Contemporary models of educational and commercial theatres espouse the belief that theatre is the true collaborative art form: one in which artists of different talents, training programs, and experiences can come together to briefly create something more significant than themselves. However, as the theatre has moved into the twenty-first century, the ensemble nature that is so unique to theatrical performance is frequently abandoned for a streamlined top-down structure of theatre making, one in which monetary, scheduling, and efficiency concerns inhibit the true creation of an ensemble. For multi-faceted theatre artists who have interest and talents in more than one field of the theatre, the current reigning structure of theatrical creation can seem restrictive, even reductive to their creative potentials. In this thesis, I explore a revived form of theatrical creation centered around the concept of the total ensemble artist, or the modern-day equivalent to the Renaissance man, an artist and student of many different passions. By developing a model of theatrical creation that allows and encourages an actor's agency in the creative process, I hope to show that the ensemble approach to theatre making, in which actors must work together to create and support a production in intimate and challenging ways, is beneficial and necessary to both theatre artists and the audiences that come to view theatrical productions. Rather than being limited to the confines of the categorized and structured model of commercial theatre, these artists will be able to work together to create individualized, meaningful stories on stage that allow the theatre to remain influential, relevant, and representational of our collective experiences.

The question of "who am I" created an involuntary domino effect which led me to my most valued work I have done as a graduate student, serving predominantly Latino/a students in educational theatre settings. This thesis explores three productions I worked on and the questions that have evolved in my understanding of identity and cultural sustainability as a Latina theatre artist and educator working in educational theatre. As an Orlando Repertory teaching artist, I began a residency with HOPE CommUnity Center along with some colleagues. We worked with high school students from their youth group to devise a show titled Walk a Day in My Shoes (Camina un dia en mi zapatos), which speaks to the experience of these students as either DREAMERS or first-generation Americans. During Theatre UCF's Pegasus PlayLab festival, I worked as the assistant director and dramaturg for El Wiz, an original Latino musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, written by local Latina/o artists in the Orlando community, as a response to the impact Hurricane Maria had in the Island of Puerto Rico. For Theatre UCF's mainstage season, I worked as the assistant director and as an understudy for Water by the Spoonful written by Quiara Alegria Hudes, which follows a diverse group of individuals trying to navigate addiction, identity and redemption. In this thesis project, I reflect on my own growth and experiences as part of the process and seek to define the necessity of identity and cultural sustainability as a part of the theatre education space, acknowledge the complexities that creates challenges for diversity and access within theatre programming, and articulate areas of growth that theatre institutions may need in order to support the diverse communities they inhabit and the students they serve and educate in a new millennium.

Learning your type in the entertainment industry is not an easy lesson for many young performers. This is especially true if you are already being cast as the 'older woman' or 'witty sidekick' at 13 years old. A wise professor once told me, at the ripe age of 20, that moving to New York City after graduating with my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre would be a mistake. He told me that as a character actress my time will come and that I am too young to play the roles I am right for. These words were not easy to hear and took time to accept, but it helped me shape my future. Knowing I had time to spare before pursuing a professional career as a performer, I have been teaching theatre in middle and high school to inspire other students to refine their craft and continue their own path to a career in the theatre industry. I also got married and started a family, so by the time I am ready to pursue a career as a professional actress, my children will be older and more independent and not need mommy around 100% of the time. This also gives me plenty of time to research and continue to perform (as my teaching schedule allows) for when that time comes. It occurred to me I should explore those mature women roles and create a one-person cabaret titled Just a Number: A Cabaret Exploring the Roles My Age Prevents Me From Playing. I wanted to explore and develop performance roles I will age into. This cabaret allowed me the opportunity to explore those roles, but also how my life has and will continue to prepare me to play these strong characters. Most of the characters have gone through major life experiences. By the time I am at the right age to tackle those roles professionally, I will have already experienced marriage, motherhood, loss of loved ones, moving jobs and homes, and who knows what else! Those experiences will allow me to bring more life and authenticity to the roles that this cabaret featured. I also took a moment to reflect on my career as a young performer who was not the right type for roles I was up for. This was a tough reality to accept as a young performer, and I came to terms with that truth; taking a moment to poke fun at that time in my career added some levity to a potentially heavy subject that many actors must face. For the material, I looked at the works of major musical theatre composers and lyricists whose material features strong female characters of a certain age. I incorporated songs that chronicle the life of a character actress and highlight major life events that someone my age needs to go through to truly understand what the character has experienced.

