Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Death Of A Salesman: Nostalgia Refracted Through The Language Of Light, Abbey Lynn Smith

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

The purpose of this thesis is to provide an in-depth look at the design process for the Nebraska Repertory Theater’s production of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, which performed in November 2022. This process includes research that facilitated early design conversations, documentation that relayed information necessary for implementation, and additional materials typically used as reference for a lighting designer. This thesis includes research images, hand-drawn renderings, previsualization, light plots, lighting paperwork, and production photos of the final product.

Stop Kiss: A Scenic Design, Taylor Walters-Riggsbee

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

The purpose of this thesis is to document the design processes of the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s production of Stop Kiss by Diana Son, produced March 1-9, 2023, in partnership with the Nebraska Repertory Theatre. Documented is a complete representation of a scenic design process including discussion of practices and design methodologies, research plates, supporting analytical paperwork, preliminary sketches, digital renderings, and 1/4” scale model photos, a full set of drafting, painter’s elevations and a corresponding props and dressing list. Performance photos follow as an archive of the production process and performance photos.

Advisor: Joshua David Madsen

Divination, Brannon Evans

Honors Theses

This document details my time developing a cross-discipline devised theatre experience. The piece explores the various ways we interact with technology. The start of the process was fueled by one simple question: “What can multi faceted collaboration look like (between peers– not just across disciplines, but through an equally shared devising process)?” Through this documentation, I will be able to reflect upon and learn from my experience as a facilitator, actor, and theatre maker.

This thesis will be broken into six different parts to outline the six stages I underwent while creating the piece: developing the team, source material exploration, …

Dontrell, Who Kissed The Sea: An Exploration Of Scenic Design Process, Emma Laine Hoffbauer

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 pertinent materials which document the scenic design for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln/Nebraska Repertory Theatre production of Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea by Nathan Alan Davis. This thesis contains the following: research images collected to develop and communicate ideas regarding location, shape, texture, scale, mood, and historical and architectural reference to the production team; preliminary sketches and digital renderings, and photographs of the 1⁄4” scale model; a full set of drafting plates and painter’s elevations used to communicate finished appearance of each scenic element, a list …

Dontrell, Who Kissed The Sea: An Expedition Into Technical Direction, Joseph J. Shelly Jr

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

The Nebraska Repertory Theatre, in partnership with the Johnny Carson School of Theater, Film, and Emerging Media Arts at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, chose to produce Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea in March of 2021. Playwright Nathan Alan Davis completed the play in 2017. He is originally from Rockford, Illinois, and a graduate of Indiana University. Dontrell was his second produced play, premiering in June 2014 at the Source Festival in Washington, DC. Several theatres since 2014 have produced the play, and ours was the third show of the 2021-2022 season. The director was Ron Himes, the Founder …

Properties Design And Construction For William Shakespeare’S: A Midsummer Night’S Dream, Nathan Alexander

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

In the fall of 2021, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln put on a production of A Midsummer night’s dream. I am Nathan Alexander and I designed and built the properties used in the show. This thesis will discuss my design process as well as my construction process throughout this production. My writing serves as a reference to the collaborative process of theatre, and you will find as you read on that a large amount of my designs did not make it into the final production. This did not discourage me, instead it motivated me to discover what this show wanted to …

A Documentation Of A Year As An Artistic Director For Unl, Philip Crawford

Honors Theses

The goal of this project was to document a year of being an Artistic Director for UNL’s student run theatre company Theatrix. Through this documentation, I will be able to reflect upon and learn from my experiences as a leader, director, and theatre maker.

This thesis will be broken up into eight different parts to outline the eight different stages I experienced as Artistic Director this year: season selection, the 24-hour Play Festival, The Revolutionists, The Thanksgiving Play, Clown Bar, season changes, Based on a Totally True Story, and Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons. Through these eight stages, I will …

Theatre And Art Club Lesson Plans, Hailey Revord, Madelyn Kreifels

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

After school club that explores elements of theatre and art.

The Legend Of Georgia Mcbride: Change In Light Of Passion, Bryce Bassett

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

This thesis describes the research and production processes of the lighting design for the play, The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez, performed in the Johnny Carson Theatre at the Lied Center for Performing Arts from October 2^nd through October 13^th, 2019. The play was directed by guest artist Steve Scott with scenic design by Marty Wolff, costumes by Rebecca Armstrong, sound design by Jeff O’Brien, technical direction provided by Austin Elledge, and master electrician Joshua Mullady.

