Performance Studies Commons^™

The Reading Of Sir Toby Belch: A Queer And Black Exploration Of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night., Jahi E Bogard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This MFA thesis explores queer, black representation in William Shakespeare’s drama and in the University of Louisville’s Department of Theatre Arts Fall 2021 production of an adaption of Twelfth Night (1601). Directed by Jennifer Pennington, the repurposed script and non-traditional casting targeted a modern audience. Cast as Olivia’s drunk uncle, Sir Toby Belch, I aimed to discover if my identify as a black, queer, cis man could be incorporated into Shakespeare’s text. Sir Toby Belch’s raucous, heterosexual, and sometimes violent, traits are often imagined today as innately masculine. I argue that Shakespeare’s plays can be appropriated by queer, black actors …

Performance, Theatricality, And Identity In Shakespeare’S The Taming Of The Shrew, Nina Masin-Moyer

College Honors Program

William Shakespeare’s comedy The Taming of the Shrew is a curious and often controversial play due to its depiction of spousal abuse and female subordination. But despite that charged reputation, it continues to be produced on stages around the world, with creative choices that suggest an attempt to change a supposedly un-feminist play into a feminist one. My thesis argues that this play already features notable feminist elements at the level of the text itself, stemming in particular from its thematic and structural investment in performance and theatricality and in the roles that these elements play in constructing gender and …

Operatic Mysticisms: Mountains, Deserts, Waterscapes, Andrew Demczuk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Operatic Mysticisms: Mountains, Deserts, Waterscapes examines the ways we encounter environments as readers/viewers of operas, literature, film, and sound recordings, and how each medium requires different detail-gathering techniques. Respective to the previously mentioned mediums, Sun & Sea (2017), Mount Analogue (1952), El Mar La Mar (2017), and Energy Field (2010) are analyzed by engaging with environmental media studies and invention. Reflecting the nature of each landscape—summits of mountains, aporias of deserts, and mysteries of waterscapes—an elemental approach is taken in investigating how these spaces may be noticed, internalized, recorded, and traversed by both the artist and viewer. …

Zanna, Don't! A Musical Fairy Tale

Theatre Programs

No abstract provided.

Ar Fantasia: An Augmented Reality Musical Experience, Joe Geigel, Yunn-Shan Ma, Juilee Decker

Frameless

In 1940, Walt Disney Pictures released their third full length animated feature film, the classic film Fantasia. The concept and challenge behind Fantasia was simple: To merge music and visuals, using the media of animation, to provide an integrated backdrop for, and interpretation of, classical music. The complete film consisted of eight such animated sequences, each providing a visual landscape as a setting for a classical musical piece (Granata 2002).

Misticismo Y Arcadismo En El Villancico Novohispano. Manuel De Sumaya Y Sus Contemporáneos, Luciana Kube Tamayo

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

El siglo XVIII trajo consigo una evolución estilística vertiginosa en todas las artes. La plástica, la literatura y la música confluyen y sirven de soporte a un arte nuevo, el Rococó. La floración churrigueresca está intensamente presente, además de en lienzos y biombos, en el vocabulario de la lírica de la Nueva España; a la vez que se afianzan los modelos religiosos, por un lado, se asientan los modelos pastoriles por otro. En cuanto a la espiritualidad, los modelos se encuentran encajados en la miniatura poética y el ingenio dieciochesco, desbordante de naturaleza y fantasía. En el presente trabajo me …

Nationless States And Stateless Beings: The Politics Of Identity And Citizenship In Claudio Mir’S Mondongo Scam And Cheech Marin’S Born In East L.A., Rebecca A. Barnes

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

In the colloquial sense of the term, the word citizen refers to an individual who belongs to a nation, either by birthright or by naturalization. Therefore, citizenship denotes a political and a social belonging, an ideological home, and, in most cases, a strong foundation for the development of one’s personal identity. However, since nations are inherently artificial structures, made only tangible in the present day by a few centuries of recorded history, a philosophical approach to the term citizen complicates this definition. Based off critics including Hannah Arendt, Homi Bhabha, Fernando Ortiz, and Jacques Derrida, this essay seeks to explore …

Serving As A Dramaturg To On Campus Productions: The Development And Execution Of Thea 6910: A Dramaturgy Of Three Plays, Megan Kimball

LMU Theses and Dissertations

In the Fall of 2021, I served as the dramaturge for the Loyola Marymount campus productions of Anna Deavere's Smiths, "Twilight Los Angeles," Brandon Jacob Jenkins, "Everybody "and Melanie Marnich's "These Shining Lives." One can't ignore the distinct and separate story designs of these plays. "Twilight Los Angeles" is a verbatim theatre style, with an arrangement of monologues. "Everybody" is a modern-day morality play with a lottery. "These shining lives" is a period piece set as a docudrama. My process for this thesis will be a reflective and experiential study on performing the role of the dramaturg for these three …

Horse Girls

Theatre Programs

No abstract provided.

