Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Performing Arts / Theater / General'

Ideally, undergraduates view their elective courses in general education curriculums as having value. Unfortunately, scant research exists on the value of theatre arts appreciation courses. This study addressed that void through hermeneutical exploration of experiences of a purposeful sample of seven students enrolled in theatre arts appreciation courses. Two research questions guided this study: “For undergraduate students taking a general education theatre arts appreciation elective, what experience(s) allowed the course to transcend from perfunctory to inspirational?” and “To what degree did taking a general education theatre arts appreciation elective impact the students’ perception of their overall higher education experience?” Methodologically, hermeneutic phenomenology was used to uncover data through conversational interviews with undergraduates. The works of Nakkula and Ravitch (1998), Seidman (2006), and Van Manen (1990) provided a foundation for data collection and analysis.

The findings of the study are represented through a one-act play to (re)present educational research that “bring[s] the text to life in ways that the reading of it could not” (Bagley & Cancienne, 2002, p. 7) and to treat research participants as more than just “text to be read or interpreted” (Moustakas, 1994, p. 19). Profiles of the seven subjects were created to allow the reader to become more familiar and engaged with the participants. From the words and conversations of those participants, I amalgamated four characters, with a fifth, the facilitator, serving as the researcher’s voice.

The results of this study suggest that students entered passively into their theatre arts appreciation course, engaged with it through discussions with students and the professor, and came out with the trajectory of their life changed. The findings suggest that becoming life-ready is a phenomenon that occurs when seemingly nonengaged or passive students enroll in a course that is broad, detailed, and subjective enough to allow them to transcend their world visions. This qualitative study offers insight into students’ thinking and feelings and contributes to the overall conversation and assessment of higher education elective courses in performing arts and the unique contributions they offer undergraduates. Based on these findings, conclusions and recommendations are offered.

David Mamet's book of essays True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor boldly claims that formal training, particularly of the academic variety, is of no use to aspiring theater artists. This thesis argues for the importance and validity of such training. It is a defense of both formal training and ofStanislavski--the father of almost all contemporary training systems and a figure particularly irksome to Mamet. The thesis is supported by examples gleaned from my own formal education in theater and from insights gained directing student actors on my final project for my MFA, Kira Obelensky's play Lobster Alice.

A detailed account and analysis of a six week theatrical devising workshop and culminating performance event which occurred in March and April of 2017 in the Theatre Arts Department at California State University, Long Beach. In The Telling was an independent project that utilized movement-based ensemble practice and improvisation techniques to develop text and movement into an immersive theatrical storytelling event. Through the synthesis of contemporary theatre making practice and traditional rehearsal techniques, a diverse group of student participants collaborated to create an original work based on personal narrative and the theme of “change”.

Rooted in a broader discussion regarding the ideal foundational elements for contemporary performance training, this project report poses the question: how can performance educators train the next generation of theater makers to excel at creating vibrant, inclusive and innovative work? The In The Telling project posits that theatrical devising practice as performance pedagogy is one approach.

Through associations and personal experiences, I settled on the overarching concept that, "The road is closed," for the stage design of As You Like It. Pulling from my surroundings as inspiration, I created a realistic road on the Studio Theatre's stage using found and borrowed objects to enhance the road's authenticity. With a blocked road as a metaphor for the characters' inner journeys to overcome their own prejudices and achieve an enlightened way of thinking, the audience joined the ensemble on their path of self-examination and discovery.

This thesis illustrates the effect of reality television singing competitions on Broadway musical theatre. Chapter 1 examines the current Broadway casting climate prioritizing name recognition. Chapter 2 explores the genesis of musical theatre singing styles. Chapter 3 offers Stanislayski and Uta Hagen's acting techniques as a guide for musical theatre acting, analyzes the Jukebox musical, and investigates the reality TV singing style and its relevance to the musical theatre actor. The chapter then scrutinizes the hypocritical stance taken by reality TV singing shows toward the Broadway singing style. Chapter 4 examines the loss of storytelling on musical theatre and advocates the seeking of mastery in the acting process. Chapter 5 explores the circumstances that allow for Broadway to incorporate pop music. Chapter 6 reinforces storytelling's importance to musical theatre.

