Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

To Kill A Mockingbird

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University's performance of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, dramatized by Christopher Sergel.

Performed February 18-20 & 25-27, 2022 at the Mitchell Theatre.

To Kill A Mockingbird is a dramatization by Christopher Sergel of Harper Lee's classic novel. Set in the racially segregated South during the 1930s, the play follows young Scout Finch and her brother Jem as they witness their father, Atticus Finch, defend Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Through Scout's eyes, the story explores themes of racial injustice, moral integrity, and the loss of innocence. The …

The 2022 Classroom Project: Land Of Ours, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2021-2022 Season Production

LAND OF OURS is a brand-new play devised in rehearsal by an ensemble of Otterbein University actors, designers, stage managers, and directors. The play explores the centrality of travel and journeying to human experience. Drawing on the ensemble's personal experiences, stories of mythical travel from legend and folklore, and travel explorations invented in rehearsal, LAND OF OURS is a theatrical journey that will transport you beyond the theater walls to a destination of the imagination.

This Effeminate Stranger: Dionysus' Gender In Translation And Performance, August Guszkowski

Independent Student Projects and Publications

This Effeminate Stranger: Dionysus’ Gender in Translation and Performance explores the possible interpretation of the character of Dionysus in Euripides’ Bacchae as genderqueer, specifically nonbinary. The project consists of a translation of the Bacchae from Ancient Greek into English which pays special attention to instances where Dionysus’ character is treated as somewhere between or outside of the traditional male-female gender binary, including placing emphasis on the god’s “effeminate” appearance and ability to influence other people to act across gendered lines. The groundbreaking translation refers to Dionysus with they/them pronouns rather than the traditional he/him and embraces this surprisingly well-evidenced reading …

The Mozart Conversation Or The Aria Of Nannerl Mozart: Drama In Three Acts And Two Tableaux, Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

1 play (v + 66 pages) ; includes Synopsis, Cast of characters, Setting, Costumes, Props

The full-length historic drama examines the impact of emerging feminism in the Mozart family during the Enlightenment era.

As social changes cause the rejection of sexism, Nannerl, Mozart's sister disrupts male ordained traditions as she affirms her genius as a musician. The new social trends disrupt the affectionate relationship with her brother Wolfgang, who is psychologically exhausted by the stress to perform. The parents, Leopold and Anna Maria, invoke the respect of old traditions to exploit financially the genius of their son and to minimize …

Samuel Beckett's Theory Of Repetition, Kennedy Carpenter

Online Theses and Dissertations

The thesis explores playwright, Samuel Beckett, and his use of repetition within four of his plays. The way in which repetition is discussed and shown in his plays displays Beckett’s own theories about repetition such as the futility and meaningless of life that repetition brings about, how repetition causes stagnation, repetition is something people are both trapped in and willing go towards for comfort, and the only way to break out of repetition is by involving others in one’s life. After literary analysis of repetition in Beckett’s works, his theories are then applied to Beckett’s personal life as a director …

Something Rotten!, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2021-2022 Season Production

Something Rotten takes place in 1595 London, England. The Bottom brothers, Nick and Nigel are trying to find success by writing plays, but are outshined by the rock-star playwright of the Renaissance, William Shakespeare. Desperate to find success Nick gets help from a soothsayer for the next big hit.

The Velvet Ditch, Kate Leslie

Playwriting (MFA) Theses

At the party house, the door is always open.

Fiona finds herself living in her hometown after graduating from college. So she spends her weekends like everyone else: attending late night house parties after all the bars shut down. But no matter how much fun each party might be, Fiona eventually must face her past and her future.

A play about nostalgia and what it feels like to be lost.

The Kids Are Driving The Bus, Kristin Lundberg

Playwriting (MFA) Theses

A full-length play with elements of music and audience participation. Ms. McShizzle has to decide how far she will go to challenge the educational system and empower her students to pursue their dreams. When confronting her nemesis, an audacious Clown with a harmful neurosis, McShizzle struggles to build the school community for good.

