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Articles 331 - 360 of 467
Full-Text Articles in Theatre and Performance Studies
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 …
This Is Sportscenter: Performance And Performativity In Sports Broadcasting And Punditry, Anthony C. Gunn
This Is Sportscenter: Performance And Performativity In Sports Broadcasting And Punditry, Anthony C. Gunn
Theses and Dissertations
Within the discipline of Performance Studies there is a debate about what is included within the ontology of “performance.” Peggy Phelan suggests that performance can only be experienced in the here and now, and any recording of a performance makes it “something other than performance.” Phillip Auslander argues the exact opposite, claiming that mediatized performance is not only valid, but also preferable to the live. This thesis is about performance in sports broadcasting, and states that performance, like sport, can be valid in both live and mediatized forms. The thesis also details how sports broadcasters perform and how their performance …
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 …
Part Of Their World: Gender Identity Found In Disney Princesses, Consumerism, And Performative Play, Emily Grider Ray
Part Of Their World: Gender Identity Found In Disney Princesses, Consumerism, And Performative Play, Emily Grider Ray
Theses and Dissertations
One way that children explore concepts of gender is through make-believe and performative play. One of the most prevalent presentations of gender that is packaged for children's play is the Disney Princess brand. In 2007 the Walt Disney Princess campaign profited over four billion dollars and expanded to include over 25,000 items for sale. Princess paraphernalia reflects a change in the way that young girls (ages 3-5) engage in imaginary play by creating a whole new paradigm of thought. As these girls project themselves into the role of a certain Princess, typical play transforms into a consumer based theatrical experience. …
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 …
Positioning, Spectatorship, And Teen Films: Giving Students The Power For Effective Media Education, Bradley David Moss
Positioning, Spectatorship, And Teen Films: Giving Students The Power For Effective Media Education, Bradley David Moss
Theses and Dissertations
What is the most effective curricular and pedagogical approach to use in increasing media literacy among students? This is the challenge that I and most media educators must address today. This thesis charts my exploration of that question and demonstrates the results of a unit of instruction created to enhance the critical media literacy of students by focusing on positioning theory, spectatorship, and considering teen representation in mass media films. In creating curriculum, I needed to define the end goal of the instruction. My research led me to critical media literacy and its focus on moving beyond media textual analysis …
Teaching Another Literacy Across The Curriculum, Jeana T. Rock
Teaching Another Literacy Across The Curriculum, Jeana T. Rock
Theses and Dissertations
Advances in communication technology have allowed for new ways for high school teachers to incorporate these technologies into their classroom practice. However, most teachers are uninformed about media literacy pedagogy. This study investigated how using a collaborative professional development group influenced teachers' understanding and use of media literacy concepts in their current practice. A professional development group with teachers from different content areas met for five months to study the theory and methodology of media literacy. This collaborative group provided opportunities for teachers to develop and share analytical and productions skills in media literacy, as well as design lessons utilizing …
Learning English Through Interactive Weblogs: Student Experiences Blogging In The Secondary Esl Classroom, Glori H. Smith
Learning English Through Interactive Weblogs: Student Experiences Blogging In The Secondary Esl Classroom, Glori H. Smith
Theses and Dissertations
This qualitative action research project examined the experiences of high school English language learners as they created personal weblogs and responded to queries on a class weblog. The data from the project demonstrates that blogging as a classroom writing activity is effective in helping students to obtain, process and construct the English language.
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 …
Puppets, Pioneers, And Sport: The Onstage And Offstage Performance Of Khmer Identity, Marel Angela Stock
Puppets, Pioneers, And Sport: The Onstage And Offstage Performance Of Khmer Identity, Marel Angela Stock
Theses and Dissertations
Most tourists visiting Cambodia only seek to visit the World Heritage Site of Angkor Wat. The Cambodian, or Khmer people are capitalizing on this booming tourist industry, but they are also disseminating a more complex Khmer identity through other sites and festivals. This identity simultaneously hearkens back to the affluence of the Angkor Period in Khmer history and looks forward to the modernization of the country. After the reign of the Khmer Rouge, from 1975-1979, which led to what is now called the Cambodian Killing Fields, the Khmer people needed to create a new, hopeful, peaceful identity for their nation. …
Comparative Study Of The Ritual Aspects Of Western And Asian Performance, Hyung Don Lee
Comparative Study Of The Ritual Aspects Of Western And Asian Performance, Hyung Don Lee
Theses and Dissertations
This comparative study focuses on ritual aspects of Western and Asian performance. We may say that ritual in contemporary theater production has limitation to become realization. The limitation arises from contemporary period’s nature. We know that these days we do not have common or collective psyche. However, some theatre artists are trying to get back ritual function and process to recover real communion between spectator and performer throughout performance.
