The purpose of this thesis is to detail my first professional costume design job after my unofficial graduation in May 2008. This thesis will serve primarily as a design thesis, and will concentrate the majority of its efforts in the presentation of a final, original costume design for a realized production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as produced by Duke University. During the course of this presentation, I will seek to detail my own design process and the inspiration and research I used to achieve my goal. I will also discuss the execution of the design, problems that arose within, and my interactions with the shop, staff, and other members of the production team before summarizing my experience and discussing what I learned from the project, and what I took away from it personally.

This text is a partial record of the development of the Virginia Commonwealth University production of The Civil War: A Musical that opened on April 7, 2005 for a three-week run ending April 28, 2005. The greater part of the text is devoted to the evaluation of the underlying principles of direction and choreography applied in the creation of an artistically aid financially successful production of this size. Included in the evaluation of The Civil War: A Musical are analyses of the directors' --Patti D'Beck and David Leong --individual creative processes, aesthetics, and working styles. The result of this evaluation and analysis is a compilation of the fundamental principles of direction and choreography applied The Civil War: A Musical as a methodology for the creation of theatre. Further reflections on collaboration and artistry serve as the culmination of lessons inherent in both the creation of the Theatre VCU production of The Civil War: A Musical and in the author's three years of study in the VCU Master of Fine Arts program in Theatre Pedagogy with an emphasis in Movement Direction and Choreography.

ABSTRACT PEDAGOGY AND PERFORMING SHAKESPEARE’S TEXT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY By Sally Parrish Southall A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Director: Dr. Noreen C. Barnes Professor, Director of Graduate Studies School of the Arts In the Master of Fine Arts program in Theatre Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University, and in a second program, the Master of Letters/Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance at Mary Baldwin College - two specific pedagogical approaches to accessing and performing Shakespeare’s text, both in the post-graduate setting - provide significant analysis tools and performance techniques, yet they use different points of departure and areas of focus. Chapter 1 will give the background, design, and focus of the graduate programs at Virginia Commonwealth University and at Mary Baldwin College. Chapter 2 will discuss and describe Janet B. Rodgers’ teaching orientation and her particular pedagogy in “Shakespeare and Text: The War of the Roses” class at viii ix Virginia Commonwealth University. Chapter 3 will provide Dr. Ralph Alan Cohen’s professional background and the foundational structure and focus of the pedagogy in his class “Language and Performance” at Mary Baldwin College. Chapter 4 explores the parallel and overlapping methods demonstrated in these two classes as well as the contrasting specifics of their particular methodologies. Chapter 5 describes the value of the two approaches, both of which exemplify the individual strengths of the professors.

"Unsex Me Here…" is an examination of our bodies, what they mean in terms of gender and power, and why they mean what they do. Plucked from Lady Macbeth’s infamous soliloquy, the title suggests the stripping away of something essential that transforms. Sex is not the right word, but gender is. Often, these two are mistaken and interchanged. Myths that support our social structure exist at the intersection of sex and gender. In this production, I collaborated with Pete Guither of the Living Canvas to challenge notions of gender in different textual mediums (via the written text of Shakespeare’s "Macbeth" and the text of the body itself) ultimately moving towards a space in which greater body understanding and acceptance exists. Our goal was a theatrical event that was both artistically beautiful and transformational not only for the artists involved in the process of making the piece but the audience as well.

This thesis is an exploration of the novella The Malady of Death by Marguerite Duras and my subsequent production of this book. It covers Duras' history and influences in writing this book while at the same time gives an account of all my directorial attempts with this piece. With regards to Duras, the influence of the nouveau roman writers in the mid twentieth century and her relationship at the time of her writing Malady is discussed. For my part, I divulge my initial exposure to the piece, the previous attempts to stage the work, my latest attempt with extensive research, and finally providing self analysis with regards to this latest production. It is my hope that after reading this thesis the reader will immerse themselves into the world of Duras while at the same time rethink their approach to theater.

This thesis is written to detail the process and results of the theatre history class that I assisted in teaching during the fall semester of 2005. It details the process of formulating the class structure, how the class proceeded, my lecture process, and finally the responses that the students had to the class. The first chapter of this paper goes into the process of getting the class formulated. When Shaun McCracken and I were asked to take over instruction of THEA 307 for the fall during Dr. Barnes' sabbatical, rather than exactly following the process that the class had previously taken, we decided to alter some of the elements of the class. We added in a response system for the reading that the students would be doing through the semester. In addition to this, we put together a course packet of readings from plays and other books and essays to supplement the main book we would be using, rather than have the students buy another expensive book for the course that they would not entirely use throughout the semester, indeed the rest of the year. For the second chapter, I go into the class itself, its environment, the physical shape of the class as it went on and the grading for the semester. Third in this thesis is a look at the lectures that I performed for my section of the class time, the rationale behind the section layout, and where some of the readings had their basis in my assignment. Finally, the paper looks at the responses that the students had to the class itself and any possible improvements that I could be made in future classes of this type.

I know it is my core, my purest nature to incessantly question myself and everything around me; as we pertain to the universe. As Robert Wilson suggests "I will always ask 'What is it?' before telling you what it is." My goal is to present you with some tools with which to approach your craft, your life, your uncertainties. And though I may not always be the best example, I still wish to encourage all that read this or spend time with me to see this craft/business and indeed your life as a great, happy adventure; guided by love. Because this will always lead to good and positive experiences, whatever path you find yourself on.In what I am doing now I am preparing to transition from a career in makeup into my next interest/phase/period with energy and excitement. Not disappointment, regret or rejection as I have seen over the years when this business is done with someone. And I think my timing is just about right, as I have done it while I am still in demand, while my phone is still ringing, while I am still at the top of my game, my craft.If this collection of thoughts is perceived a success or is widely read, discussed, or deliberated, because I have aimed it at, geared it toward or written it for success or sensationalism, then I have failed, and this amounts to little more than advertising or cheap unsatisfying tabloid television. But if this in any way grabs, challenges, informs, suspends you, makes you question or dream then like theatre when it is at its truest, most profound, rawest, absolutely undecorated, it serves its purpose: To move us forward to new debate, to new exploration of this/our condition.

My thesis addresses the role of the assistant director within the realm of today's American theatre. I determine who the assistant director is in today's theatre, what qualities they need to possess, and how a director can use an assistant director most effectively. To come to these conclusions, I analyze my experiences as an assistant director and a director over the last four years, as well as conduct interviews with directors and assistant directors currently working in professional and academic.

The shift in the American economic viewpoint before and after World War I left an indelible mark on the arts, allowing the only indigenous music to arise, jazz. In the transitory period following the war, it was George Gershwin who paved the way for jazz to become America's only indigenous music. Yet, the current definition of jazz is so racially polarized that it has lost focus on the music. This work explores George Gershwin's role in creating a jazz culture in a xenophobic country and argues for an inclusive definition of jazz, one based on the music itself.

This thesis details my process of teaching Devising Theatre, a course of my own design, in Spring of 2005 and Fall of 2005. I address my curricular development from semester to semester (readings, assignments, assessments) as well as the students' responses to the material. Additionally, I discuss my reasons for teaching the course and the place that alternative theatre can and should have in theatre training programs and in the realization of feminist pedagogy.