This thesis discusses the need for and implementation of increased theatrical accommodation for patrons with disabilities. It begins by discussing the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act as they relate to theatres. Accommodations that go beyond the bare minimum required by law are discussed, including open and closed captioning, American Sign Language interpretation, audio description, and sensory-friendly performances.

The thesis gives evidence in the form of an anecdotal analysis of American Sign Language and captioned performances in the CSULB Theatre Arts Department. Each method is then evaluated for potential implementation in the Theatre Arts Department, based on its feasibility and impact given the population served by the Department. Finally, the thesis makes recommendations regarding which methods should be implemented and what the best processes would be for doing so.

Every civilization on the planet has some form of theatre. Musical theatre is primarily an American art form. It can be enjoyed by everyone. Enjoyment of any art form is increased by knowledge of and participation in the field and amateur productions allow non-professionals to take part in this collaborative activity. All ages and abilities can participate at various levels, from the smallest child to the wheelchair bound adult. It is my firm belief that taking part in a community theatre production is a creative and worthwhile way to express oneself, foster friendships, develop talents, and perpetuate this uniquely American art form.

I researched methods of adapting the musical theatre rehearsal process for different groups of amateurs. Among these groups I focused on the needs of elderly persons, persons with mobility impairment, and persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

It is my wish to best adapt traditional rehearsal techniques to suit these and other groups. By seeking out the basic problems for working with specialized groups and by finding workable solutions for each, we will thereby better enable ourselves to work with all of them.

I outlined the general rehearsal process and made practical suggestions for working with and encouraging participation by these groups. In producing their best work, the participants foster a sense of community and strengthen their areas of weakness.

Urinetown: The Musical by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollman was produced by the Department of Theatre and Dance at George Washington University in the Fall of 2014. The show opened on October 30, 2014 at the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre, part of the George Washington University in Washington DC. It was directed by Muriel Von Villas along with costume designer Reema Albawardy, lighting designer Carl Gudenius, and set designer Kirk Kristlibas. This thesis explores the costume design process for Urinetown: The Musical and the challenges of working with a large cast and dealing with many quick changes.

As the political and economic landscape of the United States shifts in coming years, American society’s perception of the arts will likely change as well. Arts advocates must be ready to adapt their arguments for arts’ value to changing societal priorities. This paper summarizes the two leading frameworks for current arts advocacy arguments: extrinsic benefits and intrinsic benefits. The paper then introduces practical benefits, a pragmatic third framework for arts advocacy that focuses on skills gained through the creation of collaborative art that prepare participants for careers in the creative class, as defined by Richard Florida. The paper uses student-run theatre organizations on college campuses as incubators and case studies for these benefits, using original ethnographic research and surveys to develop assessment protocols for these benefits, with the intention of growing their applicability to larger and more varied arts organizations.

The Terrorist and the Whore is a two-person musical theater composition written as an unfinished yet retrospective performance document of the relationship of Kahlil Sabbagh and Ginger Smith from 2002 to 2015. The purpose of this project is to submit six songs from the musical that challenge two stereotypes, gender stereotyping and ethnic typecasting, while lending insight into the process of creating and telling a story and composing music. The six musical pieces, "Each Other," "Three Little Minutes," "That Crazy Moon," "It's Like," "Side Job," "I Don't like You," are presented through a score and electronically produced soundtrack and are analyzed in both a theoretical sense as well as for background informational purposes. It is through the lens of the characters that they discover, through music, the deep internal dynamics of a relationship.

This project seeks to identify the impact of donor recognition practices upon acquisition and retention of individual donors within the Southern California theatre industry as a shift occurs in philanthropy trending away from corporate to individual gifts.

