Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan, 1938. / "Errata" : slip inserted. "Plays first performed or first published 1919-1935 which are based on some phase of German history 1803-1815" : p. 131-139. "General bibliography": p. 141-147.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The proliferation of Western actor training methods in the past century had mainly been derived from the groundbreaking research undertaken by Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and Constantin Stanislavski at the Moscow Art Theatre, as well as their students Michael Chekhov, Vsevolod Meyerhold and Evgeny Vakhtangov. Poor translations of their original Russian texts have however meant that many of the principles they discovered were compromised due to misinterpretations. Yet, the ‘system’ of Stanislavski, a veritable repository of these theories, served as a template for acting teachers ranging from former American Group Theatre members such as Stella Adler, Morris Carnovsky, Robert Lewis, Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg, and the Polish director Jerzy Grotowski, to formulate their own distinctive techniques. The result has been a challenge to traditional notions of actors as impersonators to a more holistic view of actor-performers; versatile, multi-skilled artists willing to reveal themselves through sincere disclosures to an audience, as the theatre poet Antonin Artaud advocated they should. Although this interrogation of the essential nature of the 2,600 year old art of Thespis was necessary, there is a danger that its core tenets may have been marginalised in the process, a setback which might further delay the formulation of its own science. This research was undertaken to identify the core principles of the actor’s art that distinguish it from the other performing arts, as well as to determine how these might best be conveyed to student actors in a contemporary context. Employing the ‘system’ as a guide, in particular its ‘work on oneself’ process, which refers to an actor’s personal training, as opposed to ‘work on a role’, which relates to characterisation and performance, the theories of the abovementioned practitioners were examined and compared to Stanislavski’s to ascertain if they contributed to the further evolution of the art. Once an integrated theory of training emerged it was then tested in praxis, working with different groups of students during a three year period. This thesis documents the findings of both the literary research, based on an analysis of texts related to actor training, and those derived from ‘real-world’ applications of these theories in an Higher Education environment. A key aim of the study was thus to determine whether a ‘work on oneself’ form of training could be offered in the formal education sector, despite its psychological implications, and how this might be approached in a ‘healthy’ manner. A selection of audio-video recordings done during the empirical investigation accompanies the thesis in order to substantiate its theory. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die verspreiding van opleidingsmetodes vir Westerste akteurs in die afgelope eeu het hoofsaaklik ontstaan uit die baanbrekers-navorsing van Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko en Constantin Stanislavski aan die Moskou Kunsteater, sowel as dié van hul studente Michael Tsjechov, Vsevolod Meyerhold en Evgeny Vakhtangov. Swak vertalings van die oorspronklike Russiese tekste beteken egter dat van die beginsels wat hulle ontdek het weens misverstande gekompromiteer is. Tog het die 'stelsel' van Stanislavski, as neerslag van hierdie teorieë, as 'n templaat vir toneelspelopleiders gedien wat wissel van voormalige lede van die Amerikaanse Groep Teater soos Stella Adler, Morris Carnovsky, Robert Lewis, Sanford Meisner en Lee Strasberg, sowel as die Poolse regisseur Jerzy Grotowski, om hul eie kenmerkende tegnieke te formuleer. Die gevolg was 'n uitdaging van tradisionele sienswyses van akteurs as nabootsers tot 'n meer holistiese sienswyse van akteurs as veelsydige, multi-bekwame kunstenaars wat gewillig is om hulself opreg te onthul voor 'n gehoor, soos die teater-digter Antonin Artaud voorgestel het hul moet. Alhoewel hierdie bevraagtekening van die essensiele aard van die 2,600 jaar oue kuns van Thespis nodig was, is daar 'n gevaar dat sy kern-beginsels in die proses gemarginaliseer is, 'n terugslag wat die formulering van die kunsvorm se eie wetenskap verder mag vertraag. Hierdie navorsing is onderneem om hierdie kernbeginsels van die akteur se kuns te identifiseer wat dit van die ander uitvoerende kunste onderskei, asook om te bepaal hoe hulle die beste oorgedra kan word aan student-akteurs in 'n kontemporêre konteks. Deur die 'stelsel' as 'n gids aan te wend, in besonder die ‘werk aan jouself’ proses wat verwys na 'n akteur se persoonlike opleiding in teenstelling met ‘werk aan 'n rol’ wat verwys na karakterisering en performance, is die teorieë van die bogenoemde praktisyns ondersoek en vergelyk met Stanislavski s’n om te bepaal of hul bygedra het tot die kunsvorm se verdere ontwikkeling. Toe 'n geïntegreerde teorie van opleiding te voorskyn gekom het, is dit prakties getoets met verskeie groepe studente oor 'n tydperk van drie jaar. Hierdie tesis dokumenteer die bevindinge van beide die literêre navorsing, gebaseer op 'n ontleding van tekste wat verband hou met akteuropleiding, en die bevindinge wat uit die toepassing van die teorieë in 'n Hoër Onderwys omgewing gegroei het. 'n Belangrike doel van die studie was dus om te bepaal of 'werk aan jouself’ as opleiding in die formele onderwys sektor aangebied kan word, ten spyte van die sielkundige implikasies, en hoe dit dalk op 'n ‘gesonde’ wyse benader kan word. 'n Seleksie van klank-en-video opnames wat tydens die empiriese ondersoek gedoen is, word dus by die tesis ingesluit om sekere teorieë te ondersteun.

