Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Musical cabarets'

Neste estudo, busco compreender como as performances musicais das cantoras/chanteuses dos clubes noturnos de Porto Alegre nas primeiras décadas do século XX podem mediar as relações de gênero dentro e fora destes espaços de sociabilidade moderna. O termo chanteuse é largamente difundido na imprensa e nas crônicas brasileiras de início de século, posto que uma parcela considerável de artistas-cantoras eram enviadas da Europa para o mercado sul-americano e o termo francês conferia-lhes status sobretudo em relação às cantoras nacionais que também disputavam espaço neste cenário artístico-musical. Através de uma etnografia histórica, procuro recompor esse cenário, para compreender como a música, através do repertório e da performance, contribui na construção social da figura dessas mulheres nas urbes modernas. Apesar da associação, via senso comum, dessas artistas à prostituição, observo que a profissionalização artística lhes proporcionava uma alternativa ao meretrício, garantindo sua sobrevivência sem necessariamente vender seu sexo. Entretanto, a prática musical feminina aparece estreitamente relacionada ao corpo, à sensualidade, o que é fortemente expresso nas imagens e crônicas jornalísticas, colocando-o em evidência. A partir dos estudos de gênero e na literatura musicológica, trato de examinar a trajetória musical dessas mulheres através do fenômeno social dos cabarés na modernidade urbana do Brasil.
This study aims to understand how the musical performance of the singers/chanteuses of the night clubs in Porto Alegre, in the early decades of the twentieth century, could mediate the gender relationships either inside or outside these spaces of modern sociability. The term chanteuse is widely spread and used by the press and in the Brazilian chronicles of the early century, once a considerable amount of artists-singers would be sent from Europe to South America, and the French term would give them a superior status in relation to the national singers that were also competing for a place in this artistic-musical scenario. Through a historical ethnography, I have sought to rebuild this scenario in order to learn how music, through repertoire and performance, contributes to the social construction of these women in modern cities. Despite the association of the figure of these artists with prostitution, I observe that the fact of women turning into professionals of arts provided them an alternative of not being involved with prostitution, ensuring their survival without the need of selling sex. However, the female musical performance happens to be closely related to the body, sensuality and this fact is strongly expressed in the pictures and in the newspaper chronicles. From the studies of gender and musicological literature, I examine the musical journey of these women through the social phenomenon of cabarets in the modern cities in Brazil.

This thesis adduces the benefits in teaching undergraduate theatre majors the competency to create a cabaret. It expostulates that doing so during college gives students an advantage in marketing themselves professionally. It substantiates the general lack of cohesive undergraduate training in this area. The results of a survey of casting directors, assessing the worth of implementing the study of cabaret into theatre curricula, are incorporated. Those that responded agreed that performing cabarets can play a role in a performer’s career, even if the opinions varied as to what that specific role is. There was general agreement that the study of cabaret could benefit students in ways which potentially go beyond securing immediate employment. I have included a sample syllabus for a course focusing on the construction, and performance of a cabaret. It is anticipated this would serve for a performance class taught during a student’s fourth year of undergraduate study.

This thesis looks to explore the musical Cabaret through a critical, historical and political lens, with particular focus on Sally Bowles, questioning the creation and agency of this character in contrast with the political and societal values of various productions. Using a socio-political analysis, this thesis discusses the important relationship between politics and theater, using the pro-choice abortion movements of the 1960's as a way to understand Sally Bowles as a complex device for political and social commentary.

American Musical Theatre is one of the unique American methods of storytelling that exists in performance. In a musical, text, song, movement, and dance tell a story. In Music Theatre, when a character can no longer express what they desire in words, they sing. If singing cannot satisfy the need, the element of dance comes into play. Richard Kislan states, "What sets dance apart is the universality in movement and gesture which is not bound like language to nationality or culture. Dance transcends geography in a way that language cannot. Dance humanizes expression in a way that music cannot."(237) In American Musical Theatre History, dance was, at first, purely used for dance sake. The spectacle of dance was the interest of the public. Choreographers George Balanchine and Agnes De Mille helped to change dance in music theatre, by using dance numbers to further the plot of the story. They believed a musical number should enhance the tone, energy, and rhythm of the entire piece. Influenced by my mentors at VCU, I have discovered the important lesson of "telling a story." A musical number needs to take the audience on a truthful and emotional journey and aid in the flow of the play. Through the many projects that I have worked on with Patti D'Beck, I have learned a way to choreograph that is efficient and, to me, the best way to go about revealing a story to the audience. Using the musical Cabaret, I will highlight these important steps. I was the associate choreographer for the VCU Mainstage production of Cabaret. I assisted in all pre- production work and aided in the creation of all musical numbers. As part of my thesis, I was also in charge of teaching the choreography to all who were involved in the musical. Spacing and polishing the musical numbers once we arrived in the space was also a part of my job as the associate choreographer.The first part of this thesis is a guide for those who have an interest in the world of musical theatre choreography. It outlines a step by step process on how to go about choreographing a dance within a musical. Whether one has choreographed many dances or never choreographed at all, this guide will aid in their creative process as a choreographer. The second part of this thesis is a case study on Cabaret.. All the steps that are outlined in the first part of this thesis are reiterated within the analysis of VCU's Main Stage production.

