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Articles 121 - 150 of 229
Full-Text Articles in Theatre and Performance Studies
Audition Technique: A Survival Guide (For College Undergraduate Students), Meghan Kelleher
Audition Technique: A Survival Guide (For College Undergraduate Students), Meghan Kelleher
Theses and Dissertations
Many great actors don’t work and many mediocre actors do. Why? The perfect monologue and great song isn’t enough to get you hired. Sadly, students are not prepared and equipped with the necessary skill set to take control of their careers. In this economic climate, the ability to audition could not be more imperative. In this thesis, readers will be introduced to the basics of audition technique as developed for Theatre majors at Virginia Commonwealth University as a precursor to their senior year. It will guide them through the first stage of their career. Furthermore, there are unspoken rules, etiquette, …
Meeting Sanford Meisner: An Investigation Of The Origins, Development, And Practical Application Of The Meisner Technique, Mandy Butler
Meeting Sanford Meisner: An Investigation Of The Origins, Development, And Practical Application Of The Meisner Technique, Mandy Butler
Theses and Dissertations
The Sanford Meisner Technique is among the most mysterious and misunderstood approaches to the craft of acting. Very often, it is taught poorly, incompletely, or even dangerously. Through the exploration of Meisner’s private life, as well as a detailed analysis of his system, this work aims to dispel some of the common misconceptions which plague the Technique and its most fervent supporters. After being made privy to his biography, readers will be taken through Meisner’s foundational exercises, beginning at the first phase of Repetition and ending with the introduction of text. In addition to the descriptions of student responsibilities, the …
Movement For The Actor: A Practical Approach To The Application Of Movement Training, Elizabeth Ressegger-Slone
Movement For The Actor: A Practical Approach To The Application Of Movement Training, Elizabeth Ressegger-Slone
Theses and Dissertations
An essential tool in actor education, movement training is often viewed as esoteric and difficult to apply directly to an actor’s craft. It varies widely from institution to institution, and covers anything from stage combat to Alexander Technique. One never knows what they will encounter upon entering a movement class, and students frequently have difficulty connecting work done in the movement studio to work done in the acting studio. In order for movement training to become better integrated and more easily identifiable as a necessary part of actor training, it is important to get to the essential qualities that all …
Designing A Musical Theatre Curriculum For The Modern University, Justin Amellio
Designing A Musical Theatre Curriculum For The Modern University, Justin Amellio
Theses and Dissertations
The world around us has changed so much, socio-economically, that musical theatre departments around the country are facing budget shortfalls, staff attrition and even vertical cuts leading to full departmental closings. This paper attempts to divert these measures, as well as address the new role of student as consumer, by way of proposing a new musical theatre curricular model to satisfy the needs of both student and university alike. Topics such as fiscal responsibility in academe, departmental expectations, current employment statistics in the musical theatre field and current student learning outcomes are covered. The current student learning outcomes are then …
Video Game Theatre, A Willoughby
Video Game Theatre, A Willoughby
Theses and Dissertations
Video games are becoming the fastest growing and most lucrative form of entertainment across the globe. The goal of this project was to take gaming to the next level; to the theatre. I have devised an original piece of theatre using the CIC’s of video gaming: Creativity, Interaction, and Community and put on a production from members of the VCU community. Aside from the project, I have detailed why video games are growing in popularity at an alarming rate and why they belong in the category of ‘Art.’ With new technology and new stories being told, the gaming industry is …
Completing The Circle: The Actor's Cool Down, Anna Kurtz
Completing The Circle: The Actor's Cool Down, Anna Kurtz
Theses and Dissertations
Physically, vocally, and physiologically something happens to the actor in rehearsal and performance that can impact the actor’s everyday life. Practitioners have described this as boundary blurring, emotional hangover, and post-dramatic stress. Even acting as a profession can breed stressful situations for the actor. Actors can combat the blurring, the hangover, and the stress through awareness and process. As a part of process, actors warm-up to prepare their bodies and voices and to transition from real life to stage life. An often ignored aspect of process, but no less significant than the warm-up, is the cool down. After researching the …
The Actor As Vessel: A Journey Towards Citizen Artistry, Joseph Carlson
The Actor As Vessel: A Journey Towards Citizen Artistry, Joseph Carlson
