Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

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 …

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 …

Theater Education: Thinking Outside Of The Black Box, Raheve Gray

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A 2005 report by the Rand Corporation concluded that "Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill" (Smith). A 2012 report from the National Endowment for the Arts mirrored these findings, stating that “Students who have arts-rich experiences in school do better across-the-board academically, they also become more active and engaged citizens, voting, volunteering, and generally participating at higher rates than their peers” (Garelick 1). The above statements speak to the mounting evidence that arts in education provide extensive benefits for students fortunate enough to have them as part of …

A Thaddeus Stevens Musical: A 19th Century Hamilton?, Megan E. Mcnish

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

If you read my last post on the Broadway musical Hamilton, you’ve already read my waxing admiration of the show and might also remember that I listen to the soundtrack non-stop. The musical has shown the world the power that music has as a teaching tool. As someone interested in nineteenth century American history, I long for a Hamilton-esque musical regarding the Civil War era. One of the reasons Hamilton is so successful is its ability to draw connections between past and present issues, and that can be done easily for nineteenth century America. Women’s rights, slavery, immigration, …

Antitheatricality And Irrationality: An Alternative View, Kent Lehnhof

English Faculty Articles and Research

"Over the last three decades, antitheatrical authors like Stephen Gosson, Phillip Stubbes, and William Prynne have become increasingly visible in the literary and cultural studies of the early modern period. Even so, the tendency has been to treat these authors as ideological extremists: reactionary hacks whose opposition to stage plays originates in outrageous ideas of the self, impossible notions of right and wrong, and bizarre beliefs about humanity’s susceptibility to external suggestion. This characterization can be traced back to several of the pioneering studies in the field, including Jonas Barish’s The Antitheatrical Prejudice (1985) and Laura Levine’s Men in Women’s …

The Native Plays Of Lynn Riggs (Cherokee) And The Question Of “Race”-Specific Casting, Courtney Mohler

Scholarship and Professional Work – Arts

No abstract provided.

Hamilton: Musical Theater, Public History’S New Frontier?, Megan E. Mcnish

The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History

Hamilton is one of Broadway’s newest musicals and it’s the hottest thing to hit the stage in a long time. The show, a rap-opera, follows the life of Alexander Hamilton, the nation’s ‘forgotten Founding Father.’ The show has had immense success since it opened in August 2015, with thousands of followers on the show’s Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube pages. It has exploded from the stage into a cultural phenomenon, but what makes the story of this Founding Father so compelling for audiences? Previous productions of historical musicals and plays have failed on the stage, while Hamilton thrives. What is its …

Freedomland, Lindsey Mantoan

Faculty Publications

Lindsey Mantoan reviews a performance of Freedomland (by Michael Gene Sullivan) for Theatre Journal.

360 Armstrong State University Fine Arts Posters, Programs, And Publicity Materials, Art Music And Theatre Department

Finding Aids

4 Poster boxes, 2 record boxes and a MS box, approximately 3 linear feet.

A Patra Lovitura De Gong, Teatru Scurt, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Volumul de față reia, grupate sub un titlu provocator, A PATRA LOVITURĂ DE GONG, piesele de teatru scurt ale lui Florentin Smarandache, cuprinse inițial în volumul DESTIN (Craiova: Aius, 2000), un volum de texte-amalgam (nuvele, povești, eseuri, proză memorialistică, interviuri, versuri experimentale, culegeri de folclor, teatru scurt), astfel:

No exit! evocă alegoric atmosfera de închistare a perioadei de dictatură comunistă.

Destin și Conversația sunt două miniaturi experimental-sugestive, fără actori.

Aventurile dragostei e “un spectacol de versuri în versuri“, un dialog parapoetic și transtextual între câțiva dintre poeții români în vogă în anii 80.

Tragedie antică este o meditație generală asupra …

Migration And Crossing Borders In Zahra, Favorita De Al-Andalús, Lynn C. Purkey

Teatro: Revista de Estudios Escénicos / A Journal of Theater Studies

No abstract provided.