This document will utilize the author's work on the developmental musical, From Here, to analyze the contemporary process of composing, arranging, and orchestrating a musical. Further, this document will highlight research on the process of composition by some of Broadway's best known composers, as well as the author's creative process of composing, arranging, and performing From Here. One key aim of the composition process will be to create music that supports the story and, thereby, reflects the emotions of the characters. While the end of the musical examines the tragedy of the 2016 Pulse nightclub attack in Orlando, Florida, USA, the rest of the musical reflects other realities of life including the joy of love and friendship. In support of creating visceral musical "emotion", the author will document the process of creating music themes, called motifs, and chord structures that help define and carry the emotion of songs. By researching the process of living, successful, Broadway-level composers, and documenting the process of this composer, the author hopes to offer a blueprint for future composers to create emotionally-infused, dynamic, story-centric scores.

From Oklahoma!, 42nd Street, and A Chorus Line to Hairspray, Kinky Boots, and Hamilton, we have watched musical theater dance transcend conventional boundaries and open up worlds that were once unimaginable and distant. Musical theater choreography is a crucial element to the storytelling process. When dialogue, either spoken or sung, isn't fully able to express feelings, dance is there not only to heighten the emotion, but also to reveal character depths and further the plot. As an extension of expressed language, movement becomes the link that connects text and emotion, and ultimately the story and the audience. How does a choreographer go about creating effective choreography that facilitates storytelling, yet still inspires, energizes, and engages audiences? What is the process of taking a premature concept and turning it in to a living piece? What are some of the tools that a choreographer can use to design movement in non-traditional spaces or achieve a balanced vision with a cast of varied dance skills? As a dancer, educator, and choreographer, I set out to use my experience to outline the process of what it takes to create, develop, and implement choreography for a professional theater production in a thrust space, specifically, the main stage production of Evita at Orlando Shakes. The goal of this thesis was to analyze the elements of creating and implementing dance and movement within a musical, beginning with a conceptual idea, journeying through the design and application phase, and ending with a final production. Throughout this process, various methodologies were used to create choreography, such as the creative utilization of individual skill sets, the effective use of space and patterns, the precise play with instrumentation, and the careful blending of movement and dance. I also examined and explored teaching strategies that foster the confidence of both movers and dancers. The first part of this thesis focuses on research and the pre-production phase of Orlando Shakes' production of Evita. The latter half discusses the choreographic process I used to design and teach choreography and the steps it took to achieve the final product.

This thesis explores best practices for applying drama strategies to coaching youth soccer. How does drama pedagogy translate to sports? Do drama techniques improve youth soccer? How can using drama- based strategies when coaching youth soccer enhance my own coaching abilities and thus improve the quality of youth soccer instruction and experience? This study applies various drama techniques to pre- written coaching curriculum. This manifested in heavily detailed games, supported by pantomime, storytelling, and narrative exploration, all of which further engaged the children in their soccer exercises. This thesis is supplemented by research on best practices regarding youth soccer, as well as the history of creative drama, developed and theorized by Winifred Ward, and drama methods developed by Dorothy Heathcote and Viola Spolin, contextualizing how they have each been utilized from their onset until the current time. This study incorporates journal entries written after each coaching session, reflecting on personal practice and how the curriculum was amplified or diminished based on the dramatic techniques applied. Additional observations of other coaches are included, detailing how their methodologies differ from my own, as well as the results of these differing methods. Using this practice as research, varying conclusions are drawn on the impacts, effects, and successfulness of incorporating drama into coaching.

