Creative Writing Commons^™

Becoming George Lucas: From Avant-Garde, Auteur, Independent Artist To Studio Executive, Ryan Thompson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Because of the unprecedented popularity of Star Wars, George Lucas, the creator of the multi-media franchise, is one of the most well-known filmmakers in history. What makes Lucas’s relationship with Star Wars unique is that because the franchise has continually been exploited rather than left as a single unchanging, static text, its artistic value, along with Lucas’s legacy, is in constant flux and is often misunderstood. In other words, depending on Star Wars’s position in the public zeitgeist at a given time, Lucas is either revered, detested, or considered incompetent as a filmmaker. While there is no denying …

Creating Project Contrast: A Video Game Exploring Consciousness And Qualia, Pierce Papke

Honors Projects

Project Contrast is a video game that explores how the unique traits inherent to video games might engage reflective player responses to qualitative experience. Project Contrast does this through suspension of disbelief, avatar projection, presence, player agency in storytelling, visual perception, functional gameplay, and art. Considering the difficulty in researching qualitative experience due to its subjectivity and circular explanations, I created Project Contrast not to analyze qualia, though that was my original hope. I instead created Project Contrast as an avenue for player self-reflection and learning about qualitative experience. While video games might be just code and art on a …

Eco-Interoception: What Plants, Fungi And Protista Have Taught My Body, Sara Riley Dotterer

Art Theses and Dissertations

To me, ecology is the relational, full-body awareness that I am made up of and deeply connected to everything around me; and for better or worse, this is reciprocal. I form ecotones, an ecological transitional zone between two ecosystems, with the world around me. I use this ecotonal lens to blur binaries and dissolve boundaries between me and the world “outside my body.” During my Masters of Fine Arts at Southern Methodist University, I have continuously explored and represented the lives of various more-than-human species outside of my body, including plants, fungi and protista through an ecotonal lens. Although these …

The Dark House And Its Inhabitants, Emily Bielski

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

From the inception of the genre, Gothic horror has been fixated on the domestic space in distress. This essay explores domestic archetypes and roles of the Gothic novel, serving as a “tour of the house”, analyzing the iconography of the dark castle, and how it externalizes and exacerbates the fears and behaviors of its inhabitants. The power dynamic of the household is starkly divided by the expectations and authority of masculine and feminine figures. In turn the “house” becomes a vehicle for the anxieties of the inhabitants—both experienced and inflicted—regarding gender, sexuality, isolation, and abuse. Exploration of the visual and …

Spit Brimming With Futures, Penny Molesso

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

SPIT BRIMMING WITH FUTURES is an immersive video and audio installation that uses ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) to investigate the intersection of transgender and neurodivergent identity, expressing an urgent need to imagine stories about transgender, autistic people that affirm our agency and autonomy amidst a political climate that weaponizes neurodivergence to delegitimize trans experiences. The American political right’s vilification of transgender people is used to uphold structures of white supremacy and heteropatriarchy that become destabilized when rigid binary gender categories are challenged. The political right has a vested interest in keeping trans people out of public view, thus weaponizing …

A Screenplay With Critical Preface: 5150 Tarot Canyon, Jacob B. Phillips

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

5150 Tarot Canyon—a screenplay/dreamplay—anonymous twenty something, X, has left a deadend job, spent savings, and gone, in a last-ditch effort to follow a dream, to art school (in the middle of the desert and a pandemic) but struggles to cope once there with high stress and heavy deadlines. Exhaustion, fear, and loneliness begin to creep in—and, along with them, a stranger, a Walking Sam (possibly X’s double) always at a distance, but never far away. X can’t be sure, but it’s almost like someone’s started stalking them. X tries to ignore it, tries to focus, to grow—but things aren’t coming …

I Come Creeping: Remembering The Battle Of Blair Mountain In Graphic Narrative, Ellie James

Senior Honors Theses

Between August 24 and September 4 of 1921, approximately 10,000 West Virginia coal miners marched to Blair Mountain in Logan County in a militant stand for their right to unionize. Despite its status as the largest labor uprising in United States history, few know or understand the impact of the Battle of Blair Mountain today, even within the borders of West Virginia. This creative project aims to contribute to ongoing efforts to memorialize this period of the West Virginia Mine Wars through the creation of a 10-page comic, titled I Come Creeping, which depicts and is informed by the …

Georgia, Lesley Brian Bargo

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

The Vietnam War cast a massive shadow, both home and abroad. Relationships, morality, and humanity hang in the balance.

