Digital Commons Network^™

Telegraph Valley Performance, Installation, And Animation, La Samuelson, Movement Lab

Personal Work

"My fellowship project culminated in a 10 month exhibition and a series of 5 performances in Miami, presented by Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, the National Performance Network, with support from the RISD Movement Lab and Foundation for Contemporary Arts. The work was also included in Miami Art Week - 2025." – LA Samuelson

What Year Is It?, Kameron Neal, Movement Lab

Personal Work

No abstract provided.

Surveillance Studies, Kameron Neal, Movement Lab

Personal Work

No abstract provided.

Stereoscope Studies, Kameron Neal, Movement Lab

Personal Work

No abstract provided.

Public Projection | Found Footage, Kameron Neal, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

Public Projection | Typography, Kameron Neal, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

Rheology, Kameron Neal, Movement Lab

Personal Work

No abstract provided.

Black Bodies On American Stages, Gabrielle Burton

Honors College Theses

The following study explores the character types that have been historically available to Black actors in American theatre and how that representation enforced, resisted, or ignored stereotypes. To examine the impact of those roles on the performers who played them, I examine the documented approaches Black actors have taken to embody their characters, as well as my own evolving process used to portray the eight characters I have inhabited in my personal college performance career at Georgia Southern University. This research and retrospective analysis reveal that while a lazy or performative indifference leads to harm, color-conscious inclusion, challenging conversations, and …

Unveiling The Wilis: Exploring Giselle's Slavic Folkloric Origins And The Ramifications Of Essentialized Femininity, Antonia R. Dougherty

Dance (MFA) Theses

Jules Perrot and Jean Coralli’s choreography of Giselle’s wilis continues to influence the essentialized femininity in Ballet Blanc. The folkloric víla origins of the wilis create a direct contradiction to the archetypal ballet woman. The celebrated story of Ballet Blanc’s Giselle conflates the Slavic origins and wili characteristics, while simultaneously abandoning key characteristics of the Slavic víla. Antonia Dougherty’s thesis endeavors to unify these distinct components of the víla and their symbology so that a gender critical analysis of the essentialized femininity of Ballet Blanc’s Giselle may be explored. Perrot and Coralli used the Slavic folkloric víla origins …

Mapping Entanglements: Un-Nesting The Myths Of My White Identity, Kayla C. Brown

Dance (MFA) Theses

This braided research-performance thesis uses personal narrative, critical theory, and live performance to investigate how whiteness is sustained and embodied. Grounded in the work of bell hooks, Ibram X. Kendi, Tema Okun, Diana Taylor, Catrice M. Jackson, Miguel Gutierrez, and Narcissister, I interrogate whiteness not as a static identity, but as a system of power that shapes perception, behavior, and social value. As a cisgender white woman, I move through the world with unearned ease—my presence normalized, my advantages often unquestioned.

Identity is performance—layered, like the Russian nesting dolls I once played with at my grandmother’s house. Peeling back these …

Echoes Before Language: A Written Thesis On Movement, Origin, And Becoming, Shadidja Parker

Dance (MFA) Theses

This thesis presents a body-based, lineage-informed approach to movement development into dance, honoring both scientific and spiritual knowledge systems. It engages in a blend of qualitative, embodied, and autoethnographic methods—including dance studies, developmental science, phenomenology, and cultural analysis—to examine how movement emerges, evolves, and carries meaning. Grounded in my lived experience as a dancer, mother, and Black woman, this research frames the body as both a site and source of knowledge. I use my own body as an instrument of movement, memory, and identity, positioning my embodiment as a form of inquiry. The thesis is organized in two parts: a …

Raíces De Esperanza: The Omnipresence Of Female Ancestors As Guides Through Nepantla, Fabiola Sanchez Huidobro

Dance (MFA) Theses

This thesis investigates the intertwined threads of generational rage and grief experienced by a first-generation individual navigating the emotional and spiritual landscape shaped by their ancestry and migration. Furthermore, this work examines how emotional and spiritual inheritances intersect with the author’s cultural subconscious, facilitating a deeper understanding of the complexities of being caught between two worlds: Mexico, the origin of their roots, and the United States, the land of their birth. Through personal stories and cultural reflections, this piece aims to investigate the profound ways in which matrilineal inheritances help guide the author through the transitional space of Nepantla. Nepantla …

Stage Exit, Grady Munroe

LMU Theatre Arts Annual New Works Festival

An acting class struggles to free themselves from the room they are trapped in. Stage Exit is about the absurdity and horrors of being a student of theatre.