The goal of this thesis was to develop a process-based approach for a theatre production with an emphasis in musical theatre at the secondary education level. Many times, a high school theatre instructor is faced with challenges when selecting materials for productions that go beyond the standard mandated curriculum. In a perfect world, the program would have strong enrollment, overflowing funding and community support. This is usually not the case, so how does the director prioritize the necessary practice to find success for a production? What does the instructor do to select material that will be appropriate for the curriculum standards? How does the director adapt production elements to satisfy both academic and community requirements? By establishing clear goals for the production, I utilized effective research methods and proper selection of materials to create a successful production. Drawing from my experiences as a stage manager, educator and director in a wide variety of settings, I used my thesis to devise an effective pedagogical approach to directing a production of "Mamma Mia".

Vaclav Havel once said that "[t]heatre is always a sensitive seismograph of an era, perhaps the most sensitive one there is; it's a sponge that quickly soaks up important ingredients in the atmosphere around it." One of the more important "ingredients" in our cultural atmosphere in modern America is the issue of identity. In his book on metatheatre, Richard Hornby posits that theatre is "a kind of identity laboratory, in which social roles can be examined vicariously." In this thesis, I examine Hornby's theory of the five different modes of metatheatre, critique each, and argue for the addition of a sixth mode. I then explain the basics of critical race theory, and argue for the use of it as a theoretical lens in the theatre and for the creation of a body of "critical race theatre." Using the framework of metatheatre and the theoretical lens of critical race theory, I analyze both Branden Jacob's Jenkins' An Octoroon and Young Jean Lee's The Shipment as seminal works of critical race theatre. I argue the necessity of applying critical race theory to the theatre and creating such a body of work if the theatre is to play a part in striving for racial justice. By analyzing the use of metatheatrical devices to confront race in both of these plays, I additionally make the case that metatheatre is the best frame within which to craft a body of critical race theatre.

As a teacher of high school theatre, I aspire to create powerful and thought-provoking theatre with my students. For my thesis, I adapted George Eliot's classic novel Silas Marner into a one-act play. I researched the novel and the necessary aspects of writing a one-act play. I explored the overriding themes in the novel. I researched and applied the techniques, skills and literary mechanics necessary to construct a one-act play. I recorded the creative process with my students as we, the director and actors, produced this original one-act for public performances. I reflected on this thesis journey and objectively critiqued the entire learning experience. I wrote the adaptation in a one-act form to also allow my student to compete with the original theatrical piece in our District V Thespian Festival. The four highest scoring one-acts in the competition advanced to the Florida State Thespian Festival in Tampa, March 2020. Silas Marner was one of the highest scoring one-acts and will compete on March 19, 2020 at the Florida State Thespian Festival. This is a great honor for a high school Thespian Troupe and offers a wonderful, professional experience for the students. The story of Silas Marner was told in its entirety. My students presented the completed one-act in two public performances, and I reflected on this creative process. I directed my high school actors and they created the characters and developed the plot of my original one-act.

Teaching Artists (that is, artists who teach) are in a constant state of reflection and self-evaluation. Reflexive Teaching Artistry is the ability to apply personal reflection to practice as a means to better support and engage students. Reflection is certainly useful at the culmination of a class or project, but how does reflecting throughout the creative process benefit participants? How can a Teaching Artist's reflections be applied to their practice throughout a creative process to better serve the objectives of a program? Using the lens of Reflexive Teaching Artistry, this thesis examines three unique drama-based projects and the instances of "in-the-moment" reflection that challenged original project curriculum or infrastructure. The projects discussed include intergenerational program Come to the Table, the Multimodal Performing Arts Intervention (MPAI) arts and wellness research study, and a performance of When Pigs Fly, a Theatre for the Very Young piece, as performed for an audience with memory loss.