This thesis contains the entire lighting process including the initial meetings, research, conceptualization, technical rehearsals, critical response, paperwork, and …

Costume Design And Execution Of The Nebraska Repertory Theatre's Mother Courage And Her Children By Bertolt Brecht, Translated By Dr. William Grange, Adapted By Andy Park., Heather Mae Striebel

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

The information, documentation and analysis found within this thesis highlights the design and execution of The Nebraska Repertory Theatre’s fall production of Mother Courage. This production was originally written by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Dr. William Grange of The University of Nebraska – Lincoln and then adapted by The Nebraska Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director Andy Park. Mother Courage was a part of the 2018-2019 Nebraska Repertory Theatre’s 50^thanniversary season and was performed in the Howell Theatre located within the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Information found within this thesis showcases the research, production, development, design …

An Act Of God:Let There Be Light, Jaime Mancuso

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

This thesis describes the research and production processes of the lighting design for the play An Act of God by David Javerbaum performed in the Johnny Carson Theater at the Lied Center for Performing Arts from September 28^th through October 14^th 2018. The play was directed by guest artist Michael Mendelson with scenic design by Jill Hibbard, costume design by Haley Williams, lighting design by Jaime Mancuso, sound design by Emily Callahan, projection design by Greyson McCown technical direction by Daniel d’Egnuff, and master electrician Adam Sikorski.

This thesis documents the lighting design process for An Act of …

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 …

Rapture. Redemption. Religion. Retail. Directing Samuel D. Hunter’S, A Bright New Boise, Chadwick R. Taylor

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

This thesis contains the written documentation of the process of directing a theatrical production of A Bright New Boise by Samuel D. Hunter, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Masters of Fine Arts in Directing for Stage and Screen at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Topics addressed include play selection, background of the play and author, script analysis, concept development, casting, production and rehearsal process, director’s reflection, and critical responses and self-evaluation.

Advisor: Ian Borden

Hamlet: An Illuminating Look At Tragedy, Maxx Finn

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

This thesis describes the research and production process of the lighting design of Hamlet, adapted by Wesley Broulik, performed in Howell Theatre, from November 17 through December 4 at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska. Hamlet was directed by Wesley Broulik. Maxx Finn acted as the production’s lighting designer, Kaitlyn Peterson designed the set, Haley Williams designed the costumes, Emily Callahan designed the sound, Andrea Besch acted as the properties master, and Travis Smith was the acting technical director.

This thesis contains the entire lighting design process for Hamlet, including initial meetings, conceptualization, …

Unity (1918): The Lighting Of A Modern Dark Comedy With Gothic Elements, Steven J. Miller

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

This thesis is a reflection on the research and production process of the lighting design of the play Unity (1918) by Kevin Kerr, performed in the Studio Theatre at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film from October 9 to 11 and October 14 to 19, 2014. The play was directed by Dr. Ian Borden with scenic design by Vicki Halverson, costume design by Megan Cudd, lighting design by Steven J. Miller and technical direction provided by A.J. Lowery. This thesis documents the lighting design process including initial meetings, research, conceptualization, paperwork, technical rehearsals, critical response, and production photos. …

The Skin Of Our Teeth: Setting The Scene, Michaela L. Stein

Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts: Student Research, Performance, and Creative Activity

This thesis is the culmination of the scenic design for the play, The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder, performed in the Howell Memorial Theatre during the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film’s 2014-2015 University Theatre season.

Virginia Smith directed The Skin of Our Teeth, leading a creative team comprised of both graduate and undergraduate students. This thesis contains the entire scenic design process including initial meetings, conceptualization, renderings, paperwork, the tech process, and production photographs.

