Not available / text

<p> This thesis explores the ways in which Caucasian theatre makers can become more effective educators and directors in diverse student populations. By drawing attention to their &ldquo;whiteness&rdquo; and overcoming the fear of being implicated in the subjugation of these student populations, Caucasian theatre makers can instead embrace this implication and thereby transform classrooms and theatrical spaces from static appreciations of sovereignty and beauty, into platforms for resistance and revolt. In this thesis, I interrogate my own process in the direction of my multi-actor, undergraduate student production that was borne of the journey of the creation of my solo play entitled <i> ANTIMAN</i>. In this play, I implicate my family and our own racism and naivet&eacute; and the many challenges I faced in telling a story that explores such controversial subject matters as racism, antiblackness, colonialism, colonization, and settler-indigenous relations from my own white, male, heterosexual orientation. It is my hope that through this examination of both my failures and successes in this process of creating and directing <i> ANTIMAN</i>, in concert with the history of St. Croix, that I will articulate the present-day predicament of St. Croix in a manner that creates a space for discourse, resistance, and change.</p><p>

<p> A detailed account and analysis of a six week theatrical devising workshop and culminating performance event which occurred in March and April of 2017 in the Theatre Arts Department at California State University, Long Beach. <i> In The Telling</i> was an independent project that utilized movement-based ensemble practice and improvisation techniques to develop text and movement into an immersive theatrical storytelling event. Through the synthesis of contemporary theatre making practice and traditional rehearsal techniques, a diverse group of student participants collaborated to create an original work based on personal narrative and the theme of &ldquo;change&rdquo;. </p><p> Rooted in a broader discussion regarding the ideal foundational elements for contemporary performance training, this project report poses the question: how can performance educators train the next generation of theater makers to excel at creating vibrant, inclusive and innovative work? The <i> In The Telling</i> project posits that theatrical devising practice as performance pedagogy is one approach.</p><p>

<p> <i>The Terrorist and the Whore</i> is a two-person musical theater composition written as an unfinished yet retrospective performance document of the relationship of Kahlil Sabbagh and Ginger Smith from 2002 to 2015. The purpose of this project is to submit six songs from the musical that challenge two stereotypes, gender stereotyping and ethnic typecasting, while lending insight into the process of creating and telling a story and composing music. The six musical pieces, "Each Other," "Three Little Minutes," "That Crazy Moon," "It's Like," "Side Job," "I Don't like You," are presented through a score and electronically produced soundtrack and are analyzed in both a theoretical sense as well as for background informational purposes. It is through the lens of the characters that they discover, through music, the deep internal dynamics of a relationship.</p>

<p> The performativity of dance relies on the the power that different dance practices and choreographies have to shape culture, &ldquo;making and unmaking&rdquo; identities by &ldquo;molding&rdquo; the moving body (Franko, 2012). While theorists have connected dance technique and instruction to the perpetuation of larger cultural and historical ideologies, few methods yet have attempted a critical study of how performative impact is connected to a dancer&rsquo;s own embodied experience. </p><p> Working from an understanding of embodied experience as central to the performative impact of dance, my research examines the dancing body&rsquo;s role in constructing its own performativity. I begin with an analysis of how choreography &ldquo;does&rdquo; performativity, looking at historical changes in dance theory over time that have led to the imperative to examine agency specifically in relation to individually experienced embodiment. Current scholarship on the status of the 21st century contemporary dancer recognizes this need to study individual embodiment; dancers are creative agents within the choreographic process, able to alter the performative impact of a piece on the basis of how they learn or embody the movement. In order to substantiate this understanding of the dancing body&rsquo;s agency, my research culminates in an interview project that includes dancers&rsquo; voices and lived experiences together with scholarship that prescribes agency and performativity to the moving body. Tracking a group of dancers through the process of learning new choreography, I attempt a method of understanding the moving body itself as communicative agent. The philosophical field of phenomenology supports such an understanding, viewing the body as having its own consciousness and perspective. In addition to phenomenology, I use critical ethnography and oral history practices to construct a reflexive interview process and affect theory to conduct a deep analysis of the dancers&rsquo; descriptions. Affect, being defined as those intensities, feelings and forces at the base of personal experience and social patterns, offers a way of comprehending dancers&rsquo; felt sense of embodiment from their own perspective. </p><p> An examination of affect within the dancers&rsquo; descriptions shows how the dancers&rsquo; linguistic moves parallel their diverse kinesthetic experiences of learning movement. The dancers&rsquo; heightened kinesthetic awareness throughout the process of learning choreography demonstrates how they experience their bodies in a different phenomenological way and ultimately how they enact performative impact through their very processes of embodiment. The resulting interviews, transcriptions and discussion in this project support practice-based research, in the form of phenomenologically-centered and analyzed interviews, as a way to include dancers&rsquo; embodied experiences in studies of the dancing body&rsquo;s performativity. </p><p> Reference: Franko, Mark. "Dance and the Political: States of Exception." Dance. Ed. Andr&eacute; Lepecki. London: Whitechapel Gallery, 2012. 145-48. Print.</p>