The Shifting Power Dynamic: How The Director’S Role Redefined Collaboration With Playwrights, Riley K. Mcconnell

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The Shifting Power Dynamic: How the Director’s Role Redefined Collaboration with Playwrights

Riley McConnell

For much of theatre history, playwrights held primary authority over productions, shaping not only the script but also the staging and interpretation of their work. As theatrical production became more complex during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however, the role of the director emerged as a central creative force. This essay explores how the development of the modern director transformed the collaborative relationship between playwrights and directors.  By examining the historical rise of directing, influential collaborations such as that between Anton Chekhov and Konstantin Stanislavski, and …

The Right Way To Go Wrong: A Reflection, Peter A. Graham

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis documents my personal experience acting in Pomona College’s Fall 2024 production of The Play That Goes Wrong. I begin with an artist statement – a poem explaining the reasons why I act. The paper then moves into a general overview of the project, including my past training and future goals. The next section, which is the bulk of the material, contains chronological evidence of the production from start to finish and focuses on my attempt to find precise physicality. I finish with thoughts about the result as well as general reflections on how the process has shaped …

เพี้ยวโลกกับอุ๊ยมอมแมม : การพัฒนาการแสดงละครเล่าเรื่องเพื่อนําเสนอประเด็นปัญหาสิ่งแวดล้อมสําหรับผู้ชมปฐมวัย, พรธิดา ผลดี

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิจัยชิ้นนี้เป็นงานวิจัยเชิงสร้างสรรค์ในแบบวิจัยปฏิบัติการ (Practice Research) ทางศิลปะการละคร มีวัตถุประสงค์ คือ (1) เพื่อศึกษาหลักและเทคนิคในการแสดงละครเล่าเรื่อง ของพอล ซิลส์ และเกมละคร ของไวโอลา สโปลิน และ (2) เพื่อสร้างสรรค์การแสดงละครเล่าเรื่องเพื่อนำเสนอประเด็นปัญหาสิ่งแวดล้อมสำหรับผู้ชมปฐมวัยเรื่อง เพี้ยวโลกกับอุ๊ยมอมแมม ผู้วิจัยออกแบบการแสดงและเป็นนักแสดง ศึกษาแนวคิดละครเล่าเรื่อง นิทานภาพเกี่ยวกับภาวะโลกร้อน เพื่อออกแบบการแสดงละครสำหรับเด็กปฐมวัยอายุ 4-6 ปี เน้นการมีส่วนร่วมของผู้ชม ฝึกฝนการแสดงด้นสดและเกมละคร เพื่อพัฒนาทักษะการด้นสด การมีสมาธิ และการทำงานร่วมกันเป็นกลุ่ม ผู้วิจัยจัดการแสดง 2 รอบในห้องเรียน และจัดการสนทนากลุ่มกับผู้เชี่ยวชาญและครูเพื่อประเมินผล ผู้วิจัยค้นพบรูปแบบการแสดงที่มีลักษณะเฉพาะ คือ “เล่า-นำ-เล่น-เป็นตัวละคร สะท้อนประเด็นสิ่งแวดล้อม” รวมถึงพบว่าระหว่างการแสดงต้องพัฒนาทักษะการฟัง การสังเกต และด้นสด เนื่องจากละครเล่าเรื่องแบบมีส่วนร่วม ดึงดูดความสนใจของผู้ชมปฐมวัยผ่านอุปกรณ์การแสดง เพื่อให้ผู้ชมเรียนรู้ผ่านการลงมือทำ ทั้งยังได้องค์ความรู้ว่า การสื่อสารประเด็นสิ่งแวดล้อมแก่เด็กปฐมวัยให้สัมฤทธิผล โครงเรื่องต้องเข้าใจง่าย เชื่อมโยงกับประสบการณ์ตรง และนักแสดงต้องมีสมาธิ ไหวพริบ และความเป็นมิตร เพื่อสร้างบรรยากาศการเรียนรู้ที่สนุกสนานและเป็นธรรมชาติ

