Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory Commons^™

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story? A Marxist Analysis Of "Hamilton" And Its Relationship To The Broadway Economic System, Alana Ritt

Honors Projects

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s mega-hit Hamilton: An American Musical has been both a critical and academic darling since its premiere in 2015. A historical retelling of America’s inception through the eyes of an oft-ignored founding father, the musical weaves together a diverse cast and hip-hop musical stylings in order to tell the story of “America then, as told by America now.” While many critics and scholars alike have praised the musical for putting an exciting and accessible twist to American history, others have argued that the musical is not nearly as “revolutionary” as it claims to be. This essay is designed to …

The Tempest 2021, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2020-2021 Season

Abducted and set adrift to die by her power-hungry sister and a jealous king, Prospera and her daughter, Miranda have survived 12 long years shipwrecked on a lonely island. When Prospera learns though her magical arts that those whose sought her child’s death are within her reach, she is consumed by rage. Conjuring the greatest of storms to break their ship upon her shores, Prospera brings her enemies to her feet. But when the opportunity to wreak her final vengeance is upon her, Prospera can no longer recognize the thing she has become, and she is forced to choose between …

Into A Lamplit Room, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2020-2021 Season

The life of Composer and Social Activist, Kurt Weill, is celebrated in this cabaret-style compilation of his work. The production includes more than 30 songs, ranging from his life in Berlin during the Weimar Era during which he was a voice against the Nazi regime, to his emigration to the U.S. where he was a supporter of the American war effort in the 1930’s, and finally his contributions to the American Musical Theatre canon. Audiences will particularly recognize his collaborations with Ira Gershwin, Bertolt Brecht, and Maxwell Anderson in the songs written for Broadway including Tschaikowsky, Mack the Knife, Pirate …

Ataka, Anthony H. Chambers

Mime Journal

No abstract provided.

Introducing Genzai Nō: Categorization And Conventions, With A Focus On Ataka And Mochizuki, Diego Pellecchia

Mime Journal

No abstract provided.

Mochizuki: History And Context, Michael Watson

Mime Journal

No abstract provided.

From Ataka To Kanjinchō: Adaptation Of Text And Performance In A Nineteenth-Century Nō-Derived Kabuki Play, Katherine Saltzman-Li

Mime Journal

Nō techniques and play borrowings provided important infusions into kabuki throughout its history, but in the nineteenth century, a genre of kabuki plays in close imitation of nō or kyōgen wasadded to the kabuki repertoire. The genre came to be called matsubamemono, meaning “[nō/kyōgen-derived kabuki] plays [performed] on a stage with a pine painted on the back wall” or “pine-boardplays.”1 These plays are the focus of this article, in which I first introduce the genre and its place in kabuki history, and then discuss its most famous example, the play Kanjinchō (Hattori 17–40; Meisakukabuki zenshū 181–197; Brandon, The Subscription List …

Paragons Of Loyalty On The Japanese Stage, J. Thomas Rimer

Mime Journal

No abstract provided.

Teaching The Structure Of Hamlet: The "To Be Or Not To Be" Soliloquy Repositioned In Recent Film Adaptations, Joanne E. Gates

Presentations, Proceedings & Performances

At a crucial turning point in online access to quality productions of Shakespeare, the (April 2010) Great Performances airing of Hamlet (with David Tennant and Patrick Stewart), the occasion arose to turn the open access to it into teaching strategies. Along with all else quirky about it, the production accepts what seems to be a trend in recent film adaptations, dating from at least Zeffirelli's with Mel Gibson in 1991; that is, to rearrange the sequence of Hamlet's 2.2 and 3.1 soliloquies. The precedent dates to the 1603 First Quarto, perhaps, but everything else about the first quarto …

Practising Diversity At The Stratford Festival Of Canada: Shakespeare, Performance And Ethics In The Twenty-First Century, Kim Solga, Erin Julian

