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(1 - 7 of 7)
- Title
- Halloween Horror Nights And/Or Visceral Theatre.
- Creator
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Braillard, Patrick, Niess, Christopher, Brotherton, Mark, Listengarten, Julia, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Visceral [vis-er-uh l]-adj1. of, relating to, or affecting the viscera2. characterized by intuition or instinct rather than intellect((")visceral,(") def. 1-2)The above words speak to define far more than merely the word (")visceral.(") They speak to also embody and classify a previously untitled form of theatre. Visceral Theatre: A form of theatre that uses the instinctual awareness of the audience- the audiences' perception of popular culture, societal contexts both historical and...
Show moreVisceral [vis-er-uh l]-adj1. of, relating to, or affecting the viscera2. characterized by intuition or instinct rather than intellect((")visceral,(") def. 1-2)The above words speak to define far more than merely the word (")visceral.(") They speak to also embody and classify a previously untitled form of theatre. Visceral Theatre: A form of theatre that uses the instinctual awareness of the audience- the audiences' perception of popular culture, societal contexts both historical and geographical, as well as their instinctual-physical aversion to danger- to cause physiological and emotional responses through the overstimulation of the senses in a non-tactile attack.For the past eight years I have been intimately involved with the creation of Halloween Horror Nights, an annual event held each September/October at the Universal Orlando Resort. The basis of the event is the celebration of the holiday of Halloween by creating Shows, Street Experiences, and Thematic Mazes in which to fully immerse hundreds of thousands of guests in various environments.This thesis will use the example of Halloween Horror nights to frame the discussion of Visceral Theatre. It will be presented through the lens of creator, designer, director, and collaborator of the entertainment offerings within the experience. It is my hope to answer the question: What is Visceral Theatre, and how HHN, as it is commonly referred to, earns the right to be defined as such. What makes this experience Theatre?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005138, ucf:50711
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005138
- Title
- Trouble in Paradise: Impacts of Theme Park Tourism on the Mental Health of Employees in Orlando, Florida.
- Creator
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Harvey, Lea, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Falu, Nessette, Harris, Shana, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Tourism is a topic that has gained much attention within the realm of anthropology over the past few decades. Anthropological research of the tourism industry has been largely devoted to the study of the tourist gaze and its subsequent sociocultural impacts as well as the benefits that travelers reap from their colonialist excursions. However, the voices of those who form the foundation of this industry, the laborers, remain almost entirely absent from said discourse. Furthermore, there is a...
Show moreTourism is a topic that has gained much attention within the realm of anthropology over the past few decades. Anthropological research of the tourism industry has been largely devoted to the study of the tourist gaze and its subsequent sociocultural impacts as well as the benefits that travelers reap from their colonialist excursions. However, the voices of those who form the foundation of this industry, the laborers, remain almost entirely absent from said discourse. Furthermore, there is a lack of anthropological consideration for the relationship between tourism and mental health experiences of employees within the tourism industry. One specific region that is rife with information on tourism and its effects is Orlando, Florida. This research employs participant observation and semi-structured interviews to analyze the lived mental health experiences of current/former Disney cast members as a direct result of their employment within Disney and the Orlando theme park tourism industry. Not only does this thesis aim to backtrack the erasure of the perspectives of tourism employees and help create a space for them to make their voices heard, but it also attempts to bridge the gap of consideration for the impacts of tourism on the mental health of tourism employees within anthropology and touristic studies. Through the application of my own research as well as the minimal amount of relevant anthropological and touristic studies literature, I argue that Orlando theme park tourism exists as a type of structural violence that utilizes performativity and a neoliberal market to cast tourism employees in a slot of servitude that is nearly impossible to escape. As a result, this research possesses great potential to highlight the ways in which Orlando can become the happiest place on earth for its residents and employees, not just those who engage with it for their own leisurely gain.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007815, ucf:52336
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007815
- Title
- ANALYSIS AND IMPLICATIONS OF GUEST ATTITUDES TOWARDS QUEUING IN THEME PARKS.
- Creator
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Lemaster, Austin, Dickson, Duncan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Queue lines are a fundamental inevitably of the modern theme park. Parks have begun to introduce various systems for combating the normal queue, some of which are at no extra cost to guests and some of which are an extra cost. These systems feature a variety of methods by which guests can bypass the normal queue and enter one featuring a minimal wait. Parks have also started to introduce elements within queues that make waiting in them easier and change guests' perception of time, thus making...
