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In spite of the extensive scholarly research on Beckett's works, very little has been said about one topic that may be considered important in the theater, namely, light. Beyond the obvious fact that light is an indispensable component in the theater, we have noticed in Beckett's plays a definite sophisticated exploitation of the technique of stage lighting, as well as an obsessive recurrence of the theme of light in the text itself. Light with Beckett becomes a powerful means of disclosing a strange metaphorical world. Hence we felt that an archetypal interpretation was the most relevant for our approach. Our study of the text is essentially immanent, and we pay particular attention to the highly precise stage directions of our author. To substantiate our position, we have interviewed stage directors and actors who provided us with a stimulating documentation on their work with Beckett (see five interviews in appendix). Because Beckett's work is the expression of his vast knowledge, we devoted the first chapter to the archetype of light with its religious, philosophical, cultural and esthetical connotations, that we develop later throughout our thesis. Through the study of the nature and the function of light, we underline the increasing importance of that theme, the progressive invasion of darkness and the characters' definite affinity towards darkness. The whole structure of Beckett's theater is based on the duality of light and darkness. Light associated with movement and speech is above all a principle of life, while darkness, denoting immobility and silence, symbolizes death. Beckett constantly presents an interesting reversal of normal and traditional values. Everything related to light is experienced by Beckettian characters as disturbing, even painful, whereas darkness is on the contrary seducing, attractive, inviting. Moreover, that positive valorization of darkness is found in the striking and obsessive image of the womb recurrently evoked by the foetal position, the garbage cans, the jars, the mound, the mouth-sex, etc... The image of the womb is naturally related to darkness, silence, immobility and water. Therefore, progression towards darkness could be interpreted as a regressus ad uterum. Beckett's treatment of the return to the womb shifts from the Freudian preoccupation with the individual mother to the Jungian archetypal mother, the Mater Magna. This cosmic dimension is constantly conveyed in Beckett's work through a search towards sparseness, the essential, the center, a quest for stillness, solitude, silence and a physical immersion of the character in darkness. The attraction towards darkness is consequently the attraction towards death, which is according to Mircea Eliade, "a reintegration in the cosmic night," where the individual is being dissolved into the universal absolute. In that perspective our interpretation refutes the traditional opinion which labels Beckett's vision as pessimistic.

The present study examines occurrences, constructions, and functions of the fixed sensory images by which Durrenmatt projects the characters and settings of his eight Horspiele. Fixed sensory images (or "FSIs") are basically permanent images of sight, sound, touch, smell, etc. by which characters and settings are given physical dimension in a Horspiel. The present study reveals that the characters and settings of Durrenmatt's Horspiele are projected sparingly with few but usually highly evocative FSIs which impinge with sensory concreteness on the Horspiel listener's consciousness. Excluding images suggested by voices, FSIs of characters are conveyed by words which are chiefly visual in nature. FSIs of settings are projected usually by words but sometimes with the assistance of sound effects and occasionally entirely by sound effects. FSIs of settings are almost always entirely or partially visual in nature, but they frequently also appeal to other of the human senses--especially hearing, smell, temperature, and taste. More importantly, the present study reveals that Durrenmatt uses highly selected and vivid FSIs of characters and settings as symbols and as other carriers of information by which such important ideas of the Horspiele are conveyed that no interpretive analysis of any of Durrenmatt's Horspiele can be complete without an understanding of the contributions made by the FSIs of characters and settings in this respect. Some of the FSIs of characters function alone as agents of a Horspiel's ideas. Others function in combination with other FSIs--most notably in some kind of conspicuous contrast or another. Among FSIs of characters, some reveal the inner natures of characters, and some reflect the functionary roles of characters. Others reflect relationships between and among characters or between characters and other forces in the stories. Still others assist in projecting central themes of the stories. Among FSIs of settings, some help to establish the central themes and moods of the stories. Some reflect inner natures, states of mind, or mentalities of characters or societies. Others reveal the emptiness of human ideals or symbolically presage or parallel unpleasant events. Still others reflect economic and physical conditions of characters or societies.

<p> Dora is a multiplicitous being who transcends time, space, and reality like a cubist painting. A fictional, literary character based on a once living woman, Ida Bauer, Dora is an amalgamation of Ida and of Freud, who published the sole account of Ida's case of hysteria.</p><p> I will research the two most striking iterations of Dora Bauer -the casebook <i> Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria</i> by Sigmund Freud and the stage play <i>Portrait of Dora</i> by H&eacute;l&egrave;ne Cixous. My multimodal form of analysis encompasses three distinct modes. Through the first mode, metaethics, I aim to assess Freud and Cixous' arguments and ethics of representation, not to judge, but to reveal the validity of their potential motivations when viewed through each one's individual matrix of ethics. Through the second, Naomi Scheman's multiplicitous identity theory, I will investigate the signs of multiplicity in Dora's portrayal by both Freud and Cixous. Through the final mode of analysis, cubism as an art form in concert with Non-Euclidean geometry, I will reveal both Freud and Cixous' fourth dimensional quality of writing and of representation.</p><p> Metaethics, multiplicitous identity, and cubism can be modes of resistance, of therapy for the theatre. In concert with this thesis, I have created a rehearsal process in which the actors and I investigated these modes within the theatre. With Dora as our subject, we have created an experimental reading of Cixous' <i>Portrait of Dora,</i> and we have written and composed an original play with music <i>The Dora Project.</i> I will explain in the final chapter how we set about manifesting this scholarship on stage and what we encountered along the way.</p>

<p>This thesis argues that Uta Hagen's <i>A Challenge for the Actor</i> is more effective than Hagen's more widely used <i> Respect for Acting</i> as a primary text for contemporary actor training. Chapter 1 tracks Ms. Hagen's evolution as an actress, teacher and author. Chapter 2 summarizes Hagen's core artistic values and signature acting techniques. Chapters 3 through 5 focus on three of these values and techniques. Chapter 3 examines self-observation and transference; Chapter 4, playing action through animation of body and mind; and Chapter 5, realism and its relationship to styles of theatre. Throughout, I compare the presentation of these values and techniques in each of her two books and evaluate their relative worth. Using examples from both texts, my experience as a student in her classroom, and my own practice teaching her techniques, I assert that while both are practicable handbooks for actors, acting teachers will get better results from <i>A Challenge for the Actor</i>.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2249. Adviser: Peter A. Davis. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 230-239) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2004. / Title from title screen (viewed 25 March 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of Performance Studies, Faculty of Arts. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.