Browsing by Subject "Theater"
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Item A dramaturg's role(Texas Tech University, 1997-05) Norberg, TerraDramaturgy can be a frightening concept if not given the proper time and respect required for successful development. Dramaturgs take research and communication skills, and aspects of the theatre as fundamental as performance, and meld them into the process of production. A complete understanding of the field of dramaturgy combined with the talents of design, direction, and performance can produce excellent theatrics; however, the dramaturg must not be afraid to break down the walls that commonly are built between the areas of academia and performance. As a new dramaturg, I faced a limitless arena in which to begin the development of dramaturgy at the Texas Tech University Theatre, and through careful situational analysis, I came to solid conclusions about my work. My main objective in this paper is to determine the relevance and the place of a dramaturg at Texas Tech University Theatre. To do so, I must first explain the dramaturg's historical and modern presence in theatre, and then discuss the successes and failures of my experiences as a dramaturg on the Fall, 1996 Texas Tech production of Cabaret.Item A marketing model for the Texas Tech University Department of Theatre and Dance graduate program: a professional problem(Texas Tech University, 1997-05) Thompson, Joe BillMore and more colleges and universities annually compete for a decreasing market of students. Current population trends indicate that the traditional undergraduate market made up of eighteen-to twenty-two-year-old students will continue to shrink as the nation moves into the twenty-first century. As the nations' working adults' career needs change, colleges and universities must develop new programs that will satisfy the needs and wants of the new market and they must also promote those new programs. Institutions of higher education are confronted with questions concerning the justification for and the quality of their academic programs. In times of fiscal difficulty, legislators, board of regents, and administrators focus their attention on what they perceive as the less important programs. Many times, the arts are viewed as expendable. If an educational theatre program is to survive and succeed into the twentyfirst century, educational theatre must begin to look at students as individual customers, not faceless enrollment statistics. Each program must determine who the real customer is and learn how to satisfy their wants, needs, and concerns. Developing a marketing model is a positive step in identifying the real customer of educational theatre programs and their wants, needs, and desires. Research can provide a backbone for developing a productive marketing model. The research gathered can enable programs to make valuedriven decisions and to distinguish themselves from the competition. Higher education marketing is about communication. If educational theatre programs are to survive and excel, it will be necessary that an educational theatre program identify its primary and secondary markets and develop a system to communicate with each. In addition, the system must possess the capacity to identify the program's market position in relationship to its competitors. A marketing methodology can assist theatre arts programs in analyzing and evaluating their student recruitment program. A marketing methodology can identify the theatre arts program's market position, potential target market, competition, student's wants and needs, and the graduate students' perceptions of the program. A marketing methodology can provide accurate information for the development of a marketing strategy.Item Acting for the camera made simple: A pedagogical methodology for acting for the camera based on a model of interpersonal communication(2012-08) Valentine, Anthony; Bush, James B.; Donahue, Linda L.; Gelber, Bill; Whitney, Allison; Fried, EricIn this professional problem dissertation, this writer tests a pedagogical methodology for acting for the camera based on a common model of interpersonal communication. The experiment was tested using students at Texas Tech University with experimental group subjects enrolled in Introduction to Acting for the Camera (THA 3311) against a control group of students from Texas Tech of similar ages and experience with similar acting methodologies. These methodologies included those based on Uta Hagen, Konstantin Stanislavski, or similar methods.Item An experimental art theater(1958-05) Vaden, John P.Item Arnold Bennett and The Theatre(Texas Tech University, 1972-08) James, Lawrence BernardNot Available.Item Arvind(2014-05) Roberts, Evan (Film director); Raval, P. J. (Paul James)This report will summarize the process of developing, producing and finishing the short documentary film ARVIND. Shot on HD video in Austin, TX from May 2012 to March 2014, the film was produced as my Graduate Thesis Film in the Department of Radio-TV-Film at the University of Texas at Austin in partial fulfillment of my Master of Fine Arts in Film Production degree.Item Assembling place : Buenos Aires in cultural production (1920-1935)(2009-12) Poppe, Nicolas Matthew; Shumway, Nicolas; Bernucci, Leopoldo; Domínguez Ruvalcaba, Héctor; Pereiro Otero, José Manuel; Zonn, LeoIn works of cultural production, interpretations of the built, natural, and social environment engage a hierarchy of readings of place. Formed by a totality of interpretations—accepted/unaccepted, dominant/subordinate, normal/abnormal, and everything in between—this hierarchy of readings frames place as a social understanding. Interpretations of place, therefore, are social positionings: kinds of individual delineations of the meaning of place as a social understanding. Collectively, these social positionings compose and comprise our understanding of the meaning of a place. In this study, I examine the different ways in which the understanding of Buenos Aires as a place shapes and is shaped by the avant-garde urban criollismo