Performance Studies Commons^™

My Heart Is In The East: Exploring Theater As A Vehicle For Change, Inspired By The Poetic Performances Of Ancient Andalucía, Jessica Litwak

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study addresses the research question “How Do I Inspire Personal and Social Change Through My Theater Practice?” I implement the theory and practice of H.E.A.T., a fusion theater system, combining use of theater arts as healing practice, educational asset, activist tool, and an art form.I research different ways that theater can affect change, focusing specifically on the use of history in performance.I dramatically interpret a period of history where performance and poetry contributed to change.I utilize qualitative methods including performance ethnography, auto ethnography, arts-based research, and historical research.I describe the fieldwork in conflict zones in the Middle East, which …

Through The Eyes Of The Homeless, Aisha M. Soto

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

When reviewing the entire project from start to completion, I can honestly say, Through the Eyes of the Homeless is a play about ten women and their plight. It illustrates their dealings with everyday issues of hurt, disappointment, abuse, love, and hope. I believe the true impact of this play is the undeniable prayer for help and hope within each monologue. Despite the horrors that are unveiled and released through hidden secrets, the undertone of betterment is truly resonating. My own expectation for this play is simply to strike awareness and understanding in the eyes of the people. It is …

Eye For The Gap: Frenzy, Liberty, And The Nietszchean Chorus In Conor Mcpherson's The Weir And Shining City, Frances Krieg

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study situates The Weir and Shining City by Conor McPherson as embodying elements of Dionysian aesthetics as elucidated by Friedrich Nietzsche. Working through the lenses of Samuel Beckett’s linguistic philosophy and the premium of theater as established by Nietzsche, Artaud, and Brecht, the aim of this paper is to demonstrate how McPherson pierces the boundaries of language in drama by establishing his audience as chorus. Background information on Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy and McPherson’s own comments on the plays are included with the research on the plays themselves. This work articulates the chorus itself but also the choral, …

Josep M. Benet I Jornet I L'Herència De «Desig», Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Corria l'any 1988. El muntatge d'Ai carai! de Josep M. Benet i Jomet acabava de fer temporada amb èxit al Teatre Uiure. Domènec Reixach havia assumit el càrrec de director artístic del Centre Dramàtic de la Generalitat de Catalunya i, des de la seva històrica seu al Teatre Romea, va crear un programa d'ajuts amb la intenció d'estimular i impulsar les naves dramatúrgies catalanes. No va sobtar, doncs, que Reixach convidés Benet i Jornet a participar-hi. Les circumstàncies, però, van agafar un caire una mica sorprenent quan Reixach va demanar al ja consolidat dramaturg català que seleccionés un director perquè …

The Process Of Bringing An Original Playscript To Production--Flamingo & Decatur, Todd Taylor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to present my play, Flamingo & Decatur, to the thesis committee, to illuminate the process of writing it, and to place it within the context of the entire body of dramatic writing I've done here at the University of Arkansas.

The dissertation opens with a narrative essay that details the process of bringing Flamingo & Decatur to production. It describes the germination of the idea for the play and follows the process through the initial drafts--detailing the ways in which the script was reshaped through its various iterations. Special attention is given to the …

Caught In The Net--The Development And Production Of An Original Playscript, Prince Duren

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Drama at the University of Arkansas provides students with the opportunity to take part in classes, workshops, stage readings, and productions as part of its new play development process. The purpose of this thesis document is to clearly and concisely track the process of developing, rehearsing, and producing the world premiere of Caught in the Net, a play involving an African American woman whose life is forever changed when she enters into an online relationship. The document also includes research information, the play's most recent draft, and production photos. The play was presented by the University Theatre …

The Art Of Adaptation, Katharine E. Jordan

Honors Theses and Capstones

My honors thesis The Art of Adaptation discusses the process of adapting old stories and theatrical pieces for modern audiences through the exploration of various adaptations (theatrical, operatic, dance and film) of Euripides' Medea. It also touches on my own short, modern, adaptation; FURY: A Rock Musical Inspired by Medea. All of this research was important in making the performance aspect of my capstone the best it could be.

Power And Relationships In The Plays Of Neil Labute: Directing And Performing In Some Girl(S), Mary Peyton Griffith

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the major works of Neil LaBute's career as a playwright and screenwriter, including the criticism he has received on theatrical and literary levels. The themes most prevalent in the thesis are the use of power and manipulation in the relationships between LaBute's characters and the ongoing maturation of his characters that coincides with the maturation of his work. The second section of the thesis follows the production, directing, and acting in LaBute's play Some Girl(s).