Strengthening Adolescents With Anxiety Through Drama Therapy, Jeremy M. Moeller

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Strengthening Adolescents with Anxiety Through Drama Therapy

Jeremy Moeller

In recent years the issues associated with social anxiety have become increasingly common in adolescents. With these issues becoming more common it is important that they continue to be nurtured and helped. With so many forms of therapy though it may be hard for someone to find a practice that suits them. That is where drama therapy comes in. Drama therapy is a fairly new practice that helps these adolescents to become more expressive and engaging in their everyday lives, decrease their social anxieties, and build a new sense of confidence …

Risk, Resilience, And The Essential Experience Of Being Seen: Helping Actors Move From Self-Care To Deep Freedom With The Alexander Technique, Jennifer Schulz

Theatre Faculty Publications

In actor training, Alexander Technique (AT) encourages release of tension, ease, efficiency of movement, and greater expressivity. It evokes deep transition into character, and helps the actor avoid injury. While AT often transpires in quiet spaces between an AT teacher and student, it can also be utilized as a practical tool by the director in group experiences, both in the classroom and in rehearsals, in order to restore expansiveness and brighten the creative inner life of the actor for the audience. Its principles are flexible and comprehensive, fostering freedom and play. While a certified AT teacher is required for full …

Death Of A Salesman: A Theatrical Examination Of The “American Dream” On The Human Psyche And The Effects On Aging On The Mind., Kylie Chisnell

Honors Projects

Willy Loman is a salesman who is nearing the end of his life. As his mind begins to deteriorate, the viewer experiences several memories, dreams, arguments, and conversations that Willy has had. The Loman family in the play is in a perpetual cycle of denial, confrontation, and contradictions. Willy is most notably difficulty on his eldest son, Biff, who does not seem to live up to Willy’s expectations. The play tragically ends with Willy’s suicide and funeral. This theatrical version of the play will focus on the problematic issues that arise from chasing the notion of the “American Dream.” It …

Let The People Speak: How Verbatim Theater Allows Historically Marginalized Groups Tell Their Stories, Kalala C. Kiwanuka-Woernle

Theatre and Dance Honors Projects

motherhood: the good, bad, and ugly was born out of my research of Verbatim Theater, specifically the practices of Anna Deavere Smith, The Tectonic Theater Project, and Eve Ensler; and the lack of fully fleshed out mother characters represented in theatre. In my research, I focused on how these different playwrights crafted their plays, identified the topic or event they wanted to explore, and the selection of their subjects. During the pandemic, I had the idea to create a theater piece that would tell the good, the bad, and the ugly of motherhood because in the media especially in the …

Directing With A Historical Perspective For The Current World, John Reynolds Jr.

Senior Theses

This paper charts the path of directing This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan, which ran from March 24-27. It will explore using the history of the play's setting, New York City in 1982, to keep the production relevant for today's audiences. It also details casting, collaboration with designers, and the rehearsal process. I also give a summary of feedback about keeping the overall environment positive. This experience showed that by leaning into the specific time of the play, the themes resonated strongly with the audiences. A positive environment was also essential to the success of the production.

