Performance Studies Commons^™

Should We Straighten Up? Exploring The Responsibilities Of Actor Training For Lgbtq Students, Matthew B. Ferrell

Theses and Dissertations

Gay actors have a long history with the notion of “straightening up” to remain castable and economically feasible in today’s market. Searching to find answers for young acting students while strengthening their own self worth, I will explore the history of gay actors in film, television and theatre and in society to understand this notion more fully. By interviewing working actors and managers in the business I will explore how I can address this question of “straightening up” to the future generation of actors and analyze how we can face the future with integrity and self-respect.

The Business Of Theatre: How Creativity, Collaboration, And Communication Infiltrate 'The Real World', Caroline Hale

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Too often ridiculed as a “dying art”, theatre endures a ceaseless struggle for validity among educators, employers, and citizens alike. However, the skills garnered by performers, technicians, and designers through theatrical education span far beyond the final curtain, and are significantly more relevant and impactful than we think.

A theatre education means learning about the human condition, communication, gaining self-confidence, expressing creativity, problem solving, and thinking on your feet. In addition, drama techniques have been enormously effective in improving self-esteem and building community. A theatre education is a highly successful catalyst for the development of a “soft skill set.” Because …

Intimate Apparel

Theatre Programs

INTIMATE APPAREL by Lynn Nottage
Directed by Dr. Jaye Austin Williams

Drama: In this brilliantly crafted portrait of turn-of-the-last-century New York, Nottage gives us a story about desire and common sense, of pleasure and pain, of resilience and fragility, and above all the unlikely triumph of the human spirit. True to its title, Intimate Apparel presents a story that is both delicate and eloquent. Winner of the 2004 New York Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle Awards and Sternberg New Play Award.

Waltmar Theatre
7:30pm – Dec. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, & 10
2:00pm – Dec. 3 & 10 …

Acting Is Repetition, Job Barnett

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

A short discussion of repetition in acting.

Transforming Body, Angelina Prendergast

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This is a reflection about the use of balls for body therapy.

Giant, School Of Theatre Arts

All Production Programs

IWU School of Theatre Arts musical production of Giant by Sybille Pearson, music and lyrics by Michael John Lachiusa.

Research And Study Of Fashion And Costume History Spanning From Ancient Egypt To Modern Day, Kaitlyn E. Dennis Miss

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Through a generous donation to Morehead State University, research has been conducted on thousands of slides containing images of artwork and artifacts of historical significance. These images span from Egyptian hieroglyphs to the inaugural dress of every first lady of the United States. The slides are in the process of being recorded and catalogued for future use by students in hopes of furthering academic comprehension and awareness of the influence of fashion and costume history through the ages. Special thanks to the family of Gretel Geist Rutledge, faculty mentor Denise Watkins, as well as the Department of Music, Theatre, and …

Analysis Of The Foreigner, Hannah Matias

Honors Theses

In my senior year at Western Michigan University, I had the privilege of portraying Catherine Simms of the university’s production of The Foreigner. I was never been more excited to play a role in my entire life. For me, this is where the rubber met the road. I have trained for four years in the acting program and I was more than ready to apply the skills I have attained in this performance. I did extensive bookwork for this character. From doing research, to creating a biography, finding out Catherine’s objectives, and so on, my bookwork is definitely a sight …

Good Kids And Dog Sees God: Confessions Of A Teenage Blockhead

Theatre Programs

Good Kids by Naomi Iizuka
Directed by James Gardner

Drama, adult language: Something happened to Chloe after that party last Saturday night. Something she says she can’t remember. Something everybody is talking about. Set at a Mid-western high school, in a world of Facebook and Twitter, smartphones and YouTube, Good Kids explores a casual sexual encounter gone wrong and its very public aftermath. Who’s telling the truth? Whose version of the story do you believe? And what does that say about you?

Studio Theatre, Moulton Hall, Room 149
October 11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 21, 22

To view photos from …

Friends Of Musselman Library Newsletter Fall 2016, Musselman Library

Friends of Musselman Library Newsletter

From the Dean (Robin Wagner)

Library Exhibits

GettDigital: Sports Reels

Research Reflections: The Gettysburg Superstar (Devin McKinney)

Remembering 9/12

Will Power: 400 Years After the Bard

Treasure Island (Robin Wagner)

Margin of Error

A Call to Activism in the Summer of '65 (Richard Hutch '67)

Digital Scholarship: The New Frontier (Julia Wall '19, Lauren White '18, Keira Koch '19)

Scrapbooks and Photo Albums: Snapshots of History (Clara A. Baker '30)

Soldiers' Scrapbooks (Laura Bergin '17)

A Book of Dreams (Alexa Schreier)

Who Do You Think You Are? (Timothy Shannon)

From Professor-Student to Collaborators (Jesse Siegel '16)

The Mysterious Easel Monument …

The Fight Master, Fall 2016, Vol. 38 Issue 2, The Society Of American Fight Directors

Fight Master Magazine

No abstract provided.

