Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

Commedia Dell'arte: Capturing The Ephemeral, Timothy Burhouse

Research Honors

Commedia dell’arte is an improvised form of theatrical comedy/satire that was popular in Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. While it is no longer frequently performed in its original state, the characters, comedic structure, and performative conventions of Commedia dell’arte can still be found today, from Shakespeare to Charlie Chaplin to Star Wars. The breadth and prevalence of comedic influences that trace back to Commedia Dell’arte secures this art form’s place as a cornerstone of modern comedy. Studying this art form can enhance one’s ability as an actor and comedian and can deepen the theatregoer’s understanding and appreciation of …

Pas De Deux Past And Present: Examining The Future Of Partnering Work In The Study Of Teaching And Performance Of Professional Ballet, Madelyn Groth

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This research explores the historical evolution and future direction of partnering in ballet, focusing on its technical, aesthetic, and pedagogical progress. Pas de deux is a dance for two, typically performed by a male and female dancers. Traditional pas de deux, found in classical ballet dating back to its the courts of 16th century France, adheres to strict gender roles and aesthetic traditions. However, contemporary choreographers are reimagining partnering dynamics and movement patterns to reflect a more inclusive and diverse approach. Through a historiographical study of ballet and an ethnographic investigation conducted at the Miami City Ballet and the …

Striking Similarities: An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Tap Dance And Ballet, Shannon Maloney

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This research explores the relationship between tap dance and ballet, two genres of dance often viewed as polar opposites—if they are considered to have any relationship at all. Qualitative research methods were used throughout this process, including consulting texts and videos, conducting ethnographic research by attending the Woodshed Experience tap dance intensive, and choreographing a dance work featuring both tap and ballet dancers. This project investigates the relationship between the genres in the areas of technique, choreography, and pedagogy. There is significant overlap in the techniques of tap dance and ballet in the areas of musicality, polyrhythmic expression, isolated muscle …

The Exploration Of Self Existence: An Inevitable Transference Of Affect, Haley Lowenthal

Dance Department Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

To Be Perceived: Redefining Female Narratives And Social Expectations Through Movement And Comparative Mythology, Bella Donatelli

Dance Department Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Tremors Of Silver ~ A Battle Of The Brain: An Exploration Of Parkinson's Disease Through Dance, Kelsey Lynn Halio

Dance Department Honors Papers

No abstract provided.

Twelfth Night (2025) | Program, Emily Duncan

The Shakespeare Project

This performance of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was adapted and directed by Emily Duncan, with Carmine DiBiase as Dramaturg. The cast features:

• Viola/Cesario: Eleanor Boozer
• Orsino: Christian Watts
• Sir Toby: Forrest Hinton
• Maria: Jennie Wall
• Feste: Jason Wright
• Malvolio: Trevor McMullen
• Olivia: Tea Wilson
• Sir Andrew: Ian Johnson
• Sebastian: Dylan Hurst
• Antonio: Laurellei Veasey
• Valentine: Semaje Newton

Witch, Please: The Campy, Sexually Depraved, And Sacrilegious Anti-Morality Tale, David Veatch

Playwriting (MFA) Theses

There will be no explanation, only reputation.

Sky, the little g god, is in their forest on the first Halloween, scheming on how to ascend to Big G God status, will Sky be able to bop their way to the top, or will a fascist plot, accidental immaculate conception, and their hubris ruin the bitchin'est night of the year?

The Force Without Faces: Asian Culture And Its Invisible Role In Star Wars, Charlie Posrivisuthikool

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

M.A. ITP Thesis Paper Abstract:

This thesis paper – The Force without Faces - Asians Culture and Its Invisible Role in Star Wars – analyzes the relationship between George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and the works of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) and The Hidden Fortress (1958), along with Flash Gordon (1936). The Western idea of a borrowed culture plays a significant role in crafting one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood history. Following Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces and other theorists, George Lucas takes the audience on …

The Laramie Project, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2024-2025 Season Productions

No abstract provided.

