Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Lighting Section: Fdr Back Diagonal Light, Brandon Washington

Journey's End (2017) - Lighting

The lighting design for Journey's End needed to create the dark and claustrophobic environment of a war dug-out. Candles from low angles and slivers of natural light that could barely penetrate the dug-outs were the only sources of illumination. The high-contrast world that was composed only added to the hell that these soldiers endured.

Channel Hookup, Brandon Washington

The Flick (2017) - Lighting

The realistic environment, story, dialogue, and characters fed the ideas of light that would help tell this story. Later in the show, the movie theater called “The Flick” is taken under new ownership and is remodeled into “The Venue.” Changes in color accents and temperature of light within the theater provided us with the larger visual switch and passage of time that happens towards the last quarter of the play.

Lighting Section: Ominous Sky, Brandon Washington

Journey's End (2017) - Lighting

The lighting design for Journey's End needed to create the dark and claustrophobic environment of a war dug-out. Candles from low angles and slivers of natural light that could barely penetrate the dug-outs were the only sources of illumination. The high-contrast world that was composed only added to the hell that these soldiers endured.

Lighting Section: German Back Diagonal Light, Brandon Washington

Journey's End (2017) - Lighting

The lighting design for Journey's End needed to create the dark and claustrophobic environment of a war dug-out. Candles from low angles and slivers of natural light that could barely penetrate the dug-outs were the only sources of illumination. The high-contrast world that was composed only added to the hell that these soldiers endured.

Lighting Section: Red Dawn Trench, Brandon Washington

Journey's End (2017) - Lighting

The lighting design for Journey's End needed to create the dark and claustrophobic environment of a war dug-out. Candles from low angles and slivers of natural light that could barely penetrate the dug-outs were the only sources of illumination. The high-contrast world that was composed only added to the hell that these soldiers endured.

Lighting Section: Moving Lights Back Light, Brandon Washington

Journey's End (2017) - Lighting

The lighting design for Journey's End needed to create the dark and claustrophobic environment of a war dug-out. Candles from low angles and slivers of natural light that could barely penetrate the dug-outs were the only sources of illumination. The high-contrast world that was composed only added to the hell that these soldiers endured.

Dancing In Time, Aili W. Bresnahan

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This chapter will analyze the experience and, in particular the conscious experience, of dancing in time from the perspective of the trained dancer while performing. The focus is thus on the experience and consciousness of a dancer who is moving her body in time rather than on the experience of a seated audience member or dance appreciator who is watching a dancer move. The question of how temporality is experienced in dance by the appreciator will therefore not be addressed here.

The primary kind of “experience” that will be the focus of my discussion of temporal experience comes from classical …

Stage Managing Bali Agung: The Possibility Of Hybridity In An Intercultural Production, Susan Fenty Studham

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper explores notions of hybridity within an intercultural large-scale show in Bali, including levels of innovation, synthesized processes, scenery and safety considerations. As the original stage manager, I will discuss the mounting of the show from a technical production perspective, giving attention to the use and management of the stage space and its supporting environments. The focus is on hybridity in the context of the term ‘syncretic theatre’, which “integrates performance elements of different cultures into a form that aims to retain the cultural integrity of the specific materials used while forging new texts and theatre practices” (Lo & …

Breaking Curtain: Editorial, Susan Fenty Studham, Renee Newman, Helen K. Rusak

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Behind The Scenes: Journal of Theatre Production Practice (BTS) was developed in response to the growing number of practitioner-researchers in the production fields of live performance. Its purpose is to give visibility to and engage current researchers in a dialogue on the many aspects of performance that are seemingly ‘behind the scenes’. One of the first editorial discussions to ensue was what ‘behind the scenes’ actually means.

The Visual And Performing Arts In The Technical Communication Classroom: Reinforcing The University's Internal Community Literacy Via Service-Learning, Richard L. Ward

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This report details a class taught that was an exploration into the value of STEAM or science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics within the confines of Technical Communication as it applies to the business and industry of theatre. It was an experiment in service learning as it could be tied into the Arts via differing technai, as described by John Wild in “Plato’s Theory of Texnh a Phenomenological Interpretation,” demonstrating a necessity for Arts as they pertain to STEM-centric universities. This report discusses a section of Technical and Professional Communication taught at Michigan technological University that consisted of twenty-five students …

Reflections On Here: A Choreographic Thesis, Maile Blume

Scripps Senior Theses

This choreographic thesis describes the conceptual foundations underlying the development of the dance, Here. Here uses text and movement to explore the challenge of locating of locating oneself in this particular institution. It asks the questions: what happens when our personal needs conflict with the structure of this institution? How do we use our limited capacities to exist / resist / care for each other in this place? Reflections on Here describes the choreographic inquiries and discoveries that contributed to the development of Here. It includes research on desire and mourning, as well as reflections on the power …