Cabaret is one of America's most unusual forms of art and entertainment as it juxtaposes and creatively interconnects comedy, song, dance, theatre, speech, and performance art, much like that of its bigger sister, American musical theatre. Many elements of the American musical are shared by cabaret, however, cabaret is unique since it generally occurs in more intimate (and sometimes more unusual) performance venues, such as restaurants, nightclubs, lobbies, halls, small theatres and private homes. With close proximity to the performer(s), cabaret audiences are often seated at tables where they eat and/or drink while an interlocutor (an interactive Emcee, M.C. or Master of Ceremonies) guides them through the performance. Along with the creative and engaging interaction of an interlocutor, the intimate venue of a cabaret performance creates a forum that allows and encourages the performers' energy to combine with the audience's as the "theatrical fourth wall" is constantly broken through. The synergistic energy generated by audience and performers creates an entirely new and unique performance phenomena, which is one of the most exciting, appealing and exceptionally unique qualities of cabaret. Since a small body of scholarship exists on American cabaret as a unique genre, this study provides a thorough analysis and detailed dissection of cabaret both historically and musically. Discussed first is cabaret's origins, life and development by way of a historical narrative gleaned from existing resources on cabaret. Also tied into this narrative is information on other types of performance and music closely related to cabaret, such as Victorian music halls, concert saloons, dance halls, speakeasies, nightclubs and supper clubs, burlesque, vaudeville, and Tin Pan Alley. Next, this essay identifies and explores the "physical" elements that compose cabaret such as the framework of songs, the connective fabric of interlocking dialogue, songs, and musical numbers, the final look of the performance and the overall sound-blend of the performance. The essay progresses into a more detailed exploration of cabaret by identifying and discussing its "visceral" elements such as basic human nature and intimate contact via the human voice. Likewise, musical examples are presented that illustrate musical elements such as the "composer's hook," elicitation of body movement, patter songs and types of accompaniments supportive of the melody. Finally, musical patterns are presented that are analogous to motion, conflict, resolution and circular arcs of context such as syncopated patterns, dotted rhythms, swinging eighth notes, tied-note figures over bar lines, "chromatic toggling" and repeated-against-syncopated patterns. Consequently, all these musical elements in cabaret literature prompt human beings into movement in all three areas of body, mind and spirit. This essay then identifies and delineates several possible types and combinations of cabaret shows, such as formal, improvisational, musical revue, vaudeville-style, stand-up comedy, karaoke, female/male impersonator (drag show), "streetmosphere," flash mob, piano bar/lounge, open-mic., concert-style, aleatory and a mixture of any and all types. Finally, the most important contribution to cabaret scholarship is this essay's comprehensive resource on how to create and develop a cabaret show with specific suggestions for themes, music, underscoring, and scripted dialogue. In addition, this essay presents an example of an entire original cabaret show in order to clarify the findings of this study, and encourage further research, creation and composition, practice and prolongation of the genre of American cabaret.

Music and Theatre have always captivated me. As a child, my parents would take me to live performances and cinematic shows and I would sit rapt, watching the theatrical events and emotional moments unfold before my eyes. Movie musicals and live shows that combined music and theatre were my favorite, especially theatrical banter and improvisation or sketch comedy. Some of my favorite youthful memories were my annual family summer trips to Las Vegas to visit my grandparents for six weeks. As a youngster, I got to experience the "old school" Las Vegas, replete with extravaganza, spectacle, cabaret, circus, lounge and nightclub acts, stand-up comedy, intimate revues, and all things marketed under the guise of entertainment, art, or both. Those summers, while not overtly planned as academic or educational in nature, proved, in retrospect, to be the training ground for what was to become my passion: the art of the cabaret genre. As a person who has always loved theatrical diversity, I am drawn to cabaret as an art form. Anything that fuses other forms interests me, and cabaret amalgamates many of the artistic forms I have grown to love. I come from a unique background of classical, jazz, musical theatre and pop styles, and have studied these styles in both the piano and vocal arena. The cabaret genre allows me to realize fully the stylistic variety of performance techniques with which I excel. My mother is a classical singer and my father a jazz pianist; during my youth they would perform at the piano, "meeting in the middle" so to speak in the world of Musical Theatre, through the fusion of cabaret, classical, jazz, and pop. Growing up hearing a song like "Summertime," from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, equally artistically rendered as both a classical aria and a jazz tune in my home was rich fodder for the vital informal education I received by being the offspring of musicians. It is due to this musical legacy that was passed on to me through my parents that I learned to explore the myriad of possibilities one can achieve through artistic musical and theatrical interpretation. Beyond the freedom of stylistic variety, cabaret performance also allows conventions such as direct interaction in the form of the proverbial "lowered fourth wall," allowing me to use my improvisational acting and interactive skill set as well as my musical skills. Cabaret is generally more intimate and personal in nature and I enjoy the camaraderie cabaret affords. Cabaret is interactive and intellectual and I am drawn to those aspects; I like the fusion of interactive banter and intellectual artistry. Also appealing to me is the "insider" sense cabaret not only allows but also encourages. Recalling my youthful memories of the Vegas shows in which the performer spoke directly to audience members, I remember the sense of belonging I felt at the recognition of some of the inside jokes. I knew I wanted to be involved with any aspect of music and theatre that would allow me the freedom to go with the moment, to reach people differently on any given day, to change with the times, and adapt to my audience and to the shifting world around me. I knew I had found a home in this intimate, insular, interactive, and intellectual art form known as cabaret. For these reasons and more I have chosen the genre of cabaret to be my intended thesis research project. I will produce, direct, and perform in a cabaret show, which will be the thesis performance. For the performance aspect of my thesis, in collaboration with my thesis partner, Josephine Leffner, I will perform a one-act chronological, historical, and stylistically varied cabaret show. The show will include material garnered from historical research of the cabaret genre, specifically settling on some of the famous women, songs, stories, lives, and important contributions. The cabaret will cover information, music, and spoken-word art from cabaret's inception in the Paris Montmartre district in 1881 to its height in Germany during the Weimar Republic. The show will culminate with cabaret's insurgence into American culture up to and including the state of American cabaret today. While my performance will focus mainly on American cabaret, a portion of the show will explore cabaret's European roots. Creating and performing this show will educate me further on the genre itself, as well as expand my performing skills through the varied styles in which I will perform within the realm of a single evening's entertainment. Creating and performing the show will also challenge me as a producer, director, promotional and administrative coordinator, music director, arranger, vocal director, collaborator, vocalist, pianist, actor, and writer. The show is intended as a kind of "Cabaret 101," in that the intended audience is treated to a night of variety entertainment with some historical background on the genre of cabaret. The audience is not expected to have any prior academic or experiential knowledge of cabaret in order to understand or enjoy the show. The cabaret intellectual will also be able to enjoy the show, as the songs, poems, skits, and sketches are intended to amuse and delight both the novice and the experienced cabaretist. For the research and analysis portion of my thesis monograph document I will provide information on cabaret's roots in France and Germany, as well as include informative research on American cabaret, its history and its current trends. I will have several chapters dedicated to the historical research and to other items such as the formatted libretto, documentation of a performance report from my thesis committee head, and a list of references used throughout the research and libretto chapters. I will include a structural and role analysis of the show itself and my contributions to it as outlined by the parameters of my graduate studies program. Several chapters of appendices will be included as information pertinent to the show such as costume, props, lighting lists as well as band and technical needs for the show itself. An introduction and conclusion will be created to bookend my document solidly and reveal myself as a person as well as a performer. This section will include reflective information on my intentions, triumphs, and tribulations, and will be codified through the opening and concluding perspectives. Through the process of writing the thesis monograph document I will create a public and personal record of the process, research, performance challenges, and decisions made throughout this journey. This document will be used as historical help to me should I need to refer to my thesis for later personal or professional use. The document will also be on record for the UCF theatre department, as I apply not only my performance training (as exhibited through the show itself) but also the research and critical thinking skills required of a masters degree candidate at a conservatory training program such as this one. Beyond its use for myself or for the department, I write this monograph document for others whose love and interest in studying the genre of cabaret match my own.
M.F.A.
Department of Theatre
Arts and Humanities
Theatre

