Through exploratory and descriptive research into the importance and incidence of Youth Theatre as genre, this study revealed that the changing political situation after 1994, the White paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage (1994) and the disbanding of the Arts Councils had a negative influence on the staging and maintaining of new works for youth theatre audiences in Afrikaans. Thus, there is evidence of a gap in theatre presentations for the age group 13 to 18 years. This is true in particular, of the range between Child and Adult Theatre. Youth Theatre (âJeugteaterâ) seems an appropriate term for this type of theatre aimed at youthful audiences and performed by professional actors in contrast with Teenage Theatre (âTienertoneelâ) which is theatre presented by youthful actors for a youthful audience. The collated findings of a literature review, questionnaires, interviews, practical implementation and comparison with international trends, prove that a definite gap exists in the staging of Afrikaans Youth Theatre as part of Mainstream productions for entertainment, alongside the need for Community- and Educational Theatre. The study finds that themes addressed before 1994 are more national-minded and romanticised, compared with the themes after 1994 that are more relevant and realistic in nature and also less inhibited. The theatre practitioner, working in this genre, who has a good command of the complexities of adolescence as well as the external factors which influence the adolescent, has the ability to make the right choice regarding theme, nature and style of presentation as well as content of Youth Theatre productions. Only with this in mind can Youth Theatre productions appeal to the taste and entertainment needs of the youth. The study also demonstrates that the staging of productions that integrate dance, music, drama and digital media, appeal more to the adolescent audience than conventional drama productions. In addition, the study finds that financial support from the formal sector; the National Arts Council (on a project-to-project basis); the National Lottery; as well as Provincial Arts and Culture Councils have practical implications for this industry when it comes to long-term planning for theatre practitioners and there theatre projects. Financial constraints and extended waiting periods for the outcome of applications, as well as the fact that projects have to be completed before the next applications can be handed in, inhibit and constrain the financial viability of permanent Companies who wish to pursue Youth Theatre as Entertainment Theatre alone. School tours with Educational and Community Theatre programs very often constitute the only other source of income for professional Youth Theatre Companies. Funders such as the NAC and others lack an understanding of the functioning of the theatre industry and are therefore unable to adjust funding procedure to ensure the long-term viability of this genre. In conclusion, this study finds that financially supported, quality, Youth Theatre can prevent the overall loss of audiences in the range between Child and Adult Theatre. This can only be achieved if collaboration exists between the different levels of government such as the Departments of Education, Arts and Culture, funders and professional theatre practitioners. Lastly, it is of the utmost importance for Youth Theatre that theatre on the whole is given higher priority in the policies of the Performing Arts and Education. Ample manpower and infrastructure does exist to stage Afrikaans Youth Theatre of a high standard. Lastly, it appears that the policy on theatre, and specifically Youth Theatre of the Provincial Arts Councils before the implementation of Playhouses, could be fruitfully revisited.

In this descriptive study, it was found that Pieter Fourieâs development as playwright cannot be separated from the changing socio-political, religious dogma and economic circumstances in South Africa during his childhood years, as a student, and as a creative theatre artist. The influence of fellow artists, lecturers and philosophers, and the situation and development in the world of the theatre to which he was exposed as an artist, including the influence of it on his development as an individual and writer, his involvement as professional theatre artist from 1940 to 2011, as producer and actor (1965-2005), as arts administrator at CAPAB (1957- 1986) and KKNK (1994-1999) are examined chronologically. The research problem, methodology and research design and ethical consideration are explained in short in this study. The playwrightâs role as folk theatre and informal historian within time bound, geographical and demographical systems is clarified. How these systems are reflected in the playwrightâs work is investigated. In addition, the development and functioning of internal theatre systems within which the theatre artist finds himself is explained. The influence of external systems, such as politics, religion, censorship, etc. on his life as an individual, artist and theatre administrator, is discussed. In this biographical description, Fourieâs personal and artistic career is discussed chronologically. The main corpus of the study undertakes a critical investigation of all his published plays, as well as the professional staging of these plays by several theatre institutions. Fourieâs career, initially as folk theatre writer in the realistic style and later as highly respected playwright, whose experimentation in Afrikaans drama is seen as shifting boundaries, is discussed in detail utilising literary publications, reviews and personal interviews with Fourie and other roleplayers. The study concludes that Fourie was exceptionally successful in writing accessible folk theatre, despite how innovative his work was with regards to style and content. In retrospect, his work was often predictive in nature or he fearlessly placed on stage the true political and social circumstances in the country. His work clearly can be seen as that of an informal historian. Finally, the study mentions the numerous accolades he received, with the highlight being the Hertzog Prize for Drama and the Honorary Doctorate (D.Litt.) in Drama and Theatre Arts from the University of the Free State.