Advisor: JD. Madsen

Silence: A Technical Direction Project, Matthew Rightmire

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

The Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film opened its 2013-14 mainstage season with the play Silence in the Studio Theatre on October 10, 2013. This thesis project encompasses the Technical Direction of Silence. As the Technical Director, I was responsible for the budgeting of time, people, and money necessary to plan, organize, construct, and load into the theatre all the scenic elements required for the performance. Duties included purchasing materials, drafting construction drawings, and leading shop crews in the individual processes to create each scenic element as well as modifying the house seating equipment to accommodate the scenic …

Gender Confusion, Genocide And The Apocalypse: Directing Moira Buffini's Silence, Dennis N. Henry

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

This thesis contains the written documentation of the process of directing a theatrical production of Silence by Moira Buffini, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Master of Fine Arts in Directing for Stage and Screen at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

This documentation and analysis of the processes herein include: play selection, background research, concept development, casting, rehearsal process, development of design elements and evaluation based on critical response, audience reception and self-reflection.

Advisor: Virginia Smith

The Mystical And Metaphysical In The Mundane: Directing Middletown, Joshua S. Waterstone

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

This thesis contains written documentation regarding the process of directing a theatrical production in fulfillment of the partial requirements for Master of Fine Arts in Directing for Stage and Screen at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

Topics addressed include play selection, script analysis, director/designer collaboration, coaching of actors and evaluation of final product.

Advisor: Virginia Smith

Thea 234: Scripts In Performance—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Ian Borden

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This had traditionally been a theatre based course for the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film when I took over teaching it in the Fall semester of 2008. At that time, the course (a requirement for Theatre majors, Film and New Media majors, as well as Theatre and Musical Theatre minors) was populated almost entirely by upper level Theatre majors, particularly those in the performance stream. Over the next few years as the Film and new Media program grew, the needs of those students increased in relative importance as they comprised a larger and larger percentage of the class. …

Mary Zimmerman’S Candide : A Journey Of Realization, Costume Design And Production For The 2013 Regional Non- Professional Premiere At The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Mallory Maria Prucha

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

This thesis describes the research, Costume Design and implementation for the non-professional Regional Premiere of the musical Candide, newly adapted from Voltaire by Mary Zimmerman with music by Leonard Bernstein and additional lyrics by Richard Wilbur, Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, and Dorothy Parker., presented at Kimball Hall on February 21-24, 2013. Directed by Alisa Belflower, the production was a collaborative effort between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film and School of Music with Mallory Maria Prucha serving as Costume/Make-Up Designer, Michaela Lynne Stein as Scenic Designer, Clay VanWinkle as Lighting Designer and David …

Agravio: A Technical Direction Project, Erica G. King

Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts: Student Research, Performance, and Creative Activity

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) opened the Fall 2012 season in the Howell Theatre on October 4, 2012 with Agravio. My thesis project was the technical direction of Agravio. As the technical director, I took the designer’s ideas and made them a reality on stage. My responsibilities included organization, construction drawings, ordering supplies, problem solving, supervising build, and the budgeting of time, people and money. In the course of this thesis I will discuss the process I took to assure the set would be built on time and under budget, …

Artmaking On The Edge Of A Cliff: Directing Iphigenia 2.0, Shannon E. Cameron

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

This thesis contains written documentation regarding the process of directing a theatrical production in fulfillment of the partial requirements for Master of Fine Arts in Directing for Stage and Screen at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

Topics addressed include play selection, script analysis, director/designer collaboration, coaching and actors and evaluation of final product.

Advisor: Virginia Smith

The Scene Design For Macbeth, Michael Leonard

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

This thesis presents the scenic design for Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. The play was produced by the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and performed in the Howell Theatre on April 17, 2003 through April 26, 2003. The written portion of the thesis is divided into sections: The Play and Synopsis, Scene Deisgn Analysis including Time, Place, and Physical Needs, Design Concept, The Design Process, The Process of Realization, Reviews and Comments on the Scenic Design, and Self Evaluation.

The final portion of the thesis is a collection of sketches, drafting, paint elevations, and …

A Pattern Of Patience: On Providing Technical Direction For King Lear, Theron L. Seckington

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

The following writing will document my process as technical director for the 2009 mainstage production of King Lear at the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film (JCSTF) at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL). King Lear was directed by Virginia Smith with scenery designed by fellow Master of Fine Arts (MFA) candidate Patric Vendetti, lights by senior Angela Sharman, and sound by sophomore Max Holm. Costumes were designed by MFA candidate Cecilia Sickler. The shop foreman was Bryan Ruhs, and the production was stage managed by junior Amber Naylor. I was advised by JCSTF technical director Ed Stauffer. …