Kung Fu Panda - A Good Story Well Done, James E. Bruner

Classical Conversations

Storytelling is incredibly important in the everyday lives of humans. Over the course of history, the methods of storytelling have advanced much in the same way society has advanced. However, the constant components of a good story and classic literature have never changed: enticing plots, courageous heroes, and narrative beauty. One of the most popular, modern methods for storytelling for both young and old alike is the animated motion picture. The Kung Fu Panda movies are a series of animated children’s movies created by Dreamworks Animation studios that have witnessed great success in box offices worldwide. However, the journey of …

Pathos, Spring 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Pathos

Editor: Stephanie Gresham

A New Atticus Is Afoot: The Portrayal Of Lawyers In Popular Culture, Anna Thrush

Senior Theses

This project analyzes the stereotypical image of lawyers in popular culture, focusing on either overly demonic or unrealistically heroic. Both stereotypes that are common portrayals of attorneys in popular culture are unrealistic and deny society a true comprehension of the profession. Popular culture has molded the image of lawyers to the characteristics that sell, rather than focusing on a realistic portrayal. Therefore, popular culture creates a falsely dramatized image of attorneys to generate revenue, putting the reputation and future of the profession as risk. These stereotypes are exemplified in this project through a close literary analysis of lawyer characters from …

Lutter Contre L’Effacement Et Pour La Reconstitution De Traces : « Penser Entre Les Disciplines », Lara Mroué

Regards

Living outside Lebanon, Lebanese artists like Rabih Mroué and Lina Majdalanie have contributed in many ways to the evolution and reconstruction of the cultural and artistic scene in Lebanon, as well as to its history. They took part in the shaping of Civil War memory. This article will analyze the way in which these artists put on stage absence, disappearance, and the erasure of traces, while transforming contemporary artistic practice in Lebanon. Rethinking creation as a field of resistance and change, the artist on stage becomes, with Majdalanie and Mroué, an actor, a dancer, and a visual artist.

Résumé

Vivant …

Traduire Novarina En Arabe. Les Mots Sens Dessus Dessous, Georgine Ayoub

Regards

The theater text is always a text to come, according to Valère Novarina’s expression. Once written, it writes itself over and over again on stage. And translating it is always a delicate undertaking. This task becomes even more difficult when the theatrical text is one where the adventure of thought resides in the very act of passing through language – where “a speech from before the ability to speak” emerges, where words, “set in motion,” surprise with unpredictable, incisive meanings, thanks to a mysterious sonority or a tripping up of grammar.
This is the great difficulty in translating Novarina’s theatre …

عن تمويل فنون الأداء المستقلة في المنطقة العربية: في احتضان الجديد, Abdullah Al Kafri

Regards

Nous nous penchons dans cet article sur le sujet des modèles de production et des sources de financement des arts de la scène indépendants, afin d’analyser les questions qu’il génère. Nous examinons son rôle en tant qu’élément fondamental pour l’existence du champ des arts de la scène indépendants durant les deux dernières décennies. Nous tentons de cerner le financement des arts de la scène indépendants dans la région arabe, en nous focalisant sur l’étude des principaux acteurs qui ont joué un rôle clé dans la constitution et l’existence de ce champ, à savoir les organismes donateurs arabes qui ont émergé …

Coopérer Pour Exister : Les Collaborations Théâtrales Avec L’Europe Ou L’Impérative Stratégie Des Théâtres En Palestine, Astrid Chabrat-Kajdan

