Emily Mann's play Still Life is a story of a Vietnam War veteran who returns home to a less than enthusiastic welcome. Like most veterans from this war, he struggles to come to terms with the atrocities he witnessed and even carried out himself. The play consists of three characters: Mark, a Vietnam veteran, Cheryl, his wife, and Nadine, his lover. Both women believe they intrinsically understand Mark, but neither truly can. Mark has returned from the war violent, irrevocably broken, and feeling that he has been abandoned by society. Emily Mann interviewed real people and transcribed their words into theatre of fact to provide a fresh outlook into a tumultuous period of American history. This thesis will explore the historical and artistic significance of Emily Mann's Still Life and its depiction of the political and cultural atmosphere of post-war America. Specifically, I will discuss the reception of the Vietnam soldiers and how they were affected by the war socially, psychologically and economically. I will explore interviews detailing what these young men experienced while at war, how it affected them then and now, and discuss how these issues are reflected in Emily Mann's Still Life. In addition to interviews, my methodology will consist of scriptural analysis and quantitative research.

This thesis investigates the dramaturgy of devised theatre for young audiences, specifically children ages 2-5. The chapters dissect current applications of dramaturgy in regards to the development of dramatic and performance texts, and present an exploration of devised theatre. My research revolved around qualitative research tactics through a review of the current literature on dramaturgy and devising, unobtrusive data collection, and interviews with the artistic directors of three Theatre for Young Audience (TYA) companies: Patch Theatre Company based in Adelaide, Australia, Theatre Mala Scena based in Zagreb, Croatia, and the Coterie Theatre located in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition, I viewed productions by each the above companies which helped to uncover how the artists move theory into practice based on their personal theories on TYA, dramaturgy, and devising. Through this research I reveal how dramaturgy proves a key element in moving improvisations into performance texts, creating theatrical experiences that capture the imaginations of the very young.

During the Fall 2007 semester, I facilitated the devising of a new play with students from a school located in St. Louis, Missouri. As an employee of a mid-America prominent regional theatre company, the organization partnering with the school on this project, I was hired as the teaching artist who oversaw the students' playwriting. Both the school and the regional theatre company hoped my being there would assist the girls in writing a play that connected to their Top 20 Teens curriculum as well as demonstrate the high standards that are expected of them by their school's administration. This is the second year that the school and the regional theatre company partnered on this project, and they discovered last year that the play's use of language and character development suffered due to hands off directing. Neither organization wanted this to happen again and decided that a facilitator needed to work with the girls throughout the entire playwriting process rather than allow the students free reign in hopes that they were challenged to make different decisions from last year's play. The school's student population stems from communities deemed economically disadvantaged, and my role in this project proved challenging due to the fact that I am not from the same population as the students. As a white, middle class female working in an inner city environment, I seem to be endowed with a modicum of perceived power, whether or not I agree with it or want it. In my experience, I have noticed a dynamic permeated by uneasiness due to past, and current, tensions between whites and other races. As a Caucasian entering an inner city environment, I felt like the obvious minority. Resulting from these situations, I assume the role of "other" when entering populations that differ from my own. In the case of the school, I felt my role as "other" increased due to working in an all-female environment with participants drawn from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. My role as "other" sparked the following questions for me: How do I facilitate this project as an "other," and how does this crucial, racial and socio-economic role affect the construction of my sessions with the participants? I was interested in documenting how I perceived this role relative to my participants and the partnering organization during my facilitation and in my conclusions after the project was completed. During my facilitation, I kept a journal that served as a self-action study during all of my sessions with the girls. The "in the moment" writings allowed me to capture those times when my role as "other" directly affected my approach to the facilitating of the playbuilding and the choices I made during the project. Afterward, I developed a conclusion section that was written a few months after the project had ended. I wanted to determine how my perception of "other" shifted, if at all, while I facilitated the project and after I had the time to reflect on the project. I discovered that my perception of "other" did change as I went through this project. During the study, I found myself aware of this shift, but noticed my awareness of power and privilege increased when I had time to reflect on the project months after it had ended. I discovered that I can be "other" in some instances while this role may not be apparent to my participants. My thesis documents how being "other" guided my choices as a facilitator, as well as when it did not seem to be the basis of my decision-making. From this study, I concluded that my being different racially and socio-economically led me to place an unnecessary filter over my work with the playbuilding project which caused me to have many challenges as a white teaching artist working in an inner city setting.