Cabaret as a genre has influenced and is influenced by musical theatre. As cabaret has evolved throughout history, musical theatre has often paralleled its journey. Cabaret thrived before the term "musical theatre" was coined and suffered hard times during the Golden Age of Musical Theatre. The correlation of the two genres cannot be denied, and exploring cabaret history will reveal how deeply the connection lies. My collaborator Debbie Tedrick and I will attempt to define cabaret through a two-woman cabaret show we will write, produce, and perform together. The show, Black Cats, Berlin, Broadway and Beyond, will be a one-act historical look at the genre of cabaret. It will include material garnered from historical research of the cabaret genre, specifically focusing on some of the famous women, songs, stories, lives, and important contributions. The cabaret show will cover information and art from cabaret's inception in the Paris Montmartre district in 1881 to its height in Germany during the Weimar Republic and will culminate with cabaret's insurgence into American culture up to, and including, the state of American cabaret today. American cabaret will be emphasized, but a portion of the show will explore American cabaret's European roots. My thesis will explore the triumphs and tribulations of putting together the show. As the culmination of my UCF studies, this project will test my abilities as a librettist, performer, creative artist, director, and collaborator. This thesis will include the actual show performances as well as a written monograph document recording the project's journey from its inception to conclusion.
M.F.A.
Department of Theatre
Arts and Humanities
Theatre

Thesis (MDram)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Empirical studies have shown that music has a determinable effect on human emotions. In this study, the function of music is analysed in terms of how it functions in the musical and the cabaret as genres. A broad overview regarding the development of these two genres shows how music is incorporated in these two genres through the ages. A further analysis regarding structural elements show how music is used in the musical to develop action and character, whilst also portraying how music supports the sosio-political onset of the cabaret. These functions are practically applied to My Fair Lady (1956) as text for the musical and applied to Die Kortstondige Raklewe van Anastasia W (2010) as text for the cabaret. In these two texts, chosen songs are analysed in terms of how the music functions in these two genres. In conclusion, a summary of how music functions in these two Musical Theatre genres is given by referring to the results discussed in this thesis. In the results are found a better understanding of how music functions in these genres to heighten the aesthetical and dramatic values of a theatre production. Music also heightens the emotional experience of the staged production.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Empiriese studies het bewys dat musiek 'n daadwerklike effek op die mens se emosies het. In hierdie studie word ondersoek ingestel na die funksie van musiek in die musiekblyspel en die kabaret. 'n Breë oorsig van die ontwikkeling van hierdie twee genres toon aan hoe musiek daarin aangewend word. In 'n verdere bespreking van hierdie twee genres word die vorm en funksie van musiek in hierdie twee genres ontleed en aangetoon hoe musiek die handeling en karakterontwikkeling in die musiekblyspel beïnvloed en hoe musiek in die kabaret die sosiopolitiese aard van die kabaret ondersteun. Hierdie funksies is toegepas op My Fair Lady (1956) as musiekblyspel en Die Kortstondige Raklewe van Anastasia W (2010) as kabaret. In hierdie tekste is gekose liedjies ge-analiseer om aan te toon hoe die musiek ten opsigte van hierdie twee genres funksioneer. Ten slotte is daar opsommend uitgelig hoe musiek funksioneer in hierdie twee musiekteater genres met verwysing na die resultate gevind in die bespreking van die tesis. In die resultate word daar 'n beter begrip gekweek van hoe musiek in hierdie genres toegepas word om die estetiese en dramatiese ervaring van hierdie genres te verhoog. Musiek verhoog ook die gehoor se emosionele ervaring van die verhoogaanbieding.

MUSICAL THEATRE HANDBOOK FOR THE ACTOR By Maggie Elizabeth Marlin, MFA A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Major Director: David S. Leong Chairman, Department of Theatre Musical Theatre is a performance style deeply woven into the fabric of the American theatre. We live in time and social climate where over half of the productions open on Broadway right now are musicals. If actor training institutions profess a mission to prepare their students for a career in the entertainment industry, why are so many components of an actor’s skill set left to the side and considered peripheral? One can make the argument that their actor training program is exclusively for the theatre, and even more specifically for straight plays for the theatre. Of course, what your career preparation institution chooses to target is your prerogative and as long as that is clear to the incoming students who wish to specialize only in that one faction of the artist’s opportunities for work then my argument is moot. However, if you believe that actor training has a duty to prepare actors to work in an ever changing and transforming field and to be competitive in meeting the demands of various media, among many other areas of focus you should consider preparing your students to develop their craft for musical theatre as legitimately as you would for a classical or contemporary straight play. In this thesis I propose an approach to creating a role for musical theatre using as an example my character development technique for the role of Sally Bowles from a recent production of Cabaret. My desire is to illustrate a seamless continuation of the actor’s craft to meet the additional requirements of skills necessary to perform in a musical. Rather than signifying a separate style of acting for musical theatre which is identified as being altogether different and often dismissed as inferior to the craft of acting in a straight play, I hope to challenge the reader to consider a new perspective in which the foundation of musical theatre performance is built on the fundamentals of acting in a straight play.

