Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

Transforming Trauma: Performing The Works Of William Shakespeare As Rehabilitation For Incarcerated Individuals, Elyssa Mersdorf

Theses and Dissertations

This paper is the summation of my research and exploration into the history, social ramifications, and individual psychological impact of incarceration and the use of theatre as a vehicle of rehabilitation. Throughout my studies, I encountered evidence in the forms of personal accounts from theatre practitioners, scholarly articles, inmate testimonials, and historical journals regarding the success of such carceral theatre programs in the reformation of the prisoners they serve. How have past prison procedures and strategies hindered or helped inmates in their preparation for their transition from life in a penitentiary to reintroduction into larger society? What are the financial …

A Meisner Warm-Up: Advancing The Technique, Andrew Bryce

Theses and Dissertations

Why is there no warm-up for the Meisner technique? Why do standard vocal warm-ups not actually prepare the actor for performance? This thesis seeks to remedy both of these issues in 21st century actor training. It does so by creating a warm-up for the Meisner technique that will also prepare actors’ voice, body, and presence. This warm-up was formed by combining Meisner repetition exercises and the Miller Voice Method. The final warm-up was presented as a workshop for actors at the 2020 Southeastern Theatre Conference.

The Future In The Instant: Time As The Essence Of Dramatic Tension In Shakespeare's Plays And Their Contemporary Stage Appropriations, Amalia Oswald

Theses and Dissertations

This project looks at the similarities and differences between three Shakespeare plays and their companion contemporary stage appropriations: Othello and Toni Morrisons’s Desdemona, The Winter’s Tale and Mary Elizabeth Hamilton’s 16 Winters or the Bear’s Tale, and Macbeth and Daivd Grieg’s Dunsinane. The specific lens used to examine these texts is the dramatic concept of time, taking the form of different variations throughout the work such as chronology, remembrance, fate, and futurity. This project argues that the multifaceted dramatic concept of time is the foundation for dramatic tension and the principal connecting motif between the three sets of early modern/contemporary …

Surrogate Memories In Animation And Sound, Jared Duesterhaus

Theses and Dissertations

A document in support of my exploration into memory in relation to the mediums of animation, sound, and theater. A reflection on remembering as a creative act.

"We Need To Stop Temporarily Caring: "Pulse, Spoken Word Poetry, And Audience Counter-Narrative Creation, Hannah G. Trew

Theses and Dissertations

On June 12, 2016, 49 people were killed, and 53 people were injured in a shooting at Pulse, a popular gay club in Orlando, Florida. The Pulse Nightclub shooting was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States at that time and the deadliest violent act against the LGBTQ+ community in the United States (Hancock & Haldeman, 2017; Jackson, 2017; Walter, Billard, & Murphy, 2017). The media were divided in labeling the shooting a terrorist attack or a hate crime, creating a master narrative surrounding the shooting. However, LGBTQ+ spoken word poets rejected the media’s storylines, developing counter-narratives, and instead …

Challenges Of Technique And Interpretation: A Performance Guide To Selected Works By Kevin Bobo, Benjamin Bailey Seabury

Theses and Dissertations

Kevin Bobo is an American percussionist and composer whose compositions for marimba consistently expand the technical and musical potential of the instrument. Performance of Bobo’s marimba works requires the performer to utilize specific performance techniques that are departures from standard practices. This study looks in- depth at technical and interpretive challenges present within three works for marimba by Bobo, and provides the performer with detailed explanations and exercises to assist with the performance of the included works. The Odyssey, According to Penelope, and Three Etudes are works for solo marimba, while Prayer for the Broken is a duet for …

An Examination Of Lukas Ligeti’S Thinking Songs: An Analysis Of Compositional Techniques For Ligeti’S Contemporary Solo Marimba Composition, Caitlin Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Thinking Songs by Lukas Ligeti is a contemporary solo five-octave marimba work containing five movements. Thinking Songs is expansive in terms of length, content, and marimba technique. This study explores compositional influences throughout the piece and unveils influences in both Western Classical music and African music. This document contains seven chapters and a bibliography. Each movement unveils unique compositional influences that will be explored. Movement One, “Dance,” reveals the music of the Chopi people and timbila xylophones to be a compositional influence. The standard lamento bass line, as well as György Kurtág are stylistic influences in movement II, “Lamento.” Movement …

