plethora of mediums and subjects. When speaking of a painter's style, like Monet, it is describing the technique used and own individualized ways of creating his painting. But what does this term mean in Theatre? The first thing that comes to mind is less of a clear definition of what "style" is, but rather what springs to mind are examples of style. Abstract or Realism are all familiar terms when style is mentioned, but there are many others, and just what exactly is style and how does it affect a piece of …

Understanding Theatre And Its Social Implications In A Modern Context, Sara Curtis

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Theatre has been fighting for a proper place in society since its inception in Ancient Greece. Although the ancient civilizations of the western world adored theatre and incorporated it into their daily lives, in later years it struggled to find acceptance. Theaters and theatre professionals often received blame for the spread of disease and rises in miscreant behavior. This yoyo-like trend between acceptance and ostracism continued throughout the ages as theatre and the encompassing societies evolved and changed. Thusly, the theatre has always been a point of contention and discussion. Even to this day, critics and scholars alike theorize and …

Exploring Unusual Post-Graduate Careers In The Arts, Caroline Hawkins

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Post-graduation job searching arrives too quickly in most college seniors’ lives, and many of us find ourselves unprepared when the time comes to actually find a career we want to commit to for an extended period of time. To commence this daunting quest, I have decided to explore a few alternative possibilities and options for professions that are related to my passions of theatre and music, but that are a bit more unorthodox, unexpected, and “outside the box.” To aid me in my search, I will communicate with several professional experts in their fields, gaining skilled and experienced opinions. In …

“The Modern Performance Art Vs. Traditional Theatre: The Division Between The Contemporary And The Conventional”, Sally Woo

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Performance art and theatre are both rooted in the same practices and ideas. Performance art is an art form that utilizes the human body as a tool for creating art. It has no boundaries and past performance pieces have proven that the options are limitless. The human body acts as a type of canvas in which the artist manipulates however they wish, whether it is on the body itself or the movement or placement. Theatre does the same thing, using people to tell stories that illuminate real life situations in a scripted and rehearsed manner. However, while theatre has become …

Kinetic Sculpture In Theatre And Live Entertainment, Francesca Muscolo

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Technology dominates contemporary “theatre,” but the theatre is often the last industry to see innovations. Instead, the technical field operates on leftovers from entertainment, visual art, or industrial settings. The technological differences between these areas begin to blur; the differences lay only in their execution and intention. Some companies such as Cirque du Soliel, Diavolo, and Chunky Move blend technology and performance until the two become indivisible. This technology is being developed in an effort to lessen boundaries and create new opportunities that could not otherwise happen onstage.

Through this thesis I will develop a basic understanding of the machinery …

Time Served In Prison Shakespeare, Niels Herold, Matt Wallace

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

Appropriated Shakespeare: Sensation, Politicization, And De(Con)Struction, David George

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

Letter To The Editor: A Response To Dr. Teresa Terhaar’S “The Task And Role Of Theater”, John Schuurman

Pro Rege

Response to "The Task and Role of Theatre" by Teresa TerHaar, Pro Rege vol. 42, pp. 34-39. (March 2014).

We Are French. Et Anglais Nous Restons., Alison Jane Bowie

Masters Theses

French Canadian playwright Joseph Armand Leclaire (1888-1931) was very well known and respected in his time. Although he wrote over thirty plays, lyrics to several songs and an abundance of political poems, most of his work has been lost and Leclaire himself seems to have been forgotten. Several of his plays were produced at the time they were written, including his 1916 play La petite maîtresse de l'école (later published in 1929 as Le petit maître d'école), but none have been presented postumously nor have any been translated. This M. F. A. thesis presents the first ever translation and …

Nineteenth Century Views On Theater And Drama In English, Rebecca Unetic

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

With the passing of the Licensing Act of 1737 and until its repeal in 1969 the Lord Chamberlain’s office has been legally able to censor any drama to be performed at established theatres in England. However, the 1737 Act left inconsistencies in the definition of censorship and the role of censor. People who were involved in theatre believed the Lord Chamberlain’s office gained too much power from the Act. In the nineteenth century, actors, playwrights and members of Parliament agitated for the reform of the 1737 Licensing Act, which led to the establishment of three special parliamentary committees in 1822-1823, …

