Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

Circus: An Integrated Curriculum Unit, Institute For The Development Of Gifted Education, Ricks Center For Gifted Children, University Of Denver

Ricks Curriculum Units Series

An integrated curriculum is an instructional approach that connects the disciplines to an underlying theme or topic. Immersing students in an integrated-thematic unit provides the backdrop for experiences to occur across the disciplines. Shaping coursework around integrated themes is especially appropriate for gifted students, however using an integrated-thematic curriculum is appropriate for all learners as it develops students' abilities to make connections, to solve problems by looking at multiple perspectives, and to integrate information from different fields of experience. An integrated-thematic curriculum permits students to be active participants in their own learning as they design their own explorations and take …

A New Way To Learn: Exploring Museum Theatre, Shelly Hanson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Serving 99 To 149 Years For Wearing Butt-Huggers And Resisting To Subscribe To Cable Tv: The Presence Of The Law In Chicano Theatre, Maria Patrice Amon

Studio for Law and Culture

In the canon of Chicano theatre, the law holds a prominent role; the relationship between Chicanos and the law is a theme explored widely across Chicano theatre in both comedy and tragedy. This paper discusses how the comedy of Chicano theatre conceals the insidiousness of unchallenged racial stereotypes and acts as a safety valve to release the pressures of an abjected community. Yet, where comedy conceals the structure of abjection, drama critically challenges the status quo Chicano drama is capable of questioning the authority of the dominant hegemony over the cultures it oppresses. Beginning from a framing of the law …

Directing Beyond The Boundaries: A Director's Journey To Personal Style In Directing Diaspora, Mary Elizabeth Wlodarczyk

Theses

Even though, the text of Diaspora was technically "mine" in the sense that J wrote Diaspora, the play text itself became a separate creature at its completion. So the production of Diaspora was not so much my directing a play I wrote, as much as it was an agreement between me and the new text, an autonomous life. In this exacting negotiation, I had to chose where I reside on the spectrum directing philosophies, whether I would embrace complete fidelity to the text or would I see the directing process as more intuitive and flexible (Benedetti 14-15)?

The writers and …

"We Endure Around Truths Immemorially Posited”: A Dramaturgical Research Analysis On Brian Friel’S Linguistic-Historical Drama “Translations”, Meredith Levy

Undergraduate Research Awards

A dramaturgical analysis of Friel's Translations intended to provide an overview of the play to a director staging it. The paper focuses on topics such as Friel's life, the history of Northern Ireland relevant to the play, and thematic analysis. The PDF includes the author's entry submission essay for the 2011 Undergraduate Research Awards.

Spectacle, Pageantry, And Parading, Whitney Whetstone

LSU Master's Theses

We celebrate the arrival of spring with revelry in search of catharsis. Carnival’s roots trace from the ancient Greek and Roman pagan celebrations, to the pageant wagons of the Medieval theatre and the French masquerades, and on through the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. Mardi Gras is part of Louisiana’s rich cultural history of parading and spectacle, as well as public art and performance, as a civic responsibility, and as an economic booster. Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World builds parade floats, large-scale sculptures, and props for Mardi Gras, theme parks, and casinos around the world. I interned with Kern …

Finding Inspiration In Invitation To A Beheading: A Thesis On The Creation And Development Of A One-Person Play, Joshua Ryan Dawes

LSU Master's Theses

Writing and performing a one-person play was selected as the basis for a thesis project in the spring semester of 2010 to be presented to to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in the Department of Theatre. The thesis will include an introduction, a review of the literature that inspired the original production, the full text of both scripts that were used, a chapter on the process of discovering a new play, a section about future plans for the …

Permission To Perform: A Waltz With Zelda, Sarah E. Smith

LSU Master's Theses

This paper discusses an artistic journey of creating a one-woman show. It is the purpose of Sarah E. Smith, creator and performer, to marry private human experience to public theatrical expression. In this project, Smith is experimenting with character development generated by abstract, physical, absurd, and unconventional explorations. This exploration will create a distance from the literal translation of the story and will allow the audience to gain a better perspective of the character and her dilemma. It is the intention of the creator to make the action and need of the character more visceral, immediate and striking by expanding …

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 …

[Introduction To] A L'Ull De L'Huracà: Teatre Català Contemporani, Sharon G. Feldman