Perspective: Performance Art As A Measured Perception, Nicolas Tyler Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

Coining a seventh principle of architecture allowed for the creation of a solo performance based on architecture, performance and artificial intelligence. The future is impacted on what is presented today. The importance of the ever-changing American theatre is that it has the ability to influence and capture an audience. A sensation of existence crafted by feeling and poetry. A product of productivity – Disconnect is themed off of unconventional innovation. The six principles: Axis, Symmetry, Rhythm, Datum, Hierarchy and Transformation were all tools used to develop a script in characterizing the established space. The stage created the script, the script …

Lady Alhambra, Gabriela Castillo

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I make a retrospective analysis of the creative process through which I conceived my original solo performance piece, Lady Alhambra: a 15-minute one-person comedy that tells the story of Nila, a Cuban-American vedette and autodidactic spiritualist working at a cabaret called the House of Mambo. I define my creative process in three stages, each classified and described in chapters one through three. Chapter one describes the initial stage of exploration. Chapter two describes the intermediate stage of evolution. Then chapter three describes the final stage which is the performance. Lastly, I contemplate on the future of …

You Go To My Head, Kimberly Gaughan

Theses and Dissertations

You Go to My Head follows forgotten Hollywood actress Kay Francis as she comes to terms with the realization her fiancé is a Nazi spy. Over the course of the show, Kay seeks advice from Bette Davis, Hedy Lamarr and Marlene Dietrich. Stylistically, this solo performance was inspired by pre-code Hollywood films as well as traditional Japanese theatre styles, specifically Noh. The piece explores the role of women in a patriarchal society, sexual fluidity, and the relationship between art and practicality.

Bffs, Donavon St.Andre

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this assignment was to create, perform and evaluate my own show. Over the course of approximately twelve months, many ideas were brought to the table. None of these ideas were censored or frowned upon; each was very genuine and had the potential to become the final product presented. Throughout the process, I dove deeper into my own thoughts, beliefs and feelings as I attempted to decide and design my performance. Once a commitment was made, I applied my fears, troubles and insecurities on paper to ten adolescent students in a classroom setting. Drafting the script took little …

Redirecting My Path And Reclaiming My Voice: An Actor Becomes A Director, Lindsay Rae Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration of my growth as a director. I dissect and discuss five of the seven productions I have directed over the past three years, discovering my directing style and identifying the tools that I will take with me as I shift into my profession. Each chapter describes my preparation, process, and evaluation for every project. It is a reflection of my journey and a celebration of my work.

The Golden Age, Or Trials And Tribulations Of A Working Man, Kaleb Edward Edley

Theses and Dissertations

In my second year at the University of South Carolina, I was tasked with creating a solo show. When first presented with this I was a bit nervous. However, after coming up with my idea, writing my script and beginning to rehearse I found the value in it. It is a freeing experience. It provides the actor with a sense of exploration they wouldn’t normally get with a regular ensemble play or performing someone else’s work. It becomes deeply personal reveals things about you that you might not have known otherwise

The Toccatas Of Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger’S Libro Primo D’Intavolatura Di Lauto: Analysis, Performance Practice, And Transcription For Modern Classical Guitar, Brett Edwin Floyd

Theses and Dissertations

Johannes Kapsberger (1580-1651) was an Italian composer of the early Baroque era. Known for his compositions for the lute, and chitarrone, Kapsberger was a talented composer who worked for great patrons like Francesco Barberini and Pope Urban VIII. Kapsberger published his only surviving lute works in 1611, which contained eight lute toccatas, twelve galliards and twelve courantes. Music produced for the lute during the renaissance and baroque eras are products of their time. Published lute music was written in tablature and relied heavily on the performance practices of its day. Today, trained lutenists have the skills and knowledge needed to …

Consideration Of /ˈMem(Ə)Rē/: A Solo Performance Project, Elizabeth Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

