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Current Utah State Core Standards for Theatre require that theatre history be taught at levels II (Standard 3 Objective C), III (Standard 4 Objective D), and IV (Standard 4 Objectives A and D) of high school drama classes. However, a 2011 survey of Utah high school theatre teachers indicates that only 54% include theatre history as an "important" or "very important" part of their curriculum, while another 36% say they "touch on it." This thesis is designed to be a resource for secondary drama teachers in integrating theatre history pedagogy into their drama classes, in an engaging and performance-based manner that builds on activities that are usually already present in the curriculum. It also suggests methods for crossing the curricular divide and using theatre history projects to enrich students' experiences in other core and elective classes. As continued funding for the arts in our secondary schools is threatened in the current economic climate, it unfortunately becomes increasingly important for theatre programs to demonstrate the ability to collaborate with and enhance other disciplines, as we focus on producing graduates with high-level cognitive skills.

This thesis explores major texts dealing with pedagogical theory and active learning in the context of a theatre history class. By comparing a class which is taught in the traditional, chronological format relying heavily on lectures to a class taught in a newer, thematic format utilizing active learning the thesis defines what student-centered learning means. Active learning, its benefits, and its implementation are explained and explored, along with the advantages and benefits of teaching thematically instead of chronologically. All of this is applied to a theatre history class in the resulting syllabus in chapter three. The syllabus creates a curriculum which uses themes to teach theatre history, while incorporating active learning activities and assignments throughout, to the benefit of the student. Ultimately, student-centered learning and its importance are explained and demonstrated using research, observation, and creation.

This thesis proposes a critical study of the theoretical framework of Urinetown, asking the question of whether or not the show is truly a “Brechtian musical,” utilizing the tenets and beliefs of Bertolt Brecht. Set in a quirky, Gotham-like town where you have “to pay to pee” due to a severe drought, Urinetown follows a cast of absurdist characters as they navigate a society plagued by the perils of big business, ecological devastation, and the inequalities of capitalism. While the show appears to make a relevant social commentary, supporting a righteous rebellion to overthrow the evil Urine Good Company, in the end, by proving that revolution does not always succeed, writers, Kotis and Hollman invalidate these commentaries, proving that despite its Brechtian appearance, the show in its textual form is much more simply a comedic parody. However, Pomona College’s production, in which I played Hope Cladwell, takes on a much more severe tone, creating legitimate commentary by replacing many of the comedic, two-dimensional characters with living breathing, realities. In a text traditionally lacking authenticity, I approached Hope Cladwell with the intention of finding strength and satire in an otherwise vapid character.

During the five semesters that I have been at VCU I have learned a great deal from the courses that I have been enrolled in but I have learned the most through my experiences as a Teaching Assistant. These experiences have been so valuable because of the wide range of subject areas in which I have been involved and the diverse instructors that I have assisted. Although I hesitate to use the word "problem" I feel that there is a tendency in teacher training for a student to latch onto one professor and model their teaching practices after that one mentor. While this is not always a bad thing I feel that it can lead some students down a dead-end path of self-exploration and individualization of their personal teaching style. I feel that I have been given a rare and invaluable opportunity in that I have been permitted to assist so many different teachers in such a wide array of subjects. In this thesis, I propose to examine the widely varied experiences that I have had here at VCU as a Teacher and Teaching Assistant. I will look at the teaching styles that I have witnessed, the methodologies and approaches of each course, and most importantly I will put forth my personal teaching philosophy that I have developed from my experiences here at VCU.

This paper examines the dialects of the language that is tap dance. Unlike more codified forms of dance such as ballet, which utilize a universally-accepted technique system, the evolution of tap dance has been largely rooted in oral tradition. During Broadway’s early years, entrepreneurs in the dance training business published manuals and dictionaries on tap, as did several self-styled experts in the 1990s; because many of these books are self-published, referring to them requires educated discrimination. Drawing on my own experience as a dance student, performer, choreographer, and educator, I have observed the preferred verbal language, dance styles, and technical applications of professional and amateur dancers in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, New England, and the Pacific Northwest. This research combined with a comparative analysis of tap dance as portrayed in commercial theatre as well as concert dance lays the groundwork for future study in tap dance pedagogy.

This paper details a class taught in the Virginia Commonwealth Theatre Department in Fall of 2015 on the works of William Shakespeare. Within both the class and this paper, I attempted to form the beginnings of a pedagogy of Shakespearean literature that incorporated elements of literary criticism, historical context and performance theory. Dramatic literature, including Shakespeare, is a moving target, as the text is reimagine and reinterpreted on stage again and again. My goal with this paper is to examine both how dramatic literature can be taught and the special challenges present in teaching it using Shakespeare as a case study, and to explore what is particularly meaningful about Shakespeare in the classroom.

The Taming of the Shrew is an early comedy that exposes the oddities we take for granted: curious conventions, wild assumptions, gender roles, relationships, social status, fashion, and everything else we know so defectively. The given circumstances of the script and Petruchio are specific in choice, yet broad in interpretation. Petruchio, the catalyst behind Katherine’s character arc, needed to not only be believable in his ways, but likeable by the audience. This thesis examines the process required to successfully develop and bring to life the character of Petruchio to our modern audience. It includes historical background information on William Shakespeare and the origins of the play itself, Sanford Meisner’s Techniques (moment-to-moment analysis & actioning) and Konstantin Stanislavski’s system are included with the scored actor’s script, journals recorded by the actor to verify his victories and defeats during the six-week production process and critiques to support the success of the production.

Many of the Harlem Renaissance anthologies and histories of the movement marginalize and omit women writers who played a significant role in it. They neglect to include them because these women worked outside of socially determined domestic roles and wrote texts that portrayed women as main characters rather than as muses for men or supporting characters. The distorted representation of women of the Renaissance will become clearer through the exploration of the following texts: Jessie Fauset’s Plum Bun, Caroline Bond Day’s “Pink Hat,” Dorothy West’s “Mammy,” Angelina Grimke’s Rachel and “Goldie,” and Georgia Douglas Johnson’s A Sunday Morning in the South. In these texts, the themes of passing, motherhood, and lynching are narrated from the consciousness of women, a consciousness that was largely neglected by male writers.

This thesis will set out to examine the process needed in order to deliver the character of Hamlet as a fully dimensional, complex human being who transcends time periods and class distinctions to connect with any audience of any background. This text will include biographical information about the author, William Shakespeare, as well as historical information about the circumstances and atmosphere surrounding the birth of this play. It will also include information about other performances, which will serve as references for comparison in terms of character development. Included in the scored actor’s script are the Sanford Meisner Techniques of moment-to-moment analysis and actioning as it relates to Konstantin Stanislavski’s system, as well as any additional actor’s notes that may have contributed to character development.