The Filial Dagger: The Case Of Hal And Henry Iv In 1 & 2 Henry Iv And The Famovs Victories, Kristin M.S. Bezio

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

English culture and politics in the last decade of the sixteenth century were both patriarchal and patrilineal, in spite of— or, perhaps, in part, because of—the so-called bastard queen sitting on the throne. The prevailing political questions of the day concerned Elizabeth’s successor and the fate of the nation that, so many believed, hung precariously in the balance. Questions of legality, legitimacy, and fitness formed the crux of these debates, but almost all claimants attempted to justify their right by tracing their bloodlines back to either Henry VII or Edward III, the respective patriarchs of the Tudor dynasty and the …

The Theater Of Maria Aurèlia Capmany And The Reverberations Of Civil War (History, Censorship, Silence), Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Maria Aurèlia Capmany (1918-1991) was one of the most prominent Catalan writers of the twentieth century, occupying a singular place in the intellectual and cultural life of Catalonia during the period of the Franco dictatorship and the democratic transition. Her theater is aesthetically daring in its integration of an ample range of contemporary dramatic modes, from intellectually complex to more popular forms of spectacle. Epic theater, monologue, documentary theater, historical drama, and "literary cabaret" (a genre of her own invention)~ all make repeated appearances throughout her theatrical trajectory. Moreover, on the whole her work stands as a testament to her …

Professional Wrestling: Local Performance History, Global Performance Praxis, Neal Anderson Hebert

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Professional Wrestling: Local Performance History, Global Performance Praxis, is a work of interdisciplinary scholarship (combining elements of theatre history, performance studies, and philosophy) that addresses an area of performance currently under-researched within the liberal arts and humanities: professional wrestling. My dissertation directs much-needed attention to the fact that professional wrestling is the only kind of live drama many Americans ever see (or even want to see). Although it is no doubt easy for theatre historians and performance theorists to dismiss this performance practice because of its location somewhere between “illegitimate sport” and “lowbrow popular entertainment,” I contend that United States …

L'Aventura Nord-Americana De «Maria Rosa» De Guimerà, Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

En l'època actual, en la qual l'èxit teatral s'acostuma a mesurar en funció del reconeixement internacional, molts dramaturgs contemporanis han somniat en un muntatge a Nova York o, fins i tot, en un triomf a Hollywood. Potser els sorprendria saber que fa aproximadament cent anys Àngel Guimerà, sens dubte el dramaturg català més prominent del seu temps, ja havia acomplert aquest somni gairebé impossible quan dues de les seves obres teatrals més famoses, Maria Rosa (1894) i Terra baixa (1896), es van estrenar en versió anglesa sota els focus de Broadway. De fet, entre els anys 1903 i 1914, les …

Silk Wings: The Making Of Noma, Sandra C. Lopez-Monsalve

Capstones

Silk Wings: The Making of Noma is a documentary that follows a group of aerialists, dancers and acrobats as they create an original new show. Conceived and directed by aerialist and choreographer Sara Zepezauer, Noma is a show that explores sight, sound, and movement.

Through beautifully shot performances and intimate interviews, the film follows Sara and her troupe through the path of creation and personal motivations. In this vibrant journey, Sara finds inspiration to cope with her father’s diagnosed carcinoma.

Silk Wings is a story about creativity, perseverance, hope and friendship.

A Work In Process: The Diligence Behind The Art, Marc Hurst

Theses and Dissertations

The following is an in depth analysis of the development process from script to stage for the lighting design of five productions. These productions were commissioned to MFA lighting design candidate Marc Hurst during his three years in the University of South Carolina Department of Theatre and Dance's Master of Fine Arts Program. This paper critically examines the process by which the artist develops their lighting design from first read to fully realized production.

Direction Of Reflection: The Means By Which One Establishes Directorial And Choreographic Proficiency, Nicholas J. Wood Jr.

HIM 1990-2015

I examined how one may establish directorial and choreographic proficiency in the contemporary society of American musical theatre. I did so by completing an examination of five personal observations in my craft. These observations included: (1) Directorship and choreography of Welcome to Vegas, an original jukebox musical; (2) Mentorship on Theatre UCF’s Nine as Assistant Director and Co-Choreographer; (3) Research on the methodologies of various directors and choreographers; (4) Directorship and choreography of Welcome to Broadway, an original jukebox musical; and (5) Assistant to the Program Director of Broadway Theatre Project. I evaluated parallels of my directing and choreography methodologies …

Collaborative Theatre/Creative Process, Jimmy Bickerstaff

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Theatre production is a collaborative creative activity. Recent theory and research into group creativity recognizes the relationships between individuals, groups, and the contexts in which creativity emerges. It also suggests that between the interactive creative processes of the collaborators and their work, the work itself becomes a kind of creative entity. In this essay, I explain how all creativity is now seen as collaboration, outline this process, and illustrate the differences between seeing theatre as an aggregate, collective activity and the more integrated view, in which the process is synergistically collaborative. An understanding of the cognitive and behavioral processes of …

The Story Of 42nd Street, Diane Cypkin

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Book review of The Story of 42nd Street: The Theatres, Shows, Characters, and Scandals of the World’s Most Notorious Street by M.C. Henderson and A. Green.