Drawing upon interviews with development professionals, cost and benefit analysis, and investigation of past donations, this project determines the effectiveness of current donor recognition structures that are commonly implemented without constant analysis of their performance. The objective of gathering practical data and understanding how and what motivates the average theatre donor, will determine future donor recognition approaches that can be implemented within the Theatre Arts Department. Additionally, the results of this study will inform the implementation of a donor wall for the CSULB Theatre Arts Department

The following report is on the point of view, conceptualization, and evolution in its final execution of the lighting design by Elisheva S. Siegel for California State University, Long Beach Theatre Department?s 2015 University Player?s production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis. It is submitted in partial fulfillment for completion of the Master of Fine Arts degree in Lighting Design. I believe that the core of this story is about challenging what we know is to be true. Furthermore, to physicalize the break down of these philosophical walls throughout the court proceedings against Judas Iscariot, a grid of severe lighting angles was employed. This grid evolved from extreme isolation to a blur as these black and white lines of moral principles becomes grey. Other visual metaphors include personifying Judas? despair, a contrasting atmosphere for the Past, and propelling into another dimension during Pilate?s testimony.

This thesis argues the importance of mining the student's faith and strengthening the student’s creative individuality or uniqueness in actor training. I will argue that allying the pedagogy of past master teachers Konstantin Stanislavsky and Yevgeny Vakhtangov with the development of “faith”, in the secular understanding of the word set forth in this paper, will aid actors in implementing a strong technique. The first chapter of this thesis focuses on the broad concepts of faith, both religious and secular, in order to establish the necessary vocabulary for my argument. The second chapter presents the theories of Konstantin Stanislavsky and Yevgeny Vakhtangov, in particular the examination of justification, crossing the threshold, and creative individuality, to advocate for faith as a powerful tool in actor training. The third chapter demonstrates how three projects completed as part of my graduate actor training at California State University Long Beach, which facilitated actor development and created opportunity for the students, reinforced my conviction that teaching faith in action and creative individuality is both useful in the training of young actors—and urgent. The conclusion of this paper argues for the design of practical curriculum that deals with acting as a spiritual vocation in theatre departments throughout the United States.

This thesis explores the application of Augusto Boal’s exercises as a basis for an Introduction to Acting class, wherein students are required to move outside of their comfort zones in order to change their perceptions of themselves and of the world around them. I will demonstrate that Boal’s Games for Actors and Non-Actors effectively challenges students’ boundaries in a fun and engaging way, thereby preparing them for the task of performing. Through his techniques, students find it easier to socialize, overcome shyness, and acquire the courage that is required to act.

Chapter 1 charts my introduction to Boal and the decision to explore his exercises as a basis for a non-major acting course. By describing what I deem necessary and strive to achieve in such a class, I explain the goals that I hope to accomplish each time I teach.

Chapter 2 outlines Boal’s philosophies and his agenda for challenging social injustice. I will focus specifically on his Theatre of the Oppressed and Forum Theatre using the notion of the “Actor and Spect-actor”.

Chapter 3 details my own in-class application of Boal. In each instance of interactions with students, I compare the projected outcome versus the actual results, thereby evaluating the ii exercises’ success or failure. I discuss my students’ reactions to the exercises through collected written data.

Chapter 4 reflects on using Boal’s exercises in the future. This includes the changes I would make in the presentation and set-up of the exercises, effective adjustments, and discussing his work as being appropriate for a beginner’s class.

This thesis explores the ways in which the fields of neurobiology and cognitive science impact concepts of performer processes, and how the findings of this research can help actors and actor trainers to examine assumptions that inform how they frame and describe performer practices. Cognitive science research provides a precise understanding of the embodied processes of “self”, “consciousness”, “emotion” and “perceiving”, and I argue that it is productive to interrogate these terms as they pertain to descriptions of the actor’s practice and performer training.

In this thesis I describe the relevance of cognitive science findings to theatre with respect to concepts commonly advanced in actor training in the United States, namely the “self,” “truth,” and “authentic.” I offer a reconsideration of these concepts through a cognitive science lens that opens up possibilities for emerging dramatic and performance paradigms. I then propose the development of a “corporeal intelligence,” that enables an actor to propose gestures, movement, vocal strategies, and action

The MFA Acting and Performance Pedagogy program at CSULB has inspired me to investigate non-psychological based acting techniques. These newfound techniques, coupled with my classical singing background, led me to discover how to perform with joy and ease. Sanford Meisner acting technique exercises effectively redirected my attention away from myself and onto my scene partner in singing and acting. In performance and teaching, I am able to utilize the Meisner technique to uncover what inhibits the actor’s attention and subsequently redirect their focus to the present moment. Declan Donnellan’s The Actor and the Target and Timothy Gallwey’s The Inner Game of Tennis, provide strategies to free the actor from inhibiting factors that prevent him/her from behaving naturally under imaginary circumstances. The use of all these concepts both in practice and performance allows actors to redirect their attention onto the imaginary circumstances and discover true freedom and joy in performance.

