"Unsex Me Here…" is an examination of our bodies, what they mean in terms of gender and power, and why they mean what they do. Plucked from Lady Macbeth’s infamous soliloquy, the title suggests the stripping away of something essential that transforms. Sex is not the right word, but gender is. Often, these two are mistaken and interchanged. Myths that support our social structure exist at the intersection of sex and gender. In this production, I collaborated with Pete Guither of the Living Canvas to challenge notions of gender in different textual mediums (via the written text of Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" and the text of the body itself) ultimately moving towards a space in which greater body understanding and acceptance exists. Our goal was a theatrical event that was both artistically beautiful and transformational not only for the artists involved in the process of making the piece but the audience as well.

This thesis is an exploration of the novella The Malady of Death by Marguerite Duras and my subsequent production of this book. It covers Duras' history and influences in writing this book while at the same time gives an account of all my directorial attempts with this piece. With regards to Duras, the influence of the nouveau roman writers in the mid twentieth century and her relationship at the time of her writing Malady is discussed. For my part, I divulge my initial exposure to the piece, the previous attempts to stage the work, my latest attempt with extensive research, and finally providing self analysis with regards to this latest production. It is my hope that after reading this thesis the reader will immerse themselves into the world of Duras while at the same time rethink their approach to theater.

I have been overwhelmed by curiosity, a curiosity that is keeping my desire to make valid. I have an endless infatuation with growth and constructing. My aim is to juxtapose an academic and a "rudimentary" approach that will set up contradictions in which traditional woodworkers may find irreverence towards.

Fan fiction, the most popular creative outlet for fans, allows the amateur writer an opportunity to be published and receive immediate feedback from peers. As educators, we can learn from the fan communities as they participate in online activities, especially fan fiction. Students are more likely to embrace entertaining and creative assignments. And since much of the world is linked to the Internet in one way or another, we can allow students an opportunity to not only improve their writing skills, but also enhance their knowledge of the Internet and its capabilities. My study included online interviews with fan fiction writers and readers as well as the examination of fan fiction texts and websites. By exploring this relatively unknown genre of writing and reading, I believe teachers of composition can use fan fiction to their advantage by encouraging students to write creatively using subject matter that interests them in some way.

Societal structure has changed through the decades to reflect a contemporary interest in youth culture. The nuclear family, where generations lived under one roof no longer exists, leaving the elderly on the periphery of the family structure. Where once grandparents, parents and children all cohabitated, now the oldest family members are relegated to solitary retirement and aging alone. Studies have shown that "depression in the elderly is more likely to lead to suicide. Elderlywhite men are at greatest risk, with suicide rates in people ages 80 to 84 more than twice that of the general population. The National Institute of Mental Health considers depression in people age 65 and older to be a major public health problem." (http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/depression/elderly.asp)Providing social activity for seniors can increase their well being and by extension their physicalhealth. The Grace Street Senior Center was designed to accommodate a variety of social activities for the center's members as well as house the center's administration. The member areas range in function from the public, for example, a multi-function area for dance and aerobic classes to the private such as the reading area and music room. All the spaces within the scope of this project are designed with the comfort and well being of the users paramount.

A discussion of the important aspects informing my work, including, ideology, and feminism among other issues.

My work speaks to the processes of adaptation and assimilation, phenomena that explain the way in which we transform life experience and incorporate the effects of such experience into the daily workings of our psyche. To this extent my work is a self-analysis, an autobiographical reckoning, a non-verbal representation of collective experiences rendered in forms upon which images are spontaneously drawn or painted with fiber. The process of making art as a means of accessing creative instincts is a manifestation of the way in which I experience life. Adapting and assimilating to our human condition is an art, a form of survival that allows for self-expression as a technique of understanding, a way of translating beauty into collective consciousness, a means of transforming atrocity too enormous for words, an offer of conversation that transcends human reason, a sharing of imagination that embraces the past, the present and the future. As the world grows increasingly complex, our very existence is threatened by terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and socioeconomic confusion. A culture driven by consumerism responds to global competition for technology that races against the speed of light. Human misunderstanding is relegated to war, courts of law and bi-partisan politics. Adapting and assimilating life circumstances and experiences with a sensitivity to the interplay of intensely colorful fiber in my hands affects an optimistic and energetic reinterpretation of life's complexity. In a time of uncertainty, art is a reason for hope.

In questioning the very nature of a thing, at its most basic level, a new assessment can be made of what the thing in question truly is. When we ask ourselves, what is a weed, we begin to pull the word apart - to decrypt the word from the cultural baggage that has collected around it over the course of the history of language.The cultural connotations of 'weed' cling to it like barnacles, removing the word from its true value. We reevaluate meaning, chronicling all the possible constructions of a word, all the possible varieties, where it came from, what its uses are, etc. We can then begin to develop an aggregate meaning based on an inherently more textured meaning, nuanced and built to sustain an elaboration of new information within the word itself. Weeds may serve as a successful metaphor for humanities quest for value, but it should not be assumed - we must first plot a course before we set sail.

This thesis is written to detail the process and results of the theatre history class that I assisted in teaching during the fall semester of 2005. It details the process of formulating the class structure, how the class proceeded, my lecture process, and finally the responses that the students had to the class. The first chapter of this paper goes into the process of getting the class formulated. When Shaun McCracken and I were asked to take over instruction of THEA 307 for the fall during Dr. Barnes' sabbatical, rather than exactly following the process that the class had previously taken, we decided to alter some of the elements of the class. We added in a response system for the reading that the students would be doing through the semester. In addition to this, we put together a course packet of readings from plays and other books and essays to supplement the main book we would be using, rather than have the students buy another expensive book for the course that they would not entirely use throughout the semester, indeed the rest of the year. For the second chapter, I go into the class itself, its environment, the physical shape of the class as it went on and the grading for the semester. Third in this thesis is a look at the lectures that I performed for my section of the class time, the rationale behind the section layout, and where some of the readings had their basis in my assignment. Finally, the paper looks at the responses that the students had to the class itself and any possible improvements that I could be made in future classes of this type.

I know it is my core, my purest nature to incessantly question myself and everything around me; as we pertain to the universe. As Robert Wilson suggests "I will always ask 'What is it?' before telling you what it is." My goal is to present you with some tools with which to approach your craft, your life, your uncertainties. And though I may not always be the best example, I still wish to encourage all that read this or spend time with me to see this craft/business and indeed your life as a great, happy adventure; guided by love. Because this will always lead to good and positive experiences, whatever path you find yourself on.In what I am doing now I am preparing to transition from a career in makeup into my next interest/phase/period with energy and excitement. Not disappointment, regret or rejection as I have seen over the years when this business is done with someone. And I think my timing is just about right, as I have done it while I am still in demand, while my phone is still ringing, while I am still at the top of my game, my craft.If this collection of thoughts is perceived a success or is widely read, discussed, or deliberated, because I have aimed it at, geared it toward or written it for success or sensationalism, then I have failed, and this amounts to little more than advertising or cheap unsatisfying tabloid television. But if this in any way grabs, challenges, informs, suspends you, makes you question or dream then like theatre when it is at its truest, most profound, rawest, absolutely undecorated, it serves its purpose: To move us forward to new debate, to new exploration of this/our condition.