CHASM: the spaces between is a live performance that exposes physical, visual, and aural intersections of liminality. My solo dance, alongside the work of acoustic collaborators Shawn Pinchbeck and Ian Crutchley, projectionist Patrick Arès-Pilon, and scenographer Guido Tondino, delves within the spaces between sight and sound, silence and stillness, performance and life, and embodiment and technology. In the process, I improvise within a scored structure, attempting to unravel, through practice, current theories of reception, including somaesthetics, meditative states, kinaesthesia, and Japanese theories of mind-body and ma. The piece was presented at Timms‘ Second Playing Space at the University of Alberta on April 27th and 28th, 2012. The purpose of this thesis is to reveal the process, intentions, and discoveries that I made as a dance practitioner, while demonstrating how CHASM: the spaces between relates to the larger art world and to cross-disciplinary literature that addresses the problem of the boundaries of knowledge. Chasm is the term I use for these edges, boundaries, and intersections, and I wish to show how important chasms are not only for creativity in contemporary performance, but also for thought in a non-linear, globalized world.

Through exploratory and descriptive research into the importance and incidence of Youth Theatre as genre, this study revealed that the changing political situation after 1994, the White paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage (1994) and the disbanding of the Arts Councils had a negative influence on the staging and maintaining of new works for youth theatre audiences in Afrikaans. Thus, there is evidence of a gap in theatre presentations for the age group 13 to 18 years. This is true in particular, of the range between Child and Adult Theatre. Youth Theatre (âJeugteaterâ) seems an appropriate term for this type of theatre aimed at youthful audiences and performed by professional actors in contrast with Teenage Theatre (âTienertoneelâ) which is theatre presented by youthful actors for a youthful audience. The collated findings of a literature review, questionnaires, interviews, practical implementation and comparison with international trends, prove that a definite gap exists in the staging of Afrikaans Youth Theatre as part of Mainstream productions for entertainment, alongside the need for Community- and Educational Theatre. The study finds that themes addressed before 1994 are more national-minded and romanticised, compared with the themes after 1994 that are more relevant and realistic in nature and also less inhibited. The theatre practitioner, working in this genre, who has a good command of the complexities of adolescence as well as the external factors which influence the adolescent, has the ability to make the right choice regarding theme, nature and style of presentation as well as content of Youth Theatre productions. Only with this in mind can Youth Theatre productions appeal to the taste and entertainment needs of the youth. The study also demonstrates that the staging of productions that integrate dance, music, drama and digital media, appeal more to the adolescent audience than conventional drama productions. In addition, the study finds that financial support from the formal sector; the National Arts Council (on a project-to-project basis); the National Lottery; as well as Provincial Arts and Culture Councils have practical implications for this industry when it comes to long-term planning for theatre practitioners and there theatre projects. Financial constraints and extended waiting periods for the outcome of applications, as well as the fact that projects have to be completed before the next applications can be handed in, inhibit and constrain the financial viability of permanent Companies who wish to pursue Youth Theatre as Entertainment Theatre alone. School tours with Educational and Community Theatre programs very often constitute the only other source of income for professional Youth Theatre Companies. Funders such as the NAC and others lack an understanding of the functioning of the theatre industry and are therefore unable to adjust funding procedure to ensure the long-term viability of this genre. In conclusion, this study finds that financially supported, quality, Youth Theatre can prevent the overall loss of audiences in the range between Child and Adult Theatre. This can only be achieved if collaboration exists between the different levels of government such as the Departments of Education, Arts and Culture, funders and professional theatre practitioners. Lastly, it is of the utmost importance for Youth Theatre that theatre on the whole is given higher priority in the policies of the Performing Arts and Education. Ample manpower and infrastructure does exist to stage Afrikaans Youth Theatre of a high standard. Lastly, it appears that the policy on theatre, and specifically Youth Theatre of the Provincial Arts Councils before the implementation of Playhouses, could be fruitfully revisited.