The Sun, The Moon, And The Truth, Sarah Cosgrove Gaumond

Playwriting (MFA) Theses

The Sun, The Moon, and The Truth is a collection of two plays: North Wind and I Lived To Tell. Both plays explore the human condition through differing lenses.

In North Wind, a play deeply rooted in magical realism, a trio of characters search for freedom from the past in a snow-bound Midwestern bar. The dramatic question of North Wind is: How do you move forward when everything you see reminds you of what you’ve lost?

I Lived To Tell, a non-linear play, takes place in the character's imagination. The play's dramatic question is: How does a …

For As Long As The Lamp Is Burning: A One-Act Play, Jon Papernick

Emerson Authors, Researchers, & Creators

Miriam Bravermann, (Mama) a Holocaust survivor living in 1990’s Jerusalem believes the Nazis have stolen the mezuzah off her door post. Her adult son Avshalom is concerned that she’s beginning to lose her grip on reality and wants her to move in with him and his family. Mama has taken on the near holy responsibility of remembering, and refuses to accept that she may actually be forgetting.

The Right To Fail: Defining And Imitating The Style Of The Royal Court Theatre, Annie Sheneman

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

Los Fantasmas De La Imaginación En El Deseo Más Canalla De Arístides Vargas, Rojo Robles Mejias

Publications and Research

Como motivo del evento crítico teatral Un espacio seguro producido por Caborca y Teatro Público en el Teatro de la UPR en Octubre 2022, este ensayo revisita la obra de Arístides Vargas, El deseo más canalla (2001). El artículo argumenta que la obra divisa la posibilidad de transformar espacios y proyectar seres creativos por medio de la imaginación. La imaginación en la dramaturgia de Vargas es un mecanismo recurrente para establecer una relación entre la realidad interior y la exterior, entre una posible construcción del yo y la otredad. Esa metamorfosis del yo se alcanza por medio del juego literario …

Deconstrucciones Del Hogar Hegemónico: La Familia Disfuncional En El Último Teatro Español, Ruth María Gutiérrez Álvarez

Teatro: Revista de Estudios Escénicos / A Journal of Theater Studies

El teatro español contemporáneo presenta una creciente tendencia a situar la familia en el centro de la materia dramática desde muy diferentes posturas estéticas, desde la autoreferencialidad y la autofictión del yo, procedimientos característicos de los ejercicios performativos, a la precisión de las formas de hiperrealismo. El presente artículo propone un análisis de aquellas piezas teatrales que llevan a cabo un profundo proceso de deconstrucción y desmitificación de la familia nuclear hegemónica por medio del cual, por un lado, se presenta el hogar como una convención social, política, económica e ideológica que oprime al individuo y, por otro, se cuestiona …

Dungeons And Devised Theatre: A Study Of Tabletop Gaming And Its Application In Playwriting And Character Development, Sabrina E. Becker

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration of the connections and application of tabletop gaming in theatre. It looks at the initial process that was used in devising a play from tabletop gaming and also the applications of using tabletop gaming to further character development. This paper serves as a journal of first-hand accounts and interviews during this process so you may be inspired to build your own process either based in what you read here or discovering your own. There is a sample excerpt of the play to show what can be accomplished as well as other artistic works that came …

How Do We Use Creative And Personal Memories For Creative Communication?, Tyler Robert Montgomery

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Inspired by the author’s memories, KeyBoard Memories and You have the Right to Forget are two short stage plays exploring topics of identity, time, and justice. This thesis uses personal and creative memories to develop stories in the form of scripts. The thesis begins with an example of creative writing inspired by the author’s personal and creative memories and describes the purpose of the project before moving into a review of literature that explains what memories are, how they work, and the different types of memories. Then the method section describes the methods of journaling and scripting writing, and then …

