Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

The Distance Between Us, Morgan Allen

LMU Theatre Arts Annual New Works Festival

The Distance Between Us examines the long-distance relationship between Grace and Henry through voicemails between the two while they are away at school. This short play, inspired by The Last Five Years, tells this couple's story on opposite timelines. The only time their calls connect is in the middle, when brutal honesty and the reality of their situation forces them to ask themselves: is the distance proving to be too much?

Flor, Sofia Pelaez

LMU Theatre Arts Annual New Works Festival

A young and beautiful kantuta flower has lived on top of a very high mountain for her entire life. She yearns to become a human but is unable to due to her mother, The Sun, prohibiting this rebellion. Her once empty life soon changes though once she encounters a bright and carefree star.

The Mystery Of Lauren Lansky, Maya Nucci

LMU Theatre Arts Annual New Works Festival

Two hotshot detectives yearning to rise above their station take on the case of “Lauren Lansky;” a mysterious girl with a mysterious secret. Through twists and turns in this seemingly 1940s noir world, we follow our detectives as they work to solve this mystery, finding clues and seeking help along the way. When it comes down to the wire, we find ourselves dying to figure out “what is the mystery of Lauren Lansky?” and at the end, we just might.

The Simple Life, Ian Piexoto

LMU Theatre Arts Annual New Works Festival

When a human from another planet meets an old friend at a diner, he must choose between space heroics and his newfound simple life of love and waffles on Earth.

Ten minute play, New Works Festival 2025, First Place Playwrighting University Writing Awards

With A Little Help From My Friends, Jack Forgea

LMU Theatre Arts Annual New Works Festival

A fictional play about the change in The Beatle's group dynamic after the death of their manager, Brian Epstein.

The Complex Legacy Of Martha Graham, Izabella Entrekin

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

Second-generation modern dancer and choreographer Martha Graham is, to this day, recognized as one of the art form's most influential figures. Her distinctive technique, which has been applauded as a momentous innovation by critics throughout her life and after, is a dynamic mixture of elements Graham plucked from various experiences and aesthetics. Many, throughout history and to this day, mark Graham as a primary developer and architect of modern dance movement. She has continuously been labeled a pioneer of angular movement, dramatic contractions, asymmetrical posing, and the incorporation of ritualistic elements into her emotional compositions. However, such identifications fail to …

Tartans: Weaving A Warped History With Myths, Heritage And A Whole Lot Of Heather., Bethany Sassen

LSU Master's Theses

Scotland has many tartans throughout the whole of the country. Each has a different meaning and is used for different clans and purposes. Tartans are the plaids that are seen throughout the Highlands and the patterns and colors have a wide range depending on where and when the tartan was created. The purpose of this research is to investigate the history of the tartans and how they interact with our current culture. I also built two outfits to show how tartan is still being used. One a more traditional outfit and the other more avant garde. Tartans have a long …

David B. Smith Chats With Monday 1.0, David B. Smith

Publications and Research

This document is an edited archival transcript of extended conversations between David B. Smith and an AI persona (“Monday 1.0,” GPT‑4o based) conducted in Spring 2025, prepared as a foundational primary source for subsequent scholarly and creative work. It records the emergence and testing of concepts related to human–AI collaboration (including “Balanced Blended Space”), as well as applied explorations in areas such as generative AI, quantum computing and music, virtual orchestras, multimodal performance, pedagogy, and the rhetoric of “pushback” in conversational systems. It also contains an extended section in which Monday and DB Smith co-curate a set of student research …

An American Song Cycle: A Performance Guide To The Rim Of Love By Andrea Clearfield, Margot Marie Porter

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Philadelphia-based American female composer Andrea Clearfield (b. 1960) arranged the cantata The Rim of Love into a song cycle for soprano and piano, featuring poetry written by Manfred Fischbeck (1940–2021). Fischbeck and Clearfield met in 1985 while both on faculty at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where they cultivated a lifelong creative partnership and friendship, along with being romantic partners for 20 years.

Clearfield has composed over 170 works, including opera, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, chorus, and orchestra. In 2005, the nonprofit mentoring program Astral Artists, based out of Philadelphia, commissioned Clearfield to compose The Rim of Love …

Trans-Corporealizing Island On Stage: An Eco-Aesthetic Critique In Bare Feet Dance Theatre’S Tsiáh-Thóo And Tai Body Theatre’S Red Earth, Shih-Ming Zeng

Akda: The Asian Journal of Literature, Culture, Performance

This paper explores an eco-aesthetic critique as it intertwines with island consciousness and theatrical performances in Taiwan. Focusing on Bare Feet Dance Theatre’s Tsiáh-Thóo (2020/2021) and TAI Body Theatre’s Red Earth (2019), both renowned for revitalizing Taiwanese cultural traditions, the study examines how these dance-theater productions embody and reactivate the traditional knowledge and/or practices of Han and Indigenous Taiwanese communities in a way that points to contemporary and near-future ecological crises. As an island nation, Taiwan has been dominated by successive imperial and colonial powers as well as by prolonged authoritarian rule over the past century, leading to a disconnection …