The Development And Production Of Justin Blasdel's Play Your Last Friend, Inc., Justin Morgan Blasdel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details the process of the creation of the new script, Your Last Friend, Inc., a play about two conmen who realize that selling death isn't nearly as easy as selling life to the hopeless. It follows the many evolutions of the script; from the first version developed in the Graduate Playwriting class all the way to the final production at Boar's Head Players 2010 New Play Showcase at Nadine Baum Studios at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The playwright's choice to add humor to a serious topic is challenged, the characters actions face outside opinions, and …

Los Exilios De Els Joglars, Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Quizàs no hay ninguna otra compañía teatral en el Estado español que se haya inspirado tanto en las encrucijadas ambivalentes del mundo del espectáculo con la vida real -especialmente, la vida política catalana- como Els Joglars. A lo largo de SU trayectoria de más de cincuenta años, Albert Boadella y su compañía no han dado nunca la espalda a la política; al contrario, han ido modificando sus valores estéticos de manera gradual, ajustando su punto de ataque según las cuestiones políticas mas apasionantes y ardientes de cualquier momento dado. Els Joglars siempre han dejado que lo político despierte e invada …

Artmaking On The Edge Of A Cliff: Directing Iphigenia 2.0, Shannon E. Cameron

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Theses, Student Research, and Creative Work

This thesis contains written documentation regarding the process of directing a theatrical production in fulfillment of the partial requirements for Master of Fine Arts in Directing for Stage and Screen at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

Topics addressed include play selection, script analysis, director/designer collaboration, coaching and actors and evaluation of final product.

Advisor:  Virginia Smith

Theatre For A New Theater: A Play On Architecture, Alex Coulombe

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The project entails transforming a former military fort into a theater. The scopic parameters native to both fort and theater can provide a field of operation for an architecture that simultaneously mobilizes and exposes the machinery of spectacle. In tandem, amplifying and distorting existing conditions of the fort and repurposing them for a theatrical program can provide catalytic parameters for design that are typically absent when designing from a clean slate.

Sobre Lo Visible Y Lo Invisible: Barcelona Y El Teatro, Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Durante el invierno del año 2000, el director catalán Lluís Pasqual llevó a la escena del Teatre Lliure, la casa histórica de una de las compañías de repertorio más estable, consolidada y distinguida de Barcelona, una versión catalana de El jardín de los cerezos de Antón Chekov. En la obra de Chekov, Madame Ranyévskaya, emblema de la elegancia marchita y de la ya desvanecida supremacía de la aristocracia rusa, se ve obligada, por su situación de desesperanza económica, a vender su finca y su jardín de cerezos al nuevo-rico Lopatkhin y, después, a volver a París, cuando Rusia se encuentra …

December 2009 - Volume Ix, Number 1, Theatre Arts Department

Sides (Newsletter)

This issue includes items about Theatre Alumni Reunions, Dedication of the Green Room at the Doudna Fine Art Center (named after Lucille and E. Glendon Gabbard), and December Graduates.

June 2009 - Volume Viii, Number 2, Theatre Arts Department

Sides (Newsletter)

SIDES Volume VIII Number 2 includes pictures of the first year of operation of the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

Introduction (Special Cluster On The Catalan Stage, Modern And Contemporary), Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

At an international symposium devoted to the contemporary Catalan stage, which was held at the Institut del Teatre de la Diputació de Barcelona in 2005, director Toni Casares observed how the Catalan theater scene in its post-Franco evolution had, already endured a decade aimed at clarifying its cultural politics. "És l'epoca del teatre institucionalitzat o en vies d'institucionalització," he declared, referring to the decade comprising the years 1985 to 1995. It seemed an almost ironic observation at the time, as any attempt at institutionalization was certainly not a new endeavor for the Catalan theater scene; yet, Casares was also quick …

December 2008 - Volume Viii, Number 1, Theatre Arts Department

Sides (Newsletter)

SIDES Volume VIII Number 1 includes articles on Mammoth Follies, Second City, and a Makeup Workshop.

June 2008 - Volume Vii, Number 2, Theatre Arts Department

Sides (Newsletter)

SIDES Volume VII Number 2 features articles on the closing of the Village Theatre and welcoming new faculty Nicholas Shaw.

Manuel Molins: Una Altra Ofèlia I Els Fantasmes De Shakespeare, Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

L'apropiació i reinscripció que de Hamlet ha fet Manuel Molins, titulada Una altra Ofèlia (2001, estrenada al Teatre Rialto de València el 2004), comença, com a l'obra de Shakespeare, amb l'aparició d'un fantasma. A la primera de les nou escenes, el personatge d'Ofèlia explica a la falstaffiana I pitonissa I herborista Dida (personatge síntesi que és el resum de molts personatges shakespearians) un somni que ha tingut i en el transcurs del qual ha presenciat la manifestació d'un espectre en l'esplanada del castell. D'alguna manera, des del moment que comença l’obra, Ofèlia sembla haver usurpat el paper de Hamlet, ja …

December 2007 - Volume Vii, Number 1, Theatre Arts Department

Sides (Newsletter)

SIDES Volume VII Number 1 includes articles on the new Doudna Fine Arts Center and also an obituary of Ernest Glendon Gabbard.

