Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

Hard Places, Garrett Zuercher

Theses and Dissertations

In rehab, Deaf alcoholic Tip endures an inane system of rules, a revolving door of inept interpreters, and terrible coffee, but he also finds a glimmer of human kindness on the perilous and lonely journey to sobriety.

Finding My Place In The Piazza: An Exploration Of Learning And Performing A Lead Role During A Pandemic, Emma Johnson

Honors Theses

The following thesis is a reflection of one student’s process as she learns a lead role in a musical amidst a global pandemic. The author begins with why she chose to be a performer and what has led her to this moment. She examines how significantly the pandemic has affected the performing arts job sector. The author explores her first exposure to the musical “The Light in the Piazza” and the role of Clara in a scenes program at the university which took place in the spring semester of 2021. The thesis then follows her journey through the abnormal virtual …

Hotel Paradiso, Office Of Arts + Cultural Programming, Peak Performances At Montclair State University

2021-2022 Join Us in Engaging with the Imaginations of Unparalleled Visionaries

Using clowning, acrobatics, magic, and improvisation, Familie Flöz makes its highly anticipated U.S. debut after delighting European audiences for more than 20 years with captivating theatrical experiences. Strange things happen in Hotel Paradiso, a comedic thriller chock full of eccentric characters including a pajama-wearing front-desk clerk, a kleptomaniacal maid, and a cook who chops up more than just pork. Set in a family-run Alpine resort, this fairy tale full of secrets is created by a Berlin-based troupe known worldwide for works that are “wordless and yet somehow so expressive, full of yearning and yet also filled with joy.” -The Guardian

Reclamation: The Crown Of African American Identity, Lindsey Kellogg

English MA Theses

African American voices have been the main sources of influence on society and culture. For this reason, it is important that African Americans speak up and reclaim their voices. Not only are their voices important, but the stories that lie behind the voices are what need to be amplified. With the application of postcolonial theory, this thesis takes modern stories located in North America depicting racist behavior towards African Americans from the year 1970 to present-day New York City in order to fully amplify the process of social struggle. As these narratives are passed down through generations serving as a …

Anωnymo, Office Of Arts + Cultural Programming, Peak Performances At Montclair State University

2022-2023 Artists Invoke the Powers of Community as They Bring Audiences Into Fiery, Mysterious, Illuminating Visions of Our World

Greek choreographer Tzeni Argyriou’s ANΩNYMO draws from traditional folk dances from all over the world to articulate the social disconnect that has become all too familiar in recent times. The result is a celebration of human connection and shared joy. A journey back to a time when art was not something created by particular, named individuals but a practice that brought people – and kept communities – together. ANΩNYMO observes our lives through collective body memory, the experience of passing traditional dances on, and their complete transformation into a contemporary movement idiom.

Meet And Run, Gia M. Binner

Theses and Dissertations

A defense for Gia Binner’s MFA Thesis, Meet and Run, argues that accessible art, known in this paper as commercial dance, is a meaningful vehicle for social change and that it has the ability to dismantle the outdated, European concert dance dominance by modeling the interdependency of both worlds.

Letters To Medusa, Maiya Redding

Theses and Dissertations

This context paper for the MFA thesis dance film Letters to Medusa connects the mythology of Medusa as a narrative of trauma. Engaging #metoo and Micaela Coel’s I May Destroy You and Misfits, Redding discusses the power of art to serve as a vehicle for healing and forgiveness.

Sandstorm Spring 2022, Leslie Malland

Sandstorm: A Journal of Arts and Letters

Full Manuscript

Theater As National Memorial: How Angels In America Remembers, Alice Endo

Theatre and Dance Honors Projects

Applying a framework of audience experience and scenographic analysis, this paper explores the connections between public memorials and performance. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. uses scenography to present itself as a “linking object,” gaining its meaning through audience projection. Millennium Approaches—part one of Tony Kushner’s two-part epic Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes—produced at Macalester College in 2021, also functions as a public memorial. Its scenography situates the play in a heightened, and specifically American, space and time. It becomes a receptacle for audience memory, reconstructs that memory, and ultimately reconstructs ideas of …

Steadfast: Connections Fostered Through Dance, Lily Mckenzie

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Steadfast is an expression of dance as an emotional and spiritual experience, as well as an exploration of the deep connections that may be fostered through the art form of dance. My personal experience, which will function as inspiration for this choreographic piece and performance, has led me to see dance as a means to connect with God when used as worship and a way to connect with other people and form meaningful relationships. Through the production and execution of this performing art, I hope to explore and experience these aspects of dance as well as my own personal journey. …