The demimondaine, an exclusive courtesan in nineteenth-century Europe, and the modern mezzo-soprano protagonist are prevalent characters in American musical theatre and can be observed in various styles throughout European music and drama. In Arthur Schnitzler s The Little Comedy, the female protagonist is both a romantic heroine and mistress; and in Jules Renard s Le Pain de Ménage, the lead player is anything but the classic ingénue. In preparation for performance and to further the research in the contemporary music comedy realm, I prepared for the roles of Josefine and Monica in the University of Central Florida s production of Barry Harman and Keith Herrmann s Romance, Romance through in-depth analysis on the performance development process of two distinct female protagonist characters. I first researched the historical world of the demimonde: identifying key characteristics of these famed courtesans and their fashionable emergence as tart with a heart characters in nineteenth-century dramatic works. Second, I traced the evolution of the fallen woman archetypal character and the mezzo-soprano from European grand opera and realism to contemporary musical theatre. This research better defined my character type and therefore assisted in performance preparation. Third, Act I s The Little Comedy is a period piece set in nineteenth-century Vienna, and Harman s and Herrmann s adaptation reflect the musical and social aspects of the time. Through historical research on operetta style and the creators perspectives, I more fully developed my understanding and performance interpretation in Romance, Romance. Finally, I evaluated my characterization process with a discussion of the practical implementation of research on the musical performance process. This thesis document adds to the wealth of pre-existing musical theatre character analysis and discusses key components associated with the development of the modern female protagonist. Identifying the evolution of the tart with a heart stock character from its European origins to its current Broadway prominence, this manuscript advances the academic field with the illumination of the demimonde in American musical theatre. Last, for the purpose of developing believable and realistic characters for musical performance, this document analyzes and evaluates the research methods used to inform the rehearsal process when developing two female protagonist characters in contemporary musical theatre.

Theatre history provides little information on theatre audiences and how the concept of an audience has changed over time. Through the investigation of theatre history texts, theatre theorists' manifestos, and interviews with workers in the field of theatre for young audiences, this thesis outlines the theatre audience from the first performance to the present and examines how the history of the concept of "child" and young audiences has developed in recent years. Opposing views exist on the subject of how a child is perceived as well as the purpose and role of a theatre audience. In this thesis, I investigate the classical, romantic, realist, modern, and current theatre movements and how scholars and theorists have perceived or written about their audiences in an effort to cultivate an understanding of what an audience is today and how the concept of theatre etiquette has or has not changed throughout history in order to relate these findings to experiences of audiences today. I began this thesis with a general knowledge of "audience," from a personal perspective as a performer and audience member. However, through my collected data, I find that audiences are valued in distinctive ways throughout various movements in theatre history. With this understanding, I wrote a short book to help young audience members to understand what the present conventions are as a theatre audience member.

Identity, who we are, is at the core of every human being, thus at the core of every character from every play. How the character identifies his self through gender and sexual identity will shape both physical and emotional choices that an actor will make through the rehearsal process. As an actor, it is absolutely imperative to resist the urge to pass judgment on the characters we portray. As more characters in modern drama are openly gay, there is an increasing urge for an actor to fall into campy stereotypes. Through a performance of the role of Molina in Manuel Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman, this thesis will examine the blurring line of gender identity of the leading man in contemporary drama and explore the challenges of portraying a feminine man in a non-stereotypical way, remaining true to the identification of the character. A thorough historical analysis presents a look at the evolution of the homosexual throughout modern drama, from self-loathing party boys of the seventies to ordinary fathers, husbands, and sons in modern households. A structural analysis of Puig's text will aid in the choices made by the actor. Lastly, a complete character analysis will examine the psychological motivations behind Molina's actions as well as the changes in his gender and sexual identity throughout the piece. This thesis will culminate in a comprehensive development, rehearsal and performance journal, which will document and address challenges, discoveries, failures and victories during the production process.

In the fall of 2007, I was cast in the University of Central Florida's production of The Piano Lesson. My thesis will examine my performance in the role of Grace, as well as understudying the role of Berniece under the direction of Professor Belinda Boyd. In addition to the performance components, my thesis materials will include historical and cultural character research and a reflective journal documenting my rehearsal and production process. My character research and journal will address questions about the characters "choices" and the relationship of their environment to views of personal responsibility and obligations in the play. I will examine the characters' relationships and situations in the play, investigating some of the decisions that these characters make in response to their cultural and social landscapes. The second part of my thesis will include research on three additional female characters from August Wilson's dramatic canon: Aunt Ester Tyler from Gem of the Ocean, Ma Rainey from Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and Rose from Fences, which will inform my character explorations of Grace and Berniece, and the choices that I make during the rehearsal process in developing their journeys. By reading other plays by Wilson, I endeavor to deepen my understanding of the struggles of African-American women in the twentieth century, and explore how the social and economic status of black women was affected by America's changing political and social climate over several decades. In addition, I will document how my visceral experience of performing the roles of Grace and Berniece relates to my intellectual process of exploring the journeys of Aunt Ester Tyler, Ma Rainey, and Rose.