Department of English Publications

What does it mean to ‘practise’ diversity in Shakespeare production in the twenty-first century, specifically in an Anglo-American context? How is ‘practising’ diversity, from devising and directing to work in the rehearsal hall and on audience engagement, materially different from the now-familiar (but still important) goal of ‘representing’ diverse bodies on stage? In the last twenty years, debates about what the diversification of Shakespeare performance – along racial lines, gender lines, the lines of age and ability – means or could mean, and the simultaneous interrogation of what ‘Shakespeare’ signifies, for whom, and to whose benefit, have become increasingly urgent …

Practising Diversity At The Stratford Festival Of Canada: Shakespeare, Performance And Ethics In The Twenty-First Century, Erin Julian, Kim Solga

Department of English Publications

What does it mean to ‘practise’ diversity in Shakespeare production in the twenty-first century, specifically in an Anglo-American context? How is ‘practising’ diversity, from devising and directing to work in the rehearsal hall and on audience engagement, materially different from the now-familiar (but still important) goal of ‘representing’ diverse bodies on stage? In the last twenty years, debates about what the diversification of Shakespeare performance – along racial lines, gender lines, the lines of age and ability – means or could mean, and the simultaneous interrogation of what ‘Shakespeare’ signifies, for whom, and to whose benefit, have become increasingly urgent …

What Happens (And Doesn't) In Hamlet (And Who Cares?), Joanne E. Gates

Presentations, Proceedings & Performances

This lecture, sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta, uses the classic text by John Dover Wilson, What Happens in Hamlet, to initiate some important considerations on appreciating and teaching Hamlet. Attached as addenda 3 is a Handout which includes the list of soliloquies, keyed to act, scene, lines, as recorded in both the Riverside 2^nd edition and Norton 3^rd edition texts.

Wilson often gravitates to conundrums of the text. Is Hamlet fearing his own mental instability when he warns Marcellus and Horatio that he may put an "antic disposition" on? Why does Shakespeare give us two versions …

Direction Of The Play 'Art', Kathryn Young

All Graduate Projects

The following documentation includes the conceptualization, research, implementation, and reflection of the entire production process of ‘ART’ in May 2021. The documentation includes character and visual production research, historical context and significance, as well as the evaluation of the play as a vehicle for production in the community of Etna, California.

Artistic Science: An Exploration Of Dramaturgy Through Inquiry-Based Learning For Youth Artists, Sam Dirosa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In the unique world of a play, dramaturgy provides the essential multi-dimensional foundation for comprehensive exploration. As the identity of dramaturgy is complex and continues to evolve, the artistic value discovered through practice positively contributes to the theatrical experience for both artists and audience members. This substantial element is mostly absent from theatrical experiences for youth, usually making a meaningful appearance in professional and collegiate theatre productions. To promote the importance of dramaturgy, I attempt to construct and explore a learning opportunity at Long Lake Camp for the Arts, a summer performing arts camp for youth artists and performers. This …

การศึกษากลวิธีเพื่อเข้าถึง คงอยู่ และออกจากสภาวะทางอารมณ์โศกเศร้า จากการสูญเสียบุคคลอันเป็นที่รัก โดยใช้หลักมหาสติปัฏฐานสูตร : กรณีศึกษา ตัวละคร “คณิตา” ผู้แต่งเดวิด ออร์เบิร์นในบทละครเรื่องบทพิสูจน์ (2543), ชีวารัตน์ กสิบาล