On February 18, 2018, I performed a solo show in conjunction with my MFA cohort. This solo show, titled /ˈmem(ə)rē/, was written and produced by myself and dealt with a woman’s search through her memories to find something she’s been missing. Over the course of this paper, I discuss the genesis of the central theme, the evolution of each frame, as well as the success and failures of the piece during performance. I conclude by determining whether or not a re-mounting of this work would be beneficial in the future and examining what I learned in the process of …

Who Am I Really? : Questioning The Patriarchal “Girl World ” To Find Identity In Mean Girls, Heathers The Musical, And Carrie: The Musical, Megan Renner

Theses and Dissertations

Both musicals and stories about teenage girls are genres that tend to be overlooked by scholars, and to not receive serious analysis. Some scholars may dismiss these genres as being shallow and unworthy of scrutiny through a critical lens. However, much may be learned about patriarchal influence on teenage girls in musicals such as Mean Girls, Heathers the Musical and Carrie: The Musical. This thesis analyzes the patriarchal influence on the teen girl characters in these three musicals, using Girl Studies and feminist theory. This study applies arguments that state that patriarchal influence is what causes girls to form cliques, …

Innie / Outie, Josh Roach

Theses and Dissertations

My practice is focused around the characters that I become through the wearing of things that I have made, and the subsequent performances that I do in both constructed and real-world spaces. This paper outlines how my practice is framed by own experience of coming out as a queer person, how that experience relates to my love of play and materials, and how they both inform the strategies I use to relate the ideas surrounding queerness, sexuality, and gender to my audience.

Dramatic Themes: Active Learning And Thematic Teaching In The Theatre History Classroom, Brandon Lareau

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores major texts dealing with pedagogical theory and active learning in the context of a theatre history class. By comparing a class which is taught in the traditional, chronological format relying heavily on lectures to a class taught in a newer, thematic format utilizing active learning the thesis defines what student-centered learning means. Active learning, its benefits, and its implementation are explained and explored, along with the advantages and benefits of teaching thematically instead of chronologically. All of this is applied to a theatre history class in the resulting syllabus in chapter three. The syllabus creates a curriculum …

“The Ground On Which I Stand” Healing Queer Trauma Through Performance: Crafting A Solo Performance Through The Investigation Of Ritual Poetic Drama Within The African Continuum, Ashley W. Grantham

Theses and Dissertations

“The Ground On Which I Stand”

Healing Queer Trauma through Performance:

Crafting a Solo Performance through the investigation of Ritual Poetic Drama within the African Continuum.

By: Ashley W. Grantham

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Performance Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University

April 16^th, 2019

Thesis Adjudicator: Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates

Committee: Dr. Keith Byron Kirk, Director of Graduate Studies and Karen Kopryanski, Head of Voice and Speech

How does this method of Ritual Poetic Drama within the African Continuum, by extension, solo performance, …

Best Practices To Promote Racial Unity In Theatre, Cassandra Epps

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I will be presenting a variety of practices that I believe will promote racial unity in theatre. I have included lesson plans and games that will help instructors create an open environment for students of all races. I will present research from theatre experts to conclude my best practices to create a more unified ensemble and culturally diverse curriculum in my theatre program, as well as present a list of activities, lesson plans, and production methods for directors and teachers to consider implementing. We as instructors must look critically at ourselves and our world view to begin …

A Mother Honors College Alternative To The Thesis, Amanda L. Ellenburg

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis was intended to inform readers about the one-woman show I performed, A Mother. In addition, my thesis described job positions within my field and the research I conducted for my production. Essentially, this may allow readers without any experience in the theatre to understand the process an actor undergoes during a production. Typically there are many people on a production team performing various roles. Instead, my tremendous challenge was acting as producer, director, actor, event coordinator, part designer, and marketing director. This paper includes acting advice from classmates, my instructor, Larry McDonald, and details of my use …

