Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

Sighting Circus: Perceptions Of Circus Phenomena Investigated Through Diverse Bodies, Katrina Lavers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis is an investigation into modern circus from its beginnings in 1768 through to present day contemporary circus arts. Eight diverse bodies in modern and contemporary circus are explored. These eight bodies act as different lenses to focus enquiry into gaps or ruptures in the grand narratives of circus, to reveal previously missing voices and histories and to set in place new approaches to perceiving circus phenomena.

In The Political Body, the phenomenon of embodied protest is identified and explored in relation to contemporary circus works. The importance of the engaged spectator is identified in determining political, poetic …

George Chapman's All Fools, Charles Edelman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

No abstract available.

Undefined Genre, Or, A Study Into Work Reliant On Visual Art Mediums To Transform The Protagonist Function Of The Human Body In Performance, Tony Currie

Theses : Honours

This thesis is a study into performance art, specifically examples of work in which the artist engages with a physical object or visual arts medium to create a work of art in the presence of an audience. The subsequent work of art created can vary from works on paper, to living structures, or any other physical and tangible structure. I have addressed the audience demographic of performance art, the genre’s conceptual genesis, its ephemeral nature, and its commoditisation to analyse its relevance to the current artistic climate. During my study, an importance has been placed on live performance, not on …

The Making Of Disgrace Kelly: Dragging The Diva Through Cabarets, Pubs And Into The Recital Hall, Caitlin Cassidy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research project investigates the synthesis of cabaret and recital performance as a way to re-invigorate the recital as a performance platform. As a curious classical singer with a passion for cabaret, I have explored cabaret in my own creative practice as a classically trained opera singer through the employment of practice-led research methodologies. This project includes research manifested in rehearsals, performance and exegetical writing, including a unique self-reflexive voice in the writing style, to encompass a practice-led research methodology. The culmination of these approaches was a final performance program entitled Diva Bites the Dust. A study of the diva …

Framing Anorexia : A Play Script And Multidimensional Investigation Of Anorexia : A Play And Critical Essay, Louise Helfgott

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis explores anorexia nervosa in young people. It comprises two components: a play script, "Frames", about 16-year-old Elizabeth who is combating the disorder, her troubled friend Ben, and their families, and a critical essay that reviews qualitative and quantitative literature about anorexia and contextualises the play in relation to selected narratives, plays and films. In my field research, I interviewed a number of professionals working in the field of anorexia and the essay also discusses their views and insights.

Few plays deal with anorexia in an in-depth manner to explore the onset and development of the illness. "Frames" addresses …

Uncovering A Genre : The Integration Of Suspended Aerial Apparatus And Contemporary Dance Practice In Australia, Catherine Ryan

Theses : Honours

Genres in the performing arts are constantly shifting and changing, with many artforms evolving into new spheres of performance. It is not uncommon for creators to employ tools and techniques from various disciplines to support their artistic vision and enhance their work. A number of contemporary dance artists have begun to explore movement in the air by adapting skills or equipment from other disciplines and industries to suit their needs. At the same time, some circus artists and aerialists have been lowering their apparatus to incorporate ground-based movement into their work. It is this cross-pollination between art-forms that has formed …

My Worst Ever Night At The Best School Ball Ever : Creating Taboo Theatre For Teenagers, Jeremy F. Rice

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

My Worst Ever Night at the Best School Ball Ever (School Ball) is a new play for teenage audiences. The action takes place on the night of a ball for final year students. A prank with a goat goes horribly wrong, a photo of a girl pissing in a pot plant is widely circulated, and everyone finds out about the boy in a sexual relationship with a teacher. At the heart of the play are teenagers, armed with mobile phones, trying to find their way in a contradictory and confusing world.

The creative development of School Ball centred on practice-based …

Diminutive Catastrophe: Clown's Play, Margaret J. Phillips

Research outputs 2013

Clowns can be seen as enacting catastrophe with a small “c.” They are experts in “failing better” who perhaps live on the cusp of turning catastrophe into a metaphorical whirlwind while ameliorating the devastation that lies therein. They also have the propensity to succumb to the devastation, masking their own sense of the void with the gestures of play. In this paper, knowledge about clowns emerges from my experience, working with circus clowns in Circus Knie (Switzerland) and Circo Tihany (South America), observing performances and films about clowns, and reading, primarily in European fiction, of clowns in multiple guises. The …