Regards

Since the Oslo Accords in 1993, theatrical collaborations between European and Palestinian artists have multiplied. They play a role in the development of theatres in Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories. In this article, we examine their forms and manifestations. The collaborations range from workshops – which consist predominantly of technical classes – to co-creations involving partly European and partly Palestinian teams.
Through the analysis of European–Palestinian theatrical collaborations, this article questions to what extent different forms of collaboration contribute to the key challenges of professional Palestinian theatre: the sustainability of institutions in Palestine, the visibility of Palestinian artists, and the …

Introduction – Quel Avenir Pour Le Théâtre Dans Le Monde Arabe ? Pratiques, Formes Et Perspectives De La Pérennisation Du Courant Théâtral Dans Le Monde Arabe, Najla Nakhlé-Cerruti

Regards

Quel avenir pour le théâtre arabe ? En posant cette vaste question qui a guidé la réflexion collective présentée dans ce dossier thématique, nous avons souhaité interroger les effets de durabilité et les procédés qui participent à la pérennisation du mouvement théâtral dans le monde arabe. Dans ce contexte, les contraintes, nombreuses et de natures diverses, s’ajoutent à la dimension éphémère du genre théâtral. Il se construit en effet sur sa propre mise en péril puisqu’il n’existe que dans la fugacité du moment de la représentation, lorsque les comédiens sur scène et le public dans la salle sont réunis.

Molière Chez Les Hommes De Théâtre De La Nahda Et Tayeb Saddiki, Mahfoud Kecili

Regards

In this paper, we study the presence of Molière in the theatre of Mārūn al-Naqqāš and of Tayeb Saddiki. We show how al-Naqqāš appropriated Molière’s theatre to introduce a new literary genre in the Arab world: Western-style theatre. He employs the comedy and satire of Molière’s theatre as a tool for reflection. In his play al-Baẖīl, he deals with the theme of avarice and that of generational conflicts, which he exposes with a comic vein and satire. In doing so, he urges his fellow citizens to innovate in the arts, drawing from the classical adab and the glorious past …

Belonging On Stage: Theatre As A Practice Of Belonging For The Syrian Diaspora In Turkey, Asma Hedi Nairi

Regards

This article is a preliminary research focusing on the role of theatre as a belonging practice for the Syrian diaspora in Turkey. Based on a qualitative and narrative research methodology, the work analyzes the experience of the Theatre Scene group and their performance of the play Outside the Flock. Building on the belonging conceptual framework presented by Yuval-Davis (2006), the work offers an overview of how theatre served as both a space and a practice of belonging for the Syrian diaspora. It contributes to the growing scholarship on diasporic arts, highlighting the specificity of the Syrian theatrical experience.

Résumé …

Entretien Avec Roger Assaf. Théâtre Et Espace Public : Entre Immersion Et Divertissement, Roger Assaf, Marianne Noujaim

Regards

In this interview, Roger Assaf perceives the constraints of contemporary Lebanese and Arab theatre through the lens of his reflection on the relationship between History — with its dark periods and revolutions — and theatre’s history. Contingent on its historical context, theatre has always oscillated between entertainment and immersion. Assaf evokes his Al-ḥakawātī theatre experience as well as the earliest Arab theatre festivals, drawing a comparison between their sociopolitical dynamics and production modes, on the one hand, and those of contemporary Lebanese and Arab theatres, on the other. He believes that the memory of such theatrical experiences, albeit lacunary, stands …

La Mort Par Les Yeux, Omar Abi Azar

Regards

Omar Abi Azar témoigne de la naissance et du cheminement de la compagnie de théâtre Zoukak. Il met en relation le parcours de ses membres et de ses créations avec les crises et impasses historiques du Liban, d’une part, et avec les conditions de production imposées par les fonds européens et la réception des pièces en Occident, d’autre part.

Le Pire ?, Chrystèle Khodr

Regards

Chrystèle Khodr, actrice, autrice et metteuse en scène, témoigne de sa pratique du théâtre aujourd’hui au Liban, des moyens qu’elle met en place pour pérenniser son travail, et des effets de la production sur la forme et le fond de ses spectacles.

