Playwriting Commons^™

A Visual Concept For Robinson Jeffers' Adaptation Of Euripides' Medea, H. Kevin Lanham

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The theatrical elements of setting, costumes, and make-up for Robinson Jeffers' adaptation of Euripides' Medea were designed and constructed in an attempt to create an effective visual concept. Through careful script analysis and close communication with the director and production staff, the designer combined the visual elements. As a record of the concept development from generalities to rough sketches and from formal drawings and diagrams to the finished product, the designer uses the accounting to trace both the artistic creation and the physical construction of each set element and costume for Medea.

Galileo

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1978 performance of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht.

Galileo is a fictional retelling of the trial of Galileo when he was tried by the Roman Catholic Church for the promulgation of his scientific discoveries.

The American Experience

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1977 Advanced Oral Interpretation Class’s performance of The American Experience adapted by Oliver Hubbard.

Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1977 performance of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, with songs assembled and translated by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman.

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is a musical revue of the life and music of Jacques Brel.

The Interpretive-Rhetorical Situation: A Framework For Post Performance Analysis Of Interpretation, John Korinek

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The interpretive-rhetorical situation was formulated by blending Lloyd Bitzer's concepts of the rhetorical situation with contemporary interpretation theory. interpretation is momentary, the foundation established as The concept of as a suasory speech act in the sense that it transactional, and intentional, established for theory formation. The key concept an application for the interpretive-rhetorical situation was that it formed a cohesive framework for guiding post performance aspects of interpretation, especially performance criticism and experimental research. An experimental study was conducted, testing the newly formed breakdown of the traditional interpretation elements of writer, reader, and audience into the constituents of exigency, audience …

Doctor Faustus

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1977 performance of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe.

Doctor Faustus tells the story of Doctor Faustus, a man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge, magic, and pleasures.

Performed by the Taylor Religious Drama Company.

Brigadoon

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1977 performance of Brigadoon with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe.

Brigadoon is a musical about two American tourists who stumble upon a Scottish Town that only appears every one hundred years. One of the tourists falls in love and must decide whether to stay in the enchanted village or remain in the real world.

The Mousetrap

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1976 performance of The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie.

Mysterious twists and thrilling turns abound when a group of strangers stranded in a guest house during a snowstorm discover that a murderer is in their midst. Whodunnit? Is it one of the suspicious newlyweds or the spinster with the curious background? Perhaps it’s the architect, the retired Army major or the strange man running from his past. Enjoy an evening of exhilarating intrigue as Agatha Christie’s greatest mystery unfolds to its surprising conclusion.

Balance, Symmetry, And Order In As You Like It, Lois Stacy Creed

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Although many critics have commented on various aspects of balance, symmetry, and order in Shakespeare’s As You like It, others have given the impression that the play uses a carefree series of episodes to give the audience lighthearted entertainment. Few, if any have discussed the extent to which these elements are exemplified through the remarkable skill and craftsmanship of the playwright. The coordination of these elements shows that the work is not, as it frequently has been considered, a simple romance, but is rather a superlative exemplification of Shakespeare’s remarkable artistry. Through the use of various devices, Shakespeare constructs for …

No Exit

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1976 performance of No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartés. In French the term is the equivalent of the legal term “in camera”, which refers to a private discussion behind closed doors.

No Exit is the story of three strangers set in a nicely furnished room in Hell, where they are set to torment each other through their perceptions of their fellow prisoners.

The Magistrate

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1976 performance of The Magistrate by Arthur Pinero.

The Magistrate is the story of a respectable magistrate who ends up entangled in a series of events that almost result in a public scandal.

The Roar Of The Greasepaint ̶ The Smell Of The Crowd

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1975 performance of The Roar of Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley.

The Roar of Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd is an allegorical exploration of the status quo between the upper and lower classes in 1960s British society through the lens of characters Sir and Cocky.

Richard Iii & Elizabethan Kingship, Frances Perdue

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In this study Richard III's character, motivations, and his path to the throne were examined as they affect the well-being of the country. Analyzed were the political, social, and moral philosophies of Elizabethan England and how they conflicted with Richard's Machiavellian tactics in achieving and holding the position of king. The necessity of purging Richard III from the throne was shown to be consistent with the Elizabethan concept of God's will for the good of the country. "Macbeth" and "Hamlet" revealed the idea that the health of the nation depends on the moral health of the king. In "Coriolanus," another …

Polonius, The Man Behind The Arras: A Study Of His Archetypal Significance, Elizabeth Oakes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

On the archetypal level of Hamlet, Polonius embodies three roles--the wise old man, the fool, and the scapegoat-- in a schema composed also of embodiments of the archetypal hero-prince, the anima, the racial father, the shadow, the terrible mother, and the night sea journey. Polonius as an incarnation of the wise old man archetype has both a positive side, which is denoted in his relationship to Ophelia, and a negative side, which is shown in his relationship to Hamlet. From the wise old man, Polonius degenerates into the archetypal fool who, being on the periphery of the social order, constantly …

Alice In Wonderland

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1975 performance of Alice in Wonderland adapted by Chamber Theatre from Lewis Carroll’s work of the same name.

