Theatre and Performance Studies Commons^™

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.

“Change Is Brewing”: Women Finding Liberation In The Performative Rituals Of Modern Paganism And The Witch Organization, Katie Nelson

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project analyzes elements of performative Modern Paganism and Wiccan rituals used by the Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell (WITCH) group to determine how these performance practices can provide comfort and agency to those who have been systemically oppressed, particularly women in the United States. The project will focus on WITCH’s activist work, especially during the second wave feminist movement of the 1960-1970s, which used elements of Modern Paganism for social justice purposes by implementing them through guerilla theatre and zap actions. Methodologically, I will be reviewing sources such as performance photos, news articles, and testimonies from the women …

The Laramie Project, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2024-2025 Season Productions

No abstract provided.

Stage Exit, Grady Munroe

LMU Theatre Arts Annual New Works Festival

An acting class struggles to free themselves from the room they are trapped in. Stage Exit is about the absurdity and horrors of being a student of theatre.

Black Bodies On American Stages, Gabrielle Burton

Honors College Theses

The following study explores the character types that have been historically available to Black actors in American theatre and how that representation enforced, resisted, or ignored stereotypes. To examine the impact of those roles on the performers who played them, I examine the documented approaches Black actors have taken to embody their characters, as well as my own evolving process used to portray the eight characters I have inhabited in my personal college performance career at Georgia Southern University. This research and retrospective analysis reveal that while a lazy or performative indifference leads to harm, color-conscious inclusion, challenging conversations, and …

Expanding Education Skills: Case Study And Content Creation For Theatre Educators At Um, Ren E. Shepherd

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

A love of theatre does not spring into the hearts of people from thin air. It is not something given by the universe, but something cultivated through years of going to performances, researching late at night, and the guidance of theatre educators. Despite the influence of Theatre Educators, they are largely overlooked when considering theatre professionals and their training. This lack of oversight is a nation-wide issue, but by focusing on just the University of Montana, there is a chance for greater understanding and change at a local community level. By employing academic research, surveys of UM faculty and students, …

A Post Apocalyptic Romp: Designing Costumes For Phoebe In Winter, Emmalee Berger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis will document the process of costume designing for Phoebe in Winter by Jen Silverman. It will examine the process from first read of the script through initial and final design meetings and to execution and production of the design. This will report on challenges specific to this production, such as nudity and violence on an academic stage, and the subsequent solutions. Phoebe in Winter was produced by West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance in October of 2024. The design process began in February of the same year.

Theatre Education At The University Of Montana: Providing Innovative Solutions To A Complex Problem, Natalie Renk

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper is part of a larger project that aims to provide solutions to assimilate the University of Montana’s theatre education program with those across the United States by providing budget conscious innovations. The focus of this paper will be the creation of two methods courses: THTR 438: Content for Secondary Theatre Education and THTR 439: Skills for Theatre Education, this paper discussing the former. The latter was designed by my research partner, Ren Shepherd. This course would offer comprehensive coverage of theatre practitioners, both historical and modern theatrical texts, hands on design and budgeting experience, as well as teaching …

Theatre For The People: Exploring The Need For A New National Theatre, Kai Yamanishi

Theatre and Dance Honors Projects

The Covid-19 pandemic sent shockwaves through the theater industry that have seen dozens of venues across the country laying off workers, shortening seasons, and even closing altogether. Costs have risen, audiences have been slow to return, and traditional sources of funding have dried up. What then, are theaters to do? By conducting an economic analysis and examining published and original interviews with theater practitioners, this essay explores this crisis as it has affected the regional nonprofit theater sector, specifically the members of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT). It concludes that LORT’s model is no longer sustainable because of its …

Scenic Design For Jen Silverman’S Phoebe In Winter, Jess A. Ford

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This document is a narrative of the Scenic Design process for Jen Silverman’s Phoebe in Winter, designed by Jess Ford. The process includes a detailed summary and analysis of the script, the stages in the creation of the design, the final design, build, technical rehearsals, and the final product. This production was produced by West Virginia University’s School of Theatre & Dance during the Fall 2024 semester, presented in the Gladys G. Davis Theater at the Canady Creative Arts Center in Morgantown, WV.

The Page And The Stage: How Comics Perform, Elizabeth Buccella

Theses and Dissertations

Comics and theatre share several, often overlooked similarities, like their unique concept of the gaze, interpretation and execution of a script, and the curation of a distinct visual language. This makes comics a viable candidate for analysis using the field of performance studies and other theatrical forms of analysis. The process of comics and how they are read is discussed before a brief literature review of performance and comics studies scholarship. Two comics, one nonfiction and one fiction, are analyzed using the key concepts from the literature review.

A Review Of Glenn Mcgillivray's Actors, Audiences, And Emotions In The Eighteenth Century: Communities Of Sentiment, Semane Parsons

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

A Review of Glen McGillivray's book Actors, Audiences, and Emotions in the Eighteenth Century: Communities of Sentiment (2023).

The Launch: A Senior Cabaret, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2024-2025 Season Productions

No abstract provided.

