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I, Blavatsky is a one-act opera based on the life of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, a nineteenth-century Russian princess and co-founder of a religious organization called the Theosophical Society. The libretto, by the composer, involves a cast of three principal soloists and minor roles for six more singers who are also participants in a small chorus. The text format features free verse alternating with regular, rhymed strophes. Accompaniment is provided by a piano. Melodic structure combines some nineteenth-century Romantic idioms with twentieth-century style. Most of the melodic and harmonic material was intuitively composed to express the text. Rhythmic and stylistic contrasts are accomplished in the representation of the extensive travels of the main character. Stage directions involve a stylized set, several scenes requiring minimal set changes, magical effects to represent that facet of Blavatsky's life, and onstage costume changes for several characters. Approximate duration is one hour.

This thesis investigates the appropriateness and the accuracy of Mbhele's artistry in writing his one-act plays from Izivunguvungu Zempilo, Ishashalazi and Ezemihla Nayizolo. It considers the formal literary elements which include characterisation, themes, setting, plot, dialogue and style of the writer inclusive of the language that has been used. It also involves different kinds of themes that are revealed by this dramatist in his work. His themes cover all the aspects of life. This includes the exploration of the previous political situation and its effect on the lives of the people, the effect of the Western influences on black South Africans and the people's perspectives on education and religion. The theoretical framework that has been used in this study is the historical-biographical approach. The interview with the author has been very helpful in this regard. The purpose of the interview has been to develop some kind of understanding of the author's own ideas, his early life experiences, his educational background, and the sense of the situation the author writes about. This study consists of six chapters; the first chapter serves as the general introduction for the whole thesis. The author's biographical notes, the identification and the discussion of the research methodology and the definition of some important terms, form part of chapter one. In each chapter, there is an explicit explanation of each formal literary element in relation to Mbhele's one-act plays. Chapter two deals with both characterisation and plot, because plot deals with all the events in a story and the way in which these events are connected. All the events in a story involve the characters. Chapter three investigates the themes that are found in Mbhele's one-act plays, and the ways in which they are revealed. Chapter four consists of the dialogue and style of the writer, which includes his use of the language and the form of address used by the characters to address each other. Chapter five discusses the social background of the characters in relation to what they do in the plays. This includes their given social circumstances, the time and the place which the writer has created for them. Chapter six is the general conclusion for the whole study. It includes the summary, observation and some implications for further research. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

A proposta desta tese é analisar a representação de questões sócio-históricas em American blues, de Tennessee Williams, coletânea de cinco peças curtas escritas durante as décadas de 1930 e 1940 e reunidas para publicação em 1948. Cada uma delas é de vital importância para a compreensão da sociedade norte-americana desse período. Considerando que o blues expressa o pathos e as condições de vida da classe trabalhadora e dos excluídos das relações de produção, afirma-se que as peças Moony´s kid don´t cry, The dark room e The long stay cut short, or The unsatisfactory supper figuram os efeitos causados sobre essa larga camada da população nos anos da Depressão Econômica. The case of the crushed petunias a lyrical fantasy parodia o impacto da sufocante ideologia do American way of life sobre a classe média e o desinteresse dessa pelos principais acontecimentos durante a II Guerra Mundial. Por fim, Ten blocks on the Camino Real a fantasy alegoriza a sociedade capitalista do pós-guerra e o nascedouro da era macartista. Por meio de um sucinto levantamento das peças escritas por Tennessee Williams até a publicação da coletânea é possível extrair elementos que permitem evidenciar a constituição e organicidade de American blues. / The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the representation of socio-historical issues in American blues, by Tennessee Williams, a collection of five short plays written during the 1930s and 1940s and grouped for publication in 1948. Each one is vitally important to the understanding of the American society of that period. Taking into consideration that the blues express the pathos and the living conditions of the working class and those excluded from the relations of production, we assert that the plays Moony\'s kid don´t cry, The dark room and The long stay cut short, or The unsatisfactory supper represent the effects of the Great Depression on this broad population group. The case of the crushed petunias a lyrical fantasy parodies the impact of the American way of life ideology on the middle class as well as this class´s indifference concerning the major events of World War II. Finally, Ten Blocks on the Camino Real a fantasy allegorizes postwar capitalist society and the roots of the McCarthy era. Through a brief survey of the plays written by Tennessee Williams until the publication of the collection it is possible to draw elements that evidence the constitution and organicity of American blues.

