This thesis examines collaborative intercultural theatre that brings artists from different parts of the world together to create original work. It includes a case-study of the Prague-Toronto-Manitoulin Theatre Project, a theatrical collaboration that took place between 1999 and 2006 and with which I was involved as a performer and facilitator. The thesis considers the case-study within historical context, particularly in relation to the ideas and experiments of influential twentieth-century practitioner-theorists such as Brecht, Artaud, Brook and Schechner. I distinguish between modernist and postmodernist traditions in intercultural theatre discourse by tracing how the latter arose in response to poststructural arguments in cultural theory. In recent decades, theatre practices have accommodated this redirection by being more mindful of politics and ethics. I argue that approaches to research and analysis have lagged behind, and that alternative approaches are needed that are better suited to address contemporary practices and issues. I borrow from critical traditions in Anthropology, Cultural Studies and Education to build up a postmodern ethnographic approach to my case-study of the Prague-Toronto-Manitoulin Theatre Project. At stake in the case-study is the extent to which the additional contextual knowledge available to a postmodern ethnographic approach contributes to theatrical analysis and interpretation. More concerned with the instrumental value of the case-study than its intrinsic properties, I use the data to demonstrate that a postmodern ethnography is well-suited to consider ethics of representation in an intercultural context, that is, what the possibilities and limitations of dialogue across cultural difference may be. This, I argue, is as important as ever in a world in which intercultural encounter is common and cultural performance circulates with increasing fluidity and ease.

This thesis examines collaborative intercultural theatre that brings artists from different parts of the world together to create original work. It includes a case-study of the Prague-Toronto-Manitoulin Theatre Project, a theatrical collaboration that took place between 1999 and 2006 and with which I was involved as a performer and facilitator. The thesis considers the case-study within historical context, particularly in relation to the ideas and experiments of influential twentieth-century practitioner-theorists such as Brecht, Artaud, Brook and Schechner. I distinguish between modernist and postmodernist traditions in intercultural theatre discourse by tracing how the latter arose in response to poststructural arguments in cultural theory. In recent decades, theatre practices have accommodated this redirection by being more mindful of politics and ethics. I argue that approaches to research and analysis have lagged behind, and that alternative approaches are needed that are better suited to address contemporary practices and issues. I borrow from critical traditions in Anthropology, Cultural Studies and Education to build up a postmodern ethnographic approach to my case-study of the Prague-Toronto-Manitoulin Theatre Project. At stake in the case-study is the extent to which the additional contextual knowledge available to a postmodern ethnographic approach contributes to theatrical analysis and interpretation. More concerned with the instrumental value of the case-study than its intrinsic properties, I use the data to demonstrate that a postmodern ethnography is well-suited to consider ethics of representation in an intercultural context, that is, what the possibilities and limitations of dialogue across cultural difference may be. This, I argue, is as important as ever in a world in which intercultural encounter is common and cultural performance circulates with increasing fluidity and ease.

Searching for the Womanist Within is a play about self identity and the daily experience of African-American women who are at the intersecting oppressions of race, gender and class. The unique life perspective of Afeican-American women is explored through the retelling of stories from the writer’s life as well as the lives of other black women. In Feminist, Black Feminist, Afrocentric and Womanist drama it is common to steer away from conventional theatrical structures, Solo drama, a less conventional structure, was selected for this play. In addition to the play is an essay about the writing process, as well as a literature review and a statement of significance about this creative thesis.

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Part of Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1930. / Lithographed. "Private edition, distributed by the University of Chicago libraries."

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 365 p.; also includes graphics. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Lesley K. Ferris, Dept. of Theatre. Includes bibliographical references (p. 353-365).