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

หลักมหาสติปัฏฐานสูตร คือการเจริญสติโดยมีสติเป็นประธานตามรู้ตามดูสภาวะที่เกิดขึ้นกับตนเองตามความเป็นจริงในปัจจุบันขณะ แบ่งออกเป็น 4 หลักได้แก่ กายานุปัสสนาสติปัฏฐาน เวทนา-นุปัสสนาสติปัฏฐาน จิตตานุปัสสนาสติปัฏฐาน และ ธัมมานุปัสสนาสติปัฏฐาน ผู้วิจัยได้นำหลักธรรมนี้มาปฏิบัติเพื่อหากลวิธีการเข้าถึงสภาวะ คงอยู่ และออกจากสภาวะภายในของตัวละครที่มีลักษณะอารมณ์โศกเศร้าจากการสูญเสียบุคคลอันเป็นที่รัก (Grief and Bereavement) ซึ่งมีสภาวะอารมณ์ที่อ่อนไหวง่าย และมีลักษณะอาการใกล้เคียงโรคทางจิตเวชชนิดไม่รุนแรงมากนัก โดยมีจุดมุ่งหมายในศึกษาการเข้าถึง คงอยู่ และออกจากสภาวะภายในของตัวละครโดยไม่ส่งผลกระทบต่อสภาพจิตใจของนักแสดง งานวิจัยฉบับนี้เป็นงานวิจัยเชิงปฏิบัติ ผู้วิจัยได้ใช้วิธีการเก็บข้อมูลจากผลการฝึกปฏิบัติตามหลักมหาสติปัฏฐานสูตร, บันทึกการทำงานของผู้วิจัย, ผลการวิเคราะห์จากการรวบรวมข้อมูล และแบบสอบถามจากผู้ชม ผลการศึกษาพบว่า การฝึกปฏิบัติตามหลักมหาสติปัฏฐานสูตรมีความละเอียดและลึกซึ้ง มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อบรรลุมรรคผลนิพพานเป็นสำคัญ จึงไม่สามารถปฏิบัติให้เกิดผลสำเร็จอย่างสูงสุดในหลักการได้ แต่ยังคงประโยชน์หลายส่วนที่นักแสดงสามารถทำความเข้าใจ นำมาเริ่มต้นปฏิบัติเพื่อพัฒนาตนเอง และนำมาปรับใช้เพื่อพัฒนาศักยภาพด้านการแสดงของตนได้

"With The Commodity In The Hand": A Practical Investigation Of The Intersection Of Material Culture With Performance Theory, Katharine M. Given

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the intersection of performance theory and material culture through the practices of garment reconstruction. In chapter 1, I examine key theorists in the fields of material culture and performance studies and articulate the connections between the two fields. In chapter 2, Using practice as research, I recount the experience of building reproduction garments from the eighteenth century using historically appropriate tools and methods, as well as the experience of wearing those garments. Finally, in Chapter 3, I walk through a possible historical examination of my encounter with these reconstructed garments, and consider the way in which feminine …

Critical Reviews & The New York Times Assignment, Thomas L. Rothacker

Open Educational Resources

What is the role of criticism in any art form?

What is the purpose? Is it to enlighten the artists involved? The audience?

Using sample Plays and Playwrights from this term, students will go on a deep dive into the archives of the New York Times theatre reviews. Comparing reviews on the same play with different productions shows different points of view.

Theatre History I, Dohyun Shin

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Twelve Angry Men: A Twenty-First Century Reflection Of Race, Art, And Incarceration, Mackenzie A. Gross

Honors Theses

Twelve Angry Men: A Twenty-First Century Reflection of Race, Art and Incarceration is a Comparative and Digital Humanities Honors Thesis concentrating on Africana Studies, theatre, sociology and legal studies to demonstrate the importance of investing in incarcerated communities through theatre and education.

In Chapter I, I critique the loss of identity attached to incarceration, and introduce the foundation for Black bodies individuals being discriminated against in the prosecution system. I analyze the “Punishment vs Progress” mentality, and introduce current educational programs in place in prisons. I elaborate on the details of our production, as well as the makeup of actors. …

Embodied Performance As Queer Theatre Historiography: Translation, Gender, Identity, And Temporalities In Mikhail Kuzmin's The Dangerous Precaution, Keenan Shionalyn