This thesis will document four phases of my rehearsal process/performance while portraying the role of Helen in Sophie Treadwell's Machinal. The first phase of the project will be researching and analyzing historical material on: Sophie Treadwell (the playwright) Ruth Snyder (the murderess upon whom the character of Helen is based), and the actual murder that occurred in the 1920's. The second phase that will be documented is a character analysis. I will take each episode and divide it into the following sections: given circumstances, what is said about the character by the playwright, by others, or by herself, objectives, tactics, vocal traits, and physical traits. The third phase will include a written journal of my experiences as an actor as they occurred during the rehearsals and performances. The fourth and final phase will include a self-analysis of the performance. I will reflect on my abilities in synthesizing the research and character analysis found in phase one and two into the actual performance. In addition, Committee Chair, Mark Brotherton, and my thesis Committee Members, Kate Ingram and Vanduyn Wood will also give written responses. The performances will be held February 14-17, and 21-24, 2007 in the University of Central Florida's Black Box Theatre. Dr. Julia Listengarten will direct the performance.

This case study investigates how participating in the process of drama and the product of theatre affects the lives of persons with developmental and physical disabilities. In the summer of 2008, I documented the experiences of the actors in Kaleidoscope, a five-week musical theatre program in which 18 teenagers and adults created an original musical theatre production through a partnership between Asolo Repertory Theatre and Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities in Sarasota, Florida. In an effort to understand how moving through the rehearsal process and culminating product influenced and changed the lives of the actors within the Kaleidoscope community, I conducted three rounds of interviews with eight selected actors and two rounds of interviews with artistic and clinical staff, as well as documented personal observations through my role as a participant/observer. The major through lines of my data detail how drama, movement, dance, and voice work cultivated change in the actors' socialization, self-confidence, and self-expression. While participating in the art shaped the actors' lives in a variety of ways, the production of Dream Out Loud grew from collaborative efforts that challenged and celebrated both individuality and equality within the spectrum of difference among the ensemble. As I also studied Kaleidoscope as a whole to guide the design of my own program, I sought to discover methods of sustaining growth that stem from participating in both the dramatic process and product. Due to their wide spectrum of disabilities, the actors experienced a variety of changes, and for some, no changes at all in socialization, self-confidence, and self-expression. I concluded that while every actor did not walk away from Kaleidoscope having made great changes within The Three Ss, participating in the program was an artistically and socially valuable experience for each actor.

American society possesses strong, if not basic, stereotypes for each hair color: the "dumb" blonde, the "intelligent" or "serious" brunette, and the "spitfire" redhead. In contemporary entertainment culture, blonde women have achieved unique status beyond the stereotypes accorded to their brunette and redheaded counterparts. Revered and reviled simultaneously, these women cannot be ignored or dismissed. The convention of the "dumb blonde" is at the heart of this issue. When scrutinized, it is possible to discern at least four distinctions of this stereotype: the perceived as truly dumb, or innocent, blonde (Johanna in Sweeney Todd); the bombshell blonde (Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Mae West in Dumb Blonde); the dumb-but-actually-intelligent blonde (Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Galinda in Wicked); and the comedic blonde (Adelaide in Guys and Dolls). These characters presumably share more than their hair color and sex. By researching these blonde stereotypes, commonalities will be discovered and assessed for their applicability in character research. As this thesis explores the creation of Audrey in Ken Ludwig's Leading Ladies, a methodology for creating this type of character will be created. Through research and analysis of the various blonde stereotypes, an in-depth character and script analysis, and a journal of the creation process, it is my intention to reveal how a non-superficial portrayal of this character is possible and can be duplicated. Audrey's "blonde" traits will also be explored as they relate to the character's function within the play, emphasizing the ways her specified blondeness serves the play's needs. Analysis of the blonde stereotypes, script and character analyses, and the rehearsal journal will not only create a system for creating this type of character, but also will illuminate why this character type is important to comedic theatrical literature.