Reflections: Battling Body Image As A Dancer, Erika Shaffer

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Reflections is a dance I choreographed and performed on February 25, 2022 in studio 205 Campus Center Building at East Tennessee State University. The dance explores the relationship between a dancer’s mind and body and uses mirrors and repetition to express the dancers’ perception of their flaws and insecurities. The following thesis, Reflections: Battling Body Image as a Dancer, analyzes the artistic elements of the choreographic process, my experiences as a dance student at ETSU from 2018-2022, as well as my training in my youth. My research for this thesis involves exploring the history and craft of choreography including the …

Metal-Ish: An Analysis Of Heavy Metal And Jazz Fusion By Guitarist Adam Rogers, Malachi A. Million

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

Adam Rogers is a critically recognized guitarist known for his exceptional performances in jazz and other musical styles. Rogers has enjoyed a substantial career as a jazz ensemble leader, a sideman for other jazz ensembles, and a studio musician for jazz and non-jazz albums. Rogers’s discography includes five albums as a leader, four as co-leader, and over two hundred as a sideman. Rogers’s most recent album as leader, DICE (2017), is focused on music written for an ensemble of electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums that blends jazz with other styles such as funk, rock, R&B, blues, country, and heavy …

Methods In Costume And Projection Design For Theatre, Jessica Wallace

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A report detailing multiple practices for theatre design in costumes and projection. It is focused on playscript analysis, the design process, and the final build of the design for production.

The Shape Of Things: A Theatrical Examination Of The Progression Of Emotional Manipulation, Kylee Lorio

Honors Projects

In Neil LaBute's work, The Shape of Things, graduate art student Evelyn Thompson meets security guard and future muse, Adam Sorenson, in an art museum during his late-night shift. Their meeting poses the question of just how far humans are willing to go for love. In less than two hours, LaBute’s insight regarding manipulation between intimate partners calls the integrity of our own interpersonal relationships into question. This project encapsulates the materials of Bridgewater College student Kylee Lorio while directing this production during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Spaces Of The Tragic: Modern Dramatic Tragedy And Contemporary Memorial Design, Shiloh Bemis

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Humans use narrative to understand the world around us. At early ages we are exposed to storytelling with variable intent, from cautionary tales to the inspirational and everything in between. The dialectic strength of narrative mediums is well-known and well-studied. Theatre is one of the world’s oldest enduring forms of storytelling and has a strong ability to reflect and adapt with cultures as they develop, as a means of commentary and cultural reflection.

Architecture shares theatre’s ancient roots and has always been an important method of communication and expression. However, its tactics have historically been less narrative-centric than theatre and …

Federal Funding For The Arts & Developmental Success In Western Nations, Sophia Ciokajlo

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Culture is undeniably a vital part of any society. To preserve and develop their culture, a majority of modern states allocate some part of their annual expenditure to the arts. The amount of money and system through which it is distributed varies from country to country, but the principle remains the same. Not only do countries value the contribution of culture to their common well-being, but it is also widely accepted that participation in the arts, as a performer or viewer, holds benefit for the individual. All of this considered, I sought to investigate whether or not the size of …

Selected Projects In Scenic Design, Sera Shearer

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

A selection of scenic design projects completed in fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in scenic design at Utah State University.

Tap Dance As A Nonverbal Language For Autism Spectrum Disorder, J Sydney Rhane Burtis

Honors College Theses

Through elements of sound and movement, tap dance employs rhythm as a universal language for nonverbal communication through the medium of music. Through three distinct but related elements, (a literature review, an artist’s statement, and a performance piece), this thesis will explore tap dance as a form of nonverbal language. For individuals with autism spectrum disorder, tap dance may help to achieve further attunement with themselves and the outside world. Due to autistic people’s impaired communicative, interactional, and skilled abilities, experiencing the relationships formed through tap dance may facilitate improvement. The literature review begins with a brief definition of nonverbal …

Creating Controversy: An In-Depth Look At The Creation Of Redux, Alexandria Miles

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis will provide a detailed account of the process by which Redux, a devised play produced by The Radical Buffoons, was created. I will explain how I developed various original characters as well as the acting choices I made along the way. I will shed light on the social climate that inspired this piece and the historical implications that influenced our work. Redux was performed on January 28^th, 30^th, 31^st, and February 4^th, 6^th, and 7^th of 2022 at The Hotel Peter Paul in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Directing A Contemporary Deconstruction Of A Chekhov Play, Margaret Anne Tonra

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

When examining Stupid Fucking Bird, it is important to recognize that it is a deconstructed adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull. Aaron Posner’s, Stupid Fucking Bird, shakes up Chekhov’s old form with something new and, perhaps, more relevant than its original form. The thesis includes a detailed analysis of the production process and post-production analysis of Stupid Fucking Bird written by Aaron Posner and directed by Margaret Tonra at UNO, October 2021-February 2022.