Le présent travail porte sur le phénomène de société que sont la production, la diffusion et la réalisation des chansons et airs à boire au XVIIe siècle. Plusieurs angles d’analyse sont considérés : l’étude des formes poético-musicales, des thématiques poétiques, des réseaux de sociabilité qui gravitent autour de cette production artistique et enfin de la manière dont les pratiques qui encadrent la consommation de vin et de musique s’intègrent dans le paysage culturel français du XVIIe siècle. Ce travail pluridisciplinaire permet de mettre en lumière d’une part l’existence d’un patrimoine poético-musical unique qui se construit autour des univers de l’air profane français et du vin, et d’autre part l’expansion de cercles sociaux bachiques singuliers, qui évoluent en parallèle des cercles mondains, principalement dans les cabarets et aux tables d’hôtes aisés. Malgré la présence de codes et de coutumes spécifiques, la variété des lieux et le contexte de réalisation des pièces couplé à l’attractivité de musiques faciles d’accès – aux thématiques poétiques séduisantes qui s’inscrivent pleinement dans une « culture de l’enivrement » profondément enracinée – permettent à l’univers musical bachique de toucher un large public. Soutenues par de riches mécènes, les sphères des buveurs musiciens croissent au cours du XVIIe siècle et s’ouvrent à un auditoire de plus en plus diversifié allant jusqu’à toucher la gent féminine. D’abord très critiqué au début du siècle, ce véritable phénomène de société passe peu à peu dans les mœurs
The present work deals with the social phenomenon of the production, diffusion and realization of songs and drinking tunes in the 17th century. Several angles of analysis are considered : the study of poetic-musical forms, poetic themes, the networks of sociability that revolve around this artistic production, and finally, the way in which the practices surrounding the consumption of wine and music fit into the French cultural landscape of the seventeenth century. This multidisciplinary work sheds light on the one hand on the existence of a unique poetic-musical heritage built around the worlds of secular French air and wine, and on the other hand on the expansion of singular bachic social circles, which evolved in parallel with the worldly circles, mainly in cabarets and at well-to-do tables. Despite the presence of specific codes and customs, the variety of places and the context in which the pieces are performed, coupled with the appeal of music that is easy to access - with seductive poetic themes that are fully in keeping with a deeply rooted "culture of intoxication" - allow the bachic musical universe to reach a wide audience. Supported by wealthy patrons, the spheres of musical drinkers grew during the 17th century and opened up to an increasingly diverse audience, even reaching out to women. Initially heavily criticized at the beginning of the century, this true social phenomenon gradually became a commonplace

The Cabaret Songs of William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein merge characteristics of European cabaret song and art song with characteristics of American popular song to create a modern American form of cabaret song which generates a complete theatrical characterization in each piece. Aspects of European cabaret song evident in these songs include satire, parody, and directness and intimacy of presentation. Independence of the piano, partnership of the piano and voice, and effective word setting and word painting are qualities identified with European art song which appear in these Cabaret Songs. Elements of American popular song woven into these works include jazz figurations, quasi-improvisatory sections, musical theater style, and the presence of complete theater "scenes" in each piece. These songs are derived from a multiplicity of styles which have become part of the American vernacular and run the gamut from Negro spiritual to pachanga. These Cabaret Songs provide the classically trained singer with the opportunity to experience and perform in a popular idiom. William Bolcom's writing demonstrates his fluid integration of diverse musical styles which reflect the richness of the mosaic which is the United States of America.

A cycle of songs and spoken pieces from the verses and essays of Ireland's master poet, W. B. Yeats, In the Deep Heart’s Core is a stunning evening of musical theatre. The Chicago Tribune called it "A joy--poetry to the ears, alternately tender and rousing." Featuring Joseph Sobol and original cast member Kathy Cowan. Performers include Lee Bidgood, Dominic Aquilino, Clara Ray Burrus, and Robbie Link.

