This thesis aims to document the process, from origin point through post-performance, of the authors 25 minute devised solo performance piece, Give er the Gun. Inspired by the sexual assault survivors of the United States Armed Forces, the performance aspect meant to mirror back and create a window into their experience through the unique use of space and character. Give er the Gun begins in the immediate aftermath of a sexual assault. Senior Airman Katherine Westerman is suspended in the space between the inhalation of trauma and the exhalation of action. Splintered, her Head, Heart, and Body try to navigate the distance between each other, in the hopes that they might arrive at an answer to a question that was never asked.

The object of our thesis project was to devise and perform a one-person show. The experiment was to see if we could create original, thought provoking and engaging material and then perform this material in a confident and exciting way. The initial execution involved conceiving an idea that we felt compelled enough to talk about for 30-40 minutes. For many of my classmates, this was perhaps the hardest part. I, however, knew from the beginning I had a desire to explore the challenges and complications faced by children of immigrants. My desire was to share stories about my own experience with a clash of cultures. Given the intimate nature of the source material, my own life, my major struggle was finding a form in which to tell my stories. This led me to exploring several different structural devices. My original idea had been to do a cooking show using the curry ingredients as the impetus to tell each story. However, the cooking show format felt too clean and polished. I knew my own struggles and experience to be much more messy and undone that an orderly food network style show. This then lead to the idea that I, myself, was cooking a curry dinner for my family as an opportunity for them to meet the very un-Indian fiancée. This created the east-meets-west tension I had so hoped for in my original musings about my show. Once the basic foundational idea was formed I was able to create a structure based on my fathers beloved curry recipe. Each ingredient had two monologues paired with it. One monologue was directly delivered to the audience as I spoke to my fiancée and warned him about the impending chaos of meeting the Jain clan. The other partner monologue was an out of time moment where I relived moments of east-meet-west clashes, either as myself, or other members of my family. Using an array of dialect work, physical choices, sound cues, and on-screen projections, I was able to transition easily between the characters I created including my cousin in-law, my aunt, my mother, my brother, my grandfathers and two younger versions of myself. The audience seemed very receptive to the material and I have been encourage expand and redefine Curry Bowl for future productions.

The thesis assignment began with one simple question, Can we conceptualize, compose, and create a one-man show, where we hold an audiences attention, for no less than 30 minutes? We were encouraged to find a piece that we could live with over the course of the next 9-12 months. Not wanting to carry around some heavy emotional weight, and knowing that I cant take anything seriously for more than a month at a time without making fun of it, I went in the opposite direction of drama and dove head first towards the land of comedy. From the moment that I entered LSU, George Judy, the Head of the MFA program, insisted to our ensemble that the theater is a safe place to do dangerous things. Wanting to take full advantage of the graduate school safety net, I took the leap. From the beginning, I set out to create and execute a show that could have a life beyond the LSU Studio Theater. My first swing was a 30 minute filmed sketch comedy pilot. This first iteration of my show was crushed by the weight of its own technical demands. What I ultimately created is a show that I can take to any major comedic market and perform a set multiple times a week with minimal production requirements. One man, one microphone and dozens of joke. Over the course of the next subsequent months I conceived and wrote stand-up and sketch comedy material. Some of it was horribly offensive; a lot of it was quirky, and throughout I discovered a strong comedic voice, which I suspected was always inside me. This thesis paper will document the process of creating a one-man show, and serve as the final step in three years of intense classical acting training.

During the fall of 2011 and spring of 2012, each MFA candidate began work on solo theatre projects ranging in a wide array of topics and genres. The goal was not to present a complete piece of theatre necessarily, but begin work on a project that could continue as we left LSU. Instead of constructing a solo piece, the faculty and I agreed that I could begin work on a multi-actor script based on the concept of setting a collection of country songs close friends of mine wrote as a new musical. I would create the story, write as much of the script as I could, explore character development, and set and edit the songs. I would then summarize the story and character struggles, using my solo performance as an audience introduction to my work, telling the story, playing guitar and singing the songs of what I titled, Lonesome Time. This thesis will serve as a diary of sorts for my project and examine the connection and influence writing had on my acting.

This thesis details the writing process and performance of the authors partially autobiographical one-person play, "Turkey Boys." The play presents varying points of view on events in and around the small community of Atalissa, IA where, in 2009, 21 mentally disabled men were removed from the building where most of them had been living communally for more than 30 years. The mens employer, Henrys Turkey Service, was accused of mistreating the men, paying them at a sub-minimum wage level, providing inhumane living conditions, and verbally and physically abusing them. The piece is told in a documentary theatre style from multiple perspectives including the authors own, and incorporates 18 characters played by the same actor, with limited technical elements. The challenges and difficulties throughout the writing and performance process are detailed, theoretical and practical implications are examined, and a written copy of the script is included.