of Jorge Luis Borges’ poetry of the 1920s, the five plays of Armando Discépolo’s dramatic genre of the grotesco criollo, Robert Arlt’s dark and portentous binary novel Los siete locos/ Los lanzallamas (1929/1931), and three early Argentine sound films [Tango! (Mogila Barth 1933), Los tres berretines (Equipo Lumiton 1933), and Riachuelo (Moglia Barth 1934)]. To get at the mechanisms that drive the interaction between these works of cultural production, which are social positionings, and the social understanding of Buenos Aires as a place, I draw from Manuel De Landa’s notions of assemblage theory and non-linear history. Wholes such as porteño society of the 1920s and 1930s are assemblages of an almost limitless number of parts whose functions within the greater entity are not always clear. Place, therefore, is an assemblage whose meaning is made up of indeterminable interpretations of space. It is also a non-linear social understanding in that its meaning is irreducible to its components (i.e. social positionings). The mutual interactions and feedback within assemblages such as Buenos Aires are indicative of how meaning is ever changing through processes of destratification, restratification, and stratification in its components, including Borges’ early poetry, Discépolo’s grotesco criollo, Arlt’s Los siete locos/ Los lanzallamas, and the films Tango!, Los tres berretines, and Riachuelo.Item Bourbon reform and buen gusto at Mexico City's Royal Theater(2011-05) Zakaib, Susan Blue; Deans-Smith, Susan, 1953-; Twinam, AnnDuring the late eighteenth century, as part of a broader reform initiative commonly referred to as the “Bourbon reforms,” royal officials attempted to transform theatrical productions at Mexico City’s Real Coliseo (Royal Theater). Influenced by new intellectual trends in Spain, especially the neoclassical movement, reformers hoped that theater could serve as a school of virtue, rationality and good citizenship. This essay analyzes the theatrical reform effort, traces its foundations from sixteenth-century Spain to eighteenth-century Mexico, and seeks to explain why the initiative failed to transform either the Coliseo’s shows or its audience’s artistic predilections. It argues that the initiative was unsuccessful for three primary reasons. First, reformers did not have the power to compel impresarios and actors to obey their new regulations, and economic constraints sometimes forced officials to bend their strict aesthetic standards to appease the audience's largely baroque predilections. Second, Mexico City’s diverse and thriving public sphere made imposing a new popular culture profoundly difficult, especially given that reformers’ one-dimensional vision of neoclassicism failed to account for the variety and debate within this movement. Consequently, the theater added fuel to public debate over the definition of buen gusto (good taste), rather than merely instructing passive citizens as reformers had hoped. Finally, widespread public derision of the performing profession meant that many spectators did not take actors seriously as teachers of morality, taste and rationality. Actors’ reputation as immoral lowlifes, which derived in part from late-sixteenth century debates in Spain over morality and illusion in drama, complicated reformers' already difficult project of transforming the theater into a school of sociability and citizenship.Item Bridging theatre and visual art : the role of an applied theatre practitioner in a fine art museum(2011-05) Genshaft, Lindsay Michelle; Alrutz, Megan; Dawson, Kathryn; Garner, JenniferThis thesis document details the theoretical and practical implications of using theatrical techniques and drama-based instruction in the visual art museum setting. Presented are four diverse museum theatre programs created and implemented at The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin. These programs support the argument that drama-based instruction and theatrical techniques can help deepen and/or complicate the notion of visitor engagement in a visual art museum. The theoretical underpinnings of museum theatre are investigated by examining elements of applied theatre and museum learning and the progressive education theory which shapes their practice. The belief is put forth that creative participation in museum education is essential for personal and critical connection with visual art. Theatre is a dynamic and powerful tool to support this creative participation. Findings include recommendations for utilizing museum theatre programming implemented by an applied theatre practitioner as it promotes the use of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, engages the senses, and stimulates meaningful dialogue.Item Coordinating Skinner speech and Linklater voice for the beginning actor(Texas Tech University, 2003-05) Wygant, David LThe following study explores the possibility of coordinating and syncopating the actor training process of Kristin Linklater voice and Edith Skinner speech. Although each methodology is heavily used in many acting programs, there is very little cross over between the two disciplines and many students who excel at one of these two methods often struggles with the other. Also, the strengths of each training method address the shortfalls of the other technique. With this in mind, I hope to coordinate these two methodologies in an attempt to negate the weak aspects of each training process with the strong aspects of the other process. I believe such coordination will also assist students in learning both the Skinner speech technique and the Linklater voice technique more completely. The project has been written particularly focused on Texas Tech University, however the same principles could be applied to any liberal arts institution where students currently pursue a degree in acting.Item Crafting socially engaged theater(2011-05) Snyder, Benjamin E.; Zeder, Suzan; Dietz, Steven; Lynn, KirkIn this thesis I examine the craft goals and strategies I have employed in developing three socially engaged plays during my