Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

Creating A Sense Of Relevancy: Directing Lee Blessing’S Two Rooms, Erick L. Wolfe

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis is a documentation of the production of Two Rooms, including analysis, research production book, script, documentation, and evaluation. The play was performed in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the University of New Orleans Performing Arts Center Lab Theatre on November 7^th, 8^th, 12th, 13th, 21st, and 22^nd, 2015.

Hamilton, Democracy, And Theatre In America, Patricia Herrera

Theatre and Dance Faculty Publications

I, along with University of Richmond professors Lázaro Lima and Laura Browder, received an National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association Latino Americans grant this year to organize the Latinos in Richmond program, which coincided with two classes that we taught this spring: the Tocqueville Seminar “Performing Latino USA: Democracy, Demography, and Equality” and the First-Year Seminar “Telling Richmond’s Latino Stories: A Community Documentary Project.” Since the goal of both courses was to explore how Latinos—the nation’s largest “minority” group in a representative democracy like America­—is also the most underrepresented, I was interested in understanding Hamilton through …

Conversations: Research And Choreographic Analysis, Aaron Roberts

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Hegemony is a system in which power is acquired, maintained and purposed to control events and discourses as a means of dictating what is normal. Hegemonic ideologies concerning masculinity control the way in which the male body is perceived and dictate the acceptable expression of ‘manhood’. Furthermore, these hegemonic ideologies dictate the perception of alternative expressions of the male body through discursive devices of fear and rejection, such as homophobia and racism. Conversations is a collection of three works of choreography created in response to the hegemonic structures that dictate the perception of masculinity. The first, The Trouble with Masculinity, …

Shanghai Quartet, Office Of Arts + Cultural Programming, Peak Performances At Montclair State University

2015-2016 Art Between Real and Imagined

Renowned for its passionate musicality, impressive technique, and distinctive blend of styles, the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles. The “utterly sublime” (The New York Times) ensemble returns for two enchanting engagements. The Shanghai Quartet is the quartet-in-residence at Montclair State University’s Cali School of Music.

Theatre Education For Homeschooled Children, Jonathan A. Martin

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In recent years, the push for theatre education from arts education advocates has been increasingly prevalent, especially in the face of substantial budget cuts from many public schools’ arts programs. While there is still a long way to go before theatre education will be integral to school curricula, there are clear steps being taken to promote theatre education in the United States.

Similar to the recent push for theatre education is a rise in homeschooling in America. Homeschooling has been on the rise domestically for several years now, continuing to grow between 2% and 8% annually. It is now estimated …

Film And Theatre: Hybridization And The Convergence Of Mediums, Rachel A. Jones

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This essay explores the ever-changing relationship between theatre and film. I used my expertise in both theatre and film to create a recording of a children’s theatre show Upside Down Fairytales in order to show how mediated theatre can be created. This essay argues that mediated theatre can be used educationally, dramaturgically, and for entertainment. The uses of mediated theatre can be very effective for those in communities where theatre is not accessible. This essay states that a new medium is created when live performance is recorded and it can have an impact on how theatre will continue to be …

"The Sound Of A Voice: An Evening Of Intercultural Theatre", Amy C. Slothower

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This undergraduate thesis examines the impact of the process of creating a piece of intercultural theatre on student artists. In the research of intercultural theatre, there is a lack of information on opportunities for intercultural performance experience for students, and much of the major research that has been done has all been by established theatre artists. The biggest concern in the theatrical community with creating works of intercultural theatre is the threat of cultural appropriation and imperialism. Much of this concern is stimulated by belief that the western dominant culture maintains a sense of imperialism towards what is perceived as …

The Real F-Word: Feminism An Exploration Of Feminism And The Female Experience On College Campuses, Beatrice R. Owens