A Comparative Analysis Of Directing & Choreographing Musical Productions For Professional, Academic And Community Theatres, Alison Angelone
A Comparative Analysis Of Directing & Choreographing Musical Productions For Professional, Academic And Community Theatres, Alison Angelone
Theses and Dissertations
In my thesis, I plan to explore the realms of academic, professional and community theatre through the eyes of a director and choreographer. Highlighted themes will consist of the varying approaches to the script, music and choreography. This thesis will also include specific teaching and or non-existent teaching methods for professional, academic and community theatre. Included will be three definitive case studies which will consist of one musical production per academic, community and professional theatrical setting. I will focus on the director/choreographer’s overall approach to the research, rehearsal and final performance processes for the Pioneer Theatre Company’s production of My …
Musical Theatre Handbook For The Actor, Maggie Marlin
Musical Theatre Handbook For The Actor, Maggie Marlin
Theses and Dissertations
MUSICAL THEATRE HANDBOOK FOR THE ACTOR By Maggie Elizabeth Marlin, MFA 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 Major Director: David S. Leong Chairman, Department of Theatre Musical Theatre is a performance style deeply woven into the fabric of the American theatre. We live in time and social climate where over half of the productions open on Broadway right now are musicals. If actor training institutions profess a mission to prepare their students for a career in the entertainment industry, why are …
Adapting The End: Responding To Standards Of Learning In Theatre For Children, Jamie Lish
Adapting The End: Responding To Standards Of Learning In Theatre For Children, Jamie Lish
Theses and Dissertations
Theatre is the passport to the creation of a balanced educational system in the United States (US), while standardized testing is the downfall of the ideology behind ‘No Child Left Behind’ (NCLB). As an educator, I was greatly influenced by Howard Gardner, theorist of Multiple Intelligences and Neil Fleming theorist of learning modalities. This work has carried over into my work in theatre as a director. Theatre does not have to didactically serve formal education, which emphasizes mathematics and reading/writing, nor does it have to be merely a spectacle. Theatre can be experimental, artistic, cathartic, foster social and intrapersonal skills …
De-Masking The Silence - Drama Therapy: For Children With Asd, Joshua M. Galligan
De-Masking The Silence - Drama Therapy: For Children With Asd, Joshua M. Galligan
Theses and Dissertations
This dynamic form of pedagogy attempts to cross the interdisciplinary boundaries between theatre, psychology, and modern medicine. What I attempt to present in this thesis is a systematic developmental framework for the theoretical use of drama therapy with children suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder. This approach has been based on in-depth interdisciplinary study which makes use of the most current research looking at the neurological makeup of the autistic brain. This systematic approach examines the mirror neuron system which has been labeled as a major defect in children with ASD. Through the use of theatrical techniques such as acting, movement, …
The Freedom Quilt, April Jones
The Freedom Quilt, April Jones
Theses and Dissertations
The Freedom Quilt is a play that I have written and adapted from Deborah Hokinson’s book, Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. This story explores the historic and dramatic implications in the idea of coded quilts as a form of communication among African American slaves; specifically as coded maps to freedom. There is an ongoing scholarly debate challenging the existence of these quilts, let alone that they could have been used in such a complex manner. The Freedom Quilt however, is one girl’s unique and individual story, and does not in any way suggest that maps, encoded in quilts were …
What's A Female Director To Do? The Women Of Medea Redux And The Men Of Someone Who'll Watch Over Me: A Study Of The Sexes, Sarah Mansell Yount
What's A Female Director To Do? The Women Of Medea Redux And The Men Of Someone Who'll Watch Over Me: A Study Of The Sexes, Sarah Mansell Yount
Theses and Dissertations
My thesis will explore the role of the female director. The two plays on which I will focus, Neil LaBute’s medea redux and Frank McGuinness’s Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, call for quite different casts. The former involves a woman in a police interrogation room; the latter involves three men in a Lebanese prison. Despite the overt masculinity of these plays, traces of femininity permeate. Indeed, my status as a female director provided one of the clearest paths into these plays when I directed them last year at Virginia Commonwealth University. My gender also greatly influenced my direction of the …
The Politics Of Tea And Theatre: How Women’S Suffrage Groups Used Tea And Theatre To Influence Working And Middle Class Women To Become Politically Active, Lisa Kelly
Theses and Dissertations
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the members of the woman’s suffrage movement in the United States and Britain looked to soften their hard masculine image given to them by the press and to increase participation in the cause. They found that by including theatrical performances and benefits at meetings, and hosting tea socials afterwards, they could motivate many women to join without alienating or threatening men. This study looks at how tea socials and theatrical performances were used subversively to recruit new members, to debate ideas, and to disseminate information about the cause. Playwrights wrote plays that …