studies in the MFA Playwriting Program at The University of Texas at Austin. I am defining “socially engaged theater” as that which is written for the stage and explores a major social issue. Each play included examines a different issue. The play, You Ain’t Cuz You Not, explores the issue of gentrification, privilege, and poverty. The script is written in a non-linear, non-naturalistic style to meet both the craft needs and resonate most effectively with the issues. The play, Rivers of January, looks at racial construction and class divisions in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The play is structured in a conventional and linear format and is stylistically entirely a naturalistic drama to create the tone most effective for exploring the themes. The play, You Can’t Win, is a musical biography of the career criminal Jack Black and study of the prison industrial complex. Each script presented a unique set of craft challenges in the development process. The tone, genre, and structure of each piece were determined by both the needs of the particular story and the desired outcome of examining a particular topic of social relevance.Item Creating the conditions for inspiration : thoughts on positive, collaborative theatre making at the University of Texas at Austin(2011-05) Kays, Halena Starr; Douglas, Lucien; Kanoff, Scott; Dietz, StevenAn in depth reflection on my approach to directing theater, particularly the attitudes and exercises I utilize to foster a positive environment for actors and designers to do their best artistic work. This thesis sites specific examples from the productions I directed as a Master of Fine Arts student in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin.Item Defining Nazi film : the film press and the German cinematic project, 1933-1945(2012-05) Le Faucheur, Christelle Georgette; Crew, David F., 1946-; Hake, Sabine, 1956-This dissertation analyses the roles and functions of the German film press during the Third Reich and explores the changes and tensions that characterized German cinema and, by extension, German society during that time period. A close reading of three major publications -- a trade journal, Film-Kurier, a popular magazine, Filmwelt, and the regime's official publication, Der deutsche Film -- first challenges the traditional view of a monolithic, top down control by the Nazi regime. I show the extent and the limits of the regime's utilization of culture and media and demonstrate how different parties used the film press to pursue different, but not mutually exclusive goals. By delineating the film press as a more dynamic public forum than previously assumed, this study secondly informs us about the multifaceted uses and functions of the film publications, and about the changing relationships between the film industry and the regime, as well as the theater, the music, and the press industries. I combine a media specific approach--demonstrating the central role of film publications in articulating the contradictions within film culture--with an exploration of the media convergence in place at the time. I thus firmly position the film press at the nexus of politics, business, film professionals, and the audience, and uncover a lively, albeit restricted, discursive system, with theoretical and practical discussions about film, its achievements under the new regime, its weaknesses and the need for improvement. I focus on the three most discussed issues: the relationship between film and theater, between film and music, and, as a correlation of the two previous topics, the need to train a new generation of film professionals, the Nachwuchs. This dissertation thus traces an important moment in German film history characterized by sustained debates about political, technical, aesthetic, and social aspects of film. More importantly, it uses the film press as a mirror to some of the tensions that characterized German society along several divides such as the masses and the elite, the past and the present, as well as the contradictions in its treatment and representation of gender and sexuality.Item The distance of intimacy : an exploration of love and loss in two plays(2011-05) Kennedy, Meghan Elizabeth; Zeder, Suzan; Dietz, Steven; Lynn, KirkThe following thesis is an exploration of the themes of love and loss, and an examination of the concept of distance as a form of intimacy in my plays, Yours and Too much, too much, too many.Item El teatro religioso popular en Nuevo Mexico: desarrollo y categorias(Texas Tech University, 1996-12) Guerra, EloyEl teatro, en sentido general, tiene una función doble: instruir y divertir. Al instruir, comunica mensajes sociales y sugiere posibles soluciones a los problemas que afectan a la sociedad. Al instruir, llega a la mente de les individuos y los convierte o convence respecte a determinadas ideas o acciones. Les diferentes tipos de teatro, como Agit-Prop o el Teatro Campesino per citar algunos, cumplen con les propósitos mencionados. El teatro religioso, históricamente, el más antiguo, o primer tipo de teatro en aparecer, tiene también les mismos dos propósitos o funciones: instruir y divertir.Item Feminist performance pedagogy : theatre for youth and social justice(2013-05) Freeman, Emily Rachael; Alrutz, MeganThis thesis describes the use of feminist performance pedagogy in working toward a Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) practice that engages youth in social justice. Drawing on feminist and pedagogical theories, this document explores the processes of writing, rehearsing, and touring a new social justice play for youth called 'And Then Came Tango.' The qualitative study outlined in this MFA thesis uses feminist research methodologies to analyze the engagement of the playwright, the artistic team working on the production of 'And Then Came Tango,' and the second and third grade audiences that participated in the touring production and post-show workshops. The author weaves personal story throughout the document in order to create new meaning around the research experiences as well