In The Wake Of Change, Kelly Nichole Clair

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

My senior project, In the Wake of Change, is a creative work which I choreographed and presented at the American College Dance Association, the EMU Undergraduate Research Symposium, and the EMU Dance Program student concert, “Crossroads.” The goal for this work was to present my explorations with choreographic methods such as repetition, movement based off the letters of words, and matching musical phrases with movement phrases, on as many stages as possible. I will dive into detail regarding my process, choices, and the piece’s narrative. I will describe the choreography process of the piece and the symbolism behind certain sections, …

Performance Assemblages | Wintersession 2025 Syllabus, La Samuelson, Movement Lab

Course Materials & Research

In this course, we will make solo and collaborative performance works. We will approach performance as the project of creating new contexts for interrelation–between beings, material, matter, the known, and the unknown–that allow both the performer and the viewer to learn and/or experience something we otherwise would not have access to. In other words, the work of this class is the work of listening in the direction of something you can’t quite yet hear, and taking the time to figure out: where you might stand, what device you might invent, what you might wear, and how you might work with …

Performance Assemblages | Research, La Samuelson, Movement Lab

Course Materials & Research

No abstract provided.

The Wild Dark Or, La Oscuridad Salvaje: Illuminating Identity Through Failure, Worley B. Gierhart

Undergraduate Theses

This thesis, "The Wild Dark or, La oscuridad salvaje: Illuminating Identity Through Failure," explores how the narrative power of darkness can serve as a catalyst for profound self-discovery, particularly in the aftermath of significant failure. Drawing upon literary analysis and the author's personal experience of shifting academic paths, the study examines how confronting metaphorical darkness allows for a critical rebuilding of identity and self-concept. The play referenced in the title, "The Wild Dark or, La oscuridad salvaje," serves as a central point of analysis, investigating the interplay of theme, setting, and scenario in depicting this transformative process. By engaging with …

Expanding Education Skills: Case Study And Content Creation For Theatre Educators At Um, Ren E. Shepherd

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

A love of theatre does not spring into the hearts of people from thin air. It is not something given by the universe, but something cultivated through years of going to performances, researching late at night, and the guidance of theatre educators. Despite the influence of Theatre Educators, they are largely overlooked when considering theatre professionals and their training. This lack of oversight is a nation-wide issue, but by focusing on just the University of Montana, there is a chance for greater understanding and change at a local community level. By employing academic research, surveys of UM faculty and students, …

The Dying Swan: How To Predict And Evaluate The Survival Rate And Longevity Of Small Dance Companies In The United States, Evemarie N. Bessenbach

Theses and Dissertations--Arts Administration

Smaller dance organizations are an integral component of the arts and culture sector in the United States, making valuable artistic, economic, and social contributions despite limited resources. They provide employment for professional artists, contribute to a region’s economic vitality, and increase accessibility to quality arts-related programming. However, there are numerous professional dance companies that have permanently closed these past ten years alone, such as Dance Theatre of Tennessee, Ballet Theatre of Indiana, and Missouri Ballet Theatre, to just name a few—all of which can be considered smaller dance organizations.

