Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

A universally observed problem in acting is the inability of some actors in some roles to sound convincing when they speak. Instead, they sound as if they were reading aloud, although they have already learned their lines. This deficiency is usually referred to as a 'reading' or 'liney' quality in vocal delivery. A kindred fault, common in more experienced actors, is falling into exaggerated modulations seldom met with off stage; this is vulgarly known as 'ham'. When these faults are present in a performance, the audience has a powerful impression of inauthenticity or untruth. In a satisfactory performance, the voice sounds spontaneous and free, conveying the truth of the character. The object of the project described in this thesis was to investigate these phenomena more critically, with the aim of discovering possible causes other than innate talent or its absence in the actor. The method adopted in this pilot study involved observation of a small group of volunteer students, whose vocal delivery in different acting exercises could be assessed and compared. The project, which lasted for a Winter session, was set up somewhat similarly to an acting course. The students were given various acting exercises including concentration exercises, Sound and Movement, improvisations, oral readings, and work on one act of a play, necessitating a rehearsal period of four-and-a-half weeks. Potentially significant passages in some of these exercises were recorded on cassette tapes: these tapes appear as appendices to the present thesis. Voices were compared in all the situations provided by the different exercises, but the basic contrast lay between the same voice using improvised words, and using words invented by another. Each student was assessed in these groups of exercises. In the oral readings and the study of the play they were considered under different headings, some of which dealt with technical proficiency, while others were concerned with imagination in the creation of a role, and the resulting success or failure in projecting a character; the assessment laid emphasis on the quality of the vocal delivery. Three causes were found to be significant in examining an unsatisfactory delivery. The first of these was connected with resistance to playing a particular kind of part. In two cases, a character in a play appeared to threaten the actor, possibly by its destructiveness and violence. In these cases the actors responded with unconvincing voices and a marked tendency to adopt a set of inflections which became unalterable, and thus quite unspontaneous. The second cause lay in a fundamental attitude to the text as such. A text apparently constituted itself as an authority for some actors, an external authority whose power they were unable to transfer to themselves. This created a 'reading' quality in the voice and a similar lack of spontaneity. The third significant area concerned the use of the imagination in building up a role. Where the actor had failed to ask himself the question, "What would I do if I were in this situation?" there was a thinness in the presentation of the character, which showed in under- or over-emphasis in the voice. Furthermore, where the techniques for enabling an actor to believe in his role as a specific character were ignored, the actor tended to approach the emotional demands of the part with a direct attack; discouraging results ensued. This lack of imaginative preparation manifested itself in an exaggerated and strained delivery. Finally, there are some comments on feeling, intuition and intellect, and how these bear on the problems of student actors, who have been trained in other disciplines to use their brains first and foremost, and their intuitions rather less. / Arts, Faculty of / Theatre and Film, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (M.F.A.)--York University, 2006. Graduate Programme in Theatre. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-64). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR29279

The following thesis is an in-depth actor analysis chronicling my approach to the role of Iago in TheatreUNO’s 2019 production of Othello by William Shakespeare. This thesis will include analysis of the text, character objectives, techniques used, observations about the application of contemporary realistic acting technique to classical verse text, self-evaluation and personal reflection. This thesis will be supported by production materials including a fully scored script. This play was directed by David W. Hoover, and performed April 25- May 4, 2019,as part of the TheatreUNO 2018-2019 academic season, presented by the Department of Film and Theatre in the School of the Arts, at the University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Scenic Design was by Kevin Griffith, Lighting design was by Diane Baas, Costume design was by Anthony French, Vocal coaching was by L. Kalo Gow, and Alexandra Marie Rainey served as the Stage Manager.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2002. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-188). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

A Monologue is an Outrageous Situation! How to Survive the 60-Second Audition explains how to successfully tackle the "cattle call" acting audition with a sixty-second monologue. Through Q&As, tips, director’s notes, and a glossary full of outrageous actions meant to inspire the actor into truly connecting with the piece, this book shows actors where and how to find a monologue, edit it, and give the best audition possible. / https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1155/thumbnail.jpg

Class/Act: Embodied Practices for Performative Pedagogy is a personal and practical exploration of embodiment’s role in higher education acting pedagogy. In my thesis, I propose that embodied acting practices rooted in phenomenology and corporeal dramaturgy surpass conventional acting curricula. Embodied training is often confused with movement curricula and is regularly considered a shallow and/or unintelligent means to approaching acting work. However, I will argue the efficiency and effectiveness of embodied teaching techniques in four parts. Part One: Seeing is a retrospective of how my personal experiences outside of the classroom have drawn me toward embodied aesthetics. Part Two: Knowing unveils my research of embodiment, its origins, and its impact on theatrical disciplines. Part Three: Being/Doing is an in-depth look into diverse schools of acting and how they fall short of fully embracing embodied practices. Part Four: Becoming is an introduction to my creation of an embodied business approach for actors called Professional Embodied Preparation (PEP) and continues the discussion of embodiment’s transformative influence and integration into the higher education curricula. Throughout the thesis, I hope to prove that embodied acting pedagogy is an essential tool for providing greater efficiency, proficiency, and auto-didacity for the pre-professional actor in the academic classroom and beyond.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 380-388). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 295-302). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 295-302). Also available on the Internet.