Faire D’Avignon « Une Sorte De Grenade, De Ville Dans Laquelle Toute La Méditerranée S’Est Synthétisée ». Retour Sur La Programmation Arabe Du Festival D’Avignon 2022, Pauline Donizeau

Regards

Arab artists had an important place in the 2022 edition of the Festival d’Avignon in France. This edition was the last one directed by Olivier Py, whose mandate was marked by the regular programming of artists from the Maghreb, the Middle East, and the Near East. This article analyzes the different performances directed by Arab artists on the stages of Avignon in 2022, with a particular focus on issues of representation (especially female figures on stage) and production.

Résumé

L’édition 2022 du Festival d’Avignon a donné une place importante aux artistes arabes. Cette édition fut la dernière dirigée par Olivier …

Repenser Le Théâtre D’Objets : Témoignages, Réflexions Et Retours D’Atelier Au Théâtre Tournesol De Beyrouth, Yassaman Khajehi

Regards

Les manifestations de 2019, dites la Révolution ou thawra, la pandémie liée au Covid, l’explosion du port de Beyrouth, la gravité de la crise économique, les élections législatives de mai 2022, les questions d’immigration et d’émigration trouvent leur place sur la scène contemporaine libanaise.
Cette présence très évidente de ces éléments confirme une fois encore la réciprocité entre théâtre et société : une synergie devenue de moins en moins perceptible sur la scène occidentale. La situation théâtrale et sociétale libanaise ouvre alors aux études théâtrales de nouvelles pistes de réflexion sur l’interaction entre politique, société et création scénique.
Cette …

The Eye Of The King: Screenplay Adaptation As A Craft Tool, Nora Annette Graves

Masters Theses

Adaptation studies typically focus on a screenplay’s fidelity to its original text within the constraints imposed by the new genre. This thesis approaches adaptation as a craft tool: a rich source of fresh authorial insight into characters, settings, and plotlines. Experimentation, not fidelity, is the goal of the self-adapter; adaptations are valued and deemed successful based on the new levels of complexity they uncover or add to an ongoing story. The author’s screenplay adaptation of her original novel, The Eye of the King, served as a case study for testing the value of adaptation as a writer’s craft tool. Re-telling …

Uno Sguardo Oltre I Bordi Della Fotografia Coloniale, Simone Brioni Dr.

Department of English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Me, Myself, And My Muppets, Sara Jones

Emerging Writers

In this personal narrative, the author explores her relationship and upbringing in relation to Jim Henson’s Muppets. She illustrates her experience at puppet camps, on long Muppet-filled road trips, and the special connection her mother and her share with the Muppets. Find out how the Muppets have shaped the author’s life, morals, and aspirations, as well as how Jim Henson’s creations have influenced and brought joy to past generations and future generations to come.

Pathos, Winter 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Pathos

Editor: Bret Steggell

Finding Aid For The Gary Hawkins Multimedia Collection (Mum00705)

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids (alphabetical)

Physical and digital files including moving image files, audio, photographs, small manuscripts, and ephemera related to the films Joe and The Rough South of Larry Brown created by filmmaker Gary Hawkins.

Timber Island: A Screenplay, Lucas Cunningham

Pomona Senior Theses

A screenplay about the legacy of land use in the Pacific Northwest:

A family from old timber money looking to sell their expansive Pacific Northwest island estate. Two Parks Service surveyors, a Native American scientist, and a developer competing for the bid. A forest with its own agenda.

Against a backdrop of cedar trees and saltwater, tensions boil, ideologies clash, and buried secrets bubble to the surface.

Who will walk away with the deed to Timber Island? And what will it cost?

Constance After Dark, Connor Vanmaele

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Constance After Dark is an episodic screenplay, outlining the beginning, middle and end of a television comedy pilot. Set in Ohio, the story follows Brooks Riegler in his first semester at the fictional “Constance College” as he navigates the ups and downs of university life at the lowest ranked school in the state. Due to a class taught by the eccentric and nefarious Dr. Mars, Brooks learns to open up to hyperactive athletes, obsessive overachievers, and even strange, mysterious men urinating on the side of the road. Brooks, Cassidy, Jenny and Guy form a tight-knit and unlikely bond in a …