Marina Y Cleopatra En El Escenario Teatral, Jon Paul Lawton

World Languages and Cultures Student Papers and Posters

Cleopatra and Doña Marina come from distinct time periods in world history— respectively, the declining Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and the age of the Spanish conquest. Literature has been inspired by these historical figures, creating various interpretations of this Egyptian queen and Aztec translator. Fundamentally, these two personalities share similarities: both women fall in love with foreign invaders and harness influence in the political arena of their times. For this, they must rectify their romantic desires with loyalty for their home countries. The plays Todos los gatos son pardos by Carlos Fuentes and Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare reveal …

A Virtuous Woman, Who Can Find?, Ashley Banker

Senior Honors Theses

The contemporary theatre world lacks prominent, virtuous female roles, which are needed to inspire both the actors who play them and the audience members who witness them to emulate their virtuous characteristics. Virtuous characters encourage society to strive for excellence, as well as provide excellent role models for the next generation of young women. From a Christian perspective, a virtuous female role strives to exemplify the traits in Proverbs 31: trustworthy, kind, industrious, selfless, strong, honorable, and God-fearing. The critically-acclaimed plays The Humans and Good People feature prominent female characters who do not exhibit these virtues. Although each play contains …

Program: Through The Looking Glass, And What You Found There, University Of Dayton, Teejai Dorsey

Dance and Theater Programs

Co-produced by the Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technology program and the Department of Music

What do you see when you look in the mirror? If you were on the other side looking back, in a land of opposites, how would your perception of reality be altered? Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There reflect the larger truths that underscore our social experience in this constantly changing nonsensical world. Journey with us through a wonderland of mystery and delight while exploring who we were, who we are, and who we are yet to become in this dramatic …

The Women Of Lockerbie

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University's performance of The Women of Lockerbie by Deborah Brevoort..

Performed October 29-31 & November 5-7, 2021 at the Mitchell Theatre.

The Women of Lockerbie is a poignant drama inspired by the real-life aftermath of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The play follows a grieving mother from New Jersey who roams the hills of Lockerbie, searching for her son's remains. She encounters the women of Lockerbie, who are fighting the U.S. government to retrieve the clothing of the victims found in the wreckage. These women aim to wash the clothes …

A Lie Of The Mind, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2021-2022 Season Production

Sam Shepherd, a mastermind of dark humor and powerful drama, out does himself with this story of two dysfunctional families joined by marriage in the American West, each trying to hold on to the ideal picture of stability without ever having experienced it. Jake believes he may have killed his wife, Beth, during a domestic dispute and, to calm his concerns, his brother Frankie attempts to get the real story by traveling to Beth’s family home in Montana. While he is relieved to see Beth alive, though severely injured from the incident, Frankie is suddenly entangled in a bizarre familial …

The Conscience Of Little Women: Beth's Epic, Mcewen Baker

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

From its conception, and through countless retellings, there is no doubt that Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is an American classic that has stood the test of time. Kate Hamill’s stage adaptation affirms and extends this legacy; the playwright adopts a contemporary feminist approach that defies gender norms and exclusivity in casting and encourages an actor-centered approach. This essay explains the importance of this adaptation and its influence on my portrayal of Beth March in Belmont University’s Fall 2021 production. It touches on the often overlooked significance of the second youngest sister as well as how my personal battle with …

A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2021-2022 Season Production

Join us as we celebrate a return to live theater with a very special staged concert version of the show that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. While we are unable to fully realize the elaborate design of this hilarious knock-em-dead musical romp, the script will be performed in full with much of the original cast, and you will not leave without having a hearty laugh. Poor, low-born Monty Navarro is desperate to inherit the dukedom by surpassing no fewer than eight members of the well-to-do D’Ysquith family in line before him. Just wait until …

Borrowed Babies

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University's performance of Borrowed Babies by Jennifer Blackmer.

Performed September 10-12, 2021 at the Mitchell Theatre.