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis is a personal journey examining the applications of Ritual Poetic Drama Within the African Continuum as developed by my mentor Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, to the profession of the dramatic artist whether they are actor, director, educator or producer, to the training of the dramatic artist as a means of empowering generative, self defined, self validating artists, and as a means of developing community specific dramas in the hopes of facilitating individual and personal revelation. Using the author’s personal experiences as evidence, it intends to affirm Ritual Poetic Drama Within the African Continuum as an emergent methodology for theatrical …
Staying True To The Script: A Dramaturgical Examination Of From The Mississippi Delta: Endesha Ida Mae Holland, Margarette Joyner
Staying True To The Script: A Dramaturgical Examination Of From The Mississippi Delta: Endesha Ida Mae Holland, Margarette Joyner
Theses and Dissertations
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Ensemble Rehearsal Practices: The Evolution And Application Of Rehearsal Technique As Explored In Harold Pinter’S Betrayal, Wilson Kerry Mcgee
Ensemble Rehearsal Practices: The Evolution And Application Of Rehearsal Technique As Explored In Harold Pinter’S Betrayal, Wilson Kerry Mcgee
Theses and Dissertations
Three years ago, Bonnie Gabel and I started an ensemble theatre company called Night Light Collective (NLC). Our company was inspired by the work of Anne Bogart and the Dah Theatre in Belgrade, Serbia. We used many of their techniques and exercises to develop a rehearsal process that would help our ensemble connect to each other as well as contribute to the artistic direction of our productions. In the fall of 2010, I directed Harold Pinter’s Betrayal. I used the rehearsal practices that we developed with NLC and created a few of my own. This thesis documents the evolution of …
Rebonding Anomic Communities With Theatre Of The Oppressed, Amanda Hauman
Rebonding Anomic Communities With Theatre Of The Oppressed, Amanda Hauman
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis explores whether Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) can help anomic communities, affected by deindustrialization and globalization, in the U.S. Midwest, specifically looking at Saginaw, MI. After presenting a paper at the American Symposium for Theatre Research (ASTR) conference in 2009, the author attended a Theatre of the Oppressed facilitator training in Port Townsend, WA under the direction of Marc Weinblatt. She then conducted her own Theatre of the Oppressed workshop in Saginaw, MI to analyze the abilities of Theatre of the Oppressed in an anomic community. Each experience is detailed and followed by the author’s conclusions …
The Konami Code: An Experiment In Dialect Pedagogy, Thomas Cunningham
The Konami Code: An Experiment In Dialect Pedagogy, Thomas Cunningham
Theses and Dissertations
The Konami Code is a tool for teaching stage dialects that I have been developing for the past three years. I wanted a method that didn’t rely on students’ having a keen ear for phonetics; rather one that offered context for each dialect, and presented individual sound-changes as small parts of an easy way to digest the whole. Most importantly, I wanted a process that was portable: a set series of applications that my students could incorporate easily into their actor’s tool-kit and carry with them into the professional world. The Konami Code incorporates kinesthetic and imaginative elements into the …
Planting: One Director's Approach To Cultivating And Nurturing Within A Female Ensemble, Erin Snyder
Planting: One Director's Approach To Cultivating And Nurturing Within A Female Ensemble, Erin Snyder
Theses and Dissertations
A director, just like a pastry chef, must be delicate. Actors are fragile, fearful human beings. And just like a pie crust requires the perfect balance of water and flour, an actor requires a similar balance in both comfort and companionship. Eryn Snyder worked for three months to create a space where her actors could live freely in the world of the characters. With a cast of four, rehearsals were intimate, demanding, and playful. Theatre requires a director to lay down the sort of soil that encourages growth. It nurtures, it listens, it plays, and it asks questions. A director’s …
Welcome To The Circus: Finding Ways To Artistically Express The Martial Way, Donzell Lewis
Welcome To The Circus: Finding Ways To Artistically Express The Martial Way, Donzell Lewis
Theses and Dissertations
This thesis explores various artistic and ritual practices of martial arts in relation to its presentation on stage. As a martial artist and actor I believe there are complementary practices in both crafts interdisciplinary of each other. For a martial artist, the individual’s performance and execution of martial arts techniques can be enhanced through emotional availability and characterization. For the actor, the martial arts can help condition the body physically, mentally and emotionally to create a grounded presence of connectivity to the earth. However, sometimes the martial arts are viewed as a militaristic discipline and not as artistic expression. I …
A Plantation Family Wardrobe, 1825 - 1835, Jennifer Lappas
A Plantation Family Wardrobe, 1825 - 1835, Jennifer Lappas
Theses and Dissertations
An examination of the Shirley Plantation Collection, Hill Carter, Mary B. Carter, their children, the plantation workers and their wardrobe between 1825 and 1835.