Friedrich Hollaender (1896-1976) was one of the most prolific composers of cabaret song literature in Berlin between 1918 and 1933. Beginning with his work at the literary-political cabarets of the early 1920s, including Max Reinhardt’s Schall und Rauch, Trude Hesterburg’s Wilde Bühne, and Rosa Valetti’s Café Größenwahn and continuing through the cabaret revues presented at Hollaender’s own Tingel-Tangel-Theater in the early 1930s, Hollaender wrote over 200 cabaret songs. A classically trained composer who studied with Engelbert Humperdinck, Hollaender ultimately found his niche in creating cabaret songs that clearly evoked the mood and environment expressed in the texts he set. In this way, Hollaender elevated and expanded the expressive power of music in the cabaret. At the same time, Hollaender did not revolutionize the cabaret song. Instead, he worked within the traditional framework of the cabaret song, adapting his compositional style to fit the expectations of the genre. Cabaret songs privilege the clear expression and declamation of the text. Thus, most cabaret songs exhibit a simple musical framework. Performers often spoke or intoned the text rather than singing the melody, and as a result, cabaret songs often double the melodic line in the accompaniment so that it can be heard and recognized during the performance. This practice differs markedly from art song, in which the melody and accompaniment serve as equal partners in expressing the text as a unified musical work and the singer is expected to sing the melody provided by the composer. Much of Hollaender’s work in the cabaret involved an effort to infuse the cabaret song with the expressive musical force of the art song without altering the traditional performance practice, the freedom to intone the text typical of the cabaret, and the simplified harmony and formal structure of cabaret songs. Hollaender’s ability to immediately capture the essence of the song texts in music is what ultimately made him successful. He also demonstrated an ability to adapt to the swiftly evolving tastes and expectations of cabaret audiences during the tumultuous Weimar Era. His adherence to a philosophy of music for the cabaret that would “explode in a lightning flash” and create a mood that would be “present in the first beats,“ along with his flexibility in responding to the evolving taste of the public allowed Hollaender to enjoy a sustained, successful career in the cabaret. His enormous output of cabaret songs is a testament to his effectiveness and success as a composer, writer, and producer in Berlin cabaret theatres. The purpose of the study is to understand how Hollaender’s work elevated the expressive force of the musical settings for cabaret songs through the analysis of the text and the music of his cabaret songs. This study explores representative examples of Hollaender’s cabaret songs composed for Berlin theaters between 1919-1933. The songs were primarily selected to demonstrate the wide variety of musical expression Hollaender was able to achieve in his song settings within the confines of traditional cabaret song forms, particularly the couplet and the role chanson. A wide variety of subject matter is covered in these cabaret song settings, from political and social satire to adapted folktales, and from playful character pieces to defiant antimilitarist statements and poignant illustrations of poverty and hardship. In addition, the cabaret songs included in the study emerge from significant collaborative relationships the composer developed, most notably his early collaborations in literary-political cabaret theaters with satirist and poet Kurt Tucholsky, Dada author Walter Mehring, and performer and first wife Blandine Ebinger. Finally, songs were chosen from throughout the time Hollaender composed music for the cabaret in order to demonstrate the changing landscape of the cabaret as time progressed. As a result, a significant number of songs in the study emerge from Hollaender’s late cabaret revues, programs of songs, skits and other acts loosely organized around a theme or idea, for which the composer wrote both the text and the music. Because the cabaret by its nature offered commentary on contemporary society, the study includes examples that demonstrate the evolving political and social climate in Germany as expressed in the cabaret song texts. For instance, Hollaender’s cabaret songs written in collaboration with Kurt Tucholsky in 1919-1920 frequently criticize Gustav Noske and the use of paramilitary Freikorps to quell dissent in the fledgling Weimar Republic. By the time of Hollaender’s 1931 cabaret revue Spuk in der Villa Stern, however, Hollaender’s political satire criticizes and lampoons National Socialist rhetoric and caricatures Adolf Hitler. Finally, the songs included in the discussion were also chosen in part due to the availability of musical scores, texts, and recordings. Whenever possible, recordings of the original performers, including Blandine Ebinger, Paul Graetz, and Claire Waldoff were consulted in order to understand performance practices used in Berlin cabarets during the Weimar era. Recordings of modern performers, chiefly Ute Lemper, Tim Fischer, and Jody Karen Applebaum were also explored. Many of the original performers were actors rather than singers, and their style of interpreting their songs with a mixture of spoken declamation and singing demonstrates the importance of clearly expressing the text and its emotional content and creating a complete characterization in the presentation of the song. This style of performing did not diminish Hollaender’s contribution as a composer, but rather created a multilayered hybrid of speech, melody, harmony and rhythm that set for many the standard for excellence in the Weimar era cabaret song. Literal English translations of the songs presented for the study were developed in order to facilitate the discussion of how Hollaender’s music specifically evokes the mood and expression of the text. In addition, the study includes explanations and annotations of the events, historical figures, and cultural icons that are peppered throughout these texts. Because cabaret songs are by their nature a product of the contemporary society out of which they emerge, a basic understanding of the time period is essential to fully comprehend these works. Hollaender’s cabaret songs often employ a Berlin dialect, use colloquial expressions, and assume an understanding of contemporary society in the 1920s that is no longer common knowledge nearly a century later. As a result, the detailed study and translation of the texts were essential to understanding Hollaender’s cabaret song settings. This investigation demonstrates how Hollaender evoked a variety of specific moods and ideas in his cabaret song settings through an economy of musical means. Although his music adhered to the conventions and traditions of the cabaret song by employing simple harmonic structures and an almost exclusive use of verse-refrain song form, the composer effectively used dissonance, rhythmic motives, chromaticism, mode-mixture, melodic shape, and other compositional techniques to great expressive effect that clearly reflected the wide variety of environments and moods described in his texts. The result is that the text and music are wedded in Hollaender’s cabaret song settings in such a way that they become a unified expressive art form.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was initiated to gain insight into cabaret as a form of theatre for the migration of singers with a classical singing orientation. It researches a form of music theatre known as entertainment cabaret, which is individual by nature, as it is not bound by convention. The study entails a discussion of the nature of cabaret as a diverse form of theatre. It illustrates the role of the artist and the genre’s music style in researching structure, to determine differences and similarities in the frameworks of cabaret and opera, with specific reference to classical singing. Currently there is an abundance of musical theatre genres, and cabaret is not differentiated as an individual genre. This leads to problems in the definitive classifying of cabaret, as well as the bridging of a singer with a classical singing orientation migrating to cabaret. The study researches the concept of, and reasons for, this migration in South Africa. The qualitative research method, which makes use of in-depth interviews to gain insight, generated a wealth of information about the realities in South Africa. This method introduces a new method of acquiring information, where the changes of the last few years had a tremendous impact on the careers of performing artists in South Africa. For this reason, artists with a classical singing orientation must have a choice to take action; to generate their own opportunities. The main findings and the need for multi-talented artists to adapt to the different styles of genres were analysed in the theoretical section, followed by a discussion of the respondents’ feedback selected to contribute to this study. The gap in skills between the cabaret artist and the classical singer is identified to showcase and define the possibility of cabaret as a form of theatre for classical singers. New categories are generated in which ideas of how development can be adapted are laid out.