Borrowed Babies is a play by Jennifer Blackmer that delves into the historical practice of university "practice houses" for home economics students. The story follows Judy London, a Professor of Home Economics, who encounters one of her former "practice babies" as she nears the end of her career. This meeting prompts Judy to reflect on her life's journey and the sacrifices she has made. The play explores the evolving roles of women and mothers in American society over the past …

Homesick, Or Sacred Heterosexual Spaces, Ryan A. Drake

Theses and Dissertations

A dark satire about a young queer man who comes home under mysterious circumstances to find that he's been replaced by someone who looks just like him. He starts having dreams that his family is trying to kill him...but are they dreams?

Language As The Medium: A Literature Review. Harnessing The Prolific Power Of Dramatic Language As A Therapeutic Tool In Drama Therapy, Edward Freeman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Language in and of the theatre, with its palate of variegated writing styles and playwrights from throughout time, has the potential to be harnessed, focused, and systematized for use as a therapeutic tool within drama therapy – the field’s artistic medium. Drama therapy could benefit from having a specific medium germane to its artform which has the potential to provide practitioners with a common resource and means of communication, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning, as well as align the field with other creative arts therapies. Language encompasses all forms of human communication – speaking, writing, signing, gesturing, expressing facially – …

Clams Clams Clams Clams Clams Clams Clams Clams Clams Clams, Ella Boureau

Theses and Dissertations

CLAMS CLAMS CLAMS CLAMS CLAMS CLAMS CLAMS CLAMS CLAMS CLAMS is a multilingual retrofuturist couscous western starring two eco-militant sisters living on a polluted Mediterranean beach.

"Possessed": The Phenomenology Of Immersive Theatre, Shannon M. Flynn

Theatre & Dance ETDs

Using phenomenology as a lens of analysis, I investigate how immersive theatre engages audiences in a more direct and sensory way than traditional theatre. In a proscenium theatre the action is seen from the same angle. The theatre itself becomes a phenomenon in audience’s minds, each performance subtly influencing how the audience perceives the next. I investigate how relationships between audience and performers are altered in immersive experiences with no delineation between the space audience and actors occupy. The phenomenological idea of frontality places immersed audiences in positions where they are able to explore a constantly changing perspective of the …

La Teoría Del “Generolecto” Observada En La Llamada De Lauren De Paloma Pedrero Y Entre Villa Y Una Mujer Desnuda De Sabina Berman, Thomas Tsai

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Created and popularized by Deborah Tannen, the Genderlect Theory explains how through social contexts, men and women have different ways of communicating. According to Tannen, men focus more on status, while women focus more on forming connections. On the other hand, there is also machismo, the behavior and attitude men partake to show that they are “manly” or “superior” to women and others they deem as inferior. Through the literary theatrical works, "La llamada de Lauren" by Paloma Pedrero and "Entre Villa y una mujer" desnuda by Sabina Berman, we can see similarities and differences in the Genderlect Theory and …

An Introduction To Theatre Of Omniscience, Kierstan K. Conway

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

Theatre is an art of infinite possibility and is created and viewed from a variety of different lenses. Throughout history, artistic movements such as realism, surrealism, naturalism, expressionism, romanticism, and many more have influenced the ideologies of theatrical artists. Theatre practitioners make a stake in their artistic beliefs in the form of manifestos, which encapsulate their understanding in an abstract or concrete way. In reading and studying these manifestos, the individual then has the choice to follow suit to a school of thought, or derive their own philosophy. Theatre, in one viewpoint, can be understood as a means of omniscience, …

A Tough Nut Never Boils: Thoughts And Ruminations On Language And Playmaking, Lauren Ferebee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After an unorthodox journey through higher education ending during the coronavirus pandemic, which has made the typical theatrical thesis production and subsequent typical final year impossible, the author reflects on the body of work she has created at the University of Arkansas as an M.F.A. candidate in playwriting at the Department of Theatre, how she has reached both deeper into her own discipline and outside of it to widen her understanding of liveness, performance, and textual creation. She interrogates her own unexpected experiences, from figuring out how to make theatre without theatres, to teaching students who have never seen a …