Superiority In Humor Theory, Sheila Lintott

Faculty Journal Articles

In this article, I consider the standard interpretation of the superiority theory of humor attributed to Plato, Aristotle, and Hobbes, according to which the theory allegedly places feelings of superiority at the center of humor and comic amusement. The view that feelings of superiority are at the heart of all comic amusement is wildly implausible. Therefore textual evidence for the interpretation of Plato, Aristotle, or Hobbes as offering the superiority theory as an essentialist theory of humor is worth careful consideration. Through textual analysis I argue that not one of these three philosophers defends an essentialist theory of comic amusement. …

Rhetoric And Performing Anger : Proserpina's Gift And Chaucer's Merchant's Tale., Joseph Turner

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Although scholars have historically minimized the relationship between medieval grammatical and rhetorical traditions and Chaucer's poetics, Proserpina's angry speech in the Merchant's Tale represents the intersection of medieval classroom grammar exercises, Geoffrey of Vinsauf's theory of delivery, and poetics. Proserpina's angry speech reveals that her rhetoric is calculated to subvert the masculine power structures that surround her. Such a focus on Chaucer's depiction of women's persuasive tactics helps to highlight Chaucer's deep engagement with rhetoric beginning in the 1380's. Moreover, this investigation asks for increased attention to the overlap between classroom grammatical traditions, rhetorical theory, and medieval poetics.

Introduction To "Early Modern To Postmodern Shakespeares: Three Approaches To Staging Romeo And Juliet", Ann M. Shanahan, Anne Fliotsos

Department of Fine & Performing Arts: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Performing El Rap El ʿArabi 2005-2015: Feeling Politics Amid Neoliberal Incursions In Ramallah, Amman, And Beirut, Rayya S. El Zein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study is about politics in Arabic rap. Specifically, it is about affective dynamics and material negotiations during rap concerts in three cities in the Levant. I analyze Arab hip hop culture in the context of three different but related histories of cosmopolitan, middle class growth, and gentrification. Using an ethnomusicological framework rooted in participant observation and performance theory, I compare concert conditions, audience behavior, and accessibility of music production in Ramallah, Amman, and Beirut.

In Chapter One, I elaborate the discursive and theoretical frameworks that have pinned the political valences of Arab youth, Arab artists, and Arab rappers in …

Steps In Time: An Exploration Of Tap Dance Education, Sara Pecina

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Tap dance is an indigenous American art form that not only holds a valuable presence in the world of entertainment but also boasts an important historical background. From the slave quarters on plantations to Hollywood’s silver screen, the development of tap dance mirrors the story of American history. Tap dance must be preserved because of its cultural significance in American history; likewise, it is imperative for dancers to understand its development in order to appreciate the art and for today’s artists to continue the growth and presence of tap dance in America. However, many dance educators today focus solely on …

Negotiating Resistance With The Character G In Naomi Izuka’S Polaroid Stories., Konrad Ormand Davis Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will analyze my portrayal of G (Zeus) in Polaroid Stories by Naomi Iizuka through my psychological journey as an actor. In my investigation of G, I will discuss the specific techniques used to create my performance in Polaroid Stories, which include influences from my Commedia, Improv, and ensemble training. I will examine the connection these tools acquired during my candidacy at the University of Louisville as well as real-life experiences that shaped my professional development as an artist and performer. In this thesis you will discover the influence of my early youth, my blackness, the artistic technique, …

Tapez Le Tam-Tam And The People Will Come: A Study Of Theater For Social Justice In Kaolack, Senegal, Emily Schwerdtfeger

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of theater to create social change and raise awareness of social issues as used by the troupe Bamtaare in Kaolack, Senegal. Further study was done to determine why theater was successful and whether this type of theater can be implemented in the United States. I spent four weeks in Kaolack working with the troupe to understand their methods. While in Kaolack, I observed rehearsals and performances, conducted interview with actors and audience members, and reviewed relevant literature. My research showed that Bamtaare’s performances in urban neighborhoods and rural villages did …

Theatres Of Reality, Fiction, And Temporality: Vegard Vinge And Ida Müller’S Ibsen-Saga (2006 - 2015), Andrew L. Friedman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines the influence of modernist aesthetics and ideologies on contemporary, European and U.S. experimental theatre. I argue that modernist and contemporary experimental theatres offer competing notions of reality, fiction, and temporality, which I interrogate through Vegard Vinge and Ida Müller’s Ibsen-Saga. I illuminate this tension by reading current modes of performance against the Saga’s productions and work practices, as well as their aesthetic and ideological foundation in three modernist sources: the artificiality of Ibsen’s realism, the utopianism and totality of Richard Wagner’s Gesamtkunstwerk, and the temporal provocations of the historical avant-gardes. I contend that the …

How To Be A Misanthrope: Creating The Title Role In Moliere’S The Misanthrope, David Cleveland Brown

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents my research, rehearsal, and performance of the role of Alceste in Moliere’s The Misanthrope, which includes, a biography of Moliere, character analysis, role development, a rehearsal journal, character research, acting process, evaluation of my performance, and script analysis. The Misanthrope was produced by the UNO Department of Film and Theatre, under the direction of David W. Hoover. The play was performed in the Robert E. Nims Theatre of the Performing Arts Center September 17 - 19, 24 - 26 at 7:30pm, and September 27, 2015 at 2:30pm.