Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Female Leaders Navigate The Arts, Post 'Me Too', Peyton Kennedy

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

As the lights dim and the curtain rises on a theatrical production, there are roles to fill onstage and off. Perhaps the most important roles in modern theatre are those of leadership. Leaders in the arts have the power to influence company communication, shape the culture of the rehearsal room and navigate through a crisis. However, leadership and power can be manipulated, as the world witnessed through the ‘me too’ movement. As allegations rose against prominent leaders, the push for change strengthened. We are now three years past Hollywood’s ignition of the ‘me too’ movement, which prompts the question: have …

Touch As Bond: Exploring The Use Of Contact Improvisation In An Ensemble Process, J Travis Cooper

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

This document serves as a contextual and reflective essay detailing the work done on J Travis Cooper’s Honors Capstone Project, Touch as Bond: Exploring the use of Contact Improvisation in an ensemble process. It is a process focused creative project exploring the potential of Contact Improvisation [CI] as a tool for ensemble development and content creation in a theatrical production. Contact Improvisation is a dance practice created by Steve Paxton and other collaborators in the 1970s. The form demands dancers improvise movements while in contact with each other, creating spontaneous lifts and requiring the ability to adapt to a …

Theatre As An Intervention For Empathy Development Among Undergraduate Students, Jonathan Stewart

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Empathy is the ability feel into, or put oneself in the place of another. It is the ability to walk in someone else’s shoes. Studies have shown that this ability is decreasing among today’s college students and on the rise as a desired trait for today’s leaders. This dilemma provides an interesting opportunity to explore how institutions of higher education can help develop the leaders of tomorrow by increasing empathy among students. Specifically, this research explores theatre as an intervention for empathy development among college students.

Theatre, as a program of study, is unique within the college experience in that …

"Playhouse Creatures:" A Study Of Restoration Actresses, Emily Laplante

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Creatures. Women. Actresses. We are here because of women like Mary Betterton, Doll Common, Nell Gwyn, Elizabeth Farley, and Rebecca Marshall. Theatre is about telling stories. Their story is a timeless one: of suffering, resilience, dedication, love, and comradery. Actresses were first permitted by royal decree to act upon the stage in 1669 by King Charles II of England. This decree created a spark within the playhouses to see actresses in the flesh perform. With this came a ripple effect of a host of expectations and suppression. This Honors Capstone is a comprehensive look into the themes of April De …

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 …

Theatre For The Community: A Practical Application, Megan Larissa Ciszek

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Theatre for the Community: A Practical Application

This paper serves to synthesize and reflect upon my Creative Honors Capstone project entitled “Theatre for the Community: A Practical Application.” The initial steps of the project included research into community based theatre and community outreach. This research was then used to inspire the process necessary for a fully realized production of Annie Baker’s Body Awareness, structured with community collaboration in mind. In this way, Body Awareness’ process acted as my first attempt at the practical application of my research. This paper both acts as the exploration of the concept of creating and …

4000 Matches On Fire At Once: Studies In Memory And Performance, Lauren Chapman

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In examining the journey that has brought me to the position I am in as a dramaturg, artist, and person, it would be at best rude and at worst irresponsible not to acknowledge the universe of people, productions, and ideas that have molded me. Just as plays are composites and amalgams of ideas, emotions, styles, and themes, so is an emerging dramaturg. My experience is both entirely my own, and not my own at all. In reflecting this experience for my thesis exhibit, I feel it’s important to isolate those individuals and ideas that have molded me.

By presenting their …

Masks: A New Face For The Theatre, Alexi M. Siegel

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This paper serves to synthesize and reflect upon the Creative Honors Capstone project entitled “Masks: A New Face for the Theatre.” This project sought to answer the questions: 1. What is the role of masks in theatre today? 2. How can a director use ancient mask traditions to inspire new work? The ancient mask traditions that were the primary focus of this study were Greek Theatre, Japanese Noh Theatre, and Egungun Masquerades of Yorubaland. The initial steps of the project included research into the historical context of these masked traditions as well as contemporary practices. This research was then used …

Theatre Education For Homeschooled Children, Jonathan A. Martin

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In recent years, the push for theatre education from arts education advocates has been increasingly prevalent, especially in the face of substantial budget cuts from many public schools’ arts programs. While there is still a long way to go before theatre education will be integral to school curricula, there are clear steps being taken to promote theatre education in the United States.

Similar to the recent push for theatre education is a rise in homeschooling in America. Homeschooling has been on the rise domestically for several years now, continuing to grow between 2% and 8% annually. It is now estimated …

"The Sound Of A Voice: An Evening Of Intercultural Theatre", Amy C. Slothower

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This undergraduate thesis examines the impact of the process of creating a piece of intercultural theatre on student artists. In the research of intercultural theatre, there is a lack of information on opportunities for intercultural performance experience for students, and much of the major research that has been done has all been by established theatre artists. The biggest concern in the theatrical community with creating works of intercultural theatre is the threat of cultural appropriation and imperialism. Much of this concern is stimulated by belief that the western dominant culture maintains a sense of imperialism towards what is perceived as …

Film And Theatre: Hybridization And The Convergence Of Mediums, Rachel A. Jones

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This essay explores the ever-changing relationship between theatre and film. I used my expertise in both theatre and film to create a recording of a children’s theatre show Upside Down Fairytales in order to show how mediated theatre can be created. This essay argues that mediated theatre can be used educationally, dramaturgically, and for entertainment. The uses of mediated theatre can be very effective for those in communities where theatre is not accessible. This essay states that a new medium is created when live performance is recorded and it can have an impact on how theatre will continue to be …

The Real F-Word: Feminism An Exploration Of Feminism And The Female Experience On College Campuses, Beatrice R. Owens

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Using third-wave feminism and playwriting as the foundation, this project intends to examine the history of feminism as it influences the current third-wave in the United States of American with a specific focus on the impact it has on college students. This project examines the development of feminism throughout history and asks whether that historical development has contributed significantly to the way in which millennial men and women understand and relate to feminism presently. Through the compilation of research and the creation of a performance piece, performed on April 1, 2016 in the Wayland Performance Studio, this project examines what …