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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
A Jew From Nebraska: An Actors Attempt At Stand-Up Comedy, Jeffrey Nathan
A Jew From Nebraska: An Actors Attempt At Stand-Up Comedy, Jeffrey Nathan
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Stand-up comedy has been a major influence on American culture and has given the "Everyman" the ability to laugh at ourselves. Stand-up comedians have been performing in nightclubs, bars, clubs, and, most importantly, theatres for the past 60 years. Stand-up comedy can take many forms: a monologue of entertaining incidents that form a story, or a string of one-liners, or a succession of jokes. This performance project and thesis is an examination and an attempt at the art form that we call stand-up comedy. It will answer the question of what is the best approach to writing comedy for an …
Living Between Two Worlds: Conflict, Investigation And The Change, Noura Abdulhameed Shuqair
Living Between Two Worlds: Conflict, Investigation And The Change, Noura Abdulhameed Shuqair
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Beginning with my exploration of art as an aesthetic object, this paper shows the growth of my work and concept. Through my practice, I have been able to understand the contradictions in my traditional society and western modernity. It has helped me grapple with my own beliefs, and begin to confront those I don't agree with.
Belief And Christmas: Performing Belief And The Theory And Practice Of Christmas Performance, Brenna Nicely
Belief And Christmas: Performing Belief And The Theory And Practice Of Christmas Performance, Brenna Nicely
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In the United States, Christmastime has become a time of tension between the holy ideals of family togetherness, childhood innocence, and goodwill towards men and commercial idolatry. Christ and Santa Claus are pitted against each other in the war on Christmas between religion and secularism instead of feasting together on ham and figgy pudding in the traditional fashion. While many would agree that the everyday realities of the Christmas season do not often live up to the ideals imposed upon the holiday, few are able to tell why this is so or even trace the roots of their discontent. In …
Performing Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years: An Exercise In Communication On Stage And Off, David Z. Sucharski
Performing Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years: An Exercise In Communication On Stage And Off, David Z. Sucharski
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Communication, in its most basic sense, is foundational for any personal, human interaction and relationship. As theatre artists, we are charged with communicating complex story lines, conceptual ideas, and emotion to an audience. Sound communication is paramount to every aspect of a musical production, be it communication between actors/characters, actor and director, amongst the production team, and arguable the most important, between the actors and the audience. My years of education as a Masters in Fine Arts candidate in Musical Theatre have been spent polishing my ability to communicate physical and emotional choices with greater accuracy, depth, and truth. By …
X: The Rise And Fall Of An Asylum Star (A Journey Of Two Actresses), Erika Wilhite
X: The Rise And Fall Of An Asylum Star (A Journey Of Two Actresses), Erika Wilhite
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The performance of X: The Rise and Fall of an Asylum Star, in conjunction with my thesis document, investigates the dichotomy of fantasy and reality for a performer. I compare the creative and emotional journey of Augustine, a young woman hospitalized for hysteria, to my own journey as an actress. Augustine was also performer, for her doctors led her in public demonstrations of the symptoms of hysteria. Her "talent" for hysteria earned her notoriety and celebrity. She was coached and directed from her doctors to enhance her demonstrations. As a result, the validity and authenticity of her state was questionable. …
Anton Chekhov:The Characterization And Interpretationof A Historical Figure For The Stage, Alan Gallant
Anton Chekhov:The Characterization And Interpretationof A Historical Figure For The Stage, Alan Gallant
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This thesis will explore the execution of the monograph role of "Anton Chekhov" in the original one-act play, An Evening with Anton Chekhov. The play script, rehearsal and public performances of the piece are all self- generated by the candidate, with the proper assistance of the thesis committee. This written thesis serves as the completion of the thesis project, and includes analysis of several key areas of the development of the script and thesis role. This document includes the original script with endnotes and a structural analysis. Social and historical background of the character, Anton Chekhov, a real person, is …
Black Cats, Berlin, Broadway And Beyond: The Genre Of Cabaret, Deborah Tedrick
Black Cats, Berlin, Broadway And Beyond: The Genre Of Cabaret, Deborah Tedrick
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Music and Theatre have always captivated me. As a child, my parents would take me to live performances and cinematic shows and I would sit rapt, watching the theatrical events and emotional moments unfold before my eyes. Movie musicals and live shows that combined music and theatre were my favorite, especially theatrical banter and improvisation or sketch comedy. Some of my favorite youthful memories were my annual family summer trips to Las Vegas to visit my grandparents for six weeks. As a youngster, I got to experience the "old school" Las Vegas, replete with extravaganza, spectacle, cabaret, circus, lounge and …
The Laramie Project: The Search For A Personal Acting Method Via The Principles Of Constantin Stanislavksi, Matthew Hamner
The Laramie Project: The Search For A Personal Acting Method Via The Principles Of Constantin Stanislavksi, Matthew Hamner
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Constantin Stanislavski developed a method for actors in bringing to life characters for the stage. Even though Stanislavski developed his theories in response to the stage climate of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many of his ideas remain relevant today. In this study, parts of his system were applied to the roles performed in Moises Kaufman's The Laramie Project. Those roles were Moises Kaufman, Jonas Slonaker, Doug Laws, Anonymous, Detective Rob Debree, Governor Jim Geringer, Reverend Fred Phelps and Dennis Shepard. The purpose of this exploration was to create unique, believable characters and develop solutions for personal acting …
Black Cats, Berlin, Broadway And Beyond: Cabaret History In The Making, Josephine Leffner
Black Cats, Berlin, Broadway And Beyond: Cabaret History In The Making, Josephine Leffner
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Cabaret as a genre has influenced and is influenced by musical theatre. As cabaret has evolved throughout history, musical theatre has often paralleled its journey. Cabaret thrived before the term "musical theatre" was coined and suffered hard times during the Golden Age of Musical Theatre. The correlation of the two genres cannot be denied, and exploring cabaret history will reveal how deeply the connection lies. My collaborator Debbie Tedrick and I will attempt to define cabaret through a two-woman cabaret show we will write, produce, and perform together. The show, Black Cats, Berlin, Broadway and Beyond, will be a one-act …
A Performance Study And Analysis Of The Role Of Professor Muller In The Visit., Stephanie Harrison
A Performance Study And Analysis Of The Role Of Professor Muller In The Visit., Stephanie Harrison
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
I propose to study the role of Professor Muller in The Visit as my thesis role because of the challenge that it presents, not only as a translated work, but also because of the character shift for me - Professor Muller is a 72 year old man and has now been changed to a woman in her thirties. Professor Muller is the only person to stand up to the antagonist, Claire. The confrontation between Claire and Muller takes on a certain tone when it is between a woman and a man, and has a completely different outlook when it becomes …
The Merry Wives Of Windsor: A University Actress's Approach To The Role Of Mistress Ford, Brook Akya Hanemann
The Merry Wives Of Windsor: A University Actress's Approach To The Role Of Mistress Ford, Brook Akya Hanemann
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Art is too ethereal a thing to judge by tangible measure. There is no scale to weigh a performance on, no level to gauge a character’s balance, no plumb line to measure its depth. No critic can appoint an allotment of stars to represent the worth of a production, and the audience, though a vital participant within the performance experience, cannot act as Jury and deliberate together to reach an absolute verdict of approval or disapproval. How then can an actor go about working towards giving a successful performance? The Merry Wives of Windsor was written at a time when …