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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Negotiating Resistance With The Character G In Naomi Izuka’S Polaroid Stories., Konrad Ormand Davis Jr. Aug 2016

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, …


Working From The Outside In., Byron Lee Coolie Jr. Aug 2016

Working From The Outside In., Byron Lee Coolie Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis serves as an examination (or exploration) of how an actor can approach a role by working from the outside in, also known as the external acting approach. This thesis also chronicles my beginnings as an actor and preparations for my thesis role as the character of Lymon Jackson in The Piano Lesson. In this thesis, I explain how I uncovered my growth, overcame challenges, failures, and successes in the role of Lymon. I elaborate on how I, initially an internal actor, externally approached a muscular and complex role for the very first time. Also, I describe my undergraduate …


Love On - The Life Of A Suicide Survivor: A Performance Autoethnographic Study, Patricia R. Wheeler May 2016

Love On - The Life Of A Suicide Survivor: A Performance Autoethnographic Study, Patricia R. Wheeler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide touches the lives of millions of people each year in this country alone, yet conversations about suicide loss and survival after a loss remain taboo and often do not happen. The story I performed for this performance autoethnographic study centers on my life as a survivor of suicide. It provides a starting point for dialog regarding trauma, grief, and suicide loss. The narrative was constructed directly following the sudden death of my father, which had a direct effect on my ability to produce artistic work. The development, staging and performance of the story were altered to account for the …


An Actor’S Approach To Claire In Proof By David Auburn, Kathryn Patterson May 2016

An Actor’S Approach To Claire In Proof By David Auburn, Kathryn Patterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The areas of study in the Proof thesis contain research on the play, the playwright, and the acting style utilized in the performance and character analysis. The acting style in this process focuses on the actor’s creative work in preparation of portraying a female character. This character is a controlling woman that is unable to manipulate others. By using relaxation techniques involving the Alexander Technique, the actor was able to transition into the character with honest emotions and motives. Finding similarities to the character by using personal relationships gave the actor the ability to discover connections with the character in …


The Process Of Empathetic Bonding With Berniece Charles., Candice Renee Handy May 2016

The Process Of Empathetic Bonding With Berniece Charles., Candice Renee Handy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rehearsal process of theatre art entails several steps leading up to performance. Traditionally, the ensemble will discuss together what is needed to produce the theatrical piece, the director will work with each scene individually, and eventually the ensemble will be able to perform the entire piece, with only polishing left to do before performance. This process varies depending on the type of genre that will be performed. The rehearsal process to produce plays that are written with realistic settings and plot lines often, but not always, involve these steps. In order for this process to be productive, as an …


Presence And The Actor's Craft., Casey Richard Moulton May 2016

Presence And The Actor's Craft., Casey Richard Moulton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to establish that Presence is essential to an actor’s craft. This thesis makes considerable mention of my own work on Naomi Iizuka’s Polaroid Stories, playing the part of SKINHEADboy, as well as making mention of the theoreticians and practitioners of Acting who have dealt with the subject of Presence. The parallels I draw between actor training and the sources from outside of the field of Acting feed not only into an understanding of how consequential Presence is for the actor, but also how Presence can affect the lives human beings. This thesis also contains …


Playing Back Spirituality: Using Applied Theatre Practice For Spiritual Exploration An Meaningful Community Building In College, Ann Kinnebrew Jan 2016

Playing Back Spirituality: Using Applied Theatre Practice For Spiritual Exploration An Meaningful Community Building In College, Ann Kinnebrew

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher Education in the U.S. today is experiencing a theoretical and practical shift toward educating the "whole person" and to that end, is investigating ways to include spirituality in all facets of the academy. This requires focusing on the concept that "in addition to material knowledge, spiritual, emotional, and ethical knowledge is imparted to students" (Khan 2009). Many colleges and universities are searching for avenues to answer this call and better prepare students as business, political and social leaders in a new millennia that defines religion very differently than it did twenty years ago. Today, students are exposed to a …


Christ On The Postmodern Stage: Debunking Christian Metanarrative Through Contemporary Passion Plays, Joseph Dambrosi Jan 2016

Christ On The Postmodern Stage: Debunking Christian Metanarrative Through Contemporary Passion Plays, Joseph Dambrosi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a Christian theatre artist with a conservative upbringing, I continually seek to discover the role of postmodernism in faith and how this intersection correlates with theatre in a postmodern society. In a profession that constantly challenges the status quo of Christian living, and a faith that frowns upon most "secular" behavior, I find myself in a position of questioning the connection between these two components of my life. Furthermore, I am troubled by the exclusive nature of the evangelical Christian community for people who do not meet its expectations of absolute truth—namely, the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community and …


Giving Theatrical Life, Quentin Darrington Jan 2016

Giving Theatrical Life, Quentin Darrington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An experience, early in my life, at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center opened my eyes to the transformative power of Theatre - it would shape my ambitions for performance, inform the choices I made about my acting career, and impel my passions. That single moment had a profound and lasting effect on my soul, one that would ultimately point me to the purpose of "me;" but what exactly was it? What transaction occurred between the performers on stage, and myself, and others in attendance that evening? My life as an actor has been an incredible journey of growth. Over …


The Actor Process: Playing Multiple Characters, Danielle Brown Jan 2016

The Actor Process: Playing Multiple Characters, Danielle Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the process used while preparing for the role of Daughter in Jim Helsinger's adaptation of A Christmas Carol: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, performed at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater (OST). Within the framework of the play, Daughter is a character who is transformed into multiple roles. Her characters include Charity Collector, Belle, Martha Cratchit, Miner, Fred's Wife and Quarreler #1. Presented with the challenge of playing multiple roles in the same production, I sought efficient and straightforward character development and analysis methods to strengthen my performance. Using Uta Hagen's nine questions as a scaffold, I composed …