Skipping Against Hegemony: Where Are States Of Lightness In Contemporary Dance-Making?, Margaret J. Phillips

Research outputs 2013

Dance relies on physical ideas born out of human experience. Changes in what we “do” and “transmit” in the context of pedagogy should follow the shifting and informed perspectives of the time, reflecting scientific, sociological, and imaginative advancements and practices. One day, while a young girl skipped down a university pathway, that principle was brought into question. This innocent protagonist’s skipping provoked a search for explanations of the erasure of a complex “foundational” action from the grounds of adult knowledgeable behaviour. Could this dismissal of a physical idea bear any correspondences with a limited range of contemporary dance compositional modes …

An Evaluation Of The Instructional Practices In Voice Teaching At Australian Performing Art Institutions, Ann Adlem

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to identify and evaluate the practices and techniques of vocal training for student actors at a tertiary level, through a survey of experienced voice practitioners in Australian performing arts schools, appropriate texts, consideration of contexts and my own professional experience. Vocal instruction starts with the basic training of ‘the instrument’ or the vocal capabilities of the body. Following this or concurrent with its teaching, more specific forms of training are addressed. This research project used qualitative research methods to compile a detailed description of the voice teaching practices currently used in Australia. It comprises …

Capturing Dance: The Art Of Documentation (An Exploration Of Distilling The Body In Motion), Kasey J. Lack

Theses : Honours

This research paper is an exploration of documenting and capturing live dance performance in regards to three artistic mediums, Notation, Photography and Film. This piece of writing discusses practitioners who have contributed to the development of these processes such as: Ann Hutchinson Guest, Rudolf von Laban, Eadweard Muybridge, Lois Greenfield, Ted Shawn, Norman McLaren and Sue Healey. In conjunction with historical and current day research the secondary document provided alongside this thesis describes the practical investigation undertaken. The reflections included define first-hand discoveries of how these three mediums of documenting interconnect to describe a contemporary dance solo. Thoughts, findings and …

Diva Voce : Reimagining The Diva In Contemporary Feminist Performance, Dawn Albinger

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This practice-led contemporary performance study investigates and invigorates the diva icon’s usefulness to feminist theatre praxis. It traces the research journey from an unexamined belief in the diva as an icon of empowered, independent and expressive womanhood, to a more nuanced conception of the diva as boundless feminist performer and philosophical subject. Two major questions emerge from and drive the process. The primary research question asks: How can the diva icon (in all her fury and glory and wretchedness and perversity and mastery and mortality) usefully inform a feminist theatre praxis? Early investigations give rise to a subsequent social query: …

They Reckon I Need A Dramaturg : Examining The Value Of A Dramaturg To Both The Playwright And The Professional Theatre Company In Australia, Polly Low

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis examines aspects of dramaturgy delivered by a dramaturg, and the practical contributions of dramaturgs to both the writer and the theatre industry in Australia. It investigates elements of the working relationship between dramaturgs and playwrights, looks at the chameleon-like nature of the theatre dramaturg and examines how Australian writers, directors and dramaturgs perceive the role/s of the dramaturg. The thesis is partly a reflective investigation of personal practice, partly an historical investigation of the emergence of Australian ideas about dramaturgy, and partly an active investigation into what can help to make a constructive playwright/dramaturg relationship. A major aim …

The Synergy Of Visual Projections And Contemporary Dance, Hannah Molly Timbrell

Theses : Honours

Projections are becoming an increasingly common part of contemporary dance performance, however, I believe that choreographers do not always integrate the media to form a dependent synergy. My research addresses the principal question: What are the factors that indicate that there is a critical relationship (synergy) between projection, including art work, moving images or light and the dancer in a contemporary dance performance? A brief history explains the background and development of lighting technology, through to film and more recently motion capture technology. Through sources of pre-existing literature and my interpretation of video excerpts of contemporary dance, I explore various …

Intimate Encounters: A Study Of The Interaction Between Dancer And Observer, Caitlin Mackenzie

Theses : Honours

This paper explores the world of intimate performance, looking at the effect intimate spatial relations have on the connection between performer and audience. The constraints and unspoken formalities of traditional theatre conventions are examined, with a focus on the resulting relationship between the individual audience member and the performer. Comparisons of performances respecting traditional conventions, and those which are site-specific, one-on-one and involve audience interaction, will provide the basis of the examination of the nature of intimate performance and the audience-performer relationship. Performance interaction is compared to nonverbal social interaction and what the blurring of these phenomena means. Essentially I …