All Master's Theses

The “World of Art” and “The Tower,” two groups of symbolist artists in St. Petersburg at the turn of the 20^th century, are often noted for their contributions to queer art in poetry, literature, and the visual arts. However, the theatrical record has yet to acknowledge the significant contributions by these groups, largely ignoring their queer dramatic writings. Mikhail Kuzmin, a notable contributor in both groups of symbolists, is recognized for having contributed music to Meyerhold and Blok’s The Puppet Show but is less known for his multitude of plays. Seeking to remedy this problem, I examine one of …

กระบวนการกำกับการแสดงเรื่อง เช่า เขา อยู่ ของนฤทธิ์ ปาเฉย ในรูปแบบละครอิมเมอร์ซีฟเฉพาะที่บนพื้นที่ออนไลน์, ภาณุวัฒน์ อินทวัฒน์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยสร้างสรรค์ชิ้นนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษากระบวนการสร้างสรรค์การแสดงรูปแบบอิมเมอร์ซีฟเฉพาะที่ และทดลองกำกับการแสดง เรื่อง “เช่า เขา อยู่” ของ นฤทธิ์ ปาเฉย ในรูปแบบละครอิมเมอร์ซีฟเฉพาะที่บนพื้นที่ออนไลน์ ผ่านแอพลิเคชั่น ซูม คลาวด์มีตติ้ง ซึ่งนอกจากจะเป็นการปรับตัวในสถานการณ์การแพร่ระบาดของโรคโควิด 19 แล้ว ยังเป็นการมุ่งหน้าสู่จักรวาลนฤมิตซึ่งเข้ามามีบทบาทกับวิถีชีวิตมนุษย์มากขึ้น จึงอาจเป็นแนวทางของการสร้างสรรค์ละครเวทีรูปแบบใหม่ในอนาคต ผู้วิจัยได้วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลต่าง ๆ และสังเคราะห์เป็นกระบวนการกำกับการแสดงเรื่อง “เช่า เขา อยู่” ซึ่งมุ่งสร้างองค์ประกอบของละครอิมเมอร์ซีฟตามทัศนะของ โรส บิกกิ้น ให้เหมาะสมกับพื้นที่ออนไลน์ดังนี้คือ 1) ปรับพื้นที่และสภาพแวดล้อมที่ตั้งใจจะจัดในอาคารพาณิชย์ร้างแห่งหนึ่งในเยาวราช มาเป็นพื้นที่เสมือนบนแอพลิเคชั่น ซูม คลาวด์ มีตติ้ง 2) สร้างเรื่องเล่าแบบหลากลำดับเรื่องให้ผู้ชมแต่ละคนเลือกลำดับการรับชมได้ด้วยตนเอง และ 3) ออกแบบให้ผู้ชมมีปฏิสัมพันธ์ต่อเรื่องเล่า ต่อผู้ชมด้วยกันเอง และต่อผู้แสดงผ่านกิจกรรมต่าง ๆ จากนั้นจึงนำเสนอต่อผู้ชมทั่วไป ผลการวิจัยบ่งชี้ว่าการสร้างองค์ประกอบทั้ง 3 ของละครอิมเมอร์ซีฟให้สัมพันธ์กันอย่างมีเอกภาพช่วยให้ผู้ชมเชื่อว่าตนเป็นส่วนสำคัญในใจกลางของการแสดง และมีปฏิสัมพันธ์กับเรื่องได้ไม่ต่างจากการจัดแสดงบนพื้นทางกายภาพ ผู้วิจัยมีข้อเสนอแนะว่าควรให้มีการสร้างสรรค์ละครอิมเมอร์ซีฟเฉพาะที่บนพื้นที่ออนไลน์ในสื่ออื่นอีก เพื่อค้นหารูปแบบการแสดงออนไลน์ใหม่ ๆ ซึ่งจะช่วยพัฒนาศิลปะการละครให้ก้าวไปในจักรวาลนฤมิตอย่างสร้างสรรค์

[Insert Play Title Here] Collage Assignment, Thomas L. Rothacker

Open Educational Resources

Approaching analysis of Dramatic Literature can easily be accomplished via class discussion and through writing. Since plays are “written to be performed”, other approaches of analysis must be explored. The collage assignment and synthesis focuses on the visual aspects of the writing and how the playwright offers clues as to what can or should be focused on.