This is a study of how expository information is presented in the metatext (title, subtitle, prefaces, dedications, the dramatis personae, announcements of act and scene, stage directions etc.) and the dialogue in seven one-act plays by August Strindberg: The Stronger (1889), Pariah (1889), Simoom (1889), Debit and Credit (1892), The First Warning (1892), Facing Death (1892), and Motherly Love (1892). Exposition in this study is defined as a semiotic temporal-structural element that: (1) is not restricted to any specific part of the drama; (2) is present in both the metatext and the dialogue; (3) transfers information about the prescenic time/action (time/action preceding the scenic time/action), interscenic time/action (scenic and non-scenic time/action between scenes), simultaneous scenic time/action (non-scenic time/action that takes place simultaneously with the scenic time/action, and postscenic time/action (time/action that follows the scenic time/action). The study shows that the expository information is presented gradually in the dramas, in both metatext and dialogue, and in all the four categories of time/action presented above. One important result is that the seven one-act plays, despite their naturalistic qualities, also contain components pointing towards Strindberg’s more expressionistic drama. It is possible to talk about a naturalistic or an expressionistic period in Strindberg’s authorship. It is, however, impossible to regard Strindberg as a naturalist or an expressionist in a stricter sense. Strindberg’s drama is too complex and rich to be placed in a certain theoretic doctrine. It is clear from the dissertation that the study of expository information is useful in dramaturgic analyses, and generates various discussions about for example themes, motives, and metaphors. A complete analysis of the exposition, therefore, must also consider elements such as language and imagery.

A proposta desta tese é analisar a representação de questões sócio-históricas em American blues, de Tennessee Williams, coletânea de cinco peças curtas escritas durante as décadas de 1930 e 1940 e reunidas para publicação em 1948. Cada uma delas é de vital importância para a compreensão da sociedade norte-americana desse período. Considerando que o blues expressa o pathos e as condições de vida da classe trabalhadora e dos excluídos das relações de produção, afirma-se que as peças Moony´s kid don´t cry, The dark room e The long stay cut short, or The unsatisfactory supper figuram os efeitos causados sobre essa larga camada da população nos anos da Depressão Econômica. The case of the crushed petunias a lyrical fantasy parodia o impacto da sufocante ideologia do American way of life sobre a classe média e o desinteresse dessa pelos principais acontecimentos durante a II Guerra Mundial. Por fim, Ten blocks on the Camino Real a fantasy alegoriza a sociedade capitalista do pós-guerra e o nascedouro da era macartista. Por meio de um sucinto levantamento das peças escritas por Tennessee Williams até a publicação da coletânea é possível extrair elementos que permitem evidenciar a constituição e organicidade de American blues. / The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the representation of socio-historical issues in American blues, by Tennessee Williams, a collection of five short plays written during the 1930s and 1940s and grouped for publication in 1948. Each one is vitally important to the understanding of the American society of that period. Taking into consideration that the blues express the pathos and the living conditions of the working class and those excluded from the relations of production, we assert that the plays Moony\'s kid don´t cry, The dark room and The long stay cut short, or The unsatisfactory supper represent the effects of the Great Depression on this broad population group. The case of the crushed petunias a lyrical fantasy parodies the impact of the American way of life ideology on the middle class as well as this class´s indifference concerning the major events of World War II. Finally, Ten Blocks on the Camino Real a fantasy allegorizes postwar capitalist society and the roots of the McCarthy era. Through a brief survey of the plays written by Tennessee Williams until the publication of the collection it is possible to draw elements that evidence the constitution and organicity of American blues.

The focus of aesthetic education is reflected in an arts curriculum designed for students to learn skills that make it possible for them to experience the world in a satisfying and meaningful manner. Incorporating aesthetics into school curriculum can be approached through the use of coordinated programs. In the state of Texas, over 1100 schools participate annually in the One-Act Play contest (OAP). The contest is governed by the University Interscholastic League (UIL), which has designed and recommended a structure in which students actively participate in the fine art of theatre. This curriculum is the roadmap for instruction that leads students to learn the value of the aesthetic. This study examines teacher and student perception in the Texas One-Act Play contest and its implications for teaching and learning the aesthetic. The qualitative data were collected through a series of interviews and observations during the spring 2006 with five schools in the north Texas area. Students and teachers at each school were interviewed. Data revealed how the goals of the UIL OAP system are being met based on teachers' practices, perceptions, and experience. Implications of the study are seen through the teachers' attitude toward winning as well as how the elements of teaching, rehearsal technique, and external support systems affect the teachers' contest preparation.

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) One-Act Play Contest is a competition where similarly sized Texas schools present an 18-40 minute play usually adjudicated by a single judge. At each level of competition the judge awards individual acting awards as well as selecting two productions to advance to the next level of competition. After the awards are announced the judge gives an oral critique to each of the schools. Because of the wide participation and diversity of plays produced, certain rules and guidelines have been adopted to ensure safety, allow for equity, satisfy legal standards, and make the running of the contest practical. These rules can be modified to achieve positive outcomes and improved educational results. Changes in the rules of a UIL contest are in accordance with stated educational objectives of the UIL. Occasionally, however, modifications in procedures raise questions. The problem of this study was to determine, from the perceptions of administrators and teachers, whether significant modifications in the rules and policies for the UIL One-Act Play Contest over a time span of 20 years have had impacts on the goals and procedures of the contest. The study utilized a qualitative approach through historical analysis and a survey to answer two research questions. Historical analysis identified the six modifications in the UIL OAP over the years 1986-2006. The survey instrument determined the impact of these changes on the goals and procedures of the contest. Based on the responses of the survey the competition experience has been enhanced by recent changes.

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