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Working For Yourself: A Guide For Performers With Learning Difference., Sa'id "Nxttime" Kelly
Working For Yourself: A Guide For Performers With Learning Difference., Sa'id "Nxttime" Kelly
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Working For Yourself a Guide For Performers with Learning Differences is a combination of advice and tips that are intended to help performers especially those living with learning differences. The thesis helps performers find ways to work with their true selves on stage as well as in preparation for a role. There is no final result to this process, just multiple ways to be more confident with the choice you’ll make while performing and preparing for a role.
“The Urgent Necessity For More Original Creative Works By Transgender And Gender Expansive Artists" Is Not The Title Of My Thesis., Alicia Fireel
“The Urgent Necessity For More Original Creative Works By Transgender And Gender Expansive Artists" Is Not The Title Of My Thesis., Alicia Fireel
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis is a mix of personal reflection, academic research, and an examination of The Girl Crazy Queer and Other Fairy Tales, a play I wrote and performed in October of 2023, co-produced by The University of Louisville’s Department of Theatre Arts and Pandora Productions, a Louisville-based theatre company dedicated to Queer theatre. This thesis and the play mirror each other; both contemplate Queer experiences, Queer histories, Queer trauma, and Queer stories. In the thesis I accomplish this through examining four subjects: myself, my play, the connection between modes of storytelling and aspects of transgender Queerness, and the perils that …
Developing The Nonprofit Theatre: Building A Foundation For The Emerging Theatre Company, Kelsey Mcmillan
Developing The Nonprofit Theatre: Building A Foundation For The Emerging Theatre Company, Kelsey Mcmillan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This paper aims to guide entrepreneurial theatre artists in beginning a nonprofit theatre arts venture. It will provide an in-depth analysis of the foundations required to begin a nonprofit theatre organization and analyze the need for expanding upon traditional structures and styles. Incorporating evidence and research from relevant literature, coursework, and market data as well as analysis of a strategic plan for The Common Theatre Company, this paper finds that non-profit theatre companies can be positively served by developing unique products and services and a nontraditional governance model as an extension of the foundational needs of a nonprofit organization. The …
Regeneration: Restorative Theatre Practice In Theatre Education., Sarah Elston
Regeneration: Restorative Theatre Practice In Theatre Education., Sarah Elston
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Regeneration: Restorative Theatre Practice in Theatre Education aims to harness the holistic benefits of theatre as a discipline and create an intentional restorative practice for performers. This thesis serves as a proposal; an attempt to prioritize restorative and self-care practices within the theatre industry, specifically pre-professional training programs. This proposal takes the form of a curriculum that builds upon the current model of theatre training (Voice, Movement, Acting) with the addition of Regeneration. Regeneration provides theatre artists with specific areas of study to offer the psychosocial support a theatre artist may need during their pre-professional training. This thesis will discuss …
[Re]Fashioning A Means: Exploring And Adapting Anna Cora Mowatt's Fashion Through A Feminist Lens., Jordan Tudor Haggard
[Re]Fashioning A Means: Exploring And Adapting Anna Cora Mowatt's Fashion Through A Feminist Lens., Jordan Tudor Haggard
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This MFA thesis explores gender representation in Anna Cora Mowatt’s Fashion (1845) and the adaptation [Re]Fashion presented by the University of Louisville’s Department of Theatre Arts in Spring 2021. Directed by Dr. J. Ariadne Calvano, University of Louisville faculty, staff, and students worked together to repurpose the script for a modern audience. Cast as the governess, Gertrude, I aimed to find truth in my character without ignoring the social prescriptions of mid-19th-century America. Gertrude values purity and honesty, virtues considered innately feminine by the period’s cultural feminists. I argue that Fashion is a cultural feminist work and Gertrude …
In Bloom: Nurturing The Liberation Process Of Performer And Character As Rose In August Wilson's Fences., Paula O. Lockhart
In Bloom: Nurturing The Liberation Process Of Performer And Character As Rose In August Wilson's Fences., Paula O. Lockhart
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Rose Maxson is the 43-year-old matriarch of the Maxson household in August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Fences. She is a character with an inviolable spirit. The unwavering force she possesses rattles the pages as she relives past loves, loss, experiences heartbreak. Imagine, how I, a then 24-year old devoid of the immense life experience that Rose encompasses found my way into her. The answer is through nurture. To nurture is a process of feeding, protecting, or rearing someone or something. It is a journey with or without a destination. Rose is in a constant state of nurturing her family, …
