There are many theories on how to approach the creation of theatre and the training of the actor. My undergraduate training has focused heavily on acting techniques currently considered standard practice. Throughout this training I understood what these artists intended and how each process should work, but I felt that the process of getting from the head to the body was brushed aside. I didn't know how to move; therefore, I did not move at all. This project is intended to explore the possibilities and usefulness of theatrical movement techniques in the development of theatre productions. The movement techniques I have explored throughout my research include the work of Moni Yakim Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Brooks, Robert Wilson, Tadashi Suzuki and Vsevolod Meyerhold. The techniques presented in their texts should help to battle body tension as well as broaden and fine-tune an actor’s sense of awareness.

To see a theatrical show onstage is a nightly thrill for thousands of audience members worldwide. Unfortunately many of these audience members do not know or understand the journey a show. the cast; and crew take from the first concept to the final curtain call. The journey of a show, ·brand new or a revival, is unique to each production but the desired goal is a shared one - reaching the hearts and minds of its audience members. Having only seen the growth and progress of a production as a cast member, I had no idea of the lessons to be learned· working on the production team. As a research component of this thesis, I served as part of the creative team to mount a fully staged musical. In doing so, I gained a greater understanding and appreciation for my art form and the creative process as a whole. My thesis consists of researching famous choreographers of the American Musical Theatre and their significant advances that shaped the nature of dance on the Broadway stage. In an effort to fully understand the process of staging a musical I also served as Assistant Choreographer for the Fall 2007 University of Central Florida Conservatory Theater's Main Stage Production of The Most Happy Fella. As Assistant Choreographer. I learned how to construct and realize a concept of choreography that enhances the plot and score of the piece. These lessons will guide me in defining my own choreographic and directorial style as I progress into the world post graduation

An exploration of Annie Baker's play The Aliens through the perspective of student directing. This includes the process of research, casting, rehearsal, and performance of the play in the Spring of 2017 at East Tennessee State University.

A summary of the experience of directing The Aliens by Annie Baker including the process of research on the play and playwright, casting the production, rehearsing the play, and performing it.

Within the discipline of Performance Studies there is a debate about what is included within the ontology of “performance.” Peggy Phelan suggests that performance can only be experienced in the here and now, and any recording of a performance makes it “something other than performance.” Phillip Auslander argues the exact opposite, claiming that mediatized performance is not only valid, but also preferable to the live. This thesis is about performance in sports broadcasting, and states that performance, like sport, can be valid in both live and mediatized forms. The thesis also details how sports broadcasters perform and how their performance changes based on the time frame of the sport they're talking about: past, present and future. When sports are televised the process of broadcasting creates voids and gaps in the viewing experience that must be filled by the sportscasters. For past sporting events SportsCenter, and highlight shows like it, cut entire sporting events down to segments that only last a few moments. A need is created for these sportscasters to fill in the gaps with their performances, which explain what is happening, analyze how the game was played, and give humor and fun to the images. When announcers and analysts perform over live games they attempt to make up for the gap in broadcasting by narrativizing the event and turning a contest into a story. They do this by giving background information and histories about the game and players, explaining how the game is played, why events unfolded the way that they did, and bringing excitement to the game by how excited they themselves become. When Sportscasters predict outcomes of future events they usually do so by first looking to the past, and then making prognostications based on either statistical data, or on their own “gut” feelings. These predictions are very rarely accurate, and mostly have as much validity as guesses. Through these performances the sportscasters can sometimes greatly enhance a viewing experience of a game, but sometimes these performers take away from the enjoyment and the essence of the sports they broadcast. Viewers need to be aware of how performers can manipulate, or attempt to manipulate, an audience to keep them tuned in.

This paper discusses a theoretical costume design for the Musical "My Fair Lady" by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. The costume designer chose to set the production in 1912, stylizing choices clothing based on period silhouettes and social research. The paper includes character analysis, research, and a discussion of the design process.

In the Fall of 2021, I served as the dramaturge for the Loyola Marymount campus productions of Anna Deavere's Smiths, "Twilight Los Angeles," Brandon Jacob Jenkins, "Everybody "and Melanie Marnich's "These Shining Lives." One can't ignore the distinct and separate story designs of these plays. "Twilight Los Angeles" is a verbatim theatre style, with an arrangement of monologues. "Everybody" is a modern-day morality play with a lottery. "These shining lives" is a period piece set as a docudrama. My process for this thesis will be a reflective and experiential study on performing the role of the dramaturg for these three different plays. After this research, I plan to have three dramaturg portfolios documenting the three different experiences. This research will assist future artists towards understanding how dramaturg research aids in creating the world of the show; therefore, helping with better communication and collaboration amongst the production team. The outcome will be examining how these three various productions have prepared me to perform the role of dramaturge as a future theatre arts faculty member.

When it comes to actor training in higher education, there are many practitioners from which to choose. This thesis describes the teachings of Sanford Meisner and Michael Chekhov and the benefits of combining their techniques. This thesis further explores five elements deemed necessary to every actor’s training. These elements are approached through the techniques of Meisner, Chekhov and a combination of their teachings. These five elements are explored through a workshop and performance. During the workshop, I devised and taught new hybrid exercises to approach these elements through a combination of the teachings of Chekhov and Meisner. Responses from workshop participants are included. Finally, the combination of techniques is discussed through the performance of two roles in a Virginia Commonwealth University theatre production. This thesis hopes to serve as a guide to instructors and participants looking to explore the benefits of combining the methodologies of Sanford Meisner and Michael Chekhov.

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.