<p> This thesis discusses the need for and implementation of increased theatrical accommodation for patrons with disabilities. It begins by discussing the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act as they relate to theatres. Accommodations that go beyond the bare minimum required by law are discussed, including open and closed captioning, American Sign Language interpretation, audio description, and sensory-friendly performances. </p><p> The thesis gives evidence in the form of an anecdotal analysis of American Sign Language and captioned performances in the CSULB Theatre Arts Department. Each method is then evaluated for potential implementation in the Theatre Arts Department, based on its feasibility and impact given the population served by the Department. Finally, the thesis makes recommendations regarding which methods should be implemented and what the best processes would be for doing so.</p>

<p> This project seeks to identify the impact of donor recognition practices upon acquisition and retention of individual donors within the Southern California theatre industry as a shift occurs in philanthropy trending away from corporate to individual gifts. </p><p> Drawing upon interviews with development professionals, cost and benefit analysis, and investigation of past donations, this project determines the effectiveness of current donor recognition structures that are commonly implemented without constant analysis of their performance. The objective of gathering practical data and understanding how and what motivates the average theatre donor, will determine future donor recognition approaches that can be implemented within the Theatre Arts Department. Additionally, the results of this study will inform the implementation of a donor wall for the CSULB Theatre Arts Department</p>

<p>The following report is on the point of view, conceptualization, and evolution in its final execution of the lighting design by Elisheva S. Siegel for California State University, Long Beach Theatre Department?s 2015 University Player?s production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis. It is submitted in partial fulfillment for completion of the Master of Fine Arts degree in Lighting Design. I believe that the core of this story is about challenging what we know is to be true. Furthermore, to physicalize the break down of these philosophical walls throughout the court proceedings against Judas Iscariot, a grid of severe lighting angles was employed. This grid evolved from extreme isolation to a blur as these black and white lines of moral principles becomes grey. Other visual metaphors include personifying Judas? despair, a contrasting atmosphere for the Past, and propelling into another dimension during Pilate?s testimony.

<p> This paper deals with the compositional process of writing my Mass, <i> Missa Familiae Sanctae</i>, and covers the influences I most keenly felt in that process. Two great masterpieces of this form of liturgical music from the Twentieth Century are carefully analyzed: Stravinsky's Mass (1948) and Leonard Bernstein's <i>Mass: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players and Dancers</i> (1971). This paper draws connections to the techniques used by my illustrious predecessors and my own, and talks about the centrality of the text of the Ordinary of the Mass in all three works. </p><p> This paper is composed of two parts. The first part deals with the influence of these two Masses on the composition of <i>Missa Familiae Sanctae</i>. Here, I discuss the features of both my predecessors' Masses that proved most salient to my processes--the most crucial feature being treatment of the text. The second part of this paper is devoted to the methods of composition I employed in the creation of <i>Missa Familiae Sanctae</i>. I will illustrate both connections to past practices in my processes (put in context in the foregoing part of the paper), as well as the features of my Mass I believe to be unique. </p><p> An analytical methodology was best suited to a discussion of the compositional practices applied to the pieces discussed here. For the purposes of the composition of <i>Missa Familiae Sanctae</i>, it had the added benefit of aiding in my effort to inform myself of past practices and, thus, enabled me to determine my own methods of composing my Mass. For the purposes of this paper, this focus on analysis was most helpful in describing the musical language of each Mass, and allowed for some meaningful comparisons between my predecessors' Masses and my own. From these analyses, I identify commonalities in harmony, derivation of melodic material, treatment of text and orchestration, as well as investigate differences between Stravinsky and Bernstein's settings of the Mass and my own as a means of explaining my unique voice as a composer. </p>

<p> Various treatments of Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) have already been researched extensively. However, there are few resources readily available to aid musicians with treating their unique form of MPA in a practical way. The goal of this paper is to examine the work of various psychologists, performers, and educators in order to form a cohesive characterization of MPA, explore its possible causes, resultant mental or physical limitations, and develop practical strategies that aid the performer in coping with this problem. This report will look at some of the possible effects of Music Performance Anxiety and provide practical solutions for the reader.</p>