Anna Karenina: A Full Length Play, Serena Mccarthy

Theses

Anna Karenina: A Full Length Play brings Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel to life on the theatrical stage. This classic addresses issues of gender roles, social hierarchies, and the nature of love in the Russia of the 1860’s. The unforgettable themes in Anna Karenina such as love and destiny have thrilled readers and audiences for years.

A Phallic Play: Examining 5Th Century Cultural References To Illuminate Aristophanes' Appeal For Peace To A Modern Audience, Gary Sean Pettit

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Aristophanes’ Lysistrata is a popular work for contemporary production. Written in 411 BCE, the work explores what happens when the females of Athens participate in a sex strike in order to coerce the males to end the Peloponnesian War. By exploring cultural references to symbols in Lysistrata, mainly the phallus, this article seeks to convey the vehemence with which Aristophanes was advocating for an end of the Peloponnesian war and to demonstrate to theatre practitioners that Lysistrata is unique in its rhetoric about war and its destructive force on society. By understanding these significant cultural references, a modern director …

The One Voice Project, Amanda Rose Hartley Villarreal

Master of Theater Production Graduate Projects

This process drama is intended to guide inner-city students of diverse ethnic backgrounds in the discovery of theatre as a viable form of expression in their lives. Through the course of a 6-week unit, these students will be introduced to different types of performances, from pantomime to monologues, making theatrical performance a less foreign experience. Once they have gained a familiarity with theatre and with different types of performance, the students will be invited to write theatrical performances of their own.

"The Color Purple" Takes Us On Emotional Journey Of Self-Discovery (Performance Review), Daryl Cumber Dance

English Faculty Publications

Extraordinary. That's the only way to describe the Virginia Repertory Theatre's musical version of "The Color Purple." Based on Alice Walker's classic novel, this Broadway-class show takes the audience on a moving, soulful journey of self-discovery with the heroine, Celie.

Working Class Theater Nw, Christina Hughes

MAIS Projects and Theses

This project details the development of a small, community theater, in Tacoma, WA: Working Class Theater NW. Disparity between the audience that exists in Tacoma and the theater designed to serve that audience creates space to re-conceptualize the role of theater in the region. The power of drama to engage in communal problem solving is often undermined by reliance on money and thematic disassociation from the issues of every day life. Engaging citizens through stories that reflect and expand on lived experiences, such as economic uncertainty and social diversity, removes the necessity of power and privilege to gain access to …

Play From The Heart: On Crafting A Community Of Empathy In The Theatre, Kevin Kingston

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

The power of story goes beyond mere escapist entertainment. Yes it should entertain, but that is not the ultimate goal. It may even offer a bit of escape, but again this is not the holy grail. When we experience a well-crafted narrative, we are called to cross a threshold. We pass through the door of our own life and enter into the experience of another. This is what we mean when we say we "got lost" in the story. We take on the experience of another as our own. When a group of people experience a narrative they cross this …

A Method To The Madness: My Quest For A New System Of Acting, Michael Osinski

The Theatre School MFA in Directing Theses

How does one get actors to embrace work and imbue it with the same truth they bring to realistic theatre and how does one prevent them from turning into robots performing meaningless gestures? How does one work in experimental ways while still giving actors something human to hang onto? This thesis will examine a new system of acting to embrace the demands of the work and explore how to articulate and collaborate with actors to create the work.