Show moreQueue lines are a fundamental inevitably of the modern theme park. Parks have begun to introduce various systems for combating the normal queue, some of which are at no extra cost to guests and some of which are an extra cost. These systems feature a variety of methods by which guests can bypass the normal queue and enter one featuring a minimal wait. Parks have also started to introduce elements within queues that make waiting in them easier and change guests' perception of time, thus making the waits seem shorter. This thesis attempts to determine the attitudes of guests towards these new trends as well as traditional queuing. Experiences and perceptions of queues from theme park guests were collected and have been compared with existing literature on guest satisfaction, theme parks and queue lines in order to determine relationships between current practices and theory. The findings from these relationships resulted in several suggestions for theme parks to take into account as queues continue to evolve in order to best suit guest needs.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004744, ucf:45356
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004744
- Title
- Virtual Reality Technology and Customer Delight in Theme Parks: The Role of Experience Quality.
- Creator
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Jia, Chenge, Okumus, Fevzi, Fu, Xiaoxiao, Milman, Ady, Van Niekerk, Mathilda, Ozturk, Ahmet, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
With the rapid development of Virtual Reality (VR) technology, theme park companies are eager to apply VR technology to their attractions. Operating as highly hedonic consumption businesses, theme parks need to make sure that they offer unique and memorable experiences to customers in order to enhance their competitive advantages. However, empirical data is needed to understand whether and how VR technology will enhance visitors' experiences, including the quality of their experience,...
Show moreWith the rapid development of Virtual Reality (VR) technology, theme park companies are eager to apply VR technology to their attractions. Operating as highly hedonic consumption businesses, theme parks need to make sure that they offer unique and memorable experiences to customers in order to enhance their competitive advantages. However, empirical data is needed to understand whether and how VR technology will enhance visitors' experiences, including the quality of their experience, customer delight, and customer loyalty. Therefore, this study aims to examine how VR influences visitor's theme park experience quality, customer delight, and customer loyalty. Based on an in-depth literature review, a research model and hypotheses were developed. Through a self-administered questionnaire, empirical data was collected from theme park visitors who have experienced VR attractions during the past three months. According to the results of the study, the hedonism factor is the most important antecedent of customer delight, which in turn stimulates customer loyalty. Additionally, customer loyalty toward the VR attraction shows positively and partially mediated effects between customer delight and customer loyalty toward the theme park that contains the VR attraction. The study contributes to the empirical study of VR technology application and the concept of customer delight in the entertainment sector of the tourism industry. This study also suggests that theme park operators should emphasize offering a hedonic experience to customers. Suggestions for future research are also provided.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007404, ucf:52071
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007404
- Title
- Business Closure in the North American Theme Park Industry: An Analysis of Causes.
- Creator
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Kaak, Kelly, Milman, Ady, Breiter Terry, Deborah, Mendez, Jesse, Schuckert, Markus, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Prior to this study, no analysis had focused on the 31% failure rate recorded among theme parks opened in North American between the years 1955 and 2009. This study's purpose was to identify the causes of closures among the 23 failed theme parks and inform the industry of what can be learned from these business failures. Business failure analysis typically stresses the impact of financial ratios and the accuracy of certain negative numbers to predict impending failure, but such studies avoid...
Show morePrior to this study, no analysis had focused on the 31% failure rate recorded among theme parks opened in North American between the years 1955 and 2009. This study's purpose was to identify the causes of closures among the 23 failed theme parks and inform the industry of what can be learned from these business failures. Business failure analysis typically stresses the impact of financial ratios and the accuracy of certain negative numbers to predict impending failure, but such studies avoid examining the underlying causes that lead to poor financial performance in the first place. To focus on this question, this study adopted an events approach to discover the actual event causes that preceded failure and business closure. This study tabulated the frequency of event occurrences among two samples: failed/closed theme parks and a comparable sample of surviving theme parks. Event occurrences were more common among the failed/closed sample than among the surviving theme parks sample. A detailed analysis revealed that six of the 21 events measured were more common among the failed/closed theme park sample: declaring bankruptcy; excessive debt or general unprofitability; low customer satisfaction, defined as not offering enough to do in the park and/or inadequate capacity; development pressures; limited space for expansion; and a location in a regional geographic market. Theme parks failed more frequently due to involuntary event causes than due to voluntary closures. And, in contrast to previous studies, the occurrences of internal environmental events associated with business failure were not significantly different from the occurrences of external environmental events associated with failure. These findings identified events that have preceded failure or closure in theme parks and can provide insights to operators and industry decision makers on how best to prevent or better manage such business closures in the future.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007026, ucf:52030
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007026
- Title
- A PROTOTYPE FOR NARRATIVE-BASED INTERACTIVITY IN THEME PARKS.