A Man Without: A Search For Personal Identity, Nitin Govindrao Mane

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis documents the process of devising, writing, rehearsing, and performing a solo show named A Man Without. The play depicts the posthumous trial of a multi-religious man named Neelkanth Khan. To be freed from limbo, Neelkanth must defend his life before Jesus, Krishna and Allah. Unfortunately, Neelkanth loses his case; yet another failure for a man whose life was a series of failures due to his circumstances and his character flaws. On the thematic level, this story implies that mankind’s failure to understand religion and the Gods leads to religious fanaticism. The backbone of this project is the training …

Me Paenitet, Joshua Stenvick

LSU Master's Theses

The coming pages will document my journey from the initial creative spark, to the final performance of a one-man show. The first chapter will chronicle the creative process and how I came about the idea. The second chapter will show you the performance text along with analysis to give a side-by-side example. The third and final chapter will detail what this thesis project means to me personally, my graduate degree and how my views on art have evolved. What was my one-man show about? It’s a story about the moment our moral compass is turned upside down, and finding our …

The Treasure Of Welks-Kreer, Lance Rasmussen

LSU Master's Theses

This paper is intended to document the process of developing and performing The Treasure of Welks-Kreer, a one-man show written by Lance Rasmussen in fulfillment of the requirement for his Master of Fine Arts in Acting degree at Louisiana State University. Harkening back to the memories of his childhood and his current passions and interests, Lance wrote The Treasure of Welks-Kreer as a story of hope and exploration. The story follows The Metaphor, a superhero who finds himself transported back to the basement where he used to play table-top roleplaying games with the group of friends who eventually formed his …

Main Line, Michael Pepp

LSU Master's Theses

Main Line was developed as a 20-minute solo performance piece by the influence of my graduate training at Louisiana State University’s M.F.A. acting program. The writing and the performance of this project served as a graduation requirement as well professional experience and exploration of my personal aesthetics of storytelling, actors craft, production design, and independent theatre making. This thesis acts like a guide to my process of devising theatre. I was inspired and determined to produce work that was meaningful, political, and entertaining. Main Line explores the narrative of black experiences within a New Orleans culture that centers the movement …

The Theatrical Laboratory: A Methodology For Educating Empathy, Anna Lee Percuoco

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to highlight the need for universal theatre exposure and experience in secondary education and to recommend a methodology for using theatre education to help students become engaged and empathetic adults. This task must be accomplished early in the young person’s life and should not be left to college professors with no training in pedagogy. The high school teacher, regardless of content area, is most equipped for developing empathy in students. He can best reach this goal with the help of dramatic literature and exploration.

The theatre ought to be viewed as a laboratory that …

Folklórico Testimonios: Identity, Community, And Agency As Social Justice Cultural Performance For Dancers Of Mexican Folklórico, Manuel Alejandro Perez

Doctoral Dissertations

Mexican students in higher education have few opportunities to learn about their heritage and history outside of Ethnic Studies courses. Some students seek alternative opportunities to learn about their identity and to build community with other Mexican students through folklórico. In Mexican folklórico, dancers learn the techniques and skills to communicate stories about their history, culture, and heritage through movement, song, and dance. This study is the story of Mexican students and folkloristas on their journey to (re)discover identity, community, and agency as they move through higher education.

This study uses testimonio to capture the voice, the struggle, and the …

The Machine Gun Hand: Robots, Performance, And American Ideology In The Twentieth Century, Benjamin Michael Phelan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Twentieth-century Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser argued in his famous essay “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses” that capitalism reproduces itself by interpellating individuals as subjects. For Althusser, the subject has a dual definition: a person who imagines him or herself to be a free subject who then “chooses” capitalism, and a person who, once they have “chosen” capitalism, gives up their free will to the Subject (Law, God, Authority, the State). This dual definition of the subject mirrors the dual definition of “robot.” A robot is both a mechanical being that moves on its own and a person who acts in …

Terrible Telegrams, Cara Lindsay Reid

LSU Master's Theses

In compliance to the curriculum at Louisiana State University and Swine Palace’s Actor Training Program, M.F.A. Acting candidates are required to create and develop a one-person show. The objective is to foster the actor’s creative virtuosity and to give them the confidence, capability, and skill set to continue to create their own work after graduation. My play is about Lucy James, a recent college graduate, who moves to New York to follow her dreams of becoming an actress. Lucy's love for the craft is challenged when she takes a demoralizing job and her life begins to spiral out of control. …

Crafting Wendla Bergmann In Spring Awakening, Amy R. Weintraub

Honors Papers

This paper explores one actor's approach to the role of Wendla Bergmann in Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's musical adaptation of Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening. It will address issues of text analysis, staging, character development, vocal performance, and mental health.

Where The Light Shines Through, Rachel A. Sheets

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is an analysis of my journey as a lighting designer studying at The University of South Carolina’s graduate program. This paper examines to the successes and failures of my realized practicum productions while attending the university and my concluding professional internship at The Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

The Reinvention Of Tradition: Transformation Of Chinese Water Sleeve Dance And Tai Ji In Contemporary Performer Training And Performance Making, Min Zhu

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this practice-led research was to investigate the nature and characteristics of the notion of reinvented tradition in China through the examination of dance practices. First, this research focused on the continuity of tradition demonstrated in the development of Chinese classical dance. Second, it concentrated on the malleability and applicability of two representative Chinese cultural dance practices, water sleeve dance and Tai Ji, in contemporary performance and performer training.