In this descriptive study, it was found that Pieter Fourieâs development as playwright cannot be separated from the changing socio-political, religious dogma and economic circumstances in South Africa during his childhood years, as a student, and as a creative theatre artist. The influence of fellow artists, lecturers and philosophers, and the situation and development in the world of the theatre to which he was exposed as an artist, including the influence of it on his development as an individual and writer, his involvement as professional theatre artist from 1940 to 2011, as producer and actor (1965-2005), as arts administrator at CAPAB (1957- 1986) and KKNK (1994-1999) are examined chronologically. The research problem, methodology and research design and ethical consideration are explained in short in this study. The playwrightâs role as folk theatre and informal historian within time bound, geographical and demographical systems is clarified. How these systems are reflected in the playwrightâs work is investigated. In addition, the development and functioning of internal theatre systems within which the theatre artist finds himself is explained. The influence of external systems, such as politics, religion, censorship, etc. on his life as an individual, artist and theatre administrator, is discussed. In this biographical description, Fourieâs personal and artistic career is discussed chronologically. The main corpus of the study undertakes a critical investigation of all his published plays, as well as the professional staging of these plays by several theatre institutions. Fourieâs career, initially as folk theatre writer in the realistic style and later as highly respected playwright, whose experimentation in Afrikaans drama is seen as shifting boundaries, is discussed in detail utilising literary publications, reviews and personal interviews with Fourie and other roleplayers. The study concludes that Fourie was exceptionally successful in writing accessible folk theatre, despite how innovative his work was with regards to style and content. In retrospect, his work was often predictive in nature or he fearlessly placed on stage the true political and social circumstances in the country. His work clearly can be seen as that of an informal historian. Finally, the study mentions the numerous accolades he received, with the highlight being the Hertzog Prize for Drama and the Honorary Doctorate (D.Litt.) in Drama and Theatre Arts from the University of the Free State.

This study of Primus Theatre is evidence of many things. First and foremost it is a long overdue print recognition of Primus Theatre's substantial artistic accomplishments and its important contribution to the development of theatre-making in English-speaking Canada. In examining the various factors contributing to the founding of the theatre company and the extremely challenging conditions in which company members functioned over the years, it remains truly remarkable that Primus Theatre existed at all. Three central determinations emerge from the examination of Primus Theatre's practice. The theatre company truly was a pioneering venture in English Canada. Company members established an "as-if-permanent" ensemble that engaged in the creation of original performance work drawn from research that emerged from their regular training practice. The company adopted a theatre-making practice generated by the Odin Theatre in Denmark and then adapted it to vastly different cultural and fiscal contexts. It can also be determined that the origins of the company are inextricably bound to Artistic Director Richard Fowler's personal artistic journey. His strong sense of the creative and communal potential for theatre not only fuelled his own creative journey but also inspired National Theatre School students to launch their own acts of courage. The third determination arising from this study is that, while all aspects of Primus Theatre's creative practice can be linked to that of the Odin Theatre, this relationship can most accurately be described as an imprinting, rather than as an extension, of Odin Theatre practices. The conscious and unconscious permutation and advancement of the practice, driven by the technical and creative needs and interests of the young Canadian company and deeply affected by substantial financial hardships and creative set-backs, forced Primus to emerge as a unique theatrical entity developing from a particular and identifiable geneology. This study of the establishment of Primus Theatre also provides evidence that the substantial hardships faced by company members did not dissuade them from advancing their practice of continued exploration of form and expression. The study provides evidence not only of Primus Theatre's substantial body of creative work but also of its substantial pedagogical efforts. Subsequently, a new generation of theatre artists has been inspired by and trained in this alternative theatre-making model, and are making their own contributions to the continued redefinition of theatre in English Canada.

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The purpose of this arts-based video-documented case study is to understand the perceptions of high school students as they relate to a performance-based theatre class. I hope that through this arts-based study I will be able to ascertain both the educative value of a performance-based approach in drama education and the value of a video-based approach to data analysis in arts-based research. A group of senior high school students are documented as they engage in a production, starting from the audition process through to the final performance. Data was gathered through on-site observations over a period of four months in the form of field notes, student journals, and video digital recordings of interviews, group discussions, rehearsals, and performances. I used video data and presented it in a documentary film as the major form of representation for my study. I chose to make a film because of my experience in this genre, and I believe it is an immediate venue through which to experience my study. / Graduate

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