Kristin Clippard's MFA Thesis Project: A Director's Mash-up of She Stoops to Conquer or the Mistakes of a Night by Oliver Goldsmith

My artistic process as an actor is ever changing--always in flux and adjusting to the needs and dominant rhythms of the character and imaginary world of the play. While there may be some overlap, every role is different from the next role and therefore the artistic process serves to help the actor find a way into the life of the character. Actor training in movement, voice, and acting technique provides me with a variety of tools to choose from when developing a character for performance. My artistic process is the exploration and play that goes into picking and choosing which tools suit me best to approach the development of a character. It is my work to use these tools to discover the many connections and themes between the character and the imaginary world of the play as well as how they interact with each other. A significant part of this exploration is doing the character research to answer specific questions such as: Is my character's interaction with others mostly negative or positive? What want, need, or desire lures my character from the beginning of the play through to the end? What is my characters internal rhythm...heavy and lethargic or light and erratic? Moreover, the artistic process is crucial to giving me the freedom to release into the character so that I can successfully make the jump from playing at a character to truly embodying the character.

A collection of work from the graduate tenure of Kevin Loeffler at the University of Iowa Department of Theatre.

Access to new forms, conduct and practices of educational research remain elusive providing researchers stay within the narrow theoretical constructs�the static, single vista of conventional research models. This dissertation presents the findings of an experimental study that aims to extend the discourse of educational research through a 'performative ethnographic analysis' by using a single-site case study approach. The case study is an analytical parody based on multiple discourse relevant to a 'new' and different approach to educational research so that a more comprehensive and complex process of reading and writing text becomes possible. Throughout this process, a generative methodology and interpretative base are anticipated to provide a metaphoric focus for a critical dialogue. The discourse informing the theoretical and interpretative base of the study include philosophy, science, visual arts, literary theory, critical postructuralist theory and theatre performance. The data are presented as a series of performance narratives in the form of socio-drama, interspersed with critical reflection that enables the researcher, the research participant and reader to become part of a triadic construct. The findings from this study have major implications for informing contemporary educational research, as they demonstrate that by approaching research in 'new' and different ways, the researcher and the educational community have access to insights that are unavailable within the constraints of conventional models of research.

This thesis records data on the development of The Park Boulevard Players, Plano, Texas, as an innovative school district theatre arts program. Data is organized to illustrate program growth based on educational and performance needs of involved students and community citizens. It proves that high school students are capable of producing summer entertainment worthy of community viewing. Being original in form and content, this thesis should serve as a resourceful guide for similar programs. The thesis contains five chapters arranged in chronological order. After Chapter I, Introduction, three chapters span three separate company seasons: June, 1978; June, 1979; June, 1981. The final chapter summarizes the program and presents evaluations and conclusions.

This history of theatre at Ricks College provides the only comprehensive written work available on the subject. Whenever available, the thesis provides the reader with concise information concerning plays performed, their authors, the directors, performance dates, and performance locations. Changes and growth in course curriculum offerings, physical facilities, and faculty have been recorded as well. The work reveals that Ricks College theatre has been a vital contribution to theatre in the Upper Snake River valley of Southeastern Idaho.This comprehensive history will serve as a resource for future departmental planning in the Department of Theatre at Ricks College, and for future study, by the Church Educational System of The Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints, of the relationship between schools within that system.

This thesis investigates the expertise of applied theatre practitioners and proposes a concept of 'responsivity' to define their skills, knowledge, qualities and understanding. Practice-responsive research methods were devised to analyse how artists make decisions in-action in a range of applied theatre practice in community, education and health contexts. Research included the use of reflective dialogues following observations of practice, stimulated by joint researcher-practitioner reflection on a video recording of the observed session. Working from detailed analysis of this observed practice and dialogic reflection, new vocabularies are introduced and developed, with the aim of better articulating particular skills and approaches. The role of applied theatre practitioners is multi-faceted and primarily focussed on facilitating positive outcomes for the participants. Planning activity is informed by projected outcomes for the work and the context of practice, such as environment, nature of the participants, individual identities, etc. Practitioner skills build on art form knowledge and the ability to guide activity to create performance outcomes, alongside a concern for aesthetic and ethical issues of the work, as well as social and political awareness of the context. Adaptations to moment-by-moment activity reflect their ability to facilitate engagement and nurture interactive exchange. I suggest that, to manage these multiple demands, practitioners demonstrate heightened attendance to issues of inter-subjectivity and empathy, thereby developing an enhanced expertise in response to the work and the people and contexts involved in that work. The thesis proposes that responsive approaches are common to practitioners and enable her/him to make good choices within the moments of practice. Applied theatre's responsive-ness is indicative of a prioritisation of participant experience, however, the research also revealed the way in which a responsive ethos impacted and enriched the practitioners through supporting their own generative engagement with the work. The critical framework of responsivity proposed in this thesis acknowledges the importance of impact for all participants, including the artists. Whilst the methods and outcomes of applied theatre have received scholarly attention, this research focusses on how practitioners themselves define their expertise, embracing a consideration of skills learning and development. The concepts of response and dialogue informed this investigation in a number of significant ways, and as a result responsivity is proposed as a key methodological imperative for applied theatre research as well as the substantive focus of my thesis. This mode of operating as artists and researchers is particular to applied theatre's overarching aims to be socially responsive, politically engaged, ethically considerate and emancipatory. Responsivity is offered as a way to distinguish applied theatre practice from other performance participation and as an underpinning ethos for understanding the expertise of applied theatre practitioners.