Performing the work of William Shakespeare can be daunting to new actors. Author Herb Parker posits that his work is played easier if actors think of the plays as happening out of outrageous situations, and remember just how non-realistic and presentational Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be performed. The plays are driven by language and the spoken word, and the themes and plots are absolutely out of the ordinary and fantastic―the very definition of outrageous. With exercises, improvisations, and coaching points, Acting Shakespeare is Outrageous! helps actors use the words Shakespeare wrote as a tool to perform him, and to create exciting and moving performances. / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1138/thumbnail.jpg

Review of New Deal Theater: The Vernacular Tradition in American Political Theater by Ilka Saal. New York: Palgrave/Macmillan, 2007. 244 pp. $69.95.

Methods and models used to evaluate the teaching performance of theatre arts teachers appear to have limited applicability due to the specialized nature of theatre in the classroom. Instructional leaders whose responsibilities include observation and evaluation may find additional challenges when charged with evaluating theatre arts teachers using general educational evaluation models. This qualitative study explored the nature of the practices and perceptions of theatre arts teachers and the administrators charged with evaluating them through the backdrop of Joint Committee Standards of Educational Evaluation.;Though the Joint Committee outlined specific measures to ensure that teacher performance evaluation models and methods are properly designed and implemented through the personnel evaluation standards, this study concluded that those standards often are not used properly or do not apply to theatre arts teachers. Moreover, administrators are left to determine the best implementation of general evaluation instruments in specialized subjects such as theatre. Implications of this study indicate that better tools for theatre arts teacher performance evaluation must be provided so that theatre arts teachers can reflect, respond and grow professionally in order to provide students with the best arts education possible. By providing proper and effective evaluation tools, theatre arts teachers can educate students to meet the needs of a changing world.

"Real Talk: Blackness and Whiteness in the Works of Jefferson Pinder, Dave Chappelle, and Aaron McGruder" will examine twenty-first century constructions of race by African Americans. I am interested in how visual artist Jefferson Pinder, comedian Dave Chappelle, and comic artist Aaron McGruder interrogate and incorporate race, particularly whiteness, into their respective works. Each artist challenges hegemonic constructions of race, utilizing technology and taking full advantage of our visualized culture to present their examinations of race. I selected the artists because of their intimate knowledge of their respective crafts, their use of popular culture, and their diverse perspectives on race in America. Additionally, the artists share a regional background in that they came of age while living in the Washington, DC metro area, which I believe heavily informs their racial views.;Inside their world of the visual arts, comic strips, and television, I argue that the artists are examining blackness while re-defining what it means and inserting, visually, whiteness into the discourse. These black constructions of race have always existed; however, I suggest that the post-soul generation is expanding concepts of race by taking the constructions from the shadows of African American culture and situating them in mainstream culture. In this attempt to challenge homogenous notions of race, the artists cull from several disciplines, which call for an interdisciplinary approach. Employing an interdisciplinary method, I will use theories of race and theories of representation. Additionally, theoretical approaches from art history, visual culture, studies of television, and film studies help frame and ground my research. This twenty-first century discourse from African American cultural workers makes my dissertation timely because it captures an important transition in American culture carried out through the combination of art, media, and racial discourse.

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The Production of Spring Awakening by Nathan Halvorson Master of Fine Arts (Directing) Thesis - May 2013

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As a costume designer, I begin looking at who and what a character is. I then look at how they relate to other characters in the play. Costumes and hair have the ability to help the audience understand time, location, emotional, and physical aspects of a character. The process of a costume designer begins with analyzing a script and characters, researching the time and fashions of the show, creating a visual rendering of what characters wear in the world. Rendering is a tool of communication, a working document that will often change as the production develops. It is the costume designer’s job to understand why a character wears what they wear. Characters are meant to help create and solidify the world of the play. The costume designer is one of those keys to making that world come alive. This thesis portfolio will include images and brief descriptions of my costume design work and wig work at the University of Iowa. This portfolio contains both realized productions photos, renderings and projects from class work. This document also shows the evolution of my design work over the course of my Master of Fine Arts education. The entire breadth of my thesis portfolio can be found at the link: http://ir.uiowa.edu/theatre_d_folio/.