FACED WITH FACES is a contemporary commentary on the male to female relationship. While Im aware these are not the only relationships formed in our day in age I needed to find a scope and tackle one central theme. The addition of same sex relationships is very important in our society but I couldnt find a way to weave it in without making it all about that or without it seeming to not fit into the over arcing story. Perhaps in the evolution of this process I can find a way to add more voices that speak to all. The story follows a young African American male through his progression from awkward shy adolescent to overly confident young adult. When asked a question that hes not sure he can answer, Scotties confronted by the one person who can call him on his bluff...himself. The character of YOU takes Scottie through relationships with influential figures in his life to figure out why he is the way he is and how he can inevitably answer this posed question.

This thesis details the process of creating and performing A Single Revolution of the Sun, a one-act, one-man play by Gregory Leute. As a primary requirement in fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree at LSU, MFA acting candidates were charged with the task of producing a devised work. I chose as the central premise of my piece the story of a father and his son, both army officers, inspired by a true event. The contemporary tale bore similarities to Matthew Arnolds translation of Sohrab and Rustum , derived from the ancient Persian epic poem Shahnemah . The thesis includes the sources of inspiration for the piece, an exploration of the development of play, a completed copy of the script, the playwrights personal perceptions about its execution and audience response, and plans for future development of the piece.

This thesis discusses the inspiration, creation and performance of Jenny Ballards one-woman show, Behind the Vote, which was the other half of the thesis requirement in order to complete the Master of Fine Arts program in Theatre Performance. Behind the Vote examines the importance and meaning of voting, both during the womens suffrage movement and in the present, as seen through the eyes of three contemporary women, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This thesis contains Ballards inspirations for the project; her research materials about Stanton and Anthony and her source materials for her contemporary characters, including Facebook messages and emails; both her first and final drafts of Behind the Vote and what she learned from writing both versions; her thoughts and impressions on her performance of Behind the Vote, including audience response and feedback; her experiences and knowledge gained since beginning the process of writing her show; her vita; and a CD with photos from one of her performances of her one-woman show, Behind the Vote.

This thesis essay chronicles the writing, production, and performance of the one-person play: Habitat Five: The Childrens Crusade performed in the LSU Studio Theatre January 19th and 20th, 2013, as a member of the M.F.A. Class of 2013 Thesis Showcase series. The assignment was to create a 20 to 40 minute solo-performance piece that highlights the actors individual strengths. Habitat Five: The Childrens Crusade takes the audience on a journey through the trials of a young human zoo exhibit, Adara, as she is prepared by her guardians to enter the wilds of Earth. The play is written to be a social commentary on the way Americans rear their children without crucial knowledge, social skills, a creative culture, or experience of the greater world. Habitat Five portrays zookeepers following a strict, American-modeled training program, for their wards. The audience watches key moments of one young female ward, Adara, as she transitions from childhood to adulthood, with great emphasis on her experience of Prom. This essay discusses initial concept ideas, development of the script, technical aspects, rehearsals, and the performance of the play. It delves into the authors perspective as a performance artist and her concerns about Americans lack of connection as growing isolation, consumerism, and media stifle quality of life.

The thesis project called for the MFA candidate to create a one-person show of originality and entertainment between 25 minutes and 45 minutes in length. This thesis, submitted to the Graduate School of Louisiana State University as partial requirement for graduation with the Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre, follows the creation of a solo performance piece by Kristina Sutton, called Trash the Dress. The thesis includes inspiration for creating this solo performance piece, initial correspondence between the MFA candidate and consultants, research material and a copy of the script, personal reflection on writing and rehearsal challenges, photos from the production and a conclusion revealing artistic and personal growth achieved in creating this show and what the artist hopes to do next with this production. This solo project is a performance art piece exploring the expectations of marriage and how the union is often overshadowed by the celebration of that union, the wedding. Monologues reveal how weddings are often put on a pedestal by not only brides, but also wedding industry vendors and society, creating exceedingly high standards for all involved. Trash the Dress examines when those expectations are and are not met on both the wedding day and the marriage itself. Inspired by trash the dress (TTD) art, the artist incorporates her own photography into the piece through projections and fine art prints of her work, as well as a live trash the dress session with audience interaction. In deconstructing and destroying the gown, the audience, together with the performer, creates something new each night, a new piece of art.