The Roads Are Bumpy Ones: A Study Of Body Image Through Abstract Performance, Alexis Goldstein
The Roads Are Bumpy Ones: A Study Of Body Image Through Abstract Performance, Alexis Goldstein
Theses and Dissertations
An overwhelming number of contemporary adolescents struggle with difficult issues. Many of these problems are socially related whereas others can be directly related to the degradation of the family unit. Among the most damaging of issues is distorted body image, which infect youth, often causing them to communicate aggressively, and even landing them in compromising situations. I have sought to challenge my students to redefine themselves through expressive movement and the creation of abstract rhythmic sounds. In teaching these techniques, I have given my former students the means to combat negative thoughts and actions, as well as an excellent tool …
A Midsummer Night's Dream On The Radio: Technology In Voice And Speech, David Becker
A Midsummer Night's Dream On The Radio: Technology In Voice And Speech, David Becker
Theses and Dissertations
Recent advances in sound technology have had significant implications for the teaching of voice and speech that are only now becoming apparent. As more students become “plugged in” it becomes more difficult, both for the instructor and the student, to communicate, let alone find a voice. We are becoming increasingly addicted to communicating through our devices, rather than through the traditional and accepted modes of the past: using the human voice. In light of these rapid and various new developments, voice training, especially at the introductory level, needs to be examined anew. A number of traditional approaches and teaching methods …
Vaudeville: A How To Guide, Evan Anderson
Vaudeville: A How To Guide, Evan Anderson
Theses and Dissertations
At the turn of the twentieth century vaudeville was the most prevalent form of theatrical entertainment. With more than 1,500 houses across the country, vaudeville reached in excess of 30 million audience members each year. It directly led to the advent of film and radio. Yet barely one hundred years later vaudeville has been forgotten by the once loyal masses. This guide is meant to help counter vaudeville’s fall. By adding together a basic script consisting of comedy and dramatic sketches, original works and classic vaudeville acts with music and information on the how and whys of vaudeville, this guide …
Styling The Sound: Vocal Coaching The Big Knife, Melissa Carroll-Jackson
Styling The Sound: Vocal Coaching The Big Knife, Melissa Carroll-Jackson
Theses and Dissertations
Styling the Sound: Vocal Coaching The Big Knife explores the journey from research, to rehearsal and finally concludes with a post-production evaluation of the Theatre VCU production of Clifford Odets’s The Big Knife, directed by Tawnya Pettiford-Wates. In Chapter 1 I discuss the process I went through in preparing myself, the director and actors for the demands of the production. This section of the thesis focuses on the research aspect of the work I did. Chapter 2 focuses on the auditions for the show, first read-through and rehearsal process. Also, the one-on-one time spent with actors is also analyzed in …
The Uses Of Applied Theatre, Matthew Mckay
The Uses Of Applied Theatre, Matthew Mckay
Theses and Dissertations
Applied theatre is an umbrella term describing the practice of borrowing concepts from the conventional theatre and applying them to different disciplines. This thesis focuses on the use of applied theatre in teaching effective communication skills. Using the work of the Ariel Group and personal experiences working with the VCU da Vinci Center as examples, this paper demonstrates ways that underlying theatre concepts are used to teach communication skills. Additionally, this paper argues that there are many advantages for using theatre professors to teach communication skills to non-theatre students in other disciplines through the use of applied theatre methods. To …
The Fourth Level Of Theatrical Awareness, Gregory Scurria
The Fourth Level Of Theatrical Awareness, Gregory Scurria
Theses and Dissertations
