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Abstract The Fourth Level of Theatrical Awareness By Greg Scurria, MFA A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Pedagogy Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010 Major Director: Dr. Noreen C. Barnes, Director of Graduate Studies, Theatre Department This text is a partial record and narrative of the production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men that opened on May 1st 2009 for a three day run ending May 3rd 2009 and Shel, a collection of Shel Silverstein short plays and poems, which opened on September 18th for a three day run that ended September 20th. It also covers the work done by a small group on Yazmina Reza’s The God of Carnage during the Spring of 2010. The text details the creative process of the two productions while also examining two hypotheses that grew out of that work. It will examine the heightened sense of ownership experienced while working on Of Mice and Men and the subsequent unsuccessful attempt to recreate that atmosphere during Shel. The other hypothesis involves the discovery of the fourth level of theatrical awareness and how it can be used to help actors. The fourth level of theatrical awareness exists outside of the traditional character based exploration of text. Students who examine the text using the fourth level attempt to view the play in its entirety without character bias. Actors using the fourth level look at shape, major themes of the play, and spatial awareness in order to analyze the play using a directorial eye. The possible applications of this work will be discusses as well as concerns about its use. The attempts to apply this fourth level of theatrical awareness in Shel will be discussed, as well as the attempts to find practical applications for the fourth level while working with The God of Carnage. Finally, this paper will outline a plan for implementing the fourth level of theatrical awareness in a production and highlight other areas of exploration involving dramaturgical investigation. As a whole, it will trace the growth and transformation of these ideas and plot a plan to continue expanding on them in the future.

Styling the Sound: Vocal Coaching The Big Knife explores the journey from research, to rehearsal and finally concludes with a post-production evaluation of the Theatre VCU production of Clifford Odets’s The Big Knife, directed by Tawnya Pettiford-Wates. In Chapter 1 I discuss the process I went through in preparing myself, the director and actors for the demands of the production. This section of the thesis focuses on the research aspect of the work I did. Chapter 2 focuses on the auditions for the show, first read-through and rehearsal process. Also, the one-on-one time spent with actors is also analyzed in this chapter. Finally, I discuss the evolution of the show during public performance and how I felt as the show drew to a close.

ABSTRACT AN EXAMINATION OF METHODOLOGY IN COMMUNITY STUDIES By Lisa Vaughan Jordan, M.A. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010. Major Director: Dr. John Kneebone, Associate Professor – Department of History This thesis examines correspondence between a mother, Alma Irene Vaughan and her son, Ammon Cliborne Vaughan from Darvills, Virginia, in the rural Southside area of the state, written during 1965-1967 when the son was stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in the Army. In addition to presenting a background of rural southern history and insights gained through the study of these letters, the thesis also includes a historically edited transcription of the letters, as well as those of other members of the community and/or family. It also includes oral history interviews with surviving participants and those connected to this period through the correspondents. The first chapter presents a broad historical background of the rural South as it relates to this community and the lives of these individuals. The second chapter examines the process of historical editing, including history, practice and methods involved in the editorial process. It also includes the editorial method of the process of editing the letters in detail. The third chapter discusses the research methodology involved in the oral history component, including validity, methods of analysis, and presentation of data. The fourth chapter contains selected transcriptions of both the letters and interviews, providing annotations as footnotes. Chapter five concludes with an analysis of insights gained through the study of the Vaughan letters relating to rural southern history and the process of documentary editing.

The SayLove Project is an account of the process of developing and producing an original collaborative work, as well as a script that has been compiled and developed over the past. This is a LGBT based project and script.

This thesis is a look at the evolutionary journey of applying dramatic pedagogy in a foreign land. It does not by any means specifically pertain to theatrical elements, but everything herein is a direct reflection on the training I received as a theatre practitioner. The last four years have also molded and defined what it means to be an American theatre student living, experiencing, and working in a land that is in many senses in infancy as a nation.

The purpose of this thesis is to document my process for a costume design of The Skriker by Caryl Churchill. Included is the design account confronted in telling the story, analyzing the script, developing concepts and looks, and final rendering of the characters. The paper finishes with a reflection on how the design served the script and my conclusions on its success.