Thinking Before You Act: A Constructive Logic Approach To Crafting Performance-For- Development Narrative, Angela Duggins
Thinking Before You Act: A Constructive Logic Approach To Crafting Performance-For- Development Narrative, Angela Duggins
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The intent of this thesis was to test the feasibility of constructing performance-for-development narrative using a constructive logic approach. I created an equation which expressed the sum of non-human-elements as the sum of a narrative with each element serving as a variable. I used a review of persuasion literature to provide insight into the selection and manipulation of each variable. I provided my family as a hypothetical example and used my knowledge of their preferences and communication styles in conjunction with the literature and the equation to craft a narrative which might increase pro-school attitudes in other families like my …
Opal Clark On Directing Stop Kiss An Exploration Of The Directorial Process, Opal Clark
Opal Clark On Directing Stop Kiss An Exploration Of The Directorial Process, Opal Clark
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The intent of this thesis and thesis project was to execute a successful run of the play, Stop Kiss by Diana Son while achieving the playwright’s intended message. Opal Clark directed this production of Stop Kiss at East Tennessee State University under special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. It was performed to sold out audiences in ETSU Theatre and Dance Studio 205 October 2-7, 2017. The play explores experiences and hostility toward same sex couples, their relationships with one another and how one individual discovers sexuality. The discovery and actualization of the characters’ struggles were communicated in the play …
Finding Exuberance For The Role Shelby In Baltimore., Danielle Smart
Finding Exuberance For The Role Shelby In Baltimore., Danielle Smart
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis documents my discovery of exuberance as the key to a successful performance and reveals the challenges I faced in developing a character whose major actions in the play fall into the category of masking (i.e. hiding, avoiding, dodging). I define exuberance and discuss how I came to understand that sustaining exuberance requires a great deal of technical expertise specifically in acting, movement and voice in order to accommodate the demands of the character. I contend that exuberance also requires commitment and nurturing of the actor’s personal artistic vision. This thesis will discuss some of the difficulties I faced …
An Actor’S Approach To Claire In Proof By David Auburn, Kathryn Patterson
An Actor’S Approach To Claire In Proof By David Auburn, Kathryn Patterson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The areas of study in the Proof thesis contain research on the play, the playwright, and the acting style utilized in the performance and character analysis. The acting style in this process focuses on the actor’s creative work in preparation of portraying a female character. This character is a controlling woman that is unable to manipulate others. By using relaxation techniques involving the Alexander Technique, the actor was able to transition into the character with honest emotions and motives. Finding similarities to the character by using personal relationships gave the actor the ability to discover connections with the character in …
The Branding, Creation, And Promotion Of A Solo Comedienne, Anna Mccorison
The Branding, Creation, And Promotion Of A Solo Comedienne, Anna Mccorison
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Comedy exists as a stronghold in American culture as a coping mechanism throughout history, but is often limited to the male headliner. From Charlie Chaplin to Jackie Gleason and Bill Cosby to Will Ferrell, men have kept us laughing from stages to screen throughout the last century. Thus, I inquire: who are the prominent women who rose to the top of this male-dominated industry and how did they create a brand for themselves that was distinguishable and celebrated? What is it about being a woman in the last century that made making a name in comedic entertainment more cumbersome, and …
Almost Mirror Image: Exploring The Similarities And Dissimilarities Of Identical Twins In Theatrical Solo Performance, Elizabeth Mignacca
Almost Mirror Image: Exploring The Similarities And Dissimilarities Of Identical Twins In Theatrical Solo Performance, Elizabeth Mignacca
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Almost Mirror Image: Exploring the Similarities and Dissimilarities of Identical Twins in Theatrical Solo Performance Is an exploration of the psyche of identical twins within the context of devised solo performance. The author, an identical twin herself, has long been interested in twins' ability to cultivate both highly independent personalities as well as intensely co-dependent tendencies during development. What can twins tell us about the way we create close relationships and how is their upbringing radically different from the majority of the world that is born alone? Equally intrigued by society's growing technological dependence, the author would like to delve …