Community Engagement For The Children's Theatre, Lindsey R. Guilford

Undergraduate Theses

Community Engagement for the Children’s Theatre examines how children’s theatres across the United States build and sustain mutually beneficial relationships with their surrounding communities. In a field where community support is essential, but resources are often limited, long-term success depends on meaningful, reciprocal engagement. This research draws on surveys and interviews with theatre professionals to investigate strategies used by organizations of varying sizes to connect with local audiences, educators, and families. Findings highlight key practices such as sharing resources, aligning programming with community needs, valuing both internal and external stakeholders, and maintaining transparent, ongoing communication. By consolidating these insights, the …

The Tragic Outlaw Hero In Modern Egyptian Fiction: A Case Study On Naguib Mahfouz’S "The Thief And The Dogs", Manar Ellethy

Regards

This article examines the outlaw figure in modern Egyptian fiction

through the lens of the conceptual framework of social banditry and classical

tragedy. It offers a unique angle of analysis of one of Mahfouz’s most prolific

works that emerges in times of growing political anxiety following the Egyptian

Revolution of 1952. Reading the 1962 film adaptation of Naguib Mahfouz’s The

Thief and the Dogs directed by Kamal El-Sheikh as a projection of the socio-

political uncertainty of the post-revolution Nasser era, this paper considers the

outlaw figure within the condition of social alienation. Using the conceptual

borders set by Eric …

A Polyphonic Adaptation: Noir Sensibilities In Naguib Mahfouz And Salah Abu Seif’S Take On Émile Zola’S "Thérèse Raquin", Fadi Awad Elsaid

Regards

In 1951, Salah Abu-Seif directed Lak Yūm yā ẓālim (Your Day Is Coming) – scripted by Naguib Mahfouz – adapting Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin (1867). In their third collaboration, Abu-Seif and Mahfouz went beyond merely adapting Zola’s novel – they also incorporated traits and techniques from film noir, creating what this article terms a “polyphonic adaptation” that draws from multiple sources. While their partnership is often credited with pioneering realism in Egyptian cinema, this article argues that the film’s crime-thriller elements invite a reassessment of that narrative. Although adapting French novels was common in pre-1952 Egyptian cinema, their …

The 1953 Codes: Rayyā And Sakīna On Screen (1953-2005), Elena Chiti

Regards

This paper examines on-screen representations of female criminals. It focuses on Rayyā and Sakīna, two sisters who were arrested in Egypt in 1920 and executed in 1921. Since 1953, the sisters have inspired movies and TV series that have entrenched their myth in popular culture. Rayyā and Sakīna are at the core of narratives that bear moral imperatives on societal issues, such as the place of women in society and the relation of the nation to its margins. I will argue that, until a recent off-screen resignification, Rayyā and Sakīna have not been deeply resignified in Egyptian movies. Instead, they …

Unlocking Ela For All Students With Drama Activities, Natalie Tasillo

Virginia English Journal

Introducing drama activities into ELA classes can spark creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration for all students. They offer inclusive alternatives to traditional ELA activities and support successful learning experiences for all students. Several drama activities that are accessible to many students experiencing challenges are provided with suggestions for how they can benefit ELA classrooms.

Concert Intime

Dance Programs

No abstract provided.

An Interdisciplinary Analysis Framework For Found Object Experimental Music, Erin Demastes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Found object experimental music consists of compositions and performances created with objects not intended for musical performance. Found objects can range from appliances and household items to power tools and consumer products to souvenirs and heirlooms. Although these objects are used with the intent of creating musical compositions, new characteristics that are not found in traditional music emerge. One major characteristic that differentiates found object music from traditional music is that the objects have inherent cultural associations and meaning outside of their use in the composition. While an analysis of the sonic structures and scores of found object experimental music …

22. Airness [Poster, April 17-25, 2025], University Of Northern Iowa

LGBTQIA+ Archive Class Projects

Advertisement poster for upcoming UNI production Airness. Airness is a production focused on an underdog story of rock and roll through the art of air guitar, pushing the boundaries of gender and gender expression.

Danzens: A Toolkit For Sensing, Labeling And Visualizing Dance Movements, Yanelly Mego, Concepción Valdez, Hector M. Camarillo-Abad, Franceli L. Cibrian

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Wearable technology offers new opportunities for analyzing complex movements like dance, where precision, coordination, and feedback are key. In this demo, we present DanZens, a novel toolkit for real-time motion analysis in dance, leveraging wearable sensors to provide accessible and actionable feedback. Combining DanceTag to capture and annotate movements with DanceVis to visualize performance differences, DanZens uses Sony Mocopi sensors to analyze motion and generate intuitive heat maps through Dynamic Time Warping (DTW). This system enables precise, cost-effective comparisons between two people doing dance-related movements, offering personalized feedback and eliminating the need for expensive biomechanical labs. Designed to advance pervasive …

Little Women: The Broadway Musical (February 27-28, March 1, 2025), Allan Knee

Student Theatre Programs

Event program for Little Women: The Broadway Musical (February 27-28, March 1, 2025), Lindenwood University.