«American Awakenings» Dos Nous Musicals, Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

A Nova York, la temporada teatral 2006-2007 ha estat marcada per la presència de dos nous musicals que han tingut un gran èxit de públic i que han rebut diversos premis i distincions: Grey Gardens (música de Scott Frankel, llibret de Doug Wright i lletres de Michael Korie), basat en el documental epònim d’Albert i David Maysles, de 1975; i Spring awakening (música de Duncan Sheik, llibret i lletres de Steven Sater), basat en una obra de teatre de Franz Wedekind de 1891. La premsa ha elogiat a bastament aquestes dues produccions, que han estat considerades les «estrelles» de la …

June 2007 - Volume Vi, Number 2, Theatre Arts Department

Sides (Newsletter)

SIDES Volume VI Number 2 includes a letter from former Chair John Oertling and a "Where Are They Now?" section.

Els Paisatges Europeus De Carles Batlle, Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

A l'escena final d'Oasi (2001) de Carles Batlle, en un moment que conjura, curiosament, reminiscències de L'hort dels cirerers d'Anton Txékhov, el personatge d'Abdal·là, un vell home àrab, roman a l'interior de la casa (situada a Ia Catalunya rural) que és a punt de desaparèixer sota les aigües d'un nou pantà. Abdal·là se serveix un got de vi, un gest més europeu que àrab, mentre descriu el joc del guetan. El joc, una invenció de l'autor i de lleugera semblança al joc dels escacs, és una al·legoria dels encreuaments transnacionals, des del sud cap al nord i des del nord …

December 2006 - Volume Vi, Number 1, Theatre Arts Department

Sides (Newsletter)

SIDES Volume VI Number 1 includes articles about the construction of the Doudna Fine Arts Center and a visit from the National Association of the Schools of Theatre.

June 2006 - Volume V, Number 2, Theatre Arts Department

Sides (Newsletter)

SIDES Volume V Number 2 features an article about an unofficial reunion of 1975-1983 Alumni and the obituary of Lucina "Lucy" Gabbard.

L'Habitació Del Nen O La Insuportable Elusivitat De L'Experiència, Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

Les obres teatrals de Josep M. Benet i Jornet estan marcades per un interès en l'experiencia polifacètica de la mirada i el paper del perspectivisme dins el terreny teatral. Un impuls aporètic guia bona part de la seva obra més recent, ja que ens condueix a mons misteriosos i a espais buits en què facilment podem perdre'ns o on ens costarà de trobar el camí. Una atmosfera de misted envolta una ttanscripció poètica de l'espai, ja sigui una realitat psíquica interior o un paisatge exterior. Són espais fràgils en concepció, sovint perillosament al punt d'esvair-se. Els títols epigramàtics d'algnnes de …

December 2005 - Volume V, Number 1, Theatre Arts Department

Sides (Newsletter)

SIDES Volume V Number 1 includes articles about the Doudna Fine Arts Center project and a "Where Are They Now?" section.

June 2005 - Volume Iv, Number 2, Theatre Arts Department

Sides (Newsletter)

SIDES Volume IV Number 2 features a piece about the construction of Doudna Fine Arts Center and a "Where Are They Now?" section.

El Teatre Català Contemporani, L'Esfera Pública I La Figura De L'Autor: Retalls De L'Època De La Transició, Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

En els darrers anys, al paisatge político-cultural que envolta Barcelona no li han faltat els seus bans moments de melodrama, d'acusacions enceses i de rampells d'histèria, que s'han pogut presenciar sobre i fora de l'escenari, tant a nivell públic com privat. Efectivament, en el món teatral català no és gens estrany que la vida real es confongui amb la de l'espectacle, oferint-nos reiteradament exemples del que el director Albert Boadella, al seu assaig El rapto de Talía, anomena el «virus exhibicionista» o «frenesí» que ha assetjat la societat contemporània. A Barcelona, com a altres llocs del món occidental, un dels …

Imagining Europe: Carles Batlle's Combat (Landscape In The Aftermath), Sharon G. Feldman

Latin American, Latino and Iberian Studies Faculty Publications

At the end of Suite (1999), an award-winning play by Catalan dramatist Carles Batlle i Jordà, there is a memorable scene in which the spectators observe the collapse of a doll house upon the living room floor. It is a metaphor of domestic, as well as global, instability—not to mention, an ironic reference to Ibsen—in which the audience is left to wonder whether the character of Berta, confused and disoriented in the suite of an old hotel, will return to the mirage-like image of bourgeois European domesticity, to a home and marriage without foundations, or whether she will flee to …