The (Un)Written Heart In Brecht’S Baal And Journeys Of The God Of Happiness : Heart Matters In The Development Of A Playwright And His Ideas On Acting, Ralf G. Rauker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the 1918 and 1919 versions of his play Baal, Brecht had used
autobiographical material about a heart problem that he suffered from and
had recorded in his diaries since 1913. When he revised the 1919 version
and the play was first published in 1922, it seemed that this very personal
connection had disappeared. An observable shift in his work began to take
place, which led to his adopting an apparently unambiguous rationalist take
on theatre. However, his extremely critical, sometimes polemical position on
the intertwined subject of heart and emotions raises questions about the
motivations for the move towards …

The Dancing Imagination: How Does Imaginative Imagery Facilitate Movement Qualities In Dance Training And Performance?, Rachel Perica

Theses : Honours

The purpose· of this case study was to explore how imagery facilitates movement quality in dance training and performance. A literature review on classifications of direct and indirect imagery and imagery in relation to neuroscience, was investigated to firstly define imagery. The confusion over defining movement quality led to a literature review on Kinesiology and Gaga methods and how these dance-training methods utilise imagery in different ways to enhance the movement quality of dance in training and performance. Qualitative research methodology was used in this case study. The case study used a purposeful sample of eight subjects who were undergraduate …

Dancing With Risk: Risk-Taking As A Performance Practice In Contemporary Dance, Gemma Dawkins

Theses : Honours

Why is risk intentionally cultivated in contemporary dance? What purpose does it serve, for performers, choreographers and audiences? This thesis explores the ways in which risk-taking affects the meaning and significance of a dance work. It seeks to question whether the use of risk can render a dance more powerful, affecting or confronting, or whether intentional risk overshadows and, thus, detracts attention away from the aesthetic content. I also ask how being 'at risk' affects the performer. Can it engender investment and authenticity? The risks explored in this thesis include both physical and emotional or intellectual risks. I refer to …

The Ephemerality Of Dance, Abby Frances Johnson

Theses : Honours

"A dancer is bound to the given form of the human body" (Hamalainen, 2009, p. 107). As an art form, dance relies on the movement of these bodies. Dance is not fixed but can leave a lasting impression on the viewer. As a performance art, dance is truly ephemeral- a term that has been defined as "lasting for only a short period of time and leaving no permanent trace" (Encarta®, 2009). As a dance performer and spectator, I am affected by this ephemerality on a daily basis. Within this thesis, I initially outline what constitutes dance as ephemeral. I then …

Historically And In The Context Of Globalisation, How Do Western European Perceptions Of Folk/ Traditional Dance Pervade And Shape The Field Of Dance?, Emma Fishwick

Theses : Honours

With the international dance community becoming increasingly globalised, how do Western European perceptions of folk/ traditional dance pervade and shape the field of dance? This paper will discuss Western European perspectives towards traditional and folk dance and investigate the origins of such perspectives, if they do indeed exist. In doing so the reasoning of Western European perspectives will be examined, considered and questioned alongside that of non-Western European perspectives. The thesis is compiled from a wide range of textual sources that explore Western European world views in relation to non-Western European perspectives to argue that such perspectives do, to a …

Undressing And Redressing The Harlequin: An Australian Designer's Perspective, Julie Parsons

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In undressing and redressing the Harlequin from an Australian designer’s perspective, the question is why has the Harlequin costume endured for over 500 years and in locations far away from its country of origin? Why do we associate its lozenge pattern with energetic joyous mischief? What are the Harlequin costume codes and how have they been manifested in Australia? The thesis components are divided as follows: The Designer’s Notebook is a pictorial and historical review of the iconic costume, which is made up of a complex patchwork of triangles where colour placements form a diamond pattern called a lozenge. The …

The Success And Sustainability Of Improvisation In A Live Performance Context, Ashleigh Rose Berry

Theses : Honours

I am interested in investigating the value improvisation holds when placed in a live dance performance context. I am discussing improvisation in terms of it being an individual exploration of one's movement potential to create a personal movement language. Within this, I place focus on the body as a source of knowledge and the embodied movement possibilities that inevitably make up each individual dancer's personal movement language. I am also interested in the audience's perceptions of what defines successful dance and the dancer and audience relationship that forms during the duration of a performance. Can the practice of improvising be …

