Digital Commons Network^™

The Mystification Of Gender Affirmation: Galathea, Gender, And Fantasy, Jubilee W. Finnegan

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

John Lyly's Galatea centers the role that gender expression plays in both communal interactions and interpersonal relationships. I argue that the way in which Galatea and Phillida present themselves within the play parallels the modern interpretation of transgender theory as outlined by Judith Butler. The actions that the two take are in service of manufacturing the kind of gender expression that breaks from conventional norms. While still rooted within fundamentalist dynamics, Lyly breaks free of bioessentialist understandings of gender in favor of a more liberating approach.

Red Curtain Rivalry, Amy Lytle

Playwriting (MFA) Theses

Two community theaters in the same city are accidentally putting on the same musical at the same time due to a publishing company's error. The members of the dueling troupes have to untangle the mess--the show must go on, of course! Between big misunderstandings, a few shenanigans (or hijinks, as some may say), and a lot of lessons learned, watch as each company battles to win the Red Curtain Rivalry and prove themselves the best production of "A Doll's House: The Musical!" that the community theatre community has ever seen.

Direction Of The Play: "A Wrinkle In Time", Kaitlin Webster

All Graduate Projects

This paper details the research, process, and production of a theatrical work in fulfillment of the requirements of the Master in Theater Production. The production central to this piece is a high school performance of the play A Wrinkle In Time by Morgan Gould. Section 1 outlines the pre-production parameters and play selection. Section 2 deeply analyzes the story, setting, and production design. Beyond script analysis, this section contains a lot of research connected to the original book by Madeleine L’Engle, initially published in 1962. This production was set in 1960. Much research is focused on the historical context and …

Love And Solitude In Latin America: An Actor’S Take, Performing Graciela In Diatriba De Amor Para Un Hombre Sentado By Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Claudia C. Sevilla

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this thesis I take a journey through twentieth century Latin America through inhabiting the role of Graciela created by the late great Gabriel Garcia Marquez in his only work of theatre. Through detailed historical research I explore human topics such as marriage and isolation embodied in Graciela that in a sense mirror a people and a continent. The challenges of producing a play with no budget or partners and the freedoms and constraints of performing a one-person show, which included an audience that does not speak the language the play is written in. How does an actor adapt to …

Stage Clutter: An Interactive Journey Following A Theater’S Existential Ponderings, Taylor Tsiamas

Scripps Senior Theses

“Stage Clutter” is a devised, interactive theater piece that focuses on accessibility in theater, as well as questioning what theater is by deconstructing the divide between the “audience” and “performer”. The event consisted of audience participation and exploration, as well as solo performance and puppetry, along with other accessibility features. It aims to center community and joy and subvert Western theatrical “norms” in order to help decolonize theater spaces.

The Merit Of Adaptation: An Exploration Of Adaptation In Regard To Sophocles’ Theban Plays And The Role Of Antigone Within The Story, Hogan T. Holt

Theses and Dissertations

The creation of an adaptation is extremely challenging and time-consuming, but with the right tools and inspiration, that task of creation can be eased. By looking at three different adaptations of the Theban plays, the goal of creating a new adaptation of this series of plays can be achieved. At the same time, this adaptation can achieve a goal of highlighting an important character from the original set of plays, Antigone, and give her a role that elevates her to the main protagonist across all three plays, thus allowing the Theban plays to become a more feminine piece that works …

Does It Sound Like I'M Talking?, Justin E. Borak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his stage name, Molière, was widely known as one of the greatest writers in France. His biting satirical thoughts on French hypocrisy, as well as the brilliance in his verse, will be investigated through one of his most popular plays, The Misanthrope. Throughout these pages, I will explore this by diving into the character of Philinte, the trusted best friend of Alceste, the misanthrope, and take a deeper look into the empathetic character who is desperately trying to walk the line of truth and bootlicking. I will accomplish this by researching Molière himself, his specific …

Lighting The Cylcone, Maren Taylor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis will give an account of the lighting design process for Ride the Cyclone presented at West Virginia University. Not only will it focus on the role of a lighting designer in a theatrical production but also the production process from the first design meeting to striking the show. I will describe my process, what worked, what new approaches I tried, and evaluate the evolution of the lighting design. In addition, I will include the details of working alongside the other designers in this collaborative process. Research images, paperwork, and production photos will be used to detail the process.