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Using third-wave feminism and playwriting as the foundation, this project intends to examine the history of feminism as it influences the current third-wave in the United States of American with a specific focus on the impact it has on college students. This project examines the development of feminism throughout history and asks whether that historical development has contributed significantly to the way in which millennial men and women understand and relate to feminism presently. Through the compilation of research and the creation of a performance piece, performed on April 1, 2016 in the Wayland Performance Studio, this project examines what …

Addiction: Physiology In Performance, Opioid Pharmacology In Character Development For The Theater, Lacey M. Smith

Honors Thesis

Actors inquire into the physical, mental, and emotional impulses of their respective characters in the effort to develop a cohesive persona for the stage. The goal of this research is to determine whether a more thorough, scientific understanding of the physiopyschological phenomena a character experiences, specifically opioid withdrawal, will aid in the depiction of symptoms on stage. The project began with a research period and culminated in physical dissemination through theater performance. Both video, audio, and text media were utilized to establish a thorough comprehension of the physiological mechanisms in opioid addiction. Further profiling of the characteristics and symptomatic episodes …

Establishing Human Identity Through Randomly-Generated Lyrics: A Comprehensive Performer's Analysis Of Robert Paterson's Captcha And Its Performance, Kyle Yampiro

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Robert Paterson’s CAPTCHA is a five-song cycle for baritone and piano that comes with some unique challenges from an interpretive standpoint. The text is comprised of CAPTCHAs: two-word phrases originally designed to test human identity versus that of a computer. Nearly every phrase contains a gibberish word and a real word and there is no proper syntax. The composer leaves interpretation open to the performer, which prompts the primary question explored in this document: how can a singer create an effective performance of this piece, given its unique challenges?

This document takes a multidisciplinary approach to discover the range of …

A Tank Full Of Wishful Thinking: Crystallizing The Rhythms Of The Road, Leanna K. Smithberger

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This thesis is a personal exploration of American car culture — the roads the enable it, the everyday actions that sustain it, and the values that justify it. I use a constellation of mobilities, autoethnography, and rhythmanalysis in order to generate a glimpse into the rhythm of our road-centered culture — how it shapes and constrains our lives in mundane and extraordinary ways, why it is largely taken for granted, and why it is so stubbornly persistent. I use a variety of artistic, evocative methods, including narrative, poetry, and music, because I argue that knowing is not enough — we …

The Inuit Vs. The Steamboat: Human Exhibitionism And Popular Concerns About The Effects Of The Market Revolution In The Early Republic, Ryan Bachman

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

In the early nineteenth century, a new form of human exhibitionism spread through eastern American cities. While public displays featuring live human beings had existed since the colonial era, these new shows specifically focused on Native Americans. This paper examines one such show, the Inuit Exhibition of 1820-1821, as a case study of this phenomena. Primarily through the use of contemporary newspaper accounts, this project argues that shows like the Inuit Exhibition occurred within a cultural context that legitimized the practice of human exhibitionism as a genuine, post-Enlightenment method of educating citizens about the natural world. Furthermore, so-called “Indian Exhibitions” …

Lucy (In) The Slut With Diamonds, Vanessa Genoveffa Borg

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

A blog summary of my senior project process, playing the role of Lucy the Slut in the Fall 2015 production of Avenue Q.

From The Sewing Room To The Ballroom, The Evolution Of Ballroom Dance Costumes, Jessica Marie Russell

Senior Theses

Although I have danced all my life, I only began to ballroom dance and dance socially after starting college at the University of South Carolina. While dancing with the Carolina Ballroom Club, I learned some of the history of ballroom dance from our instructors, but I never quite understood how we went from having very conservative court dances to the wide variety of ballroom dances where dancers wear extravagant costumes. I also have been sewing since I was a child; I helped do minor repairs in the costume room for ballet productions, and recently began making clothing for myself. I …

2015-2016 Sanctuary Series - May 4, 2016, Lynn University, Mozhu Yan, Yvonne Lee, Sean Colbert, Elizabeth Lee, Gioia Sacco, Mipmik Quartet, Jessica Quigly, Harry S. Murphy, Marcheta Wright, Jeff Morgan

Snyder Sanctuary Series

Watch video of the performance here.

