Disability in performance has a long history, starting with fictional characters such as Shakespeare's Gloucester/Richard, progressing through the freak shows of the early twentieth century, and finally with artists such as Neil Marcus, Mat Fraser and Deaf West Theatre in the past twenty years. Looking to the work of disabled artists, activists, and theorists such as Petra Kuppers and Carrie Sandahl, I will examine the history of both disability in performance and the performance of disability. I will discuss my performance of Garret, a man with muscular dystrophy, in my original play, The Sick Parents Club. Through analysis of what playing a disability means both emotionally and physically, I will seek to answer the questions: How can an actor play a disabled character without defining them by their disability? Is it possible for a normative-bodied actor to approach authenticity playing a character with a disability?

In 2016, I was cast as Officer Krupke in a production of West Side Story at Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF. Even though Krupke can be thought of as a minor character in the play, bringing him to life required a great deal of research and imagination. In order to ground myself in the reality of the role, I researched the effects of implicit bias in modern policing, applied that research to Uta Hagen's Nine Questions, and brought that knowledge into the rehearsal hall and onto the stage. I examined how my character's interactions with Lieutenant Schrank influenced his actions and attitudes toward both street gangs in the play and reflected on how my research and these performances changed my point of view and helped me recognize my own biases. This thesis reflects that process and will serve as a tool available to any actor seeking to create his or her own interpretation of Officer Krupke.

Living with Marie is a project aiming to adapt dramatherapy techniques so that they are better suited to the creation of theatre in an attempt to educate audiences of the struggles some individuals cope with while living with mental illness. By using the practices implemented by dramatherapists Sue Jennings, John Casson, R. M. Simon, and Phil Jones, the evolution of my play Living with Marie can be seen as first originating in imagery before progressing to text and finally, performable art. This venture, inspired by my own psychotic struggle, gives audiences a glimpse into the clandestine existence of a nameless Young Woman and her mêlée with a schizophrenic embodiment of her mental disorders named Marie.

In many religious circles white is a symbol for purity, cleanliness, and perfection. However, white is also synonymous with empty, blank, and colorless. Women in White: My journey into color is a project centralized around a personal study of the cultural pressures of "perfection" presented both in religious cultures and in the every-day life of a performer. Utilizing the catalyst of a cabaret-style performance, Women in White explores the struggles of nine different female characters in the musical theatre cannon and aims to draw a personal connection from their journey. Inspired by the wise words of my own mother, this thesis celebrates the color present in our lives.

Sexual misconduct is currently a very hot topic in the media. Not only has the #MeToo Movement encouraged many women to come out with their stories of sexual assault, but it has also given women of many different backgrounds an opportunity to band together in support. I will be exploring the role of Theresa Bedell in Boy Gets Girl, by Rebecca Gilman. I will use the given character relationships to build an honest portrayal of the struggles Theresa faces as a woman in the world. I will touch on the mindset behind as well as the effects of victim blaming, the importance of having more women in the world of media, the current #MeToo Movement, and how these topics effect my thesis role.

As we transition into a more goal-oriented society, our ability to nurture and cultivate individual growth in emotional, spiritual, and mental awareness in the performing arts has been stifled by the desire to get ahead in our modern-day race for success. This fierce struggle brings with it a risk of subconscious deterioration in mental, spiritual and emotional health. As actors in an aggressive industry, we are often faced with the monumental task of preserving our artistry while competing in the industry, and we often find ourselves overwhelmed by the inescapable pressures in the business of acting. In "Mindful Acting", I will synthesize a metaphysical approach to actor-training centered around the concept of mindfulness, meditation and the self. The goal of my thesis is to refine and integrate pre-existing actor training methods with practices in mindfulness and meditation to reclaim the actor's artistry in life and in performance.

Radio Plays are a form of classic American Theatre that relies on dialogue, music and sound effects to audibly enhance a story with no visual component. While these types of plays are no longer at the forefront of modern day theatrical experience, I believe these popular plays of the mid-20th century are derivative of an oral storytelling tradition and significant to American entertainment culture. This thesis will discuss the aspects of radio plays that viscerally captured audiences. While this concept can be applied to many popular America radio shows of the time, this thesis will focus on one form ; the black radio play or black situation comedy series. I will deconstruct different genres of radio shows and identify the elements of sound effect, imagery and patterns in speech. This thesis will apply these elements to programs about white family life, (Fibber McGee and The Lone Ranger ) as well as family comedies about black cultural life, (Amos n' Andy, The Martin Lone and Beulah Show and Aunt Jemima). In addition, it will also reveal the business of employing white male actors to voice the parts of black characters and the physical mechanics used to create a “black sound”. As the thesis reveals, black actors gain work and are hired to voice black characters. The focus is on the vocal challenges of staying consistent with the Uncle Remus-style dialect used by their white contemporaries. Part two of this thesis is an analysis of my role as writer in an original radio play/situation comedy set in a black community in the 1950's. Included in this process I will introduce a reflective journal documenting my writing and rehearsal process. Character research will chronicle each character’s relationship to the play, as well as the vocal choices explored.

This thesis examines the application of psychophysical techniques of Konstantin Stanislavski's System, coupled with use of Michael Chekhov's Psychological Gesture, to prepare for multiple roles of intersectional characters in the production of Paula Vogel's Indecent, directed by Dr. Julia Listengarten at the University of Central Florida, January 25th through February 7th, 2022. Vogel's Indecent revisits the events surrounding the production of Sholem Asch's God of Vengeance on Broadway in 1923, which featured a lesbian relationship. The show's cast and producers were arrested for depicting scenes of obscenity, which reflected the intolerance of immigrant, Jewish, and queer communities in the 1920s and exemplified the pervasive political censorship on the American stage. The complexity of Indecent provides a rich case study with which to explore the multi-faceted dimensions of fully and authentically representing marginalized characters on stage. Using both Stanislavski's System and techniques from M. Chekhov's Psychological Gesture provided a framework for effectively representing these characters as well as navigating Vogel's complex dramatic structure, its non-linear narrative that disrupts a consecutive arc of character development, and its metatheatrical nature as a play about a play.

Actors often use their life experiences to evoke emotions and give a compelling performance. Connecting with personal experiences for a role, however, can manifest traumatic experiences. Trauma in the acting process can trigger difficult memories and emotions, which affects the actor's well-being. In graduate school, I discovered that trauma was a detriment to my artistic freedom in the acting process. Without the appropriate tools to address trauma, it affected my well-being and caused me to burnout. Furthermore, trauma was ignored by those involved in the creative process and there was an expectation to mask emotions for the sake of the process. In this thesis, I will examine my acting process for The Mountaintop and the practical techniques that I used for the role of Camae. This thesis will share my story, define trauma (from a character, personal, and familial perspective), examine how the implementation of practical techniques empowered me in the acting process, and envision my post graduate endeavors as an artist. I argue that acting and voice techniques can play an important role in addressing trauma and empower an actor in their creative process.

No description available.