The central concept behind this research was the commonly held perception in China that “tradition is a river” (P. Huang, 1990) in the context of the Chinese dance …

Directing Through Dialogue: A Theatre Director’S Exploration Of Leadership, Gabrielle Frances Metcalf

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The esteemed position that a director holds in the creative process is a recent phenomenon. It emerged towards the end of the 19th century. Then, the role of a theatre director encompassed the idea of a single, creative force, coordinating and controlling the elements of a production. Not much has changed. Despite the significance of the role, the literature is largely silent on how a director directs and how a director leads. The paucity of research on the director’s leadership style reflects the way in which the practice of directing occurs — behind closed-doors. Its private nature can deter and …

Voice In Screenwriting: Discovering/Recovering An Australian Voice, Rosemary Kaye Ferrell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This creative practice research explores the concept of an identifiable screenwriter’s voice from the perspective of screenwriting as craft, proposing that voice can be understood and described based on its particular characteristics. Voice is understood to be the authorial presence of the screenwriter, whose mind shapes every aspect of the text. This presence is inscribed in the text through the many choices the screenwriter makes. More than this, the research argues that the choices made inflect the text with a cultural-national worldview. This occurs because of the close association between voice and personal (including cultural/national) identity, and because of the …

Bridging The Great Divide: An Exploration Of Postmodernism In The Guitar Music Of Nigel Westlake, Melissa Claire Fitzgerald

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research explores the tension between ‘elite’ and ‘popular’ musical styles in eight significant works of guitar music by Australian composer Nigel Westlake; namely Antarctica, Songs from the Forest, The Hinchinbrook Riffs, Six Fish, Shadow Dances, Shards of Jaisalmer, Jovian Moons, and Mosstrooper Peak. Through detailed analysis and recorded musical performances, consideration is given to the extent that these works bridge the aesthetic divide identified by Adorno, Jameson, Huyssen, and others; exploring their potential conformity to notions of postmodernity in music. The argument is advanced that Westlake has created a musical language …

Dialogue Not Diatribe: Methods For A Practice Of Socio-Humanitarian Playwriting, Siobhan Dow-Hall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This dissertation is the result of a practice-led research exploration of how creative writing practice may be expanded and developed with particular application to the writing of what I refer to as socio-humanitarian drama. I have developed this notion to promote discussion and consideration of specific issues of social justice and human rights within playwriting. While this practice-led research enlisted reflective practice in the task of developing and extending my own writing practice, this dissertation does also outline specific, practical modes of creative process, or exercises, that could be applied more broadly for others who may seek to develop their …

Tracing The Ancestral Roots And The Flow Of Pedagogical Practices In The Development Of Ballet Teaching From 1950 To 2016 In Perth, Western Australia, Diana C. M. Beck

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the history of dance, that of ballet is but a fragment. The art of ballet is affiliated with the arts of music, literature, and those of the visual arts: its international history covering some 500 years. This thesis spotlights Perth, the capital of Western Australia (WA) and one of the world’s most geographically isolated capital cities. Throughout its balletic history of less than a century, Perth has seen rapid growth in this art form. As in all the arts, pedagogic rules act as guidelines for the teaching of traditional ballet vocabulary; consequently, in order to understand this development and …

Edges Of Resting And Going: The Possibilities And Limitations Of Recovering From Chronic Fatigue Syndrome In A Dance-Training Environment, Daisy Sanders

Theses : Honours

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a common but poorly understood condition that includes limited exercise tolerance. Exercise undertaken via a balanced, holistic approach in which exertion is balanced with rest is recommended in recovery from CFS. This research project investigated how a contemporary dance-­‐training environment can/cannot support recovery from CFS. This investigation is significant given that fatigue, burnout and overtraining are prevalent in dance-­‐training environments. The project drew on the fields of exercise physiology and somatic inquiry to design a purpose-­‐built program of Graded Exercise Therapy and implement it within a tertiary dance-­‐training environment. The project was undertaken as practice-­‐led …

‘Steady Stream … Mad Stuff … Half The Vowels Wrong …’: Water, Waste And Words In Beckett’S Plays, Katherine Weiss

ETSU Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Archive Fever, Archive Failure: Exploring The ‘It’ In Beckett’S Theatre, Katherine Weiss

ETSU Faculty Works

Using Jacques Derrida's 1995 study, Archive Fever, Weiss examines how Samuel Beckett's Come and Go and Footfalls stage the failed acts of archiving. In both plays, memories are either unknown or not named. Either way, without being named they cannot be collected, catalogued or made public. Despite this, the women haunting his plays seem struck by archive fever. Ultimately, Beckett stages the tension between the desire to remain silent with the desire to archive.