Opening Remarks To Outing Lorraine At The Schomburg Center, Shawn(Ta) Smith-Cruz

Publications and Research

This article is an edit of the opening remarks for the event held on May 22nd, 2014 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture as part of the In The Life Series supplying Black LGBT programming coordinated by Steven Fullwood. Outing Lorraine included panelists: Alexis DeVeaux, Joi Gresham, and Steven Fullwood and was moderated by Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz. Opening remarks provide a biographical description of Lorraine Hansberry's life, prepare the audience for a conversation on the implications for "outing" a black iconic figure, details the purpose for use of primary and secondary sources when, and provides a bibliography for …

It's Not All Just Child's Play: A Psychological Study On The Potential Benefits Of Theater Programming With Children, Sydney R. Walker

Honors College

Research suggests there are developmental benefits of theater education. The present study hypothesized that a theater curriculum, utilizing the techniques of Creative Drama and theater games created by Viola Spolin, taught to students at the Stillwater Montessori School to 15 students in grades Kindergarten through Fourth, would contribute to significant increases in children’s self-esteem and empathy. Questionnaires assessing children’s self-esteem and empathy were administered to children, parents, and teachers prior to and following the theater programming. Results were analyzed using a repeated measures ANOVA and indicated that generally there were no significant changes in children’s self-esteem and empathy. However, for …

Task And Role Of Theatre, Teresa Terhaar

Pro Rege

This paper is part of a larger work, “Four Year Articulation Paper,” which chronicles Dr. Teresa TerHaar’s faith and academic journey.

Chaffin, Cyndi M. (Sc 1290), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1290. Research paper, written 1981 or later, by WKU student Cyndi Chaffin, titled “Russell Miller and His Contributions to the Theatre in Bowling Green [Kentucky] from 1947-1968.” Miller taught drama and speech and directed theater productions at WKU.

Theater Of War: Booth And Beyond, Valerie N. Merlina

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Lastly, we come upon perhaps the best known actor of the Civil War era, John Wilkes Booth. Of course, the reason memory allows us to recall the name is not because of the merits achieved through his profession, but rather because he murdered the elected executive official – United States President Abraham Lincoln. Booth, a product of a theater family, was a dramatic, eccentric, and impatient being. He wanted the leading roles, did not want to prepare the role, but to simply play the role. His brother, Edwin Booth, a talented poetical performer, one might deduce, did prepare for his …

Theater Of War: Combining Entertainment And Art, Valerie N. Merlina

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Did the theater work to benefit the causes for north or south, dependent upon region? Sautter stated that this phenomenon was less common than many might expect. Many actors stated their neutrality, or as one Civil War era actor said, “I am neither northerner nor southerner.” Still others simply responded to the war by leaving the country. One must consider the “clannish nature” of theater of the time in order to understand how actors could have taken the neutral role during a war of ideals: many actors were born into theater life, therefore did not grow up in any one …

Bent, February 6-8, 2014, Theatre Arts Discipline

Theatre Programs

University of Minnesota, Morris production of Bent by Martin Sherman and directed by Deon Haider.

Synopsis: Bent is a story of living versus survival. It concerns Max, a gay "wheeler-dealer" who leads a dissolute life of drink, drugs, and sporadic sex in prewar Berlin. One night he and his lover Rudy pick up the wrong man--someone who's on the Nazi's wanted list. Max and Rudy are forced to flee Berlin and live underground. Ultimately they are arrested, and sent to Dachau. En route, Rudy is murdered, but Max survives with the help of a "pink triangle" prisoner, Horst.

Once in …

Theatre Of War: A Witness To Love, Tragedy, And Parody, Valerie N. Merlina

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Central to American nineteenth century life was the theater. As the fratricidal fighting of the American Civil War broke out and divided the nation, this centrality remained, and audiences crowded into the theaters. For both north and south, the theater provided an outlet through which Americans could enjoy plays, performances, music, and variety shows that appealed to all social classes of American society. However, in order to understand the operations of theater companies during the war itself, it is first essential to examine the state of the theater as a concept during the mid-nineteenth century, and in the pre-war years. …

Afterword, Lindsey Mantoan

Faculty Publications

In this afterword to a special issue (On Time) of the journal Performance Research, co-editor Lindsey Mantoan posits what happens to a conference once it has ended.