Tactical Staging: Evolving Methods Of Feminist Activism In Susan Glaspell’S Work, Allison Mcpeak

English: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

In the marketplace of ideas, the Theatre Arts employ narrative stories and eye-catching visual art pieces draw listeners and viewers in a way that is unmatched by other methods. Art not only reflects the society from which it was created, it also acts as a projection of the creator’s ideal world. Theatre, being both a sonic and visual medium also has the unique advantage of speaking directly to a captive audience that are physically in the same room as the characters onstage, making those connections significantly more personal. A caveat, however, is that modern theatre tends to reflect the values …

Was It Good? A Look At The Golden-Ticket Question Of Societal Preferences In Theatre, Carina Leland

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

What makes theatre “good?” There are some common answers that critics and the public agree upon, but the guidelines of good theatre have changed greatly throughout history. Many playwrights and critics have created philosophies that attempted to define popular theatre in their time or according to their personal views. Today’s opinion on “good” has its own set of characteristics that the majority of society enjoys, which is unique from any historical manifesto. Furthermore, our modern consensus doesn’t take into account the wildly different nature of individual preferences; while I enjoy light-hearted coming-of-age stories, others find deeper satisfaction from a thought-provoking …

The Show Must Go On: Leading Factors In The Burnout Of Stage Managers, Morgen E. Doyle

Honors College Theses

Stage managers are the key to making theatre move onstage and in the audience. To keep the show, we need to take care of our stage managers. Many have voiced concerns about burnout from their time in the stage management industry (McGraw 2024, 12). Burnout can be defined as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” and characterized by three main dimensions: “energy depletion and exhaustion; feelings of cynicism and increased mental distance related to the individual’s job; and reduced professional efficiency in the individual’s workplace” (World Health Organization 2019). In this …

The Sacred Duty Of The Christian Storyteller: The Rediscovery Of Divine Creative Heritage And Its Function In The Public Square, Trinity Wood

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis assesses the specific value of the storytelling medium and evaluates how one’s artistic duty coexists with their spiritual responsibility as a Bible-believing Christian. Storytelling has a proven power to evoke change within society and within the hearts of its members, and creativity is an innate characteristic we share with the original Divine Creator. Creativity is our birthright and our inheritance from God the Father, as beings made in His Image. The secular entertainment industry often appears as foreign enemy territory to the Christian creative – in most recent years, faith-based content has garnered a poor reputation for itself …

John Proctor Is A Villain (November 6-9, 2024), Kimberly Bellflower

Student Theatre Programs

Event program for John Proctor is a Villain (November 6-9, 2024), Lindenwood University.

To view the photos from this production of John Proctor is a Villain, please click here.

Solar Systems And Hind Legging: A Practitioner’S Perspective On Creative Research Practice, Nat Dianne Texler, Lola Montgomery

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

A presentation on Creative Practice Research from the perspective of the practitioner - demonstrating the different ways in which we both operate in order to show how broad research actually is under the framework.

We both work under the same framework but with entirely different ethoses - which we believe will help our colleagues understand that there's more to research than the write up.

Sondheim Tribute Revue (October 2-5, 2024), Lindenwood University

Student Theatre Programs

Event program for Sondheim Tribute Revue (October 2-5, 2024), Lindenwood University.

To view the photos from this production of Sondheim Tribute Revue, please click here.

Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet Of 1812, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2024-2025 Season Productions

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Being Earnest, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2024-2025 Season Productions

No abstract provided.

I Did It My Way: Theatre Production And Design Project, Bryan Stanton

Open Educational Resources

As future designers and technicians, it is essential to understand how design and technical elements assist with expansive storytelling. We work with directors and actors to bring stories to life and must always keep the story in mind when creating. By demonstrating your understanding of how technical theatre areas work together to assist with storytelling, you are getting real-world experience that will serve you in a career in theatre, as well as any career that focuses on storytelling, including marketing, advertising, law, and writing.

Planning And Adapting In The Design Process, Lindsay Kay Wilkinson

Theses and Dissertations

The costume design and technology program at the University of South Carolina requires that students extensively learn each area of the profession. The largest growth-inducing experiences and some of the highlights for me were the opportunities to adapt when challenging changes or unexpected twists and turns arose with each production or project. Through my time at the university, I have gained a better understanding of balance between time and stress management, a system for understanding and completing costume-based research, digital rendering, I have improved the communication of my ideas with a director, working out a cohesive look with a production …

Beehive: The '60s Musical, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2024 Summer Theatre

No abstract provided.

From Stage To Screen: The Enduring Influence Of Commedia Dell'arte., Corinna Di Niro

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

This presentation discusses how the principles of Commedia dell’Arte (henceforth Commedia), a vibrant 16th century Italian theatre form, have seamlessly transitioned into film, leaving an enduring impact on the silver screen.

During the silent film era, renowned stars Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton showcased Commedia through their exaggerated physicality and gestures, inspired by iconic characters such as Arlecchino and Pierrot. The frantic pace and chaotic energy in Keystone comedies also echoed the Commedia spirit, with improvisation and slapstick the key to provoking laughter (Scheide, 2012).

The popularity of 'Rom-Coms' overtime can be attributed to its use of Commedia's archetypal characters, …

Light Em' Up, Lorna Renee Young

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I will document and explore my process from researching the show to putting it on stage. Theatre is different from concert lighting which I have experience in but lighting in a theatre capacity is still new and through every show I was able to learn something new. Through this program I have learned how to successfully take a script from the paperwork to the stage.

Where's My Compass? Navigating Uncertainty With Business Planning Tools For Performing Arts Graduates - A Teaching Case Study, Steven Sparling

Journal of Arts Entrepreneurship Education

This teaching case study looks at the phenomenon of musical theatre students graduating in spring 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down both their graduation showcase opportunities and the majority of the audition and work opportunities that would normally be available to graduate performers. In both cases presented, the actors set up small businesses-- in bookkeeping and video production, respectively-- that allowed them to generate income to keep themselves afloat while preserving their primary identity as artists despite challenging market conditions. The accompanying Instructor's Manual uses SWOT Analysis and the Ansoff Matrix as tools to assist students in analyzing the …

It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2024 Summer Theatre

No abstract provided.

Forever Plaid, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2024 Summer Theatre

No abstract provided.