Abstract The Fourth Level of Theatrical Awareness By Greg Scurria, MFA A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Pedagogy Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010 Major Director: Dr. Noreen C. Barnes, Director of Graduate Studies, Theatre Department This text is a partial record and narrative of the production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men that opened on May 1st 2009 for a three day run ending May 3rd 2009 and Shel, a collection of Shel …
Psycho Beach Party: A Vocal And Physical Exploration Of Gender, Megan Persinger
Psycho Beach Party: A Vocal And Physical Exploration Of Gender, Megan Persinger
Theses and Dissertations
On September 24, 2009, Theatre VCU opened its production of Psycho Beach Party, written by Charles Busch and directed by Steve Perigard. In our production, two male actors, Tommy Callan and Kyle Cornell, were cross-sex cast to play female characters, Chicklet and Marvel Ann respectively. In addition to serving as vocal coach for the production, I was to help Callan and Cornell vocally transform into female characters. I have documented our exploration of gender, specifically the vocal transformation from male to female, in Theatre VCU’s production of Psycho Beach Party. Neither actor had played a female character onstage before, and …
Giving Voice To The Hero Within: The Combination Of Two Methodologies For Training The Actor/Performer-- The Use Of Ritual Poetic Drama Within The African Continuum And Archetypes For The Actor/Singer As Explored In The Performances Of A Thousand Faces: Every Day Heroes A Deconstruction Of The Hero With A Thousand Faces By Joseph Campbell, Olisa-Mequella F. Enrico-Johnson
Theses and Dissertations
Joseph Campbell tells us that if you look closely at all cultures you find the story of “The Hero's Journey”, the vehicle for my thesis project, a devised theatre piece titled A Thousand Faces: Everyday Heroes. Though the subject of A Thousand Faces is the exploration of “The Hero's Journey” the foundation of the work is the application of the pedagogical principles of Ritual Poetic Drama Within the African Continuum (RPDWAC) as outlined in the practices of my mentor Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates, Assistant Professor of Performance at Virginia Commonwealth University Theatre (VCU). I apply RPDWAC pedagogical principles to Archetypes for …
The Michael Chekhov Technique: In The Classroom And On Stage, Josh Chenard
The Michael Chekhov Technique: In The Classroom And On Stage, Josh Chenard
Theses and Dissertations
Referred to by Constantin Stanislavski as “My most brilliant pupil,” Michael Chekhov’s approach to acting is founded in an understanding of the artist as a whole being whose thoughts, feelings, desires, voice, and physical body are intimately interwoven. The Michael Chekhov technique trains these aspects jointly while encouraging the actor to fully explore and utilize his or her unlimited, rich, and fertile imagination. I have seen the powerful benefits of this technique as an actor (which I have been utilizing for 13 years) and as a teacher and director (for almost 10 years). In my thesis, I will firstly describe …
The Grapes Of Wrath; A Costume Design Thesis, Kenann Quander
The Grapes Of Wrath; A Costume Design Thesis, Kenann Quander
Theses and Dissertations
In this thesis, I intend to present an original costume design for John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. This production is the first full collaboration of its kind between Virginia Commonwealth University’s Theatre Department and Barksdale Theatre. This thesis will be a complete account of my entire design process from the design concept to the finished, realized production. I will be examining my design choices and finished production photos, including color photographs of my original renderings, fabric swatches and research. Throughout my thesis, I will be researching ways to accurately represent the millions of exploited itinerant farm laborers who survived …
Generation Y And Vocal Fry, Paul Michael Valley
Generation Y And Vocal Fry, Paul Michael Valley
Theses and Dissertations