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie is om insig te verkry in kabaret as moontlike teatervorm vir die migrasie van sangers met ’n klassieke sangoriëntasie. Dit ondersoek die vermaaklikheidsvorm kabaret, ’n eiesoortige vorm van musiekteater deurdat dit nie deur konvensies begrens word nie. Die studie behels ’n bespreking van die aard van kabaret as diverse teatervorm, en illustreer die rol en vaardighede van die kabarettis asook die genre se musiekstyl om die ooreenkomste en verskille in die raamwerk van kabaret en opera, met betrekking tot klassieke sangoriëntasie, te ondersoek. Tans oorvloei die musiekteatergenres, en word kabaret nie as eiesoortige genre onderskei nie. Dit maak die onderskeid van kabaret, asook die oorbrugging van ’n klassieke sanger wat na kabaret migreer, uiters problematies. Die studie stel ondersoek in na die konsep van en redes vir die migrasie van sangers met ’n klassieke sangoriëntasie na kabaret in Suid-Afrika. Die kwalitatiewe metode, wat met behulp van diepte-onderhoude insig verkry, het ’n magdom inligting oor die werklikhede in Suid-Afrika opgelewer. Hierdie metodologie is ’n nuwe manier om inligting in te samel, veral in die lig van veranderinge in die laaste paar jaar in die land, wat ’n geweldige impak op die loopbaan van Suid-Afrikaanse uitvoerende kunstenaars gehad het. Kunstenaars met ‘n klassieke sangoriëntasie moet kan kies om tot aksie oor te gaan; om hulle eie geleenthede te genereer. Die hoofbevindinge en die behoefte dat veelsydige kunstenaars by verskillende genrestyle moet kan aanpas word in die teoretiese afdeling ondersoek, gevolg deur ’n bespreking van die respondentterugvoering wat vir die doel van die studie geselekteer is. Die gaping tussen die vaardighede van die kabarettis en klassieke sanger word geïdentifiseer om sodoende die moontlikheid van kabaret as teatervorm vir klassieke sangers te definieer. Nuwe kategorieë word geskep waarin idees vir die moontlike aanpassing van ontwikkeling neergelê word.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines cabaret in South Africa, and more particularly the use of a personation in cabaret. Cabaret employs a variety of comedic forms that combine to comment on social and political issues. The personation is often a manifestation of current social and political values, and the cabaretist uses such personation to deride these values and expose society. Themes such as human nature and life are foregrounded by means of comedy, parody and satire in order to highlighted weaknesses and malpractices. The personation often serves as a shield, affording the cabaretist the freedom of speech to assume a critical stance; it serves as a mouthpiece for enquiring societal mores and norms. The cabaretist not only entertains the audience in a comical way, but also strives to make audiences aware of social and political irregularities. Comedy, parody and satire are found in various forms of entertainment and literature, but in the cabaret genre it is purposefully applied to voice socio-political criticism. The success of cabaret is indebted to each caberetist’s unique style. South African performers such as Pieter-Dirk Uys, Casper de Vries and Hennie Aucamp apply these means successfully to entertain their audiences and encourage reflection. The cabaret persona, drawing upon comedic devices, is used to present reality as opposed to the human ideal, while treating the audience to a lighter view of life. Apart from the fact that cabaret, like comedy, parody and satire, is difficult to define, these forms often overlap, as they serve the same purpose, namely to entertain and to comment.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek kabaret in Suid-Afrika en in die besonder die gebruik van ’n karakter in kabaret as sosiale en politiese kommentator. Kabaret gebruik ’n verskeidenheid komiese vorme wat saamspan om sosiale en politieke kommentaar te lewer. Die karakter verteenwoordig dikwels ’n gemeenskap se sosiale en politieke waardes en die kabarettis gebruik so ’n karakter om hierdie waardes te bespot en kommentaar op die gemeenskap te lewer. Temas soos die menslike natuur en die lewe word met behulp van die komiese, parodie en satire in die kalklig geplaas om swakhede en wanpraktyke te beklemtoon. Die karakter dien ook dikwels as ’n skild waaragter ’n kabarettis skuil en waarmee hy sodoende vryheid van spraak verkry met die doel om te kritiseer; dit dien as spreekbuis vir sosiale waardes en norme. Die kabarettis vermaak nie net ’n gehoor op komiese wyse nie, maar probeer ook om die gehoor van sosiale en politieke wantoestande bewus te maak. Die komiese, parodie en satire kom in verskeie vorme van vermaak en die literatuur voor, maar in kabaret word dit doelgerig as middel gebruik om sosio-politiese kommentaar te lewer. Die sukses van kabaret word gemeet aan elke kabarettis se unieke styl. Suid-Afrikaanse kunstenaars soos Pieter-Dirk Uys, Casper de Vries en Hennie Aucamp slaag daarin om hierdie middele aan te wend en sodoende hul gehore te vermaak en tot nadenke te stem. Die kabaret-karakter word met behulp van komiese vorme aangewend om die werklikheid teenoor die menslike ideaal op te weeg en aan gehore ’n ligter sy van die lewe te wys. Buiten dat kabaret en ook die komiese, parodie en satire moeilik gedefinieer kan word, oorvleuel hierdie vorme dikwels en word dit vir dieselfde doel gebruik, naamlik om te vermaak en kommentaar te lewer.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 216 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-216). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Prior to his career as a painter, Walter Richard Sickert (1860-1940) was employed for a number of years as an actor. Indeed the muse of the theatre was a constant influence throughout Sickert’s life and work yet this relationship is curiously neglected in studies of his career. The following thesis, therefore, is an attempt to address this vital aspect of Sickert’s œuvre. Chapter one (Act I: The Duality of Performance and the Art of the Music-Hall) explores Sickert’s acting career and its influence on his music-hall paintings from the 1880s and 1890s, particularly how this experience helps to differentiate his work from Whistler and Degas. Chapter two (Act II: Restaging Camden Town: Walter Sickert and the theatre c.1905-c.1915) examines the influence of the developing New Drama on Sickert’s works from his Fitzroy Street/Camden Town period. Chapter three (Act III: Sickert and Shakespeare: Interpreting the Theatre c.1920-1940) details Sickert’s interest in the rediscovery of Shakespeare as a metaphor for his solution to the crisis in modern art. Finally, chapter four (Act IV: Sickert’s Simulacrum: Representations and Characterisations of the Artist in Texts, Portraits and Self-Portraits c.1880-c.1940) discusses his interest in the concept of theatrical identity, both in terms of an interest in acting and the “character” of artist and self-publicity. Each chapter analyses the influence of the theatre on Sickert’s work, both in terms of his interest in theatrical subject matter but also in a more general sense of the theatrical milieu of his interpretations. Consequently Sickert’s paintings tell us much about changing fashions, traditions and interests in the British theatre during his period. The history of the British stage is therefore the backdrop for the study of a single artist’s obsession with theatricality and visual modernity.