Bookshelf

Catalunya viu actualment el període més dinàmic, extraordinari, opulent i polèmic de la seva història teatral moderna. Barcelona és el centre d’operacions d’una enèrgica escena teatral que, en el decurs de les dues darreres dècades, ha presenciat una sorprenent eclosió de nous autors dramàtics, un crescendo constant en l’assistència al teatre i un increment continu de la presència de directors, dramaturgs i companyies catalans a nivell internacional. El camí al llarg del qual l’escena teatral catalana contemporània ha lluitat per recuperar i reconstituir la legitimitat i visibilitat professionals que havia perdut durant la dictadura ha estat un procés complex, no …

"Spending The Day In Front Of The Mirror", Lauren Friedlander

Honors Papers

In this paper, I analyze the processes my group of collaborators and I underwent in direction, production, collaboration, acting, and writing in order to perform my original solo performance piece, JOHN.

Negotiating Comedy And Rape Culture In Gina Gionfriddo’S After Ashley, Jenny Gaeng

Honors Papers

Introduction and Background: A summary of the play’s genesis and important themes, including an introduction to the production’s goals – Interpretation- An explication of rape culture in the play, including my personal point of view on its themes and message, and the application of my research to the text – Aesthetic Intent: A description of the stylistic choices unique to this production, namely the use of video projection, and an explanation of its purpose – Script Analysis: A scene-by-scene description of the play’s events as applied to the overall arc and important themes – The Process: A summary of casting, …

Mieko Gavia: The Dog Project, Mieko Gavia

Honors Papers

This thesis chronicles my journey with my original theatrical piece, Dog, from inception to the end of its Oberlin College run, and includes a reflection of my experience and ideas for the future of the piece. I will provide both sociological and literary context for several important aspects of the show, as well as personal reflections on the process and discoveries made therein.

Power To The Panza!: Feminist Body Politics In The Panza Monologues (Video Performance Review), Patricia Herrera

Theatre and Dance Faculty Publications

Grise relates to the audience with another dose of humor when she attempts to suck in her panza to fit into a pair of jeans. Alas, after all the jumping and tugging to fit into the jeans, Grise faces her biggest challenge: the roll of flesh bulging out from the zipper. Here, handy dandy pliers are brought to the rescue. She uses them to pull up the zipper and then victoriously stuffs the panza into her pants. This triumphant moment reveals women’s obsession with controlling and literally constraining the body so as to succumb to the hourglass figure young women …

Teaching Acting: Not As Simple As It Looks, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Lana Hagan Teaching Acting A Hard Act To Follow, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Jarrell Keeps Dancing Traditions Alive At Siue, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

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 …

Modern Myth In Performance: Claiming Identity Through A Reading Of Fantasy Withcraft, Jessica Satterwhite Gray

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I create a Wiccan dramaturgical lens to analyze three key fantasy sites: The Wizard of Oz film and stage adaptations (especially the Broadway musical Wicked), The Chronicles of Narnia film and theatrical adaptations, and the Harry Potter films and paratheatrical adaptations. These three fantasy stories have significant cultural impact and strong images of folkloric witches. My alternative reading shows how a subgroup can appropriate popular images for their own identity formation. I will analyze how signs, themes, and narrative tropes that otherwise seem ancillary or even anti-witch become highlighted and privileged, creating a different but equally legitimate …

Process As Product: The Culture Of Development And The Twenty-First Century American Dramatist, John Patrick Bray

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Simply stated, my research and my experiences as a playwright have led me to believe that the present condition of the playwright is that of a relic: that is, because of the notion that all plays need a developmental workshop, playwrights have not only lost authority over their art, but have also been driven to write plays meant for staged-readings rather than production. I argue that playwrights who create self-producing companies not only reclaim confidence in their craft, but also learn how to engage with the larger community via the collaborative process theatre. In this dissertation, I employ a theoretical …

Lighting Design And Development Process For The Strayer-Wood Theatre's Production Of On The Verge, Michael Franklin Brown

Honors Program Theses

I chose to do this project because it was the logical final step in my theatre education at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). I began my education at UNI with the goal of working as a mainstage lighting designer at the Strayer-Wood Theatre, and I worked my way through the ranks to reach this position. I have aspirations to design lights for professional theatre, and I believe this fully realized project will be a great example of my work to show potential employers.