“Vania, And Sonia And Masha And Spike” Technical Direction, Thomas Ash

Honors Thesis

I am the Technical Director for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. My job was to take the designs provided by the Set Designer and translate them into the actual set while maintaining the budget for the production. After receiving the designs, I made technical drawings from which to build the set. Then I budgeted the design and ordered materials to begin construction. The production opened on March 10th and ran for 8 performances. This thesis contains designs, technical drawings, and other general paperwork and production photos, showing the transition from paper plans to a fully realized set.

The Old Sorrow, Emmett J. Schlenz

Honors Thesis

From 1969 to 1998, the conflict known as the Troubles raged in Northern Ireland, killing 3,500 people and devastating Belfast. Many dramatic adaptations tackle the conflict, from Neil Jordan’s Oscar-winning The Crying Game to Fifty Dead Men Walking. These adaptations usually focus on combatants in the conflict, however; none, to my knowledge, full address the experience of Belfast hospital staff, from doctors to nurses to porters. Hospital staff – especially those working at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, which lay at the edge of the Falls Road, an area keenly affected by the conflict – came from all …

Chatterbox, Rebecca Sanchez

Theatre & Dance ETDs

This essay articulates the creative process and artistic influences of two plays written by Rebecca M. Sánchez. The plays, Chatterbox and Re: Living are influenced by a variety of artists including Emilio Carballido and Maria Irene Fornes. Chatterbox details the ill fated love of Valentina and Marco. In both linear and memory sequences the audience can view the complexity of obsession, and the role of perception and memory in reality. Re: Living begins and ends with four university professors locked in a campus closet during an active shooter situation. This play address a normalized state of violence and emergency preparedness …

The World Of The Cat's Table: Literature Through Production Design Analysis, Andrea J. Johnson

Senior Honors Projects

The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje is a rich piece of literature that has a diverse set of characters confined to one pivotal location, a ship. Just as the novel builds a world around its characters, in this project I attempted to build a space around immersive design choices.

Production Design is a visual response to analytic reading. By taking a written piece or concept and creating the physical/visual atmosphere for the work, a production designer’s job is to create the overall look and tone of a creative production, be it for a film, play, or museum space. This is …

2016 Otterbein Summer Theatre Season Brochure, Otterbein University Department Of Theatre And Dance

Theatre and Dance Annual Brochures

Annual promotional piece of the upcoming season's shows.

Stories Of Otherness, Lee Ann Harrison

Graduate Theses

The thesis exhibition Stories of Otherness is an interactive installation created using dance, music, photography, video, ceramic figurative sculptures, and armatures of found objects to create a voyeuristic and physically participatory experience of situational art. Many artists from various art and literary genres influence my research and art, including Petah Coyne, Mona Hatoum, Pina Bausch, Mia Michaels, and Jeanette Winterson. The multi-faceted combination of art mediums and artists inspires me to create a mixed media, multi-dimensional installation for an immersive participant’s experience as a source for awareness, empathy, reflection, and ultimately as a “call to action” evoking change.

This thesis …

Design Theory In Practice Selected Projects In Costume Design, Mandolynn S. Browning

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Ah, Wilderness! is Eugene O’Neill’s only comedy. The story takes place over the 4th of July weekend and revolves around Richard Miller, a misunderstood teen who rebels against 1906 society with suggestive poetry and declarations of communism. When his girlfriend, Muriel, spurns him at the behest of her father, his antics take a darker turn and lead him to a night of drinking, prostitutes and fist fights. However, all ends well as the two lovers reunite and Richard is surrounded by the love and compassion of his family. Ah, Wilderness! was produced at the Old Lyric theatre in the winter …

Transforming The Mundane: Juxtaposing Maria Friedman’S "High Society" With George Cukor’S "The Philadelphia Story" As An Emphasis On The Importance Of Theatre, Dana T. Speight Ms.