Resumen Natural Hysteria... es una investigacio'n basada en una pra'ctica transdisciplinaria que documenta el proceso de produccio'n de un ciclo de performances basadas en el texto: rituales, presentaciones teatrales, acciones callejeras y presentaciones de video, canciones y talleres. Es una respuesta arti'stica al deterioro de nuestro medio ambiente y los ataques contra la diversidad cultural y biolo'gica que esta'n llevando a cabo un sistema capitalista basado en la acumulacio'n de riqueza a toda costa que nos esta' llevando al borde de un colapso ecolo'gico. Se procede a trave's de un ana'lisis de otras pra'cticas arti'sticas disidentes que comparten una perspectiva queer, feminista, postcolonial o ecolo'gica que las vincula a los conceptos explorados en mi trabajo para contextualizarlo en el campo expandido de las artes contempora'neas. La "histeria" alternativa que forma la base conceptual de este proyecto tiene sus inicios en los albores de la edad moderna y traza una historia de dominacio'n de los "otros": se centra principalmente en las mujeres, en el ge'nero y en los disidentes sexuales, las personas de color y los animales. La explotacio'n de los recursos naturales y humanos es una consecuencia de una cosmovisio'n basada en el establecimiento de oposiciones binarias que permiten que el "otro" sea clasificado y dominado. Por ejemplo: hombre / mujer, blanco / negro, hetero / homosexual, cultura / naturaleza. La construccio'n de estos "otros" - "femenino", "nativo", "queer", "naturaleza" - excluye a estos sujetos de la construccio'n de una identidad dominante que, sin embargo, depende de estas categori'as para su existencia. En el Renacimiento, los campos de las ciencias y las humanidades no estaban separados. La visio'n mecanicista del mundo no habi'a superado por completo las creencias paganas en la magia y en una fuerza espiritual que reside en todos los seres. Esta visio'n era una reliquia de la era precristiana y finalmente seri'a erradicada por las fuerzas unidas del Estado y la Iglesia a trave's de los procesos de la Inquisicio'n, la caza de brujas, la colonizacio'n y la nueva religio'n de la "Ciencia". Todos estos procesos han producido un gran cambio en nuestra relacio'n con la naturaleza, que en la actualidad se considera una entidad totalmente inerte. La naturaleza ya no forma parte de nuestro ser y se ha convertido simplemente en materia prima. La colonizacio'n continu'a hoy bajo una poli'tica neoliberal que utiliza el concepto de desarrollo para requisar territorio de los pueblos indi'genas a fin de explotar sus recursos naturales. Esto se justifica clasificando estas personas como primitivas porque su modo de vida se basa en vivir en equilibrio con la naturaleza. La funcio'n de una pra'ctica arti'stica poli'ticamente comprometida es desafiar la nocio'n de que no existe una alternativa al sistema actual. El marco teo'rico y arti'stico de esta investigacio'n ha conducido al desarrollo de un alter ego performativo, el chama'n transge'nero Geyserbird, y a la configuracio'n de una serie de performances que incluye rituales participativos, instalaciones con presencia y la reapropiacio'n queer de espacios industriales abandonados. El chama'n transge'nero es un ser espiritual que va ma's alla' de las limitaciones del sistema de ge'nero binario y se conecta con las culturas indi'genas. El despliegue de esta figura en un contexto contempora'neo invita al pu'blico a imaginar otras posibilidades para si' mismos y para nuestra sociedad.
Abstract Natural Hysteria... is a trans-disciplinary practice led investigation which documents the process of production of a cycle of text based performances -rituals, street actions, theatrical presentations, and video presentations, songs and workshops. It is an artistic response to the deterioration of our environment and the attacks on cultural and biological diversity being carried out by a capitalist system based on the accumulation of wealth at all costs which is leading us to the border of an ecological collapse. It proceeds through an analyses of other dissident artistic practices which share a queer, feminist postcolonial or ecological perspective linking them to the concepts explored in my work in order to contextualise it in the expanded field of the contemporary arts. The alternative "hysteria" that forms the conceptual basis of this project has its beginnings in the dawn of the modern age and traces a history of domination of those "others": focusing mainly on women, gender and sexual dissidents, people of colour and animals. The exploitation of natural and human resources is a consequence of a worldview based on the establishment of binary oppositions that allow the "other" to be classified and dominated. For example: man / woman, white / black, hetero / homosexual, culture / nature. The construction of these "others" - the "feminine", the "native", the "queer", "nature" - excludes these subjects from the construction of a master identity that, nevertheless, depends on these categories for its existence. In the Renaissance the fields of the sciences and the humanities were not separated. The mechanistic view of the world had not completely overcome pagan beliefs in magic and in a spiritual force which resides in all beings. This vision was a relic of the pre-Christian era and would finally be eradicated by the united forces of State and Church through the processes of the Inquisition, the witch hunts, colonization and the new religion of "Science". All of these processes have produced a huge change in our relationship with nature, currently seen as a totally inert entity. Nature is no longer part of our being and has became nothing more than raw material. Colonisation continues today under a neoliberal politics which uses the concept of development to requisition territory from indigenous people in order to exploit its natural resources. This is justified by qualifying these people as primitive because their way of life is based on living in equilibrium with nature. The function of a politically engaged artistic practise is to challenge the notion that no alternative exists to the current system. The theoretical and artistic framework of this investigation has led to the development of a performative alter ego, the transgender shaman Geyserbird, and to the configuration of a series of performances which included participatory rituals, installations with presence and the queer appropriation of abandoned industrial spaces. The transgender shaman is a spiritual being who goes beyond the limitations of the binary gender system and connects to indigenous cultures. The deployment of this figure in a contemporary context, invites the public to imagine other possibilities for themselves and for our society
Resum Natural Hysteria... e's una investigacio' basada en una pra¿ctica transdisciplina¿ria que documenta el proce's de produccio' d'un cicle de performances basades en el text: rituals, presentacions teatrals, acciones al carrers i presentacions de vi'deo, canc¿ons i tallers. E's una resposta arti'stica a la deteriorament del nostre medi ambient i els atacs contra la diversitat cultural i biolo¿gica que esta¿ duent a terme un sistema capitalista basat en l'acumulacio' de riquesa costi el que costi que ens esta¿ portant a la vora d'un col·lapse ecolo¿gic. Es procedeix a trave's d'una ana¿lisi d'altres pra¿ctiques arti'stiques dissidents que comparteixen una perspectiva queer, feminista, postcolonial o ecolo¿gica que les vincula amb els conceptes explorats en el meu treball per contextualitzar-ho en el camp expandit de les arts contempora¿nies. La "histe¿ria" alternativa que forma la base conceptual d'aquest projecte te' els seus inicis en les albors de l'edat moderna i trac¿a una histo¿ria de dominacio' dels "altres": se centra principalment en les dones, en el ge¿nere i en els dissidents sexuals, les persones de color i els animals. L'explotacio' dels recursos naturals i humans e's una consequ¿e¿ncia d'una cosmovisio' basada en l'establiment d'oposicions bina¿ries que permeten que l'"altre" sigui classificat i dominat. Per exemple: home / dona, blanc / negre, hetero / homosexual, cultura / naturalesa. La construccio' d'aquests "altres" - "femeni'", "natiu", "queer", "naturalesa" - exclou aquests subjectes de la construccio' d'una identitat dominant que, no obstant aixo¿, depe'n d'aquestes categories per a la seua existe¿ncia. En el Renaixement, els camps de les cie¿ncies i les humanitats no estaven separats. La visio' mecanicista del mo'n no havia superat per complet les creences paganes en la ma¿gia i en una forc¿a espiritual que resideix en tots els e'ssers. Aquesta visio' era una reli'quia de l'era precristiana i finalment seria eradicada per les forces unides de l'Estat i l'Esgle'sia a trave's dels processos de la Inquisicio', la cac¿a de bruixes, la colonitzacio' i la nova religio' de la "Cie¿ncia". Tots aquests processos han produi¿t un gran canvi en la nostra relacio' amb la naturalesa, que en l'actualitat es considera una entitat totalment inerta. La naturalesa ja no forma part del nostre e'sser i s'ha convertit simplement en mate¿ria preval. La colonitzacio' continua avui sota una poli'tica neoliberal que utilitza el concepte de desenvolupament per a requisar territori dels pobles indi'genes a fi d'explotar els seus recursos naturals. Aixo¿ es justifica classificant aquestes persones com a primitives perque¿ la seua manera de vida es basa en viure en equilibri amb la naturalesa. La funcio' d'una pra¿ctica arti'stica poli'ticament compromesa e's desafiar la nocio' que no existeix una alternativa al sistema actual. El marc teo¿ric i arti'stic d'aquesta investigacio' ha condui¿t al desenvolupament d'un alter ego performatiu, el xaman transge¿nere Geyserbird, i a la configuracio' d'una se¿rie de performances que inclou rituals participatius, instal·lacions amb prese¿ncia i la reapropiacio' queer d'espais industrials abandonats. El xaman transge¿nere e's un ser espiritual que va me's enlla¿ de les limitacions del sistema de ge¿nere binari i es connecta amb les cultures indi'genes. El desplegament d'aquesta figura en un context contemporani convida al pu'blic a imaginar altres possibilitats per a ells mateixos i per a la nostra societat.
Bell, G. (2018). NATURAL HYSTERIA (a queer response to ecocide): An exercise in Living Art, Participatory Rituals and Queer Ecology -or- How I discovered Geyserbird, the Transgender Shaman within [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/111925
TESIS