In this thesis, the author explores a vocal phenomenon called “vocal fry” and why this dysphonia has emerged as one of the primary means of communication for the population referred to as “Generation Y.” The first chapter defines what vocal fry is and why it is of modest value to the stage actor. The second chapter defines the physiological means by which the human body creates sound, what good sound is and how vocal fry is created. The third and fourth chapters define several generations as well as what defines Gen Y, and the communication physiologies associated with those generations. …
Character Memory Exploration: What It Is And How To Apply It To Your Classroom, Dana Giampiccolo
Character Memory Exploration: What It Is And How To Apply It To Your Classroom, Dana Giampiccolo
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to implement Character Memory Exploration (a specific pathway towards character justification) within a BFA Acting II course. Primarily using given circumstances and magic if, Character Memory Exploration creates a rich and developed character history through a combination of visualization exercises, improvisation, and writing. The following summary will show individualized exercises and how to implement them, as well as their original purpose, placements, and pairings. This work also delves into student responses and my own successes and failures throughout the experience. The primary conclusion of this writing is that Character Memory Exploration leads to an …
A Gaze Into The Personal Aesthetics Of Three Sons Of The Silver Age Of Russia, Karl Green
A Gaze Into The Personal Aesthetics Of Three Sons Of The Silver Age Of Russia, Karl Green
Theses and Dissertations
Abstract A Gaze into the Personal Aesthetics and Accomplishments of Three Sons of the Silver Age of Russia By Karl Green A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Director: Dr. Noreen C. Barnes Professor, Director of Graduate Studies School of the Arts For each of us, I wonder how much our geographic location and time of existence affects us as humans: the way we think, respond, grow, and live our daily lives. More importantly, I question how our environment dictates who we …
Creating An Environmentally Sustainable Costume Shop, Katherine Stone
Creating An Environmentally Sustainable Costume Shop, Katherine Stone
Theses and Dissertations
The goal of my thesis is to provide the reader with a better understanding of how to create an environmentally sustainable costume shop. I chose to focus on certain elements of the costume shop that are imperative to the function of the shop, but desperately need to change for the sake of the environment. The elements I focused on were fabric, energy, and chemicals. Armed with a better understanding of why and what needs to be changed, the reader will be able to take this knowledge and apply it to their costume shop and life. We need to change how …
Directing Autobiographical Theatre, Shanea Taylor
Directing Autobiographical Theatre, Shanea Taylor
Theses and Dissertations
This is an exploration of the director's role in autobiographical theatre. The director is in a unique position when storytelling on a personal level is being executed theatrically. I explored this topic over the course of directing three plays, each of which contained a strong personal storytelling element, which broadened my perspective of the director's role. The three plays were Slashtipher Coleman’s The Neon Man and Me, Birth by Karen Brody, and Will Power to Youth Richmond presents: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Traditionally, the director’s role includes a myriad of tasks. These tasks can include and are not limited …
New Play Dramaturgy: Finding Sunsets In Nantucket, Ian Tweedie
New Play Dramaturgy: Finding Sunsets In Nantucket, Ian Tweedie
Theses and Dissertations
This is an outline of the journey of James Campese’s La Vita Nuova. It began as a raw script entitled Sunsets in Nantucket, which I originally encountered during the spring of 2006. After edits, research and meetings it became a successful work which was presented as a staged reading on March 1st, 2009. This thesis describes how I worked with James to transform the script into its final product, managing both the delicacy of the script and the writer. Included is research on New Play Dramaturgy that helped me find the most effective way to work with the script, then …