Class/Act Embodied Practices For Performative Pedagogy, Chauntee Irving

Theses and Dissertations

Class/Act: Embodied Practices for Performative Pedagogy is a personal and practical exploration of embodiment’s role in higher education acting pedagogy. In my thesis, I propose that embodied acting practices rooted in phenomenology and corporeal dramaturgy surpass conventional acting curricula. Embodied training is often confused with movement curricula and is regularly considered a shallow and/or unintelligent means to approaching acting work. However, I will argue the efficiency and effectiveness of embodied teaching techniques in four parts. Part One: Seeing is a retrospective of how my personal experiences outside of the classroom have drawn me toward embodied aesthetics. Part Two: Knowing unveils …

Tone And Texture, Leather And Lace : A Case For Making Strong Choices In The Costume Design For The Three Musketeers., Emily L. Tappan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores and describes key factors in the design process leading to production of The Three Musketeers by Catherine Bush. The document encompasses the justification and discussion of the choices made during the research, design, and production stages of developing the play for the stage, as well as impressions gained throughout the process to use in future design projects.

Exploring The Standard: A Look Into Modern Voice And Speech Curriculum, Taylor L. Bosta

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the current state of voice and speech education to discover if there is a standard of learning from university to university. By examining the history of voice and speech, discovering basic skills, breaking down teaching methodologies, and taking a look at current university and conservatory acting programs, the thesis discovers there is not a standard way of teaching, but there is a standard set of skills that should be upheld when planning voice and speech curriculum.

The Old Versus The New Equestrian Circus: Demonstrating And Promoting Equine Welfare, Veronica Painter

Theses and Dissertations

Circus is an art form that was originally considered as a humanitarian art, promoting equine welfare by shedding a new light on the horse and human relationship. During a time where horses were used for war, work, and transportation; fancy riding and liberty stood as the framework for a new togetherness between man and beast. The animal activist revolution centered on exotic animals in circus, yet the effects of these demanding pressures caused a major blow to the equestrian circus. This comparative study examines possible improvements to the industry in order to keep this art alive. Keeping up with eclectic …

Co-Creating Our Lives, Performing Our Multi-Cultural Worlds, Aidah Nalubowa

Theses and Dissertations

In his Foreword for Theatre and Migration (Cox 2014), director Peter Sellars writes, “None of us are the picture in our passports” (viii). Neither are we the person that we look or sound like at first glance or the first meeting. Rather, who we are is shaped by among other factors our environment and cultural upbringing. Because traditionally people from different places perform and participate in social and cultural events that are naturally “scripted” differently, we are so much more than the pictures and names we carry on our identification documents. Migration, Sellars continues, is “one of the most basic …

Women Of The Future: The Performative Personhood Of Elizabeth Robins, Djuna Barnes, And The Baroness Elsa Von Freytag-Loringhoven, Michelle Feda

Theses and Dissertations

The New Woman is the term used to describe the changing social norms around women's involvement in public life during the fin-de-siècle. New Women were bold and brash, educated and independent, and, importantly young; the term encapsulated any particular woman who stepped outside of her mother's Victorian social norms. The New Woman was as much a construct of the time as it was a description. The playwright and suffragette Elizabeth Robins performs "new womanhood" on the stage, and her play Votes for Women! enacts this struggle between New Women and the older generation. Djuna Barnes started her career as a …

Murmur/Murmuro, Paola M. Di Tolla

Theses and Dissertations

By using repetition or misplacing intonations and accents, etc. one can imitate the slipperiness of spoken language. However, it is the accidental slippage that I find most revealing and exciting because it allows for two conversations to exist in one. Once spoken language is transcribed as text, it is put through another filter and the risk of [accidental] slippage increases by a different measure. Fingers don’t keep up or autocorrect insists on taking matters into its own hands.

Private Rainbows, Mikey F. Estes

Theses and Dissertations

I make art that refers to how the self is mediated through structures, objects, and images — a kind of self-portraiture that circles around its subject, reflecting a state of simultaneous formation and disintegration. Over the past few years, I have used my iPhone as a tool to make images of everyday life. As the user of this device, I am defined by both my presence and absence. I am interested in the process of locating the self within the scattered yet ordered space of the screen.

Making Sounds, Patrick Costello

Theses and Dissertations

Using collaboration and performance as tools, I situate my personal story, my body, and my skills and interests within a contemporary landscape that is intersectional, full of partialities, and rooted in evolving ecologies.