This thesis is dedicated to theatre translation. The main aspects of my research are: the relationship between the translated text and the final production and the similarities which exist between the tasks of the translator and the actor in the process of creation of the theatre text and the final production. I intend to prove that the translator's/actor's erudition, creative project and horizon, and the perception of the target audience often dictate changes performed in the theatre text, which can to some extent reflect the political and social situation of the target society. To illustrate my ideas, I will use the musical "Cabaret" as the corpus of my research. I will analyze its different versions in the source country: America and then in two target societies: Germany and Quebec. Using the English and the German texts, I will prove that in the practice of the modern theatre the actor's influence on the original and translated texts can be quite significant and at the same time justified by his (or her) contextual knowledge, project and awareness of his (or her) target audience. I will also insist on the importance of the understanding of the particularity of the theatre text as opposed to the non-theatre one, because the "oral publication" of the text, that is the theatre production dictates different laws of analysis and perception.

La version intégrale de ce mémoire est disponible uniquement pour consultation individuelle à la Bibliothèque de musique de l’Université de Montréal (www.bib.umontreal.ca/MU).
Le chansonnier breton Théodore Botrel est connu pour être le père du mouvement de propagande de la Bonne Chanson. Ce mouvement naît dans le contexte montmartrois, alors qu’en 1900, les chansonniers se réunissent en Congrès pour discuter de l’avenir de leur art, malmené par le flot infatigable des chansons de café-concert. Ce combat pour la « saine » culture, c’est aussi celui de la IIIe République au nom de la moralité. C’est dans ce contexte que Botrel, débutant dans les cabarets artistiques parisiens, choisit de ne chanter que sa Bretagne dans un répertoire exempt de grivoiseries. Il s’inscrit alors dans un courant qui embrasse la Belle Époque : le régionalisme. Soucieuse de préserver le particularisme des « petites patries » et face au pouvoir centralisateur parisien, l’élite culturelle régionale entreprend un vaste travail de valorisation des régions. La Bretagne occupe une place particulière dans ce courant en tant que conservatoire de la tradition et principale victime des réformes d’Émile Combes qui s’attaquent aux ferments de son identité : sa langue et sa religion. Ce mouvement trouve écho au Canada français où l’idéologie dominante brandit l’étendard du nationalisme politico-culturel. Parce qu’ils défendent l’idée de la « vocation française » en Amérique et le maintien des « bonnes mœurs », l’élite traditionnelle et les journaux saluent les venues de Botrel au Québec en 1903 et 1922. Patriotique, catholique et conservateur, le chansonnier bénéficie de la conjoncture historico-culturelle québéco-bretonne. De Paris à la Bretagne, puis au Canada, Botrel connaît un succès sans égal.
The Breton cabaret singer Théodore Botrel is known as the father of the propagandist movement of La Bonne Chanson. In the context of Montmartre's culture, the year 1900 sees the creation of this movement during a Congress uniting cabaret artists to discuss the future of their art, scoffed by the tireless torrent of café-concert songs. This fight for “sane” culture is also the one of the Third Republic in the name of morality. It is in this context that Botrel, who makes his debut in the Parisian artistic cabarets, chooses to sing only about Brittany and without bawdy talk. Therefore, he is part of a trend which embraces the Belle Époque : regionalism. Concerned about protecting the distinctive identity of “small homelands” and in the face of Parisian centralizing power, the regional cultural elite begins greatly promoting regions. Brittany occupies a particular place in this trend as conservatory of traditions and as the main victim of the reforms of Émiles Combes which attack the ferments of its identity : language and religion. This movement finds echo in French Canada where the dominant ideology brandishes the banner of politico-cultural nationalism. Because they defend the idea of the “French vocation” in America and seek to preserve “good customs”, the traditional elite and newspapers welcome Botrels’ visits in Quebec in 1903 and 1922. Patriotic, catholic and conservative, the cabaret singer benefits from the historico-cultural circumstances in Quebec and in Brittany. From Paris to Brittany, then in Canada, Botrel knows an unequalled success.