The Artistry Of Accessibility: Creating Theatre With And For Students On The Autism Spectrum, Sara Brunow
The Artistry Of Accessibility: Creating Theatre With And For Students On The Autism Spectrum, Sara Brunow
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Theatre is a place where all can come together and have an experience regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or ability. As a theatre maker and teaching artist, how do I create inclusion and augment social awareness by designing and implementing theatrical experiences for a specific audience? In this personal exploration of inclusive theatre practices (Sensory Friendly Theatre, Inclusive Arts Integration, and Multi-Sensory Theatre) I will examine my experience of creating and adapting theatre with and for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. My process has a three-pronged approach: adapting an established production using a Sensory Friendly model; adapting an arts integration …
When Oppressed Women Attack: Female-Enacted Violence Through Minority American Female Playwrights' Works, Kate Busselle
When Oppressed Women Attack: Female-Enacted Violence Through Minority American Female Playwrights' Works, Kate Busselle
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
As an Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, theatrical violence is something that has always captivated me. When a female combat instructor once told me that even though I throw a great punch I will never be able to use it because women are always on the receiving end of violence in theatre, I wondered if this was truly the case. After a thorough exploration of several works with theatrical violence, I am glad to say that it is not the case. When most scholars examine violence in theatre, the focus is either male-centric or specifically on …
Writes Of Spring 2014: Fostering Creativity In Theatre, Education, And Leadership, Alexandra Hodson
Writes Of Spring 2014: Fostering Creativity In Theatre, Education, And Leadership, Alexandra Hodson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Creativity is valued in many fields. In theatre, creativity celebrates the imaginative power of a theatrical experience. In theatre for young audiences (TYA), creativity is extended from the stage to the classroom, where theatre empowers learning through creative and imaginative teaching. Teaching artists and theatre makers in the field of theatre for young audiences utilize creativity as a means of connecting artistic and educational value. Through professional development and qualitative research, this project demonstrates the importance of creativity and its role in the classroom and on stage. This study examines my role as Project Coordinator in Orlando Repertory Theatre's (The …
Seeking A Vision, Finding A Voice: Exploring The Musicality Of Theatre Through Multidisciplinary Practice, Tara Kromer
Seeking A Vision, Finding A Voice: Exploring The Musicality Of Theatre Through Multidisciplinary Practice, Tara Kromer
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In classrooms and textbooks the “Director's Vision” is often identified as the unifying concept for the production, and my goal in returning to graduate school was to explore my own vision as a director. In my own practice as a director, I tend to “hear” the play in my head before visualizing it. From my interpretation of the text, to the staging of the performers, to my collaboration with design team, my approach to the production of theatre stems from a place of musicality. Seeking a Vision, Finding a Voice explores my creative journey as multi-disciplinary theatre artist through a …
Directing Stop Kiss By Diana Son Within A Nontraditional Training Model, Rebecca Dilks
Directing Stop Kiss By Diana Son Within A Nontraditional Training Model, Rebecca Dilks
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Despite the generally held view that the best way for a stage actor to give a strong theatrical performance is through a traditional training model, I hoped to develop a way for inexperienced actors to perform beyond expectation within the context of one production through a system of mentorship, expectation-setting, and tapping into young peoples' natural desire to identify with people and characters. I directed a production of Stop Kiss by Diana Son with a blend of experienced and inexperienced actors to see if I could make this work, with mixed results. This thesis is a reflection on the process …
Halloween Horror Nights And/Or Visceral Theatre, Patrick Braillard
Halloween Horror Nights And/Or Visceral Theatre, Patrick Braillard
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Visceral [vis-er-uh l] -adj 1. of, relating to, or affecting the viscera 2. characterized by intuition or instinct rather than intellect ("visceral," def. 1-2) The above words speak to define far more than merely the word "visceral." They speak to also embody and classify a previously untitled form of theatre. Visceral Theatre: A form of theatre that uses the instinctual awareness of the audience- the audiences' perception of popular culture, societal contexts both historical and geographical, as well as their instinctual-physical aversion to danger- to cause physiological and emotional responses through the overstimulation of the senses in a non-tactile attack. …