Program: The Sound Of Music, University Of Dayton, Teejai Dorsey

Dance and Theater Programs

Music by RICHARD RODGERS

Lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II

Book by HOWARD LINDSAY and RUSSEL CROUSE

Suggested by "The Trapp Family Singers" by Maria Augusta Trapp

Music and Lyrics for "I Have Confidence" and "Something Good" by Richard Rodgers

April 8-9, 2022

Boll Theatre in Kennedy Union

Co-produced by the Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technology program and the Department of Music

Set in 1938 amidst the rise of nationalism, The Sound of Music is a story of being true to one’s authentic self in the face of social and religious division. Maria is a novitiate who struggles with the constriction …

A Trauma-Informed And Consent-Based Approach To Directing Undergraduate Student Actors: The Development And Execution Of Thea 351: Performance Practicum – The Revolutionists, Amanda Hallman

LMU Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Festival Of Form: Score, Anthony Elia

Bridwell Library Research

"A Festival of Form" was both an event at Bridwell and Perkins School of Theology and a conceptual piece of music that lasted several days. In this rendering, the "piece of music" was articulated in a fluid combination of activities that included works by other composers, including John Cage. The activities involved--from lectures, conversations, and meals to actual performances of both short works and especially the world-record breaking rendition of "Organ2/ASLSP" played by Christopher Anderson--comprise the entirety of "A Festival of Form" as performance piece. The challenge of this work is that unlike nearly any other music, it is purposely …

My Favorite Murder As Discursive Performance, Taylor Dawson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My Favorite Murder as Discursive Performance uses performance-centered discourse analysis to explore the major narratives informing the popular true crime comedy podcast, My Favorite Murder (MFM). Hosts, Karen and Georgia draw from podcast, comedy, true crime, feminist, and mental health discourse to create a unique discursive space where “murderinos” (fans of the podcast) express and explore aspects of their own life experiences. I explore the performative strategies MFM uses and the effects of those choices, drawing on some of my own experiences as a murderino. Ultimately I argue that a performance lens reveals some of the imperfect but powerful ways …

The 2022 Classroom Project: Land Of Ours, Otterbein Theatre And Dance Department

2021-2022 Season Production

LAND OF OURS is a brand-new play devised in rehearsal by an ensemble of Otterbein University actors, designers, stage managers, and directors. The play explores the centrality of travel and journeying to human experience. Drawing on the ensemble's personal experiences, stories of mythical travel from legend and folklore, and travel explorations invented in rehearsal, LAND OF OURS is a theatrical journey that will transport you beyond the theater walls to a destination of the imagination.

Diary Of Anne Frank: Analysis And Design, Leeann Carol Wheaton Mueller

Master of Theater Production Graduate Projects

The script "The Diary of Anne Frank," by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, and its historical background were studied and researched. After analyzing the play and its given circumstances, a design concept was developed, goals were set, and then the play was directed and produced in a high school setting. The project notebook contains the documented dramaturgy, a written concept statement, the visual plans and materials, the production notes and journal, and production evaluations. The project goal was to implement the aspects of theatre production learned during the course of study, and to educate high school theatre students. The results …

Queer And Trans Prison Voices: A Podcast Archive On Prison Abolition, Josefine Ziebell

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone project is located at the intersection of Critical Prison Studies, Gender Studies, Sound Studies, and American Studies. It highlights the importance of sonic modes of anti-carceral resistance by featuring the recorded voices of incarcerated people through the creation of a sonic archive of prison writings. By integrating that sonic archive into the podcast medium, this project functions as a digital archive for incarcerated voices, consisting of two tracks: a collection of short-spoken readings by queer and transgender incarcerated authors, and podcast-style interviews with activist scholars, organizations, and sound artists working towards prison abolition. In this paper, I establish …

A Girl Is A Thing: Dramaturgies Of Objects And Nature In Contemporary Choreography, Fidan Akinci

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation investigates the expansion of performative possibilities toward and through nonhumans in contemporary choreography as a feminist inquiry. I research the upsurge of performing objects and natural matter in contemporary choreography by questioning what kind of bodies other than humans can move, and what kind of affects and expressions they offer beyond more familiar and anthropocentric possibilities. I link this challenge to the humanistic limits of performance with the feminist interrogations on agency and objectification to fully explore the political stakes of mobilizing with the nonhuman. To that end, I put the feminist trajectories in posthumanism, new materialism, and …

Strength And Vulnerability In Maurice Ravel’S Sonata For Violin And Cello And Osvaldo Golijov’S Mariel For Cello And Marimba: An Analysis Through Performance And Composition, Andrea Casarrubios