This thesis examines space within the context of scenography and investigates its presence as a theme exposing the unstable condition of identity. It does this by examining how 'national' identity has been presented through the medium of design on the stages of the UK's National Theatre during an era where identity is being used as a political tool. The 'new ideologies' of regionalism,multiculturalism and globalisation are identified as provocative catalysts that are expressed within selected designs and are seen as challenging fixed notions of identity. Influenced by Henri Lefebvre's Production of Space, the production of scenography is examined within this thesis by combining three perspectives. It sets up a dialogue which looks to reveal a 'code', which explains the space produced on stage, by considering the following: The three different Artistic Directors operating during this period (Richard Eyre, Trevor Nunn and Nicholas Hytner) and their intentions for the relevance of the institution. This is considered by comparing each Artistic Director's public mission statement about their direction for the institution with selected productions that they have personally directed when in this role Through interview with the designers who produced the scenography for these selected shows. And by re-examining reviewer reactions to the shows produced, where the selected productions are seen to be either challenging or reflecting national meaning. The criticism levelled at design is particularly focused upon within these reviews. Space is considered as a key theme within scenography as it has been identified by the scenographer Jaroslav Malina as a significant constant within this art form. The thesis concludes that design, the production of space on stage, is under acknowledged in wider theatre criticism but is nevertheless shown to be a significant aspect in the reading and composition of conveying 'national' identity upon the National Theatre's stages.

Where Have All the Shadows Gone is an immersive, interactive, site-specific performance that exists at the intersection between game design and live performance. This performance was crafted to inhabit the architecture and culture of the F. Loren Winship Drama Building located at the University of Texas at Austin. There were four performances and two previews each lasting seventy-five minutes. Live actors began the game by presenting the audience with a problem: a mysterious figure had developed a device to steal people’s shadows. The audience used their cell phones as digital, interactive tools to find and follow clues to uncover their antagonist. The audience solved puzzles that challenged their spatial reasoning, cryptographic skills, and critical thinking. Over the course of the interactive performance the audience coalesced into an intelligent gaming collective. The primary goal of this research is to analyze and devise a methodology for developing a performance that integrates game design with live theatre, as well as to evaluate the resultant performance of Where Have All the Shadows Gone. / text

This thesis discusses the acting techniques employed by actors for tragedy of the Greek stage during the twentieth century. It argues that there were two main acting schools - 'school' here meaning an established unified style of acting shared by a group of actors and directors. The first, starting with the 1936 production of Electra by Sophocles directed by Dimitris Rontiris's at the National Theatre of Greece and running through roughly to the late 1970s, developed from a vocal/rhetorical/text-based approach. The second, established by Karolos Koun's Art Theatre in 1942 and which can be said to have ended with his death in 1987, was based on a bodily/physical one. The thesis examines the ways in which these two schools combined and influenced acting, creating new tendencies in the last three decades of the twentieth century. The focus here is on tragedy because this genre is presented on the Greek stage regularly, and, therefore, it is an eloquent example of the evolution of acting in Greece. Sophocles's Electra has been chosen as a case study not only because the play was frequently staged throughout the twentieth century, but primarily because it was acted and directed by important actors and directors who occupied quite different positions within the Greek theatre field. Thus it is a play that provides the most potent example of the development of the acting schools in question. This thesis is an empirical study using Greek actors and directors as its primary source. In giving them a strong voice, it follows their creative process and their perception of their roles and productions. At the same time, it provides a historical context for understanding the conditions of Greek theatre life and their impact on Greek actors and their work.

This thesis examines the question of who the main audiences of West African literary theatre in English are and what they expect from literary theatre performances. Through a survey of audiences at performances in Ghana and Nigeria, it shows that the main audiences of literary theatre in English in this region of Africa are mainly students and the educated elite. The language of these plays and the main venues of performance are largely seen as responsible for this limited but important audience. The study concludes that since playwrights and their audiences see theatre as a medium for social change and edification respectively, this category of audiences are strategic targets. The study, however, sees the role of other theatre practices, such as Theatre for Development and Concert Party Theatre, which are in local languages and target the larger, less educated sections of society as more relevant but complementary to literary theatre in English. This thesis also highlights the lively interaction of West African audiences with theatre performances. Theatre practitioners encourage the active participation of their audiences by casting them in concrete roles or by directly addressing them, thus insisting on their participation.