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Performing Bernarda: Activating Power and Identity
Title
Performing Bernarda: Activating Power and Identity.
Creator
Martinez Medina, Ana, Ingram, Kate, Listengarten, Julia, StClaire, Sybil, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The musical Bernarda Alba tells the story of a woman who is confined within the heavily patriarchal and Catholic society that was 1930s Spain. Because of this, I thought it the perfect arena to explore power dynamics on stage. My thesis will explore status, hierarchies, relationships, and identity via the stolid matriarchal character Bernarda Alba. Through analyzing the playwright's words, fleshing out the character, and exploring the character's relationships with others in rehearsal, I have...
Show moreThe musical Bernarda Alba tells the story of a woman who is confined within the heavily patriarchal and Catholic society that was 1930s Spain. Because of this, I thought it the perfect arena to explore power dynamics on stage. My thesis will explore status, hierarchies, relationships, and identity via the stolid matriarchal character Bernarda Alba. Through analyzing the playwright's words, fleshing out the character, and exploring the character's relationships with others in rehearsal, I have studied how to activate status on stage. There are many sociology theories and psychological studies that can be applied to theatre-making in order to create fleshed out relationships, characters, and worlds. I have taken these theories into practice, as I battled with my own hierarchies in real life, and I let art and life do what they do best: imitate each other. I will analyze and play with the physical movement and posture of the character, the vocal choices in the delivery of the scripted words, and the psychological choices in the form of subtext and unspoken thought. There is an abundance of agency one holds when creating status and identity for a character, and I break down the different facets to explore. More importantly, outside of the stage, if we realize that status is more intricate and flexible than we think it is, then we as individuals can unlock invaluable freedoms that can unchain us from daily oppression.
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Date Issued
2019
Identifier
CFE0007498, ucf:52655
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007498
The Power of Play: Creating A Theatre for the Very Young Experience
Title
The Power of Play: Creating A Theatre for the Very Young Experience.
Creator
Katsadouros, Maria, Listengarten, Julia, StClaire, Sybil, Freeman, Emily, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The opportunity to enhance the sense of fulfillment necessary in revolutionizing and liberating a person's daily life, regardless of their age, can be found in the manifestation of play. It is through the acknowledgment of instinct, nature, and discovery that play reveals its power. As a Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) practitioner, I utilize creative play to inspire exploration and innovation among students under the age of six. However, what are the ways in which theatre, specifically TVY,...
Show moreThe opportunity to enhance the sense of fulfillment necessary in revolutionizing and liberating a person's daily life, regardless of their age, can be found in the manifestation of play. It is through the acknowledgment of instinct, nature, and discovery that play reveals its power. As a Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) practitioner, I utilize creative play to inspire exploration and innovation among students under the age of six. However, what are the ways in which theatre, specifically TVY, invites all generations of people to experience the power of play? This thesis documents the three-year development of When Pigs Fly, an original TVY experience that encourages audience members of all ages to engage in creative play through sensation, fellowship and discovery. This study explores the collective creation of When Pigs Fly as developed through research, education, and practice. In highlighting the cognitive and emotional benefits of creative play, this study seeks to legitimize TVY as a valued art form, and invites theatre-makers to utilize the research and practice shared to inspire future endeavors that will shape the outlook of TVY throughout the United States.
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Date Issued
2018
Identifier
CFE0007405, ucf:52882
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007405
Vivacity:Discovering Zora Through Her Words
Title
Vivacity:Discovering Zora Through Her Words.
Creator
Alexander, Kerri, Weaver, Earl, Boyd, Belinda, StClaire, Sybil, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
In its simplest form, storytelling is the passing of information from one person to the next. When storytelling illuminates time, place and purpose, it is then able to entertain, comfort and transport any listener. As the keeper of the imagination, the storyteller has inspired me as a performer. After reading Zora Neale Hurston's Every Tongue Got to Confess, I found my single-defining connection to the art of storytelling.Halimuhfack ultimately became my thesis performance piece inspired by...
Show moreIn its simplest form, storytelling is the passing of information from one person to the next. When storytelling illuminates time, place and purpose, it is then able to entertain, comfort and transport any listener. As the keeper of the imagination, the storyteller has inspired me as a performer. After reading Zora Neale Hurston's Every Tongue Got to Confess, I found my single-defining connection to the art of storytelling.Halimuhfack ultimately became my thesis performance piece inspired by the folk tales from Every Tongue Got To Confess. The new theatre piece shares Hurston's folk tale the way it may have once been told; in its natural dialect, with the same active physical involvement as if sharing stories with friends. Together, the research of the folk tale, Hurston's anthropological studies, folk songs and narrative from her autobiography aided in the development of the performance piece. In developing this work, I discovered that Hurston's tales were extremely action-oriented and were ideally suited to use in my making of Halimuhfack.
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Date Issued
2012
Identifier
CFE0004213, ucf:49003
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004213
PLANTING SEEDS: LIFE STORIES OF AWAKENING SELF-AWARENESS
Title
PLANTING SEEDS: LIFE STORIES OF AWAKENING SELF-AWARENESS.
Creator
Mendez, Aixa, Listengarten, Julia, Alrutz, Megan, StClaire, Sybil, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Using real-life stories written by female offenders, Planting seeds - Life Stories of Awakening Self-Awareness seeks to identify the systematic challenges these females may have faced, that in most cases, are the root-causes of their derailment from the societal norms of conduct. Applying the concepts of community and social justice and equality as a lens, this work will attempt to corroborate, as a universal postulate, that the process of sharing life stories can have transformative effects...