"No Day But Today:" Life Perspectives Of Hiv-Positive Individuals In The Musical Rent, Valerie Lynn Schrader

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

This article explores how life perspectives of HIV-infected individuals are portrayed in the musical Rent. A rhetorical analysis of Rent’s script and lyrics reveals that people living with HIV may hold a particular life perspective after learning that they are HIV-positive; they may seek to leave a legacy, to experience life to the fullest or to devote their lives to others. These emergent themes are consistent with those found in previous research. In addition, this analysis revealed one theme that was not consistent with previous research; this theme is connected to the process of grieving. By understanding how people living …

Exploring Literary Characters In Classroom Performance, Gerald Lee Ratliff

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Original classroom exercises are an invaluable instructional tool to actively engage students in analysis and performance of dramatic and non-dramatic literary texts. The basic principle of classroom performance emphasizes a critical and creative teaching perspective that stimulates student responses to the aesthetic, emotional and intellectual content of a literary text. Selected exercises that promote a more theatrical impulse in the study and performance of literary texts present meaningful opportunities for students to give vocal and physical visualization to the actions, attitudes and emotions of literary characters and, ultimately, enriches the classroom learning experience.

Fresh Shakespeare From The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner

Faculty Publications

Some critics have argued against the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's contemporary English translation project, but Daniel Pollack-Pelzner argues it's part of the process of keeping Shakespeare alive.

Vikram Hemanathan, Linda J. Hanes

International Alumni

When Vikram Hemanathan came to Western Michigan University in 2006, he initially planned for an engineer’s life of logic and analytics, but a lifelong love of the theater became his greater calling.

Where's Your Phone?: If You're Lost Without It, You May Have Nomophobia, Jacob Mccarthy

Colby Magazine

Do you feel anxious when your phone battery is low? Check your messages more often than you'd like? You might be a nomophobe.

The Fascination Of Manga: Cross-Dressing And Gender Performativity In Japanese Media, Sheena Marie Woods

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The performativity of gender through cross-dressing has been a staple in Japanese media throughout the centuries. This thesis engages with the pervasiveness of cross-dressing in popular Japanese media, from the modern shōjo gender-bender genre of manga and anime to the traditional Japanese theatre. Drawing on theories from gender-studies and performance aesthetics to delineate the female gender in traditional Japanese theatre, I follow the roles of, representation of, and media for women, concentrating on (1) manga, a form of sequential art featuring illustrations with corresponding text, (2) anime, animated productions (where the word anime is the abbreviated pronunciation of “animation” in …

Inside The Shannon Center, Victoria Esquer

Whittier Scholars Program

This senior project focuses on the issues unpacked in Angels in America and how these issues played out for the actors, directors, designers, and audience members. It examines the process of auditioning for the play, the journey of memorizing lines, the journey of the actor connecting with the character emotionally, an how the production all comes together.

Staging Quakerism In American Theatre And Film, James Emmett Ryan

Quaker Studies

Arguing that Quakers have been used as influential stock characters in American performance culture, this essay profiles several examples of Quakers as represented in American theater and film: John Murdock's play The Triumphs of Love (1795), Harry F. Millarde's lost silent film The Quack Quakers (1916), and the Academy Award winning film High Noon (1952). Paradoxically, in each of these productions, which range from farce to serious drama, Friends are shown as either claiming or as striving for unattainable moral and religious human ideals, but also as an exemplary community of individuals against which other Americans might and should be …

A Regional British Dialect Guidebook For Actors, Kylie J. Rose

All Undergraduate Projects

This book endeavors to cover the major dialectical regions of the UK by focusing on one to two major dialects in each region. It additionally seeks to provide actors with the tools they need to convincingly portray characters from these areas: primarily in the form of audio recordings and accompanying transcriptions using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

Zoe Wanamaker, Jocelyn L. Buckner

Theatre Faculty Books and Book Chapters

An overview of the life, work, and impact of Zoe Wanamaker.