This portfolio will showcase the steps I took to complete the project and written and visual …

Lavapiés, Madrid As Twenty-First Century Urban Spectacle, Matthew Isaiah Feinberg

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Informed by the theories of Henri Lefebvre regarding the production of space and the theories of scale found in current scholarship in Cultural Geography, my methodology analyzes both dramatic texts and theater spaces to investigate how cultural production and capital converge in the “spectacle” of urban space. While employing this term “spectacle” to describe how dramatic texts, theater productions, and modern architecture transform the urban landscape into a metaphoric theater space for the production of local, national, and global identities, this project examines the relationship between theater and urban change in Lavapiés, an iconic, multicultural, and oftenunderserved neighborhood located in …

A Penitent Prepares: Affect, Contrition, And Tears, Christopher B. Swift

Publications and Research

This essay draws upon a poetic and devotional texts from late medieval Spain to show how public displays of emotion (weeping, in particular) during penitential processions could be learned and prepared for in advance.

Das Rossferatu Experiment, Sidney Hastings

A with Honors Projects

A lengthy makeup project that included the usage of prosthetics and a bald cap. It involved an extreme transformation of the face, and was an attempt to re-create Nosferatu.

An Exploration Of The Creature Archetype, Sidney Hastings

A with Honors Projects

An analysis, comparison and contrast of Frankenstein and Las Meninas for the Acting ll final. Two monologues from these works were also performed.

The Revenge Of The Second Banana A Female Sidekick's Survival Guide, Melissa Mason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I returned to school to receive an MFA in Musical Theater for many reasons, but paramount was the need to further explore and develop my range as an actress. Throughout my career, I have played a variety of roles, but none as challenging or possibly as rewarding as the man-hungry secretary UCharlieV in James Valcq5s Zombies from the Beyond, produced by the Jester Theatre in Winter Garden, FL. Performing this role allowed me to achieve one of my objectives when entering the grad program at UCF: to transition from a classical ingénue or soubrette into a leading lady or character …

Building A Workable Model For Youth Theatre An Exploration Into A Courageous And Complex Field, Megan E. Mayo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As an active director of productions featuring youth actors, I find myself debating the same questions continuously: Are there clear and demonstrated differences between working with young people and adults when directing a youth theatre production? Are there approaches and methods of working with young people that differs greatly from working with adults? Are these methods supported and utilized by those working professionally in the field? Is there an ideal format for a theatre producing only productions with youth? I believe that directing young actors tends to require a shift in focus due to the pliability, sensitivity, and inexperience of …

Lighting Design For From Sun To Sun A Day In A Railroad Camp, Nathan Szewczyk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis the notion of a theoretical approach to the beginning stages of designing lighting for a theatrical production will be discussed. The topic being researched is: How a theoretical approach to entering the design process will enhance the final lighting design. The target audience for this study is theatrical lighting designers. A theoretical approach, in this case to the beginning of the design process, could be described as utilizing current dramatic theories to develop a better understanding for the design of this production. In order to better understand this topic one would need to know how the process …

Fearlessness The Seventh Element Of Drama, Matt Wenge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aristotle proclaimed in his Poetics that there were six elements to drama: spectacle, music, diction, thought, character, and plot. This paper will analyze the play Thom Pain (based on nothing) against these six elements. I will discuss the aspects of each element that are present in the show as well as the ideas and concepts my director, Tad Ingram, and I brought to the show. Through the rehearsal and performance process I discovered a seventh element; the element of fearlessness. In his Poetics, Aristotle does not fully address what the actor brings to the performance and this aspect is just …

Writes Of Spring A Study Of Communication Within Collective Devising, Jennifer Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Communication is a pivotal element in creating theatre with other artists, with audiences, and with the outside world. Theatre artists are required to collaborate at nearly every step of the process. Despite the necessity of highly developed collaboration skills, communication in the creation of theatre is an often-underdeveloped curriculum area. As a Director and Teaching Artist I am particularly interested in how to find new ways of collaborating so I may model and pass these skills to my students. Through a qualitative research survey of communication used in collaborative devising, this research analyzes environments that improve communication and allow for …