Constellations, Pathways Through The Body : An Exploration Creating New Movement Pathways Using Dual Patterning, Gemma Laing

Theses : Honours

This research paper is an exploration of the creation of movement using dual patterning, which is the tracing of two patterns simultaneously as a dual task. This piece of writing discusses practitioners Twyla Tharp, Trisha Brown and Lisa Kraus in their experiments with altering bodily habit. It also discusses patterns, imagery, bodily knowledge, and coordination to help facilitate the experiment. Thoughts and findings from the studio are discussed from the process to gain understanding of the experiment. Utilizing bodily intelligence or bodily knowledge, the body initially experiences a separation of hemispheres or halves of the body to enable the process …

The Communicating Dance, Alison Plevey

Theses : Honours

Does dance have the ability to communicate universally to all observers at some level of human engagement? This paper discusses theatre dance as a human communicative medium, the characteristics of how it communicates and to a certain degree why and what it communicates. In doing so the intentions of the communicating dancer and choreographer are considered alongside that of the receptive and responsive audience. The thesis compiles a survey of textual sources pin pointing the unique communicative abilities of dance, as an artistic, expressive and meaningful form of non-verbal communication establishing suggestions of the ways it may be universally communicable.

'Youth Ventures Into The Unknown' Developing An Individual Style Of Dance Making, Kate Herron

Theses : Honours

As a new emerging dancer and artist who is highly interested in the form of choreography, the search for knowledge and understanding of where choreography has come from as well as how to generate works have been at the forefront of my personal journey in dance. My thesis looks at and asks how the formal choreographic elements and approaches can assist new choreographers in developing an individual style of dance making? This question leads to the various approaches and elements taken from famous choreographers over time, and assesses how new emerging artists can draw from these examples as a way …

Freezing The Music And Fetishising The Subject: The Audiovisual Dramaturgy Of Michel Van Der Aa, Jonathan W. Marshall

Sound Scripts

When, with our eyes shut we run our hands along a surface, the rubbing of our fingers against the surface, and especially the varied play of our joints, provide a series of sensations, which differ only by their qualities and which exhibit a certain order in time. In this paper, I will explore the sonic relationship of sound to the development of new imaging technologies through Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM). In 2003, UCLA scientist, James Gimzewski, positioned a sensitive instrument called an atomic force microscope over a cell to try to detect its motion and the microscope picked up regular …

Architects Of The Identity Of Dance: Gender Inequity In Achievement And Acknowledgment In Australian Contemporary Dance, Quindell Orton

Theses : Honours

Evidence suggests that males receive more opportunities, awards and dominate the dance scene in terms of artistic directorship of high visibility, large budget contemporary dance companies within Australia. This research investigates why and how males have come to be the architects of the identity of dance and the factors which may inhibit a counterpart female's likelihood of assuming the same role. Much of this paper deals with constructing hypotheses for how gender disparities in contemporary dance may have come about. In order to devise informed hypotheses, I have gathered data on government funding and national dance awards. In addition interviews …

The Relationship Between Working Memory Capacity And Movement Memory Of Dancers, Katrina Louise Muller-Townsend

Theses : Honours

Working memory capacity span tasks are suggested to predict complex cognitive behaviour across varied domains (Conway et al., 2005). However, it has been criticised that expert skills are highly situational and domain specific (Marteniuk, 1974). The current research aimed to investigate whether general memory span was related to movement span, and furthermore, whether this can predict dance learning. It was expected that memory for movement would be positively correlated with measures of working memory, due to the specific components of working memory, such as the capacity of the phonological loop. Furthermore, it was expected on the basis of previous research …

Dreaming In Motion: Maintaining Community, Culture And Identity Of First Australians, Ian R.T. Colless

Theses : Honours

No abstract provided.

The Classics And Her Cygnets: Classic Choreographies And Their Contemporary (Counter) Parts, Leeke Griffin

Theses : Honours

The proliferation of contemporary interpretations of classic works throughout the history of dance is substantial, yet there is little scholarly acknowledgement of contemporary interpretations as a genre unto themselves. Unlike other art forms, there is a lack of academic research into contemporary interpretations within dance and their place in dance history. This thesis delves into the genre of contemporary interpretations of classic choreographies, uncovering their popular appeal, the various approaches, their role and contribution to dance history. The second part is a comparative Swan Lake case study, examining the works of Mats Ek, Matthew Bourne and Garry Stewart in reference …