9/11 In Selected American Plays: Postmodern & Postcolonial Encounters, Shaimaa M. Saeed

English Language and Literature

History immortalised the date 9/11 as it witnessed the sudden attacks on one of the world’s superpowers, the United States of America. The repercussions of this date boomed in the world’s four corners leaving behind feelings of insecurity and fears of the unknown in all aspects of life to the extent that the literary contexts along with political, economic, and social ones were impacted. This book probes into postmodernism and postcolonialism, as two interrelated literary approaches having many intersecting points, to unravel the psychological, political, and social significance of the 9/11 events as depicted in selected American plays: The Mercy …

The Well-Made Man: An Exploration Of George Tesman In Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, Ryan Ernst

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Hedda Gabler is one of the best-known works of Realism theatre, and the character, Hedda, is a showcase of dynamic and challenging work; but her husband, George Tesman, rarely, if ever, is showcased. Here I explain why George’s character deserves more attention and actually makes for a better protagonist than Hedda. Textual analysis shows the absence of the play’s parental figures and a rubber band metaphor illustrates how all the characters are con-nected to each other. The misconceptions and subtext concerning George: a social filtering mechanism, perception of character, George’s selflessness, how he is made fun of, the heart compared …

Whatever It Takes: Redemption, Individualism, Altruism And The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Rianna Jeanine Robinson

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by Rianna Jeanine Robinson on December 14, 2020.

Renouncing Chance: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Brian Friel’S Faith Healer, Forest Clark, Forest C. Clark Mr.

Honors College Theses

Faith Healer by Brian Friel is a play about trauma, addiction, co-dependency, and the inconsistencies of multiples perspectives upon the same narrative. This in-depth academic analysis attempts to examine the themes at play, as well as break-down the script and the characters who are a part of it.

Make Not A Mockery Of Me: Feminine Performance And Masculine Mockery In Medea And A Midsummer Night’S Dream, Emma Drever

Conspectus Borealis

The paper focuses on Euripides’ Medea and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to analyze how tragedy and comedy address female freedom. In a history of drama, women tend to be underrepresented and submissive to their fellow male players. This paper examines how gender dynamics work in theatre, with a focus on how men use their speech to inhibit the autonomy of women. Utilizing gender scholarship from Judith Butler, the argument justifies Medea’s seemingly horrific actions and spotlights Helena as the driver of her play. These women’s quests allow audiences to explore the roles of women in the theatre, where art …

Bloody Thoughts: Violence And Wit In Shakespeare's The Tempest, Aubrey Keller

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

In this Honors thesis, I examine the roles of wit and violence in Shakespeare's The Tempest, exploring my original suspicion that the play is a pacifist work. Noticing references to "bloody thoughts" in both Hamlet and The Tempest, I hypothesized that while Shakespeare resolves his tragedies using violence, he resolves his comedies using wit, making the two foil plot devices. I discovered that the plot is not propelled by either violence or wit on their own, but by Prospero's cunning. Rejecting the conventional reading of Prospero as a sorcerer, I read Prospero as a Machiavellian figure. I examine …

Dance 2020: The Wild Within, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2020-2021 Season

The Dance Concert, inspired by Maurice Sendak’s children’s classic, “Where the Wild Things Are,” will include a collection of solos, duets and trios which will illuminate the immense power of imagination and prove without a doubt that there’s a wild thing within us all.

Review Of Jason Farr's Novel Bodies: Disability And Sexuality In Eighteenth-Century British Literature, Nowell Marshall

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

Review of Jason Farr's Novel Bodies: Disability and Sexuality in Eighteenth-Century British Literature