Scenic Design For Molière’S The Misanthrope, Alina Michelle Cannon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This document is an account of the design process from the initial reading of the script, design, and production meetings with the director and the production team, through to the execution of the design for The Misanthrope by Molière. This production was produced by West Virginia University’s School of Theatre & Dance during the Fall 2023 semester, presented in the Gladys G. Davis Theater at the Canady Creative Arts Center in Morgantown, WV.

The Line Between Man And Monster: A Theatrical Costume Design Of Caryl Churchill's The Skriker, Katrina Anne Lundquist

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Produced at West Virginia University, this is a record of the costume design process for The Skriker by Caryl Churchill. As a play about vicious folkloric faerie creatures in modern day England, there was a heavy emphasis on showcasing the difference between the human and fae characters. With such a fantastical script, there is a potential to take the design down any number of creative paths. Finding a way to cohesively costume the cast while not losing the intricacies of their individual stories became a personal priority. After coming to an agreement with the director and the rest of the …

Disability Representation In Contemporary Playwriting, Caroline Hull

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Is it possible for a playwright to authentically capture the disabled experience without it becoming privy to stereotypes or utilized as a catalyst for the plot? The thesis aims to challenge the prevalent notion that making the disability intrinsic to a theatrical plot is essential for authentic representation, and instead asserts that authentic portrayal of the disabled experience can exist independently of making the disability a central plot device. To support this claim, In Chapter One, I engage with relevant work in the field of playwriting and narrative media studies, such as the workshop "Inaccessible: Writing Plays with Characters who …

Theatre As Resistance: Application Of Queer And Feminist Theories To Theatrical Practice And Pedagogy, Chanel H. Gomaa

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Throughout my time at UCF, I have committed my studies to better understanding my positionality as someone who both benefits and suffers from systems of oppression. I have dedicated my pedagogy and artistry to questioning how I can apply theatre as a tool to resist these systems through my work, as well as wondering how I may communicate my thoughts and concerns to the colleagues I collaborate with as I am to hold myself accountable for my involvement in works that I recognize as being in need of revision in order to resist systems of oppression. I conceptualize that to …

Puppy Love And [Information] Play: An Intersection Of Theatre, Queer Kink, And Consent, Emily Kitchens

Faculty Articles

This note from the field centers on a nexus of queer kink subcultures and consent-based intimacy work in theatre. I report, investigate and wrangle with the process of incorporating queer kink aesthetics into the production of Love and Information by Caryl Churchill I directed at KSU February 2023. What I have learned and hope to demonstrate throughout the paper, is that queer kink subcultures are often paradigmatic examples of communities built on consent, and we as performing arts practitioners can more visibly expand the margins of our cultural competency dialogues to not only include them but look to them as …

Mapping The Theaters Of Brooklyn's Past (1825-1925): A Gis Project, Elena Shefsky

Publications and Research

Despite its rich performance culture, Brooklyn remains underrepresented in theater history, eclipsed in fame by the well-known theaters of Manhattan. One of the most populous areas in America, Brooklyn has been an artistic home to actors, playwrights, directors, and impresarios for centuries. That said, there is a dearth of accessible information and scholarship on Brooklyn theaters. My objective was to update an ongoing mapping project, The City Performs, to include information and images of theater buildings from Brooklyn. The project is an interactive, open-source digital map that uses ArcGIS software to georeference data about NYC theaters. I collected data …

A Winter's Tale Program, Collin College

Theatre Programs

Program for A Winter's Tale.

The Disney College Experience: A Full Recollection Of Moments And Memories Of The Disney College Program Internship, Lauren Jumonville

Undergraduate Honors Theses

I decided to do the Disney College Program as my honors thesis because Disney is something I am very passionate about. I worked for the Disney Company before and knew that I wanted to continue my experience with them. I went into the program hoping to discover what the college program could do to prepare me (or any prospective programmer) for the profession and for a life in performance. In January of 2023, I made my way to Orlando, Florida, to start my next journey with the Walt Disney World Company. I went through four different orientation processes, as well …

Designing A Drama-Based Arts Ministry For The North 10th And Treadaway Church Of Christ, Curtis Alexander King