Show moreUsing real-life stories written by female offenders, Planting seeds - Life Stories of Awakening Self-Awareness seeks to identify the systematic challenges these females may have faced, that in most cases, are the root-causes of their derailment from the societal norms of conduct. Applying the concepts of community and social justice and equality as a lens, this work will attempt to corroborate, as a universal postulate, that the process of sharing life stories can have transformative effects on the individuals and that theatre techniques, such as theatre games and scripting can help identify those impediments to restoring lives. Key to the transformative component of this work is the exploration of theatre as a mechanism of support and restoration and that the contributions that theatre may offer are the pillars that sustain the well-being of communities, and henceforth society. Using techniques of storytelling and story writing in the process of re-enacting life stories, the participants will be able to possibly recognize issues that may be impeding their growth. In addition, engagement in storytelling, and moreover, story writing can help the participants increase their cognitive skills and the ability to live a communal life. This evidence-based practice can transform lives and society. It has the potential of continuing to other facilities and with other populations, such as incarcerated males, juvenile delinquents, and orphans. It can reach out beyond these institutionalized populations to any community in need of finding itself, and, further its maximum potential. This work seeks to help these females identify impediments for further growth by using theatre techniques such as sharing and scripting their life stories.
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Date Issued
2017
Identifier
CFE0006897, ucf:51730
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006897
When Oppressed Women Attack: Female-Enacted Violence Through Minority American Female Playwrights' Works
Title
When Oppressed Women Attack: Female-Enacted Violence Through Minority American Female Playwrights' Works.
Creator
Busselle, Kate, Boyd, Belinda, Shafer, John, StClaire, Sybil, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
As an Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, theatrical violence is something that has always captivated me. When a female combat instructor once told me that even though I throw a great punch I will never be able to use it because women are always on the receiving end of violence in theatre, I wondered if this was truly the case. After a thorough exploration of several works with theatrical violence, I am glad to say that it is not the case. When most scholars examine...
Show moreAs an Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, theatrical violence is something that has always captivated me. When a female combat instructor once told me that even though I throw a great punch I will never be able to use it because women are always on the receiving end of violence in theatre, I wondered if this was truly the case. After a thorough exploration of several works with theatrical violence, I am glad to say that it is not the case. When most scholars examine violence in theatre, the focus is either male-centric or specifically on domestic violence situations involving a male abusing a female. I will examine theatrical violence through a new lens that has yet to be thoroughly critically explored: violence where the female is the aggressor. Through selected works of three American minority female playwrights: Suzan-Lori Parks' In the Blood, Maria Irene Fornes' Conduct of Life, and Young Jean Lee's Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven, I will analyze the female-enacted violence that occurs within these plays using feminist theories and psychology to examine how it happens, why it happens, who the victims are, and what these acts of violence say about minority American women in society today. I will explore the stage directions and dialogue surrounding the violence and analyzing the use or absence of weaponry, the breakdown or build-up of language prior to and after the violent action, and whether or not the violent action occurs before or after a violent action is committed against the female. For comparison, I will also analyze work by an American male playwright with violence in the same way: Tracy Letts' August: Osage County.
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Date Issued
2015
Identifier
CFE0006028, ucf:51018
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006028
Playing Back Spirituality: Using Applied Theatre Practice for Spiritual Exploration an Meaningful Community Building in College
Title
Playing Back Spirituality: Using Applied Theatre Practice for Spiritual Exploration an Meaningful Community Building in College.
Creator
Kinnebrew, Ann, Wood, Vandy, Listengarten, Julia, StClaire, Sybil, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
ABSTRACTHigher Education in the U.S. today is experiencing a theoretical and practical shift toward educating the (")whole person(") and to that end, is investigating ways to include spirituality in all facets of the academy. This requires focusing on the concept that (")in addition to material knowledge, spiritual, emotional, and ethical knowledge is imparted to students(") (Khan 2009). Many colleges and universities are searching for avenues to answer this call and better prepare students...
Show moreABSTRACTHigher Education in the U.S. today is experiencing a theoretical and practical shift toward educating the (")whole person(") and to that end, is investigating ways to include spirituality in all facets of the academy. This requires focusing on the concept that (")in addition to material knowledge, spiritual, emotional, and ethical knowledge is imparted to students(") (Khan 2009). Many colleges and universities are searching for avenues to answer this call and better prepare students as business, political and social leaders in a new millennia that defines religion very differently than it did twenty years ago. Today, students are exposed to a much wider array of organized religions from all over the globe. Additionally, the very definitions of religion and spirituality have undergone a seismic shift making it difficult for colleges to incorporate a religious or spiritual focus into curriculum.More and more people are cobbling together their own unique combinations of religious ideas, practices, experiences and core values from a variety of religious and non-religious sources. The term 'spirituality' is sometimes used to describe this new do-it-yourself faith...To be 'spiritual' understood in this sense, is to have deeply held convictions, and anyone can have those kinds of heartfelt allegiances. This new ambiguity about what counts as religion or spirituality makes it virtually impossible to keep religion out of higher education. (Jacobsen and Jacobsen 2012)Research on the subject of religion and spirituality indicates that this is a point of major concern for many young American college students who are searching for personal and social significance. (Arnett 2000a; Astin, et al. 2011; Jacobsen and Jacobsen 2012)iiiThis study asserts that college students enter a unique stage of development known as emerging adulthood (Arnett 2000a) that calls for increased focus on meaning making and identity formation. In an effort to meet the individual and institutional need for spiritual exploration, this study will offer specific applied theatre practices that connect theories in theatre, psychology, student development and leadership designed to serve the emerging adult population as part of a holistic educational vision. This study confirms the feasibility of such a program by a detailed examination of specific theatre techniques and, in particular, the adaptation of Playback Theatre as the most viable form for inner life exploration and campus community building. A formal investigation into the efficacy of theatrical methods is called for as validation of theories and practices offered here. It is my hope that this research will encourage campus-wide awareