Only written from 1660-1714, intrigue plays provide a unique window into the social, political and theatrical milieu of early modern England. They were more successful than many plays now considered necessary to university curricula, yet they have received relatively little scholarly attention, either dismissed as farce or studied within limited parameters. The plays rely on non-verbal elements, including foreign locations and characters, disguise, music and violence to comment upon social roles, marriage law and England's burgeoning imperialism. Examined in the context of their imagined period performance, intrigue plays are revealed as a vital part of Restoration and early Eighteenth Century drama. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Theatre in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosphy. / Spring Semester, 2009. / March 19, 2009. / Restoration, Intrigue, Eighteenth Century, Theatre / Includes bibliographical references. / Mary Karen Dahl, Professor Directing Dissertation; Helen Burke, Outside Committee Member; Natalya Baldyga, Committee Member.

To combat rising levels of juvenile delinquency in Buffalo, New York, in the 1930s, the Federal Theatre Project created the Crime Prevention Serial. The multi-episode series follows the trials and tribulations of Johnnie Smith, a hard-headed, 16-year-old juvenile delinquent from Buffalo, New York. Along with his family, various representatives from law enforcement, some recurring narrators who act as moral guides, and real-life guest speakers from the city of Buffalo, Johnnie's less-than-honorable escapades offer a fictionalized account of this very real and rising issue. Broadcast every Tuesday and Thursday night at 7:45 pm on Buffalo's WEBR radio station, the short episodes portray a customized view of juvenile delinquency, reform, and patriotism that simultaneously speaks to national concerns and Buffalo's distinct local culture and needs. In this way, the Crime Prevention Serial serves as a unique case study that broadly explores a larger question within FTP scholarship: How do specific theatres and the communities in which they exist—in this case the FTP and Buffalo—shape and inform one another? This thesis adds to the existing FTP scholarship by examining three specific tropes and themes constructed in the series—juvenile delinquency, reform, and patriotism—in order to explore the relationship between theatre and community by examining the similarities and discrepancies between how these ideas existed within the radio dramas and everyday life. This thesis interrogates the specific relationship between Buffalo and its local FTP, but also to question how the FTP, through its mandate of local relevance, served as a vehicle for provoking conversation around larger, national issues. How does Buffalo's crafted text, commenting on pressing national issues actively achieve the FTP's mission? Understanding the Buffalo FTP's Crime Prevention Serial challenges a streamlined notion of juvenile delinquency and the FTP and allows us to engage with the intricacies of an issue's representation, fiction, and reality. Meticulously crafted, this radio drama weaves together a precise portrayal of a terrifying local and national concern in the hope that young men will abandon lives of crime and return to their families for an idyllic evening, gathered together around the radio. / Thesis submitted to the School Theatre in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. / Spring Semester 2016. / April 12, 2016. / Buffalo, New York, federal theatre project, juvenile delinquency, radio drama / Includes bibliographical references. / Elizabeth A. Osborne, Professor Directing Thesis; Mary Karen Dahl, Committee Member; Samer Al-Saber, Committee Member.

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<p> Adam Rapp's <i>Red Light Winter</i>, produced by the University Players at California State University, Long Beach is a play that explores the difference between memory, nostalgia, and reality. The creation of an effective scenic design involves zeroing in on the central meaning of the piece and formulating through metaphoric and poetic associations a stage design that effectively communicates these associations and meanings to the audience. <i>Red Light Winter</i> is ultimately about how people struggle to reconcile their memories, the reality of the present, and strong feelings of nostalgia and how these three things can become intertwined, sometimes to disastrous effect. This visual and poetic association allows for the creation of a room space on stage that forces the audience to look metaphorically through the walls of the room into a confined and claustrophobic memory space. The creation of this room by definition also creates a space outside this room. Just as the audience is peering through the walls of the room and into the memories of the characters, all three characters at some point must see beyond their own memories and catch a glimpse of the harsh reality - the "outside" - of their lives.</p>

That there was a move towards a more serious form of comic drama in the first half of the eighteenth century is well known. This study seeks an explanation for the change by placing the comedy, especially the main works of the dramatists writing for the Comedie Francaise, in the context of one of the most significant trends of thought of the time. The opening chapters therefore describe the climate of ideas, the concept of human nature and man's relations with his fellows in two major areas, aesthetics and morals. Chapters four and five treat the two relationships which have traditionally formed the basis of the comedy, namely that of the family and that of the married couple, examining in particular the nature of the characters, their attitudes to each other and thus their relationships on the stage. The following chapters cover what might be regarded as features peculiar to the comedy in the first half of the eighteenth century; chapters six and seven analyse the many forms taken by the moralising tendency of the comedy in these years, while chapter eight is concerned with the patterns which can be discerned in the creation of the tearful character and situation. All these chapters on the theatre deal with what might be called the tone of the plays, that is to say what would previously have been their comic mood or style and the influence on it of a transformation in outlook. Chapter nine, however, attempts to bring together all the features discussed hitherto and to determine their effect on the structure of the comedy. Where possible, modern scholarly editions have been used. Unless otherwise stated, quotations are taken from the editions listed in the bibliography and all references are to those editions; their spelling and punctuation have been retained.