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

The North 10th and Treadaway Church of Christ (“Treadaway”) is a small, predominantly African American congregation located in Abilene, Texas, home of Abilene Christian University (“ACU”) and several other institutions of higher learning. Considering ACU’s Church of Christ heritage and continued affiliation with the Churches of Christ, it is no surprise that Treadaway has often served as a “home away from home” congregation for ACU students and recent graduates who choose to remain in the city. The level of integration of the students from ACU and other local colleges into the life and ministry of Treadaway has varied greatly over …

Behind The Scenes: Shining A Spotlight On Veiled Theatre Workers, Ariel Bradshaw

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

My thesis aims to highlight traditionally underrepresented theatre artists. I wish to dive deeply into the many backstage, or “veiled” workers, who continue to go unacknowledged. Why is there an aspect of “veiled” theatre created to stay hidden? Even in technical theatre, some specialties receive more credit or recognition than others. For example, the Tony Awards offer categories for direction, sound, light, costume, and scenic design, yet no award for stage management. How are institutions working to create more representation in an intentionally hidden space? This project will specifically focus on the representation of stage managers, arguably the most invisible …

The Psychology Of The Stage: Intersections Of Cognitive Science And Theatre, Ariya Selvakumar

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

By engaging audiences in a stranger’s story, theatre often depends on emotional contagion and empathetic responses to strike interest and investment in characters and their circumstances. Mirror neuron systems are those highly tied to the activation of empathy. These neurons are brain cells that activate when we perform an action and witness an action being performed. For example, when someone is crying, a subset of neurons that fire when we cry will also fire in response to seeing this action, thus often leading to emotional contagion. With an understanding of cognitive science, we can closely examine the perspective-taking and emotion-prediction …

All The Internet's A Stage: Reform Of The Digital Millennium Copyright Act And Broadway's Bootleg Problem, Emma K. Wimberly

Georgia Law Review

Broadway is the cultural epicenter of theatre arts. While Broadway performances are internationally known and hugely profitable, they remain inaccessible to a significant number of fans. The inability to bear the increasing costs of travel, lodging, and tickets leads many fans to turn to bootlegs. Bootlegs are illegal recordings of live performances. They are widely viewed and shared online, and uploaders purposefully work to obscure the illegality of these recordings, allowing them to evade tools designed to combat copyright infringement.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), enacted in 1998, amended U.S. copyright law to attempt to prevent digital copyright infringement. …

In Yellow: A Solo Poem-Play, Emily Kitchens

Faculty Articles

“In Yellow” was developed in the INKubator residency at Art House Productions (Jersey City, NJ) in 2019 with the following blurb:

In Yellow is a solo poem-play about a relationship between a young woman and a ceramic doll her grandmother made that she has just accidentally broken. It is about grief. It is about breaking out of generationally instilled feminine values. It is about the color yellow. It’s all true.

“In Yellow” is an experiment of a poem and play for one voice. I was in New York City for about 10 years, before that The Bay Area, but am …

Carrie, The Musical (October 26-28, 2023), Stephen King

Student Theatre Programs

Event program for Carrie, The Musical (October 26-28, 2023).

To view the photos from this production of Carrie, The Musical, please click here.

Crumbs From The Table Of Joy Program, Collin College

Theatre Programs

Program for Crumbs from the Table of Joy.

Kodachrome (September 27-30, 2023), Adam Szymkowicz

Student Theatre Programs

Event program for Kodachrome (September 27-30, 2023).

To view the photos from this production of Kodachrome, please click here.

Ai Costume Design Assignment, Kylie Mcdonald

AI Assignment Library

I used this rubric in class to go over the understanding of Chat GPT and how we can use it for costume design. I emphasized that Chat GPT is generated and not reliable in the search for knowledge but can be used to start the creative process. In my assignment, I have created two random picker wheels that the students use to get a character and a play. They use Chat GPT to give them the summary of the play they were randomly assigned using the voice of the character they were assigned. The goal of the assignment is to …

Thtr-212 (001): From Page To Stage, Emily Edwards

Humanities Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Thtr-215 (001): Acting Ii, Emily Edwards

Humanities Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Thtr-216 (001): Improvisational Theater, Short-Form, Louis Kornfeld

Humanities Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Thtr-222 (001): Wind Ensemble, Nicholas Santoro

Humanities Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Thtr-262 (001): Performance I, Rodney Reyes

Humanities Syllabi

No abstract provided.