as to illustrate the personal dimensions of engaging in the struggle around LGBTQ injustice. The discussion invites future artists, educators, and activists to imagine how theory, aesthetics, artists, and communities collaborate in order to work toward socially just and interactive TYA.Item "Hazme un guagüis" : the politics of relajo, humor, gender and sexuality in teatro de revista, teatro de carpa, and cabaret político in Mexico City(2016-05) Sotelo-Miller, Sandra Edith; Domínguez-Ruvalcaba, Héctor, 1962-; Borge, Jason; Gutiérrez, Laura G.; Lindstrom, Naomi; Moore, LorraineThis dissertation focuses on how teatro de revista, teatro de carpa, and later cabaret político provide an outlet where humor and the politics of class, gender, and sexuality intersect, creating powerful, cultural sites of resistance in past and present day Mexico. More specifically, this study argues that teatro de revista and teatro de carpa, two theater genres developed in the first three decades of the twentieth century in Mexico City, created the foundation and tools for political and social criticism which were later appropriated and redefined by political cabaret theater artists in the 1980s and 1990s. Through close-readings and analysis of various performances and the work of Tito Vasconcelos and Jesusa Rodriguez, this study explores a festive dissidence that emerged in Mexico City where the stage became a space in which collective spheres of irreverence and criticism were and continue to be created. By exploring the performance styles and tools developed in these theatrical genres a window is opened into the critical nature of frivolous theater that has also opened avenues for resistance and defiance through irreverence. In a country where political criticism has often been violently punished, especially during periods of political and social crisis, critical sites like those created in teatro de revista, teatro de carpa, and political cabaret theater play a key role in building collective spaces of dissidence.Item Hearing voices in the dark : deploying Black sonicity as a strategy in dramatic performance(2012-05) McQuirter, Marcus Emil; Jones, Omi Osun Joni L., 1955-; Jones,, Meta DuEwa; Gerald, Stephen; Christian, Pamela; Bonin, PaulDespite the apparent hegemony of vision in racial categorization, historically vocality has borne the brunt of as much racial presumption as physical appearance. This project explores ideas about Blackness, and how the voice in performance engenders conversations on racial authenticity within the United States. Broadly, the work examines how “sounding Black” functions within dramatic performance, and how wider concerns of racial identity adhere to a performer’s vocal choices. The contextualization of racialized sound presented in this project begins with an historical overview of how a “Blackness of tongue” has been framed in U.S. theatrical performance from the early 1800s through the 1960s. It then addresses the dynamics of voice and racial authenticity through two performance case studies: August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson and Adrienne Kennedy’s Funnyhouse of a Negro. These cases will be used to explore how issues of racial authenticity thrive in the space between vocal sound production and perception. As case studies based on specific productions of these two plays, text, directorial choices, and the vocal characteristics of the actors themselves occupy equal space at the center of each analysis. At a deeper level, this research seeks an understanding of the cultural assumptions that support the idea of a uniquely Black vocal sound, and what that sound purchases within American societies. In addressing both the phonological and the interpretive qualities of these performances, the central research concerns of this project attempt to pinpoint with more accuracy how voice, fore-grounded in performance, triggers different sets of assumptions that have been commonly identified as a significant component of BlacknessItem The impact of participation in school-based performing arts(2012-05) Richards, Rachel Elizabeth; Rochlen, Aaron B.; Moore, LeslieThe current report reviews the literature on school-based performing arts and its impact on students’ academic and social lives. As a result of our nation’s current economic downturn, many school districts are facing difficult decisions of which school-based programs to continue or cut. The benefits and challenges of keeping school-based performing arts programs are explored. According to the literature, students may profit socially, emotionally, and academically from participating in music, theater, and dance. Additionally, research has found that school-based performing arts have the greatest impact on students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite the many benefits of participation in the performing arts, the reality of our nation’s current situation is explored and suggestions are provided regarding how to maintain the performing arts while adhering to a limited budget. Finally, this report outlines several suggestions for future research.Item Intersections of theatre, activism, and born-again Christianity: American evangelical theatre from 1974 to 2004(2012-05) Wood, Steven W.; Chansky, Dorothy; Bert, Norman A.; Gelber, William F.; Fried, Eric; Fuentes, TinaAlthough there have been many studies about American evangelical politics and the influence of born-again Christianity in popular culture, few scholars have given attention to evangelical theatre. My studies examines four aspects of evangelical theatre: evangelical publishing houses and theatre networking conferences; theatre programs in religious higher education; the megachurch seeker service dramas of Willow Creek Community Church; and the Jesus monodramas of Tom Key, Max McLean, and Curt Cloninger. Together, these four case studies explore how evangelicals forged their theatre interests, performed their religious dramas, and used drama to speak to the larger evangelical community.
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