"Unsex Me Here...:" Looking At Gender In Nude Performance, Vanessa Passini
"Unsex Me Here...:" Looking At Gender In Nude Performance, Vanessa Passini
Theses and Dissertations
"Unsex Me Here…" is an examination of our bodies, what they mean in terms of gender and power, and why they mean what they do. Plucked from Lady Macbeth’s infamous soliloquy, the title suggests the stripping away of something essential that transforms. Sex is not the right word, but gender is. Often, these two are mistaken and interchanged. Myths that support our social structure exist at the intersection of sex and gender. In this production, I collaborated with Pete Guither of the Living Canvas to challenge notions of gender in different textual mediums (via the written text of Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" …
Pedagogy And Performing Shakespeare's Text: A Comparative Study, Sally Southall
Pedagogy And Performing Shakespeare's Text: A Comparative Study, Sally Southall
Theses and Dissertations
ABSTRACT PEDAGOGY AND PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE’S TEXT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY By Sally Parrish Southall 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 In the Master of Fine Arts program in Theatre Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University, and in a second program, the Master of Letters/Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance at Mary Baldwin College - two specific pedagogical approaches to accessing and performing Shakespeare’s text, …
Working From The Outside: Discovering Truth Within A Mask, Rebecca Bernard
Working From The Outside: Discovering Truth Within A Mask, Rebecca Bernard
Theses and Dissertations
It is the purpose of this thesis to explore the different principles of mask performance in modern theatre and the unique relationship it allows the actor to develop with an audience. The author uses exercises from her training experience with different mask artists such as Teatro Punto, Familie Floz, Torbjorn Alstrom, and Marcello Bartoli. These exercises document a process of training the body in preparation for the mask, how to perform with mask, and how to connect with an audience. The mask is used as a tool to discover an engagement of work that activates both body and imagination of …
Steampunk: An Exploration In Design, Christopher Mueller
Steampunk: An Exploration In Design, Christopher Mueller
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this thesis is to detail my first professional costume design job after my unofficial graduation in May 2008. This thesis will serve primarily as a design thesis, and will concentrate the majority of its efforts in the presentation of a final, original costume design for a realized production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as produced by Duke University. During the course of this presentation, I will seek to detail my own design process and the inspiration and research I used to achieve my goal. I will also discuss the execution of the design, …
The Roberta Jones Junior Theatre: A Model Children's Theatre, Chareen Hardy Lauritzen
The Roberta Jones Junior Theatre: A Model Children's Theatre, Chareen Hardy Lauritzen
Theses and Dissertations
Since its beginning in 1968, the Roberta Jones Junior Theatre, a children's theatre, connected to the Parks and Recreation Department of Santa Clara, California, has been creating child-centered performances for young audiences. This thesis will explore the history of the Santa Clara/Roberta Jones Junior Theatre and discuss the components that have contributed to its forty-year success. For a children's theatre to be successful it needs to be first centered on the learning of the children, in tune with the need of its community, and have a staff focused on the same goals. By examining the Roberta Jones Junior Theatre, the …
Onye Mbu: 'My Identity' Pedagogical Applications Of The Surreal And Absurd In Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse Of A Negro, Adanma Onyedike
Onye Mbu: 'My Identity' Pedagogical Applications Of The Surreal And Absurd In Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse Of A Negro, Adanma Onyedike
Theses and Dissertations
ONYE MBU: MY IDENTITY PEDAGOGICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE SURREAL AND ABSURD IN ADRIENNE KENNEDY'S FUNNYHOUSE OF A NEGRO By Adanma N. Onyedike, M.F.A 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 Major Director: Dr. Noreen Barnes, Director of Graduate Studies Department of Theater This document investigated my personal journey of discovering, developing, and later executing skill in teaching the theatrical arts. The re examination of the steps that led to my current success was important in order to qualify the receiving of my …
"Splintered And A Great Silence": The Production Of Return To The Upright Position By Caridad Svich, Catherine (Cate) Brewer
"Splintered And A Great Silence": The Production Of Return To The Upright Position By Caridad Svich, Catherine (Cate) Brewer
Theses and Dissertations
Like the Tribute in Light that grew phoenix-like from the ashes of the broken hearts of the artists who created it, Return to the Upright Position is a beautiful on-line collaboration amongst fourteen artists in the six months following 9/11. Conceived and edited by Caridad Svich, the play is moving and delicate and instantly brings us back to those moments when American history and sentiment were forever changed. Demoralized, terrorized, afraid, and alone, our country dragged its shocked and weary carcass from the ash, and pulled itself back up again. That is after all the American way, pulling yourself up …