An Examination Of The Actor's Approach To Playwriting: Are Playwrights Able To Write About What Is Unfamiliar To Them?, Kayla Zaniboni
An Examination Of The Actor's Approach To Playwriting: Are Playwrights Able To Write About What Is Unfamiliar To Them?, Kayla Zaniboni
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Playwrights write about what is familiar to them. Their inspiration comes from their childhood, past relationships, and their personal view of the world. But could a playwright write about something to which they have no personal connection? Using the book Triggered: A Memoir of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, I will write a one act play about mental illness. I have no personal experience or personal connection to mental illness, but I will approach the process the same way as an actor does a character. I will go into the writing process as an actor, completing character analyses for the characters and using …
Boy Meets Boy: Envisioning Queer Youth Novels For Translation To The Stage, Daniel Davis
Boy Meets Boy: Envisioning Queer Youth Novels For Translation To The Stage, Daniel Davis
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Queer Youth, or young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning, is a demographic with an increasing presence in contemporary society. Along with this increased presence has come an increase in support groups available to these youths that range from Gay-Straight Alliances at their schools, community groups from their local gay and lesbian center to, most recently, theater companies that have begun to offer workshops and performance opportunities within the Queer Youth Theatre genre. Queer Youth Theatre is an emerging form of topical theatre that deals with issues and situations queer youth may face in their daily …
Interactionz: Engaging Lgbtq+ Youth Using Theatre For Social Change, Jonathan Jackson
Interactionz: Engaging Lgbtq+ Youth Using Theatre For Social Change, Jonathan Jackson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Theatre for social change is a term used to describe a wide range of theatre-based techniques and methods. Through implementation of performance techniques, participants are encouraged to creatively explore and communicate various ideas with the specific intention of eliciting a societal or political shift within a given community. Through this thesis, I will explore the impact of applying theatre for social change in a youth-centered environment. I will discuss my journey as creator, facilitator, and project director of interACTionZ, a queer youth theatre program in Orlando, FL formed through a partnership between Theatre UCF at the University of Central Florida …
Attention Must Be Paid: A Critical Study Of The Non-Traditional Leading Man In Twentieth Century Drama, Trevin Cooper
Attention Must Be Paid: A Critical Study Of The Non-Traditional Leading Man In Twentieth Century Drama, Trevin Cooper
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The role of the non-traditional leading man has painted a strong image which mirrors the cultural development of our identities; we turn to these men/characters to understand who, or why, we are. Their contributions require acknowledgement. This thesis is a study of the vital role the non-traditional leading man has played in the evolution of twentieth-century theatre. It will examine, through the use of ten plays, one from every decade of the twentieth century, and twelve male roles, the theory that some of the greatest leading male characters in modern theatre are not epitomized by the qualities identified with the …
Applying Historiography To Fictional Works: A Case Study Of William Inge's Picnic, Nicholas Murphy
Applying Historiography To Fictional Works: A Case Study Of William Inge's Picnic, Nicholas Murphy
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Historiography is the writing of history based on the examination of sources and synthesizing these sources into a narrative that will stand the test of critical methods. Historiography is not the study of history but rather provides a tool to analyze each written account of a historical event. The concepts of historiography are traditionally reserved for the study of factual based history and not for fictional events or people. However, just as history seems to evolve over time, authors also revise their fiction work. If history is adapted and changed over time to fulfill the historian’s desires, can fictional works …
An Actor's Approach: Stepping Into A Role And A World Of The Past, Danielle Gosselin
An Actor's Approach: Stepping Into A Role And A World Of The Past, Danielle Gosselin
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
To step into a character and a world of the past, the actor must not discard the present, but seek to find connections and links between the worlds. I was cast in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater production of Sense and Sensibility, a Jon Jory adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, in the role of Lucy Steele. This was an equity production, and it ran February 6th – March 17th, 2013, in the Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s Margeson Theater. Lucy is a female character from England in a period often referred to as the Regency era. As a woman from today’s United States …