Thesis (MDram)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Research has shown that children are not reading books for their enjoyment anymore. Also, children living in unfavourable socio-economic circumstances are raised without any book culture. The absence of a love for reading and low levels of literacy cause children to have problems to read in order to learn. In this small-scale empirical research project with an experimental group of eighteen Grade 3 learners from a poor socio-economic community and school in the Northern Cape, the researcher sought to determine whether drama could be used as a pedagogic aid to increase the learners' joy in reading. Thus different drama methodologies were utilised over a period of three years (from Grade 3 to Grade 5), primarily to inspire learners to enjoy books and reading. The research results have shown that in the experimental group reading levels gradually improved, library membership increased, most members of the group began to read on their own and a change to a positive self-image was reported. The control group in the same school also showed an improvement in their reading levels, but not to the same extent as was noted in the experimental group. It was apparent that the dramatisation of stories as a methodology had had a significant positive impact of the lives of the experimental group. Although this was a pilot study, there is a strong indication that the results can be utilised for further research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Navorsing het bewys dat leerders leesweerstandig geword het. Leerders uit veral ongunstige ekonomiese omstandighede word boonop nie met boeke omring wat 'n gesonde leeskultuur kan aanwakker nie. Hierdie swak leeskultuur, tesame met lae geletterdheidsvlakke, veroorsaak dat kinders probleme ervaar met lees om te leer. In hierdie kleinskaalse empiriese studie met 'n steekproef van 'n eksperimentele groep van agtien graad 3-leerders uit 'n lae sosio-ekonomiese gemeenskap in die Noord-Kaap, het die navorser drama as 'n pedagogiese hulpmiddel gebruik om vas te stel of dit kon bydra om die leerders te motiveer om leeslief te raak. Dramatisering met behulp van verskeie tegnieke en metodes is benut om die kinders te motiveer om lees te geniet en self te lees. Die resultate van hierdie empiriese studie oor 'n tydperk van drie jaar (van graad 3 tot graad 5) het getoon dat daar 'n verbetering in die meeste leerders se leesvlakke was, biblioteeklidmaatskap het toegeneem, selflees is by die meeste bewerkstellig en die selfbeeld van die kinders is in sommige gevalle verbeter. Hierdie resultate is vergelyk met 'n kontrolegroep in dieselfde skool, wie se leesvlakke wel ook oor die tydperk verbeter het, maar nie in dieselfde mate as die eksperimentele groep nie. Dit was duidelik dat die spesifieke metodes met betrekking tot voorlesing en gedramatiseerde spel van stories vir die eksperimentele groep 'n verskil gemaak het. Alhoewel hierdie slegs 'n loodsstudie was, is daar sterk aanduiding dat die resultate vir verdere navorsing gebruik kan word.

A study designed as a guideline for the integration of drama into church ministry.

Thesis (M. A. (African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 1999 / Refer to document

One of the most striking charactetistics of contemporary drama is its denial of illusion. Modern playwrights do their best to convince the audience that what is presented on the stage is not a tranche de vie (as was the aspiration of naturalist writers), but a performance.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 226-238). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (doctoral)--Ruprecht-Karl-Universität zu Heidelberg. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 264-286).

The originality of this study stems primarily from its comparative nature, with its substantive focus on the Egyptian playwright Salāḥ 'Abd al-Sabūr who wrote in Arabic and the Nigerian dramatist, Wole Soyinka (1934), writing in English. It thus attempts to address a gap in comparative research which has so far been largely confined to comparative studies of either Western writers and African counterparts or Western writers and Arab counterparts, but rarely combined Arab and African writers. This thesis investigates selected dramatic works of the two playwrights seeking to reveal the various manifestations of poetics and politics in their drama. The aim is to find the theatrical connection between the two dramatists, a connection that could shed more light on the aesthetics of their drama and the sources of influence on them. My main concern has been, firstly, to explore Nietzsche’s influence on their drama; secondly, to analyse the dynamic relationship between their dramatic content and the local cultural and political environment of Egypt and Nigeria; and thirdly, to examine the use of history as a means of addressing contemporary issues. The first chapter is a discussion of Soyink ’s The Bacchae of Euripides. It investigates the impact of Nietzsche’s ideas, particularly those voiced in The Birth of Tragedy (1872), on Soyink ’s critic and dramatic perspectives. In the second chapter 'Abd al-Sabūr' Night Traveller is discussed. In this chapter I attempt to explore how the Egyptian playwright presente Nietzsche’s theological ideas in dramatic form. I also attempt to show how ʻAbd al-Sabūr adapted Nietzsche’s concepts to fit in with the aesthetics of modern drama in Egyptian culture. Chapter Three examines the use of religion in their drama. Religion features as an important source which afforded both ʻAbd al-Sabūr and Soyinka sufficient material for rituals, symbols, allusions, metaphors and language. In Chapter Four, the dramatists’ views and use of history is explored. The value of history and its intricate relationship to aesthetics in drama is discussed within the frame of modernism and in the light of Nietzsche’s controversial ideas of history. Chapter Five examines the interrelation between politics and poetics in the theatre of the two dramatists. It presents an attempt at a postcolonial reading of selected plays. Chapter Six explores the image, role and dilemma of the intellectual. The role assigned to this figure is important in understanding their view of theatre and its function in society. The thesis finally argues that both 'Abd al-Sabūr and Soyinka established a theatre that was based on syncretism of indigenous traditions and foreign influence. Their dramatic works tackle local issues in theatrical forms that are not necessarily indigenous. While ʻAbd al-Sabūr' drama was highly literary and its theatricality was not obviously compelling, Soyink ’s possessed theatrical elements that made their performance vividly interesting for audiences.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1953. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 258-264).