Performance Studies Commons^™

An Exploration Of Self-Empowerment And Truthful Expression Through Movement And Rudolf Laban's Theory Of Effort, Morgan Raquel Sicklick

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

My ultimate goal in completing my Honors Thesis was to make a very personal discovery: to feel and see what it was like to become self-empowered and thus, give myself and others within the field of dance permission to engage in truthful expression. To accomplish this, I used Rudolf Laban's theory of Effort to explore, through movement, my "inner" and "outer" Effort life as well as created a large-scale choreographic work entitled "In the Moment of Not Knowing." Creating this work allowed me to project my own journey towards self-empowerment onto a universal, physical and artistic canvas, and evaluate the …

Performance As Therapy: An Intervention For Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Emily A. D'Annunzio

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The research thesis titled, “Performance as therapy: An intervention for adults with developmental disabilities” examined how adults with developmental disabilities (DD) respond to this specific dance/movement therapy intervention. It shows how this intervention method addresses the psychosocial goal of increasing interpersonal skills. The research took place at a day rehabilitation center, located in Chicago, IL. The co-researchers are participants of a day rehabilitation program, which offers creative arts therapies. The co-researchers are both male and female who range in age from 21 to 60. Caucasian, African American and Hispanic ethnic backgrounds are represented. Co-researchers have DD, which include diagnoses of …

Guys And Dolls: The Process Of Becoming Sky Masterson, Peter Colombatto

Theses

In order to satisfy the requirements for a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre from Lindenwood University, I was required to perform a leading role in a production. In addition to the rehearsal and performance process, I am required to submit a thesis paper to supplement my experience. My proposal to perform the role of Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls was accepted and the process began in the fall of 2012. Contrary to popular belief, Sky is a complex character that is more than just a typical leading male. Throughout the rehearsal process I was able to explore new …

Agravio: A Technical Direction Project, Erica Gwen King

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Theses, Student Research, and Creative Work

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) opened the Fall 2012 season in the Howell Theatre on October 04, 2012 with Agravio. My thesis project was the technical direction of Agravio. As the technical director, I took the designer’s ideas and made them a reality on stage. My responsibilities included organization, construction drawings, ordering supplies, problem solving, supervising build and the budgeting of time, people and money. In the course of this thesis I will discuss the process I took to assure the set would be built on time and under budget, …

Performance Of The Role Of Stanley Kowalski In Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, William Justin Walker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The truth in acting comes from living truthfully under imaginary circumstances. For partial fulfillment of my degree, I sought to bring this truth to the stage for the role of Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. In addition, I played the role of Reach in Lee Blessing's Down the Road.

Preserving Dance Forms In India Through Education And Performance: A Curriculum For Bollywood Dance, Kimberly Martin

Masters Theses

This project is a practical curriculum of Bollywood dance that can be used to assist in the preservation of dance forms in India through education and performance. The goal of this curriculum is to systematically equip dancers of all ages with the basic knowledge and experiences needed to excel as dancers and choreographers of Bollywood dance. This will be achieved through practical experience that is built from the basics of Bollywood dance and founded in classical tradition and theory as presented in Bharat Natyam. This curriculum is broken up into four sixteen-week semesters and covers a series of steps, basics …

An Exploration Of Moises Kaufman's 33 Variations Through Scenic Design, Ashley De Lys Harman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In partial fulfillment of a Master of Fine Arts degree, this thesis paper will document the scenic design process of Moises Kaufman's 33 Variations, performed at the University of Arkansas in September of 2012. This paper will map the collaborative journey taken by the design team, highlighting the dialogue between the scenic designer and director. It will also touch upon the construction and rehearsal process and how both contributed to the final design.

This thesis will attempt to answer the question: How do you create a fluid and evocative space for two separate, yet coexisting time periods joined through …

Fearless: V Rosenberger And Tori Reynolds, Veronica B. Rosenberger, Victoria J. Reynolds

SURGE

“Getting Out,” the compelling prison drama by Marsha Norman, is opening tonight at 7:30pm on Kline Theater at Gettysburg, and bringing this play to life are two very fearless women. [excerpt]

Performing Que(E)Ries, Charles Busch, James Wilson

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

Charles Busch, renowned New York performer, playwright, director, and drag extraordinaire, participated in the second iteration of this new CLAGS series in the Fall. He discussed his astonishing career in the theatre and on film, as well as the changes he has seen in LGBTQ performance over the last four decades in New York and beyond. The conversation was moderated by CLAGS Executive Director James Wilson.