Immediacy In Comedy: How Gertrude Stein, Long Form Improv, And 5 Second Films Can Revolutionize The Comedic Form, Alexander Hluch
Immediacy In Comedy: How Gertrude Stein, Long Form Improv, And 5 Second Films Can Revolutionize The Comedic Form, Alexander Hluch
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Comedy has typically been derided as second-tier to drama in all aspects of narrative. Throughout history, comedy has seen short shrift in both critical reception and academic investigation. Merit is simply placed on drama far before that of comedy. This is not for comedy’s own lack of skill or craft, but simply for comedy’s misappropriation as a narrative form. Throughout the years, by way of either competition or economic superiority, comedy has been pigeonholed into the typified dramatic structure that drama so thoroughly encapsulates. Being forced into a form that exemplifies complex, climactic structure and explicit character development, comedy in …
Hamlet From The Stage., David Blair
Hamlet From The Stage., David Blair
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Hamlet From The Stage is a video production designed to be an extra feature on the DVD video of the stage production of Hamlet, performed by the Division of Theatre and Dance at East Tennessee State University, and filmed by the Department of e-Learning during the Spring Semester of 2009. Hamlet From The Stage is a professional interview style video package of the cast of Hamlet designed to help inexperienced collegiate actors learn some useful tools when approaching a Shakespearean audition or performance. This video package represents over eleven months of production: concept, writing, set design and studio setup, interview …
The Estate Of Mendacity: An Interpretation Of William's Most Ambiguous Character, Daniel Bowlen
The Estate Of Mendacity: An Interpretation Of William's Most Ambiguous Character, Daniel Bowlen
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
I performed the role of Brick Pollitt at Lake Mirror Theatre in Lakeland, Florida from April 20- April 30 2006. The role of Brick Pollitt provided me with several acting challenges as well as multiple subjects to research. The most challenging aspects of portraying the character of Brick Pollitt are his alcoholism, issues of sexuality, and tormented familial relationships. Brick Pollitt journeys in the period of one day through major challenges in two key relationships. He moves from dominance in his relationship with Maggie to capitulation and from isolation in his relationship with Big Daddy to mutual understanding. Brick's relationships …
Developing The Individual To Strengthen The Whole: The Application Of Viewpoints Training To Impact The Social Cognitive Development Of Actors In A High School Ensemble, Elizabeth Horn
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This research explores the application of Viewpoints and Composition training with a cast of high school students to measure changes in the social cognitive development (SCD) of individuals and the collective group. The research centers on the writing of Michael F. Mascolo and Deborah Margolis, which takes a coactive approach to the relationship between one's social cognitive development and how it is manifested in his or her actions within a social group. Using this framework, the researcher assesses the personality types within the cast and analyzes how utilizing Viewpoints training creates shifts within these personalities. The researcher approaches this study …
Sharing The True Colors: An Exploration Of Theatre Created By Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, And Transgender Youth, Nicholas Bazo
Sharing The True Colors: An Exploration Of Theatre Created By Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, And Transgender Youth, Nicholas Bazo
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
True Colors: Out Youth Theater at The Theater Offensive is a Boston based program that focuses its theatrical and social mission on engaging Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered (GLBT) at-risk, youth and the community that surrounds them. Through the process of generating an original touring production, True Colors employs theatre as a tool for personal, social, and artistic expression, empowerment, and activism. The program's balance of both process and product focused goals creates an environment of multifaceted engagement and provides an example of how art can thrive in a structure of youth outreach. Though directors and facilitators guide the process …
Jerry Herman's Leading Ladies, John Mansell
Jerry Herman's Leading Ladies, John Mansell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Jerry Herman is celebrated for his ability to showcase strong leading female roles in his canon of work that spans some fifty years. In writing such strong female characters, he must produce strong male counterparts to these women who can communicate on their level and not become overpowered by the women's presence. I was cast in the musical revue, It's Today: An Evening of Jerry Herman, conceived, directed, and choreographed by Earl D. Weaver. My portion of the revue explored Herman's leading male roles of Cornelius from Hello, Dolly!; Mack from Mack and Mabel; Colonel Tadeusz Boleslav Stjerbinsky from The …