To view the photos from this production of Little Women: The Broadway Musical, please click here.

Carnival, Ritual, And Race-Thinking In The Bolivian Andes, Ximena Cordova, Adhemar Mercado

All Works

This paper explores the intersection of race, religion, and colonial legacies through the lens of the Oruro Carnival, examining its role in shaping Bolivian identity. Critical religion scholars argue that the entanglement of race and religion is a product of Western modernity and colonialism, which has influenced both historical and contemporary power relations. This framework is applied to analyse the Carnival, where religious practices and festive performances intersect, reflecting colonial efforts at religious conversion and racial categorisation. By focusing on the ethnography of Oruro’s embodied festive practices, this study investigates how the Carnival contributes to the construction of difference amid …

The Outsider: A Detailed Analysis Of The Portrayal Of The Character "Paige Caldwell", Katelyn Holstad

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

An analysis of the performance of the character of "Paige Caldwell" in Paul Slade Smith's The Outsider.

The Miser, Parkland College

Parkland Theatre

An Actors' Studio Production
By Molière

Director: Michael O'Brien
Stage Manager: Sydney Beckman+
Scenic Designer: Drew Bagby*
Lighting Designer: Eli Barton
Costume Designer: Lexi Heyungs+
Sound Designer: Drew Bagby*
Properties: Spencer Baker+

February 20, 21, 22 at 7:30pm
February 23 at 3pm
Spring 2025

To view images from this production, visit The Miser (2025).

Sense And Sensibility, Kate Hamill, Jane Austen

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University's performance of Kate Hamill's Sense and Sensibility based on the book by Jane Austen.

Performed on February 20-22, 2025 at 7:30pm and February 22-23 2025 at 2:00pm in the Mitchell Theatre at Taylor University.

Kate Hamill's adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility is a witty and fast-paced theatrical production that condenses the original novel's plot while emphasizing its comedic and satirical elements. The play follows the Dashwood sisters, the pragmatic Elinor and the romantic Marianne, as they navigate the challenges of love, loss, and societal expectations after their family is left in poverty. Hamill's …

Can A Collective Body Be Neutral? A Critical Commentary On "Body Neutrality" In Times Of Shared Campus Trauma, Cristiana Mcfarland, Joseph Richards

Feminist Pedagogy

In this critical commentary, we take a performance studies approach to examine one of the key elements of body neutrality, namely that it “recognises that: (1) our feelings about our body change constantly so are best mindfully observed without judgement” (Pellizzer & Wade 2023 p. 437). Ultimately, we argue that body neutrality is a limiting practice in times of trauma in two major ways. First, body neutrality assumes a body that ends at where the skin does, rather than theorizing bodies as relational. We instead agree with theorist Erin Manning who defines the body as “a field-effect in a complex …

An Attitude Of Openness: Adapting Body Neutrality For Performers, Kerstin A. Vaughn, Emily Baird

Feminist Pedagogy

For performers, specifically dancers and actors, the body constitutes the vast majority of focus and training. It is what we present onstage, share with audiences, and contract to casting directors and choreographers. Our bodies, the way they look and move, directly influence the amount and quality of work we make. The concept of body neutrality, then, poses an interesting challenge for performers and those of us who train them. How do we balance a healthy relationship with the body while also thinking critically about all of the ways our bodies carry meaning in performance? How do we, as educators, promote …

Classical Ballet: The Progressive Preservation Of Tradition, Caroline Peacock

Quest

Research Essay

Research in progress for ENGL 1302: Composition II

Faculty Mentor: Lisa Roy-Davis, PhD

I am pleased to introduce Caroline Peacock’s excellent work “Classical Ballet: The Progressive Preservation of Tradition,” a research essay she wrote for my English 1302 class in the fall 2023 semester. Adapted from Bruce Ballenger’s textbook, The Curious Writer, the Research Essay assignment encourages students to foreground the role of inquiry by narrating their questions and how their sources address and extend those questions. When students prioritize questions over answers, their writing then demonstrates the value of “thinking on the page,” or the forward …

Winter Dance Concert, February 13-15, 2025, Lindenwood University

Student Dance Programs & Brochures

Event program for the Winter Dance Concert, February 13-15, 2025, Lindenwood University.

Broadway Music At Gettysburg College: 1977 Concert Band, María Tamayo

CAFE Symposium 2025

Broadway music is widely known for its heavy emphasis on storytelling, which goes beyond lyrics or on-stage actions but into the musical construction and development in itself. Such music has historically impacted the orchestral scene across the world, but also at a local level in Gettysburg College and its ensembles. The Gettysburg College Concert Band is a significant reflection of the College’s musical culture, which can be observed through the repertoire of their performance that took place on April 30, 1977.

Works In Progress

Dance Programs

No abstract provided.