Alice in Wonderland follows the fantastical and sometimes absurd adventures of a girl named Alice, who follows a White Rabbit and tumbles into a magical world called Wonderland.

The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1975 performance of The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee.

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail focuses on the life of Henry David Thoreau as he recounts his life during a night spent in prison for refusing to pay a Poll Tax.

The American Dream

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Theatre 25 Fall 1974 performance of The American Dream by Edward Albee.

The Emperor’S Daughters

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Theatre 25 Fall 1974 performance of The Emperor’s Daughters by Cena Christopher Draper.

The Trojan Women

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1974 performance of The Trojan Women by Euripides.

The Trojan Women tells the story of the fates of four women after the fall of the city of Troy.

An Analysis Of The Themes Of Guilt And Atonement In The Writings Of Tennessee Williams, James Curry

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The themes of guilt and atonement have been analyzed in selected writings of Tennessee Williams. Research concerning these two themes has been developed simultaneously with Williams’s concept of the universe and man. Many of Williams’s characters seek a form of atonement or purification for their guilt which has arisen due to their “incompleteness and unnatural desires.” Williams’s basic concept concerning the universe is that it is fragmented, a universe not completed by its Creator. Consequently, Williams envisions man and his nature to be likewise incomplete. It is this incompletion in man which causes him to have “unnatural desires,” labeled as …

Gertrude & Volumnia: Their Influences On Their Sons At The Climaxes Of The Plays, Laddawan Bunchoo

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The examination of the climaxes of the two plays Hamlet, and Coriolanus, illustrates that the two mothers, Gertrude and Volumnia, have destructive influences on their sons. The closet scene in Hamlet reflects that Gertrude's second marriage and her choice of Claudius shatter Hamlet's Idealization of her in the role of the faithful wife and the virtuous mother. Hamlet's inaction and destruction are caused in part by his mother's influence.

Volumnia's influence both shapes and destroys her son. She rears him as the embodiment of her chivalric ideal of nobility. The climactic scene in this play reveals that Coriolanus' …

American Primitive

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1974 performance of American Primitive by William Gibson.

American Primitive is constructed from the correspondence of John and Abigail Adams and tells their story during the period of the American Revolution.

The Glass Menagerie

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1974 performance of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.

The Glass Menagerie is a memory play narrated and led by a young man named Tom, who recounts life with his mother Amanda and sister Laura. The play has strong autobiographical elements of the playwright Tennessee and his experience growing up with his mother and sister.

Christ In The Concrete City And The Prodigal Son

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s 1974 performances of Christ in the Concrete City by Philip Turner and The Prodigal Son by R.H. Ward, performed by the Religious Drama Company

The Ugly Duckling

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Theatre 25 Fall 1973 performance of The Ugly Duckling by A. A. Milne.

A Mark Twain Production

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1973 performance of A Mark Twain Production adapted by Allen Goetcheus for Chamber Theatre.

A Mark Twin Production tells the story of Mark Twain and his work through collected writings and letters.

The Taming Of The Shrew

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1973 performance of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare.

The Taming of the Shrew follows the courtship and marriage of Petruchio and Katherina, a headstrong shrew and how Petruchio "tames" her.

The Skin Of Our Teeth

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1973 performance of The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder.

The Skin of Our Teeth is an allegory about human nature which follows a family and their maid through various disasters at different points of human history.

Grimm's Fairy Tales

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Spring 1973 performance of Grimm’s Fairy Tales adapted by Allen Goetcheus for Chamber Theatre.

Grimm’s Fairy Tales is an adaption of the classic stories by the Grimm Brothers.

A Man For All Seasons

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s Fall 1972 performance of A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt.

A Man for All Seasons is based on the life of Sir Thomas Moore, a 16th century chancellor of England who refused to endorse King Henry the VIII’s divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, who did not bear him any sons so her could marry Anne Boleyn.