Cape Town Performance Poetry: The Activist’S Pen Is Mighty, Kelsey Rae Brattin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Beginning with a look back to historical Xhosa oral traditions and then examining the role of performance poetry in resistance during Apartheid, this paper explores the existence of contemporary Cape Town performance poetry in a setting that has been a home to poets for centuries. Specifically, this project is a look into the space, mental and physical, that exists within Cape Town’s current performance poetry scene for themes of resistance and activism. Through the observation of public poetry performances in local bookstores and coffeehouse, and through interviews with poets and audience members, contemporary attitudes of writers and community members toward …

The Fight Master, Spring 2013, Vol. 35 Issue 1, The Society Of American Fight Directors

Fight Master Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Art Of Adaptation, Katharine E. Jordan

Honors Theses and Capstones

My honors thesis The Art of Adaptation discusses the process of adapting old stories and theatrical pieces for modern audiences through the exploration of various adaptations (theatrical, operatic, dance and film) of Euripides' Medea. It also touches on my own short, modern, adaptation; FURY: A Rock Musical Inspired by Medea. All of this research was important in making the performance aspect of my capstone the best it could be.

The Bollywood Item Number: From Mujra To Modern Day Ramifications, Avantika Saraogi

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis deals with the “item number” genre of Bollywood song and dance sequences. I argue that the item song has evolved from a combination of the historically rich culture of prostitution in old India and the western influence of modern times; and that it contributes highly to the male dominated patriarchal society perpetuated by Hindi films by means of the voyeuristic male gaze and objectification of the female body. In conjunction with this research I choreographed a dance called Item No. 3 that was performed in Scripps Dances 2013. A discussion of the significance and decisions behind the …

Fearless: Ratco, Center For Public Service

SURGE

If you haven’t noticed yet, we’ve had some really spectacular visitors from the south with us on Gettysburg’s campus the last few days! The Random Acts of Theater Company (RATCo) is a group that emerged from the Freedom Foundation in Denver, Colorado a few years ago. Their initiative involved using theater as a means for self-expression and communication, but RATCo spread because it was so successful and ultimately reached Selma, Alabama. Selma, although a major site for the Civil Rights movement, and also the site for the last battle of the civil war, has changed very little since the 1960s. …

Class Movements In The New South Africa: Post-Colonial Politics, Neocolonialism, And Mimicry In Pieter-Dirk Uys’S Macbeki A Farce To Be Reckoned With, J. Coplen Rose

Modern Languages and Literatures Annual Graduate Conference

This paper uses Homi Bhabha’s theory of colonial mimicry to analyze Pieter-Dirk Uys’s MacBeki: A Farce to be Reckoned With. In doing so I posit MacBeki is a colonial mimic, a character who comically imitates European gestures and language. MacBeki’s behaviour throughout the play highlights the dangers of greed and corruption in post-apartheid South Africa and encourages the play’s audience to respond with ridiculing laughter. My paper concludes by arguing that Uys’s play should be read as a hybrid text that draws on European dramatic styles and South African political events, staging a critical response to national uncertainties ahead …

Contemporary Theatre In Catalonia: A Story Of Creative Struggles, Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

The term “normalization” is typically employed within Catalan political and linguistic circles to refer to the process of recuperation, revival, and relegitimization of Catalan cultural and intellectual life that ensued following the period of the Franco dictatorship (1939-1975). Here, to be “normal” is to move from the periphery to the centre, to be regarded as valid rather than illicit, and to be visible and vociferous—even obvious and everyday—instead of obstructed, silenced, or relegated to the margins of exile, the recesses of memory, or the darkness of invisibility. The path along which the contemporary Catalan theatre scene has struggled to recover …

The Institute, Dereck Daschke

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of The Institute (2013) directed by Spencer McCall.

Virtually Heroes, Dereck Daschke

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Virtually Heroes (2013) directed by G. J. Echternkamp.

The “Carousel Effect” In Forensic Research, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Stephen M. Croucher

National Forensic Journal

Our purpose is to determine if an anecdotal pattern we have seen emerging at the National Communication Association (NCA) conference holds true. We have noticed that forensic panels at NCA, and specifically individual events (IE) panels, appear to revolve around similar themes. Scholars interested in IE issues may be repeating themselves. The result is a “carousel effect”: the papers/panels go round‘n‘round the same ideas. Our analysis identified two findings: (1) 25 research themes are evident in forensics and three themes comprise the focus of most of the research; (2) qualitative analysis showed repetition among the titles of forensic research. We …

Antidosis For A Forensics Life: An Isocratic Defense Of Modern Practices Of Competitive Forensics, Aaron Duncan

National Forensic Journal

The forensics community is under attack from inside and outside the coaching profession. It is important that we as coaches defend our practices and justify the value of the activity. Despite his prominence in his own time and his influence over the development of rhetoric, the work of Isocrates has not been utilized to craft a defense of forensics. Similar to the situation we face today, Isocrates also had to defend his practices as a teacher of rhetoric. Using his works Antidosis and Against the Sophist, I attempt to craft a defense for the practices of the modern forensics community.