Acting students enrolled in theatre training programs often receive excellent instruction in voice, movement, and acting techniques respectively; however, there are few opportunities, in most of these programs, to incorporate these skills into one integrated class prior to graduation. This Project Report proposes the creation, development, and implementation of such a Capstone Integration Course. The curriculum of this proposed course relies on the author’s cumulative experience of several decades in the acting profession, primarily the following four pillars: (1) early training at the Juilliard School of Drama, (2) experiences teaching undergraduates in the California State University system, (3) a lifetime of study in the art of acting in professional conservatories and under master teachers, and (4) private coaching of professional actors in the field of theatre and film. This report claims that the proposed course fulfills a vital need in the education of student-actors, by preparing them for sustained and successful careers as professional actors.

Capturing institutional memory is a challenge that organizations face in data-driven and digital workplaces. In this project, a system was built to capture institutional memory in the workflow of marketing tasks for the Carpenter Performing Arts Center. The project consisted of three phases of capturing institutional memory: phase one, organizing the marketing shared drive for the Carpenter Performing Arts Center intranet; phase two, creating a database for year-over-year marketing information; and phase three, building a dashboard and series of reports using data captured from the shared drive and database.

The project was completed using Microsoft Access database tools and Microsoft Excel due to constraints of the project. This report provides a reflection on the decision-making process throughout the project. The result is a system for capturing institutional memory and streamlining workflow processes for greater efficiently in the organization.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience impairment in social cognition, which contributes to a variety of challenges for individuals with ASD, including elevated risks of loneliness, depression and anxiety. For this reason, various interventions have been developed to improve social ability in ASD populations. However, many existing interventions lack strong research support, or are inaccessible to many individuals with ASD due to high financial cost. Therefore, a need exists for affordable, effective psychosocial interventions for ASD that are widely accessible. One potential intervention is improvisational theater training (improv). Improv training for youth and young adults with ASD is already provided at multiple theaters across the US, and the current study collected information on one such program, measuring change in participant ratings of social ability, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and growth mindset as a result of participation. Participants reported a significant reduction in their perceptions of nervousness and being left out after completing the improv theater training, suggesting that improv theater decreases nervousness and feelings of exclusion among individuals with ASD. Participants also reported a significant increase in their perception of lacking companionship, suggesting that improv theater increases participant desire for companionship among individuals with ASD. Reliable Change Index analysis suggests that younger participants, male participants, and participants with greater social impairment were more likely to evidence reliable change as a result of improv theater training. Finally, positive correlations were found between social impairment and ratings of depression and loneliness and negative correlations were found between growth mindset and ratings of depression and loneliness. These findings provide preliminary evidence that suggests improvisational theater may be an effective intervention for reducing anxiety and nervousness among individuals with ASD.

Non-profit theater companies around the United States struggle to attract younger audience members, which becomes a bigger problem with each passing year as their current consumer base is dying from old age. This paper discusses using nostalgia as a method of attracting the millennial generation to attend the theater. The paper first analyzes the middle class millennial and the reasons that they choose to not attend the theater. The paper continues by defining nostalgia, its history, and its effects on the individual and on consumer behavior. The paper lists examples in other forms of entertainment that compete with theater and in retail that have used strategies with nostalgia that have proven to be successful with the millennial generation. The paper ends by observing how nostalgia has been successful in theater and provides tactics and strategies for theater companies as possible solutions to the lack of younger audience members.

This thesis examines the relationship between Giuseppe Verdi and the Paris Opera and the stage works that Verdi composed or reworked as a result of this business venture. Between 1847 and 1867, Verdi accepted four formal commissions for Paris: Jerusalem (1847), Les vêpres siciliennes (1855), Le trouvère (1857) and Don Carlos (1867). After a brief introduction discussing Verdi's career before Paris, each commission is discussed in detail from the genesis of the work through its premiere, and the eventual outcome of each opera. This study also evaluates the benefit of this collaboration to Verdi's international career given the requirements and time expended to produce each commission. It explores Verdi's adaptation to cultural differences, his handling of foreign business affairs, and his personal feelings toward French society. Much of the source material is drawn from Verdi's own writings and correspondence, as well as the writings of several Verdi scholars.