Abstract A Gaze into the Personal Aesthetics and Accomplishments of Three Sons of the Silver Age of Russia By Karl Green 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 Director: Dr. Noreen C. Barnes Professor, Director of Graduate Studies School of the Arts For each of us, I wonder how much our geographic location and time of existence affects us as humans: the way we think, respond, grow, and live our daily lives. More importantly, I question how our environment dictates who we are as people, the way that we choose to represent ourselves. How many of us are making conscious decisions about the way that we style our hair, dress our bodies, inflect our voices, and structure our walk - our personal aesthetic. What is the value in having a strong personal aesthetic, and does it have interest to the society in which we inhabit beyond our own personal vessels? Are we successful because of who we are, or because of what we do, or can we separate these two things? Do we choose to be gay or straight, or is it a choice, and how does society judge our gender during any particular time in history or location? Can a person flourish because of or in spite of his or her degree of masculinity or femininity? Do we choose to represent ourselves by announcing our sexual identity, or do we choose to blend into society? How much does the way we look and think about xiii who we are affect what we are able to achieve in our lifetime? If time travel exists, would an artist of notable talent have the same voice or dominance in a different culture, decade, or millennium? Could it be that in 2009, Russian artists like Nicolas Evreinov, Sergei Diaghilev, and Mikhail Kuzmin, not be successful in their professions and remain anonymous? Personally, would I have survived the Silver Age of Russia? Within a play, the characters or actors tell the story, but are the only characters people? The place and the time are also characters because they have life, emotion, style, and aesthetic: all of the traits that we as humans have. The Silver Age of Russia is such a character. This time in history is rich, diverse, and extremely controversial. Even the actual dates have even been disputed, yet lie within a small variance among scholars writing about this era. During this time, there existed huge variance in wealth and poverty, joy and grief, creativity and complacency. There was a great deal of unrest and uncertainty. Many committed suicide, whereas others flourished because they felt free to explore what was possible, to be whoever they wanted to be on any given day, to present personas that may or may not have been true depictions of who they were, to change or present to society a personal aesthetic in order to mask the atrocities of the day. Having nothing to lose can bring about total freedom of exploration. Today in 2009, we are also living in similar conditions throughout the world, but the one issue that separates Russia during the Silver Age and today is that this was a time where artists were revered and were important to society because the arts represented salvation, light, and diversion from what was happening. Although the Silver Age of Russia housed a multitude of gifted artists in all fields, I will focus on three of these „characters,? each of whom were known for their personal aesthetics and even after their passing, continue to contribute to the „World of Arts.? The arts during this time xiv owed much of its success to Sergei Diaghilev who created and supported a group of artists who would influence not only the performing and visual arts, but the literary arts. Diaghilev was not perceived as an „artist,? but an impresario. Nicolas Evreinov had a style that was all his own, and his talents were as diverse as humanly possible. Mikhail Kuzmin is known to be the first openly gay Russian writer of significance. Kuzmin was an extremely prolific writer and the effects that his personal journals had on his circle of friends and lovers were life - altering. „Gay? was not a term used in Russia in 1905, but by today?s language, Diaghilev and Kuzmin were of this persuasion, yet one can only speculate Evreinov?s true sexual desires and practices. Kuzmin gives credit to Diaghilev for his notoriety and had short working relationships with Evreinov; therefore, these three men were connected and would go in and out of each other?s lives throughout their careers. All three of these men were multi-talented, individualistic, and brilliant: always creating, always working, and always supporting art. Each of them, made important contributions, although Kuzmin and Evreinov remain obscure outside of scholarly circles. Each of these men had many traits in common such as their tireless passion for the arts and their personal representations on aesthetics. 1 Introduction

This thesis project presents a sample class session for the course, "The Human Condition: An Arts Perpective" (ARTH 361), which will be a part of the optional Medical Humanities minor for the pre-medicine students at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Dr. Margaret Lindauer, Associate Professor of Art History at VCU has directed the development of this course. She oversaw the creation of the preliminary syllabus, which includes readings and assignments relevant to the course. The Tour presented in this thesis project provides a model for planning other class sessions, some of which will be developed by Museum Studies graduate students, some of whom might not have previous experience facilitating gallery tours. I assert that tours such as the one proposed in this project provide pre-medicine students with the opportunity to practice observational skills outside of the clinical setting. In looking at art, pre-medicine students approach the act of observation from a different angle and discussion about art objects often have valuable insight about the medical profession they are entering into. This thesis report accordingly offers brief summaries of research studies that were consulted while the aforementioned tour was developed. It also includes the author's experiences working with a group of pre-nursing undergraduate student at VCU, and it includes a summary of the devloped tour as well as feedback provided by a VMFA Education Department staff member.