<p> Through associations and personal experiences, I settled on the overarching concept that, "The road is closed," for the stage design of <i>As You Like It.</i> Pulling from my surroundings as inspiration, I created a realistic road on the Studio Theatre's stage using found and borrowed objects to enhance the road's authenticity. With a blocked road as a metaphor for the characters' inner journeys to overcome their own prejudices and achieve an enlightened way of thinking, the audience joined the ensemble on their path of self-examination and discovery.</p>

<p> This thesis illustrates the effect of reality television singing competitions on Broadway musical theatre. Chapter 1 examines the current Broadway casting climate prioritizing name recognition. Chapter 2 explores the genesis of musical theatre singing styles. Chapter 3 offers Stanislayski and Uta Hagen's acting techniques as a guide for musical theatre acting, analyzes the Jukebox musical, and investigates the reality TV singing style and its relevance to the musical theatre actor. The chapter then scrutinizes the hypocritical stance taken by reality TV singing shows toward the Broadway singing style. Chapter 4 examines the loss of storytelling on musical theatre and advocates the seeking of mastery in the acting process. Chapter 5 explores the circumstances that allow for Broadway to incorporate pop music. Chapter 6 reinforces storytelling's importance to musical theatre.</p>

<p> German choreographer Pina Bausch is recognized as one of the original creators of 20th century Dance Theater through her seamless synthesis of stage design elements and movement. Through her choreographic methodology she is able to combine the everyday gesture of the body with the functionality of objects to create an emotionality that is authentic and transcendent on stage. The objects/props on stage illuminate the object world where objects are animated by our desires, fears, and the need to express the human condition. I will look at the procedure that Bausch employs through the lens of the psychoanalytic theory of object relations, the theories of Alice Miller, D.W. Winnicott, and the sociology of Herbert Blumer to prove the objects on stage in Bausch's work offer a physical and emotional obstacle for the dancers to contend with. </p><p> In this study I will unfold the history and functionality of stage properties and the role of the "prop" in terms of German Theater revolutions, exploring the ideas of the prop as a hindrance as well as an object of amplification for the stage action. I will delve into the theatrical models of Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht, and Vsevolod Meyerhold, acknowledging the procedure and significance of theater objects through stage design. From here I will connect Bausch to the evolution of the German modern dance pioneers- Rudolph Laban and her mentor, Kurt Jooss. Through the work of Kurt Jooss, with whom Bausch studied at the Folkwang Schule in Essen, Germany, and specifically <i>The Green Table </i>, we begin to see the great influence that Jooss had on Bausch. I will discuss his use of props in his work as a means to illuminate his ideas of politics and war. This will then narrow in on the personal dance history of Bausch and her evolution as an artist, focusing on the mentorship she received in her career. The discussion will conclude with an analysis of her creative process and the use of specific objects that reflect meaning through the seminal works of Bausch: Caf&eacute; Mueller, Kontakthof, Bluebeard, and Waltzer. </p>

<p> David Mamet's book of essays <i>True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor</i> boldly claims that formal training, particularly of the academic variety, is of no use to aspiring theater artists. This thesis argues for the importance and validity of such training. It is a defense of both formal training and ofStanislavski--the father of almost all contemporary training systems and a figure particularly irksome to Mamet. The thesis is supported by examples gleaned from my own formal education in theater and from insights gained directing student actors on my final project for my MFA, Kira Obelensky's play <i>Lobster Alice</i>.</p>

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--New York University, School of Education, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 267-274). Also available in electronic format on the World Wide Web. Access restricted to users affiliated with the licensed institutions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New South Wales, 2001. / Also available online.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2007. / Adviser: Franklin J. Hildy. Includes supplementary digital materials. Includes bibliographical references.