<p> This thesis explores the application of Augusto Boal&rsquo;s exercises as a basis for an Introduction to Acting class, wherein students are required to move outside of their comfort zones in order to change their perceptions of themselves and of the world around them. I will demonstrate that Boal&rsquo;s <i>Games for Actors and Non-Actors</i> effectively challenges students&rsquo; boundaries in a fun and engaging way, thereby preparing them for the task of performing. Through his techniques, students find it easier to socialize, overcome shyness, and acquire the courage that is required to act.</p><p> Chapter 1 charts my introduction to Boal and the decision to explore his exercises as a basis for a non-major acting course. By describing what I deem necessary and strive to achieve in such a class, I explain the goals that I hope to accomplish each time I teach.</p><p> Chapter 2 outlines Boal&rsquo;s philosophies and his agenda for challenging social injustice. I will focus specifically on his Theatre of the Oppressed and Forum Theatre using the notion of the &ldquo;Actor and Spect-actor&rdquo;. </p><p> Chapter 3 details my own in-class application of Boal. In each instance of interactions with students, I compare the projected outcome versus the actual results, thereby evaluating the ii exercises&rsquo; success or failure. I discuss my students&rsquo; reactions to the exercises through collected written data.</p><p> Chapter 4 reflects on using Boal&rsquo;s exercises in the future. This includes the changes I would make in the presentation and set-up of the exercises, effective adjustments, and discussing his work as being appropriate for a beginner&rsquo;s class.</p>

<p> This thesis argues the importance of mining the student's faith and strengthening the student&rsquo;s creative individuality or uniqueness in actor training. I will argue that allying the pedagogy of past master teachers Konstantin Stanislavsky and Yevgeny Vakhtangov with the development of &ldquo;faith&rdquo;, in the secular understanding of the word set forth in this paper, will aid actors in implementing a strong technique. The first chapter of this thesis focuses on the broad concepts of faith, both religious and secular, in order to establish the necessary vocabulary for my argument. The second chapter presents the theories of Konstantin Stanislavsky and Yevgeny Vakhtangov, in particular the examination of justification, crossing the threshold, and creative individuality, to advocate for faith as a powerful tool in actor training. The third chapter demonstrates how three projects completed as part of my graduate actor training at California State University Long Beach, which facilitated actor development and created opportunity for the students, reinforced my conviction that teaching faith in action and creative individuality is both useful in the training of young actors&mdash;and urgent. The conclusion of this paper argues for the design of practical curriculum that deals with acting as a spiritual vocation in theatre departments throughout the United States. </p>

<p> For the purposes of this thesis, I begin with an overview of theatre for social change in the introduction and then focus on the literature review as a way to introduce authors, ideas, theory and knowledge as background for the reader. This includes anecdotal accounts, reasoning for research and methodologies for carrying out research. I look at feminist theory, community-based theatre, education for liberation and decolonizing knowledge as a basis for my continuing ideas and theories. My emphasis is how to use expressive arts theatre as a way to connect people through dialogue in communities. One of the many ways is implementing curriculum through public school venues. I use theatre techniques that have been used successfully in a variety of global communities that help aide in focusing on certain issues a community is experiencing. I conducted a Women's Theatre Workshop that consisted of an intergenerational community of women whom embarked on a journey engaging in profound material exploring issues that women face. We found that this work was powerful in a variety of ways for them, some highlighting emotional abuse, oppression and double standards as well as theatre being a tool for non-traditional therapeutic use. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> praxis, theatre, education, freedom, decolonizing, feminist, theatre for social change</p>

<p> As the political and economic landscape of the United States shifts in coming years, American society&rsquo;s perception of the arts will likely change as well. Arts advocates must be ready to adapt their arguments for arts&rsquo; value to changing societal priorities. This paper summarizes the two leading frameworks for current arts advocacy arguments: extrinsic benefits and intrinsic benefits. The paper then introduces practical benefits, a pragmatic third framework for arts advocacy that focuses on skills gained through the creation of collaborative art that prepare participants for careers in the creative class, as defined by Richard Florida. The paper uses student-run theatre organizations on college campuses as incubators and case studies for these benefits, using original ethnographic research and surveys to develop assessment protocols for these benefits, with the intention of growing their applicability to larger and more varied arts organizations.</p>

<p> Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience impairment in social cognition, which contributes to a variety of challenges for individuals with ASD, including elevated risks of loneliness, depression and anxiety. For this reason, various interventions have been developed to improve social ability in ASD populations. However, many existing interventions lack strong research support, or are inaccessible to many individuals with ASD due to high financial cost. Therefore, a need exists for affordable, effective psychosocial interventions for ASD that are widely accessible. One potential intervention is improvisational theater training (improv). Improv training for youth and young adults with ASD is already provided at multiple theaters across the US, and the current study collected information on one such program, measuring change in participant ratings of social ability, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and growth mindset as a result of participation. Participants reported a significant reduction in their perceptions of nervousness and being left out after completing the improv theater training, suggesting that improv theater decreases nervousness and feelings of exclusion among individuals with ASD. Participants also reported a significant increase in their perception of lacking companionship, suggesting that improv theater increases participant desire for companionship among individuals with ASD. Reliable Change Index analysis suggests that younger participants, male participants, and participants with greater social impairment were more likely to evidence reliable change as a result of improv theater training. Finally, positive correlations were found between social impairment and ratings of depression and loneliness and negative correlations were found between growth mindset and ratings of depression and loneliness. These findings provide preliminary evidence that suggests improvisational theater may be an effective intervention for reducing anxiety and nervousness among individuals with ASD.</p><p>

<p>It?s Something About the Shoes: A Creative Thesis through Practice is an in depth, project-based study that follows the development and implementation of an intercultural and interdisciplinary collaboration. This paper illustrates how the Practice-led Research paradigm, when coupled with the Expressive Arts, can promote empowerment and transformation for all participants including audience members. Artistic practices and rehearsals realized through performance and analyzed through constant participant reflection constitute the research data. It?s Something About the Shoes is composed of a live performance installation that includes multimedia video sculptures, still images, and pre-recorded sound, all designed around the living exchange between a contemporary tap dancer and the indigenous Danza CAAS dancers. The inquiry lies in the dance shoes. What is it about these shoes that allows the dancers to connect and communicate? How can two very different dance genres and ontological cultures exist simultaneously within a space? What does a show about a tap dancer and traditional Sonajera dancers look like; how will the different cultures interact in this space? Will the common thread of percussive dance transcend cultural and language barriers or will the resulting rhythmic dialogue be too oblique for the dancers and audience to follow? In order to understand the foundational context in which this work is created, a Literature Review is provided that: defines Practice-led Research and the methods to be used in this study, acknowledges a brief historical review of tap dancing with particular emphasis placed on Hispanic and Native influences, and a metaphysical examination of the ecological intersection of performance, place and space. The literature is divided up into complete subsections or articles so that readers may access particular areas of interest with ease. Individual subsections of the Literature Review are composed of review, analysis, and application of literature sources complete with separate bibliographies for quick reference. All Reference Lists are also compiled into a complete Works Cited at the end of the thesis document. Methods used to address inquiries and provide structure to the Practice-led model include: Performance Research, Ethnodrama, and Socio-Narratology. Coupled with these ideologies are Organic Inquiry, Emergent Design Theory, and Collaborative Theory, which act as lenses through which the collaborative process and organizational development of the thesis may be viewed clearly and precisely. Together these methods are used to create the content of a performance. Utilizing interviews with co-participants, surveys, constant reflection, and video documentation, these inspirations are organized as a creative thesis. The findings are composed of raw audience data collected through surveys gathered before and after the performances. This, combined with personal reflections of the artist participants illustrate the type of knowing that is revealed through artistic practice and inquiry. The project convener provides the final synthesis and interpretation of data through a reflective narrative.

<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>