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The subjects of film and theatre belong to an extensive hierarchical debate that has remained prominent within the realm of performing arts since the introduction of cinema in the late nineteenth century. A plethora of scholars choose to argue in favor of the former, suggesting that film surpasses theatre as superior in both aesthetics and overall execution of naturalism; however, the argument is purely subjective and cannot be applied to all films and their corresponding plays. As a counterclaim, theatre continues to thrive as a prominent source of artistic entertainment globally, not only offering a contemporary twist to preexisting texts, …

The Art Of The Silent Story, Caitlin J. Walker

Undergraduate Honors Theses

I created a one minute 2D, hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animation with an original music score utilizing Toon Boom to demonstrate my ability to convey an interesting story without the use of any dialogue.I relied instead on pantomime, expressions, and context clues to communicate the story to the viewer.

Play Script: Treed, Thomas Kee

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Communicating Through Space: An Exploration Of Interdisciplinary Relationships Between Architecture And Theatre Through Practical Application, Erin E. Hunter

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Space as an expression of ideas is a relevant topic both in theatrical design and architectural design. Both create worlds, places in time, and experiences. The theatre is a platform where architectural ideas can be explored on a real scale. Audiences can make associations based on representation on the stage and connotations from popular culture. Theatre is more temporary than architecture by nature, and therefore theatre can reference architectural ideas in temporary settings to tell a story. By analyzing the physical characteristics of a space and the societal and cultural conditions that created it, a theatre set can isolate moments …

Shards And Cycles: Lighting Design For "The Chairs" By Eugene Ionesco, Jacob Hofer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will describe the historical context, analysis, design, and implementation of the lighting design for the University of Arkansas’s production of Eugene Ionesco’s "The Chairs". Special time will be taken to explain the unique challenges faced by this production both in early design meetings as well as during the implementation of the design. This document will tackle the question: How does the idea of triboluminescence help inform the design of shattered, crystal shafts of light that illuminate and highlight cyclical world of "The Chairs"?

Included in this thesis are all essential lighting design documents including: the light plot, paper …

A Storm In The Port: The Process Designing Twelfth Night, Jacquelyn Ryan Cox

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to document the process and provide all the necessary materials for the realization of the lighting design for the University of Arkansas Department of Theatre’s 2015 production of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. This thesis consists of the following materials: designer’s script analysis, design concept statement, historical and evocative research, Vectorworks overstage plot, Vectorworks section plot, LightWright paperwork, cue sheet, final magic sheets, and process evaluation. The materials provided are necessary to the design team, the electricians who hang the light plot, and the designer in order program the cues. Archival photography is included …

Behind The Stakes, Between The Lines, Beyond The Pun: A Critical Deconstruction Of Humor In William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, And Other Popular Comedies, Jaime Libby

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Humor is a powerful rhetorical device employed at all levels of human discourse—from casual banter to political debate. Still, despite humor’s global prevalence, its historical transgressiveness, and its distinct potential both to neutralize and critically engage highly fraught issues, humans do not often pause to ask how humor works. And what does its working tell us about our humanness? This thesis explores the operation of humor in literature and performance, using tools provided by structuralist, deconstructive, and postmodern critical arenas, to reveal how humor’s fundamental structures invite humans to entertain new perspectives and practice empathy. The study considers irony, the …

An Actor’S Growth: From Student To Professional, Tackling Collegiate Theatre With Michael Lee, Michael B. Lee

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis includes the journey of Michael Lee becoming a professional actor by performing several characters within two contrasting productions. The first, "The Trojan Women", by Euripides, Michael portrayed Poseidon, Talthybius, and The Guard in ETSU's very own Bud Frank Theatre. Michael's second production included the character of Charles in the modern drama "Race" by David Mamet, which was held in the newly renovated Studio 205. Michael documented his growth as an actor through daily journal entries and analyzing the final performances.