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In order to “stimulate more ambitious performances,” as David Lewin writes in his Studies in Music with Text, this dissertation is meant to provide new perspectives into two preexisting works, Maurice Ravel’s Sonate pour Violon et Violoncelle, and Osvaldo Golijov’s Mariel for cello and marimba, through the active making of two original compositions written for similar instrumentations, La Libertad se levantó llorando for violin and cello, and Speechless for cello and percussion. Taking Lewin’s proposition into consideration, I share performance insights and discuss how the creation of these new compositions have influenced my interpretations of the two respective …

Gay Boy And Playboy Revues: Constructing U.S. Queer Collectivities In Networks Of Peripatetic Burlesque And Nightclub Drag Performers, 1933–1939, Kalle Westerling

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Across the United States, in the mid-1930s, drag made a transition, along with much other entertainment, from vaudeville into night clubs. There, concomitant with developing notions of gender and sexuality, it became increasingly associated with the contemporary expressions of drag that we see today in popular television shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and in gay nightclubs across the country. In short, it became the queer form of entertainment. But in the 1930s, with such developing notions of gender and sexuality, it was not as easy as saying that it was a gay art form. Rather, as heterosexuality and heteronormativity took …

The Body As A Means Of Cultural Awareness And Social Intervention: The Case Of Raymond Duncan And Penelope Sikelianos, Ekaterini Diakoumopoulou

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

Using the example of the Duncan family this article will explore the human body as an object of self-determination, a means of overcoming social boundaries, a field of racist shooting and phobic enforcement, a reference point of public outrage and the complex between sociality and corporality, but also as a tool of political vigilance and social intervention. Does a body dressed in a tunic resist the western way of life? Or is it a stereotypical outpouring of people unable to modernize? Is the body instrumentalized as a means of narrating exoticism? The bodies of the Duncan family members are an …

Women Of The Dalit Unrest: Rewriting Bodies, Reinforcing Resistance, Suddhadeep Mukherjee

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

The paper aims to take the scholarship on corporeal feminism and Dalit Studies forward by focusing on the Dalit woman’s body. The body is not treated as an inert surface in this paper but is considered as a transformative medium that can alter its embedded codifications and significations through transgressive performances in the face of systemic and systematized caste violence. In doing so the gendered body not only challenges to rewrite the Dalit epistemology from the vantage of resistance but also initiates a rethinking of Indian feminism. The paper begins with a discursive discussion on the importance of the gender …

Bodies And Expressions: Exploring The Aesthetics Of Disability Performance Art, Jaya Sarkar

Tête à Tête: Journal of Francophone Studies

No abstract provided.

Fluchtpunkt Magdeburg: Dokumentation Eines Integrationsorientierten Theaterprojekts Aus Theaterpädagogischer Und Sprachdidaktischer Perspektive, Mona Eikel-Pohen, Sarah Dolbier

Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics - All Scholarship

Macht, Prozess und Poetik/Sprache das theaterpädagogische Modellprojekt Fluchtpunkt Magdeburg 2015 bis2019, an dem dort lebende Jugendliche mit und ohne Fluchterfahrungen unter tanz- und theaterpädagogischer Leitung drei Theaterstücke und einen Film entwickelten mit dem prononcierten Ziel, soziale und sprachliche Integration zu fördern. Ziel dieser Dokumentation ist es, das Projekt systematisch zu beschreiben und gelungene Elemente herauszuarbeiten, die zukünftige Projekte nachhaltig und langfristig plan- und durchführbar gestalten

El Laboratorio Cinegráfico De Pedro Pietri, Rojo Robles Mejias

Publications and Research

En su relato “Lost in the Museum of Natural History” Pedro Pietri se inserta en la narración como personaje y como fuente de historias inspiradas en la violencia de los géneros del western, los biker films y los melodramas. Esta aproximación a la experimentación literaria, la alteración sensorial y fílmica escenifica una crisis en la enunciación y la representación que hecha luces sobre las relaciones entre las desigualdades sociales, la violencia y la subjetividad.

Internalized Misogyny As Displayed By Aunt March In Little Women, Sydney Lofton

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

It seems that more women fight against each other than for one another. Women have developed a reputation for gossiping to disparage the reputation of each other, leveraging terms like “floozie,” “bimbo,” and “slut” against one another. While women will rage against men who support the patriarchy, women are often some of the strictest enforcers of its standards. In Kate Hamill’s playscript Little Women, an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel, it is Aunt March, not a man, who places pressure on Jo to assimilate to society’s expectation of women. This push of conformity may reflect Aunt March’s own …