The purpose of this interdisciplinary, exploratory study is to address the …

Stop Suffering For Your Art, Amanda Bryers

Theses and Dissertations

What does the process look like for an actor to disconnect from a circumstance that they take on during the course of a rehearsal or performance? And how does this disconnection process affect the actor’s mental, physical, and emotional health? This project consists of interviews of CSU student actors about their personal experiences in letting go of imaginary circumstances immediately following a performance, rehearsal, or actor’s exercise. The purpose of this project is to determine whether or not actor’s training provides sufficient tools for an actor to disconnect. Interviewees detailed their own personal methods, as well as whether or not …

The Analysis Of The Shonen Protagonist And Aragoto Warrior: The Eternal Strength Of Boyhood, Ethan J. Mcentyre

Theses and Dissertations

This paper is a breakdown of various visual and narrative elements of Kabuki and Anime, using the example of Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura, and One Piece. There is a broad overview of both Kabuki and Anime discussing their various tropes and styles. Following this introduction is a three-part breakdown of One Piece and its similarities to Kabuki theatre, with Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura as the reference point for specific examples.

The three-part comparison is structured by first discussing surface level similarities and potential coincidences unique to these two stories in conversation with each other, by looking at a few specific …

The Nutbush Dance Reframed: Further Analysis Related To ‘Doing The Nutbush’, Jon Stratton, Panizza Allmark

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article supplements our earlier article on the Nutbush dance, ‘Doing the Nutbush’. After that was published, there was a media frenzy which resulted in many comments on The Guardian site and on the ABC Facebook site. We also received a number of emails. All these contributions have helped fine-tune the history of the dance that we have been examining. Two key things became clear. Around 1970 there was a push in state education departments across Australia to substitute the American line dance, the Madison, for bush dances as a way of updating and making more relevant dance for primary …

Doing The Nutbush: How Australia Got Its Very Own Line Dance, Panizza Allmark, Jon Stratton

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The Nutbush dance is unique to Australia. It is danced to the Ike and Tina Turner track Nutbush City Limits released in 1973. It is a line dance. Anybody can join the line. This article explores the history and reception of the Nutbush. The Nutbush seems have been developed around 1975 in Sydney as a part of modernizing the physical education and creative arts curricula for state primary and secondary schools. The Nutbush is relatively simple and is danced on the beat, a characteristic of dancing to rock music. Nutbush City Limits has a driving beat. This is no doubt …

Theatre Education At The University Of Montana: Providing Innovative Solutions To A Complex Problem, Natalie Renk

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper is part of a larger project that aims to provide solutions to assimilate the University of Montana’s theatre education program with those across the United States by providing budget conscious innovations. The focus of this paper will be the creation of two methods courses: THTR 438: Content for Secondary Theatre Education and THTR 439: Skills for Theatre Education, this paper discussing the former. The latter was designed by my research partner, Ren Shepherd. This course would offer comprehensive coverage of theatre practitioners, both historical and modern theatrical texts, hands on design and budgeting experience, as well as teaching …

Directing The Temperamentals: Exploring Identity, Activism, And Historical Resonance In Lgbtq+ Theater, Eric E. Parrish

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis presents an in-depth analysis and directorial approach to Jon Marans' play, The Temperamentals, which dramatizes the early struggles of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in 1950s America. The production focuses on the personal and political dynamics surrounding the formation of the Mattachine Society, one of the first sustained gay rights organizations in the United States, through the lives of its co-founders, Harry Hay and Rudi Gernreich. This analysis explores the relevance of the plays' themes in the contemporary socio-political landscape by exploring the interaction of personal identity, societal repression, and collective activism depicted in the play. These chapters detail …

“Windows For Witness: Dan Fishback’S Radical Access”, Alexandra Juhasz

Publications and Research

Dan Fishback’s Jewish crip aesthetic – art made within a framework of integrated access – is rooted in the human (or Jewish!) capacity to be generous and so much more. He expands our understandings of who is in the room, who is in the world, who is in our community, who lives at the same time as us but in a different way. This connection in his show between chronic illness and Palestine is not only about alienation it is about identification and solidarity.

Public Projection | What Is Public?, Kameron Neal, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.