- Creator
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Kischuk, Kirsten, McDaniel, Rudy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of this thesis is to look at the potential for interactive devices to enhance the story of future theme park attractions. The most common interactive theme park rides are about game-based interaction, competition, and scoring, rather than about story, character, and plot. Research into cognitive science, interactivity, narrative, immersion, user interface, theming and other fields of study illuminated some potentially useful guidelines for creating compelling experiences for park...
Show moreThe purpose of this thesis is to look at the potential for interactive devices to enhance the story of future theme park attractions. The most common interactive theme park rides are about game-based interaction, competition, and scoring, rather than about story, character, and plot. Research into cognitive science, interactivity, narrative, immersion, user interface, theming and other fields of study illuminated some potentially useful guidelines for creating compelling experiences for park guests. In order to test some of these ideas, an interactive device was constructed and tested with study subjects. Each study subject watched a video recording of an existing theme park ride while using the device, and then filled out a survey concerning their experience. The results revealed how subjects view character-driven interactive devices, how a device should be blended into a ride sequence, how subjects think interactivity and responsiveness should be structured in regards to themselves and the ride, and begins to hint at their motivations for using interactive devices.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002493, ucf:47689
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002493
- Title
- Exploring a Three-Dimensional Narrative Medium: The Theme Park as "De Sprookjessprokkelaar," The Gatherer and Teller of Stories.
- Creator
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Baker, Carissa, McDaniel, Rudy, Salter, Anastasia, Underberg-Goode, Natalie, Hover, Moniek, Dickson, Duncan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This dissertation examines the pervasiveness of storytelling in theme parks and establishes the theme park as a distinct narrative medium. It traces the characteristics of theme park storytelling, how it has changed over time, and what makes the medium unique. This was accomplished using a mixed methods approach drawing data from interviews with creative professionals, archival research, fieldwork, and an analysis of more than eight hundred narrative attractions.The survey of narrative...
Show moreThis dissertation examines the pervasiveness of storytelling in theme parks and establishes the theme park as a distinct narrative medium. It traces the characteristics of theme park storytelling, how it has changed over time, and what makes the medium unique. This was accomplished using a mixed methods approach drawing data from interviews with creative professionals, archival research, fieldwork, and an analysis of more than eight hundred narrative attractions.The survey of narrative attractions revealed the most common narrative expressions to be dark rides and stage shows. Source material tends to be cultural tales (legends, fairy tales) or intellectual properties (generally films). Throughout major periods and world regions, setting, scenes, and visual storytelling are the most ubiquitous narrative devices. Three dozen techniques and technologies are detailed in this project. Significant impetuses for narrative change over time are the advent of technologies, formalization of the industry, explicit discourse on storytelling, formation of design philosophies, and general convergence of media. There are at least a half dozen key distinctions in theme park narratives compared with other mediums: dimensionality, scale, communality, brevity, a combinatory aspect, and a reiterative nature. Also significant is that creative professionals view themselves as storytellers, purposefully design with narrative systems, embed them in spaces, and participate in public dialogue surrounding narrative and design principles.This study was initiated to expand the literature on emerging media and narratives within the Texts and Technology approach and to fill a gap in the scholarship, as designer standpoint is rarely considered in analysis. This is the first large-scale study of storytelling in the global theme park industry. It uses underrepresented creative voices as participants and recognizes their contributions as storytellers. Finally, the project lays the groundwork for future inquiries into theme parks as storytellers and spatial narrative mediums.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0006973, ucf:51626
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006973