40 Years Passing By In (A) “Heartbeat”, Christopher Janney

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

This article outlines the forty-year history go Christopher Janney’s iconic performance work “HeartBeat.” Trained as an architect and jazz musician, Janney combines these two disciplines to create large interactive light/sound installations and performances. On the one hand, he attempts to make architecture more like music, more “alive” using real-time sensing devices as on his “Harmonic Convergence” installation on the Miami International Airport. On the other hand, he attempts to make music more like architecture, more physical more visual. In his “HeartBeat” performance, a dancer wears a heartbeat device that amplifies his/her heartbeat in “real time.” Over this pulse, live musicians …

Yoga Sūtra Book Four And The Yogabindu, Christopher Key Chapple

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Four themes from the fourth pāda of Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra are examined here: karma (IV:2-13), individuality (IV:16), humility (IV:20-22), and freedom (IV:29-34). Affirmations and variant interpretations of these four are provided from Haribhadra Virahāṅka’s Yogabindu, most likely composed a century or two later.

Collective Karma: From The Yogasūtra To Taylor Swift, Zoë Slatoff

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

The Indian knowledge traditions speak at length about karma, which is divided into three categories—accumulated (saṃcita), ripe (prārabdha), and future (kriyamāṇa). While much is said about our individual karma and how it affects our repeated reincarnation in cyclic existence, how does this affect others and how do others affect us? In other words, as this paper explores, what is our reciprocal and collective karma?

Painting Liberation: A Visual Ontology Of The Interplay Of Mind And Consciousness In Book Four Of The Yoga Sūtras, Melissa Townsend

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

This presentation explores how artistic practice can illuminate philosophical questions about the nature of mind, consciousness, and liberation as articulated in Book Four of the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. Through a series of paintings that visually translate these sūtras, I propose that art offers a unique, experiential means of engaging with the complex relationship between citta (mind) and puruṣa (consciousness).

The paintings function as a form of “visual ontology,” inviting viewers to engage with abstract philosophical concepts in a sensory, tangible way. By depicting the interplay between the mutable processes of the mind and the unchanging awareness of consciousness, these …

Spatial Audio Studies, Kameron Neal, Movement Lab

Personal Work

Listen to Hi Song audio recording.

Public Projection | Window, Kameron Neal, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

No One Is Home, Ty M. Rea

Creative Writing Club - Playwriting/Screenwriting

No abstract provided.

In Between The House Light And The Sun Rise, Xinyi Zhang

Honors Theses

In Between the House Light and the Sun Rise is a research project that includes a 20-minute performance and a written thesis. The research uses the framework of relationality to explore the relationship between humans and houseplants. Although houseplants live in a human-constructed environment, they have their own influences on people and the space around them. Learning from the ways plants move through time and space and the connections plants make with each other and with other living and non-living things, this project aims to use movement to reimagine the way we think about time, space, and community. This project …

Tying The Goreum: Using Stanislavsky’S Concept Of Emotional Memory To Capture A Childhood, Susie Conte

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Goreum/Ties was a cross-cultural, multidisciplinary theatre project that explored memory, identity, and belonging. Developed during a residency at Incheon Art Platform in collaboration with Fremantle Arts Centre, the work marked my first return to Korea in 35 years. This journey allowed me to reconnect with my ten-year-old self and reassemble the fragments of memory into performance. Blending theatre, video, sound, and fabric as transformative media, the project engaged audiences in a tapestry of cultural perspectives that shape remembrance. I drew on Stanislavski’s concept of emotional memory to filter my childhood in South Korea into poetic reflection. My experiences as a …

Fat Feminists, Ami Trowell, Ami C. Trowell

Playwriting (MFA) Theses

This thesis presents the original play "Fat Feminists" alongside a critical reflection exploring the intersection between feminist theory and lived experience. The play depicts two friends confronting their 50th birthdays in a society that has historically valued them primarily for youth and beauty. Through their journey, the work examines how women navigate the terrain of aging in a culture that continues to prioritize female appearance despite decades of feminist progress.

The accompanying critical paper interrogates the disconnection between feminist theoretical ideals and everyday reality, drawing particularly on bell hooks' "Feminism is for Everybody" to frame the discussion. The paper traces …