This paper reviews current and historical opera marketing practices and analyzes the marketing mix (product, place, promotion, price, and people) of major opera companies in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to determine methods to attract and build sustainable, less homogenous audiences. Surveys were conducted to determine public perceptions about the art form from both opera-goers and non-opera buyers and interviews with leaders within the field of opera marketing revealed current trends. The paper provides insights about changes within the field in recent years and offers suggestions for improvement based on the success of other opera companies and other artistic organizations.

This thesis, presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration/Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Management, investigates the business models used by performing arts festivals known as "fringe festivals." In the United States, there are three basic fringe festival models: the open access or Edinburgh model, the limited access model, and the adjudicated model. Interviews with artists who participated in fringes as producers reveal that the model impacts the participant experience less than the degree of scaffolding the fringe offers and the degree to which the fringe constrains producing choices. This thesis suggests a fringe festival framework, classifying fringes by degree of scaffolding and constraint, which can be used by producers to identify festival settings that will be the best fit for their needs. The framework can also be used by fringe festival organizers as a tool for self-reflection and festival assessment.

There are currently ten available works by Antonino Pasculli (1842-1924) for solo oboe or English horn and accompaniment inspired by themes from nineteenth-century operas by Bellini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer, and Verdi. These pieces are so virtuosic that Pasculli has been dubbed the “Paganini of the Oboe.” The technical demands can be so high that performers can neglect to approach artistic and scholarly interpretation of his lyrical passages. Some editions of his music list the referenced act and scene number from the original source. No existing editions include complete text from the original vocal excerpts or the context from the plots of each respective opera. This volume contains the complete text of the vocal excerpts Pasculli uses, insights from the dramatic plot context, and advice to performers on how to apply such information to an instrumental performance.

It?s Something About the Shoes: A Creative Thesis through Practice is an in depth, project-based study that follows the development and implementation of an intercultural and interdisciplinary collaboration. This paper illustrates how the Practice-led Research paradigm, when coupled with the Expressive Arts, can promote empowerment and transformation for all participants including audience members. Artistic practices and rehearsals realized through performance and analyzed through constant participant reflection constitute the research data. It?s Something About the Shoes is composed of a live performance installation that includes multimedia video sculptures, still images, and pre-recorded sound, all designed around the living exchange between a contemporary tap dancer and the indigenous Danza CAAS dancers. The inquiry lies in the dance shoes. What is it about these shoes that allows the dancers to connect and communicate? How can two very different dance genres and ontological cultures exist simultaneously within a space? What does a show about a tap dancer and traditional Sonajera dancers look like; how will the different cultures interact in this space? Will the common thread of percussive dance transcend cultural and language barriers or will the resulting rhythmic dialogue be too oblique for the dancers and audience to follow? In order to understand the foundational context in which this work is created, a Literature Review is provided that: defines Practice-led Research and the methods to be used in this study, acknowledges a brief historical review of tap dancing with particular emphasis placed on Hispanic and Native influences, and a metaphysical examination of the ecological intersection of performance, place and space. The literature is divided up into complete subsections or articles so that readers may access particular areas of interest with ease. Individual subsections of the Literature Review are composed of review, analysis, and application of literature sources complete with separate bibliographies for quick reference. All Reference Lists are also compiled into a complete Works Cited at the end of the thesis document. Methods used to address inquiries and provide structure to the Practice-led model include: Performance Research, Ethnodrama, and Socio-Narratology. Coupled with these ideologies are Organic Inquiry, Emergent Design Theory, and Collaborative Theory, which act as lenses through which the collaborative process and organizational development of the thesis may be viewed clearly and precisely. Together these methods are used to create the content of a performance. Utilizing interviews with co-participants, surveys, constant reflection, and video documentation, these inspirations are organized as a creative thesis. The findings are composed of raw audience data collected through surveys gathered before and after the performances. This, combined with personal reflections of the artist participants illustrate the type of knowing that is revealed through artistic practice and inquiry. The project convener provides the final synthesis and interpretation of data through a reflective narrative.

For the purposes of this thesis, I begin with an overview of theatre for social change in the introduction and then focus on the literature review as a way to introduce authors, ideas, theory and knowledge as background for the reader. This includes anecdotal accounts, reasoning for research and methodologies for carrying out research. I look at feminist theory, community-based theatre, education for liberation and decolonizing knowledge as a basis for my continuing ideas and theories. My emphasis is how to use expressive arts theatre as a way to connect people through dialogue in communities. One of the many ways is implementing curriculum through public school venues. I use theatre techniques that have been used successfully in a variety of global communities that help aide in focusing on certain issues a community is experiencing. I conducted a Women's Theatre Workshop that consisted of an intergenerational community of women whom embarked on a journey engaging in profound material exploring issues that women face. We found that this work was powerful in a variety of ways for them, some highlighting emotional abuse, oppression and double standards as well as theatre being a tool for non-traditional therapeutic use.

Keywords: praxis, theatre, education, freedom, decolonizing, feminist, theatre for social change

Actors create blocks based in fear, over-intellectualization of acting concepts, and the limiting assumptions they often make from any given theatrical text. Mask work can release the actor out of fear and into a non-intellectualized flow of freedom, expressivity and character transformation. Exploration with the various pedagogies and styles of Mask work can open doors for the actor that other contemporary training methods cannot, and therefore should be considered an essential component of the actor's training process.

The female musical theater belt voice has been heard onstage for almost one hundred years, yet the demands for this type of singing continue to evolve. While the style dominates Broadway, an understanding of successful teaching of the female belt voice seems to be lacking. Therefore, this study was undertaken to appropriately address the needs of female musical theater singers, and to establish effective strategies for teaching the female belt voice.

Individual case studies of four nationally recognized master teachers of female belting were created from observations in the studio, interviews with the teachers, and interviews with their students. Thirty-two hours of private voice lessons were observed with 18 female belt students in the studios of these master teachers in an effort to determine the extent to which they employed common techniques in the pedagogy and agreed on the characteristics of the female belt voice. Interview responses and field notes from the teachers and singers were analyzed individually and a cross-comparison of the data was analyzed for consensus or conflicting information on female musical theater belt pedagogy.

Interestingly, there was much consensus among the teachers on the physicality, sound, and strategies for female belting. Included in the findings were that the female belt voice is not a pure chest voice production, and development of the entire voice is key since working in head voice allows a female to create a lighter belt sound and to make the transition into the higher belt range. Distinct techniques for the traditional and contemporary belt voices emerged. The traditional belt, up to D5, uses more chest voice and full, open vowels. The contemporary belt, higher than D5, is produced with more head voice and closed, narrow vowels. Belting is considered speech-like and exciting, and is a joint process between teachers and students.

Based on this research, voice teachers working with musical theater students must be educated and proficient on the specific strategies and techniques of the evolving female belt voice. The female belt voice, though different from classical singing, does have its own set of techniques.

In Taiwan’s experimental theatre, the “Grotowski phenomenon” is too prominent to be ignored. The “Grotowski method,” as it is called in Taiwan, has nurtured a generation of experimental theatre workers ever since the mid-1980s. In this dissertation I will investigate the entire picture of how the Grotowski-to-Taiwan transmission began. This investigation begins with the American encounter between the Polish exile and two Taiwanese overseas students in the Objective Drama Program at U.C. Irvine in 1985 – and what subsequently developed from that encounter in the context of Taiwan’s Little Theatre Movement and New Age Movement. Their encounter is not simply a manifestation of Western cultural hegemony. Grotowski’s physical training fills a cultural need in Taiwan, a place in which the grand narrative of the Great China ideology was dissolving and liberation of both language and body was beginning in earnest. Taiwan’s liberal religious and spiritual environment gave Grotowski’s post-theatrical work, particularly the “inner aspect” of his work, a promised land full of fertile ground. And it was upon this fertile ground that the seeds of Grotowski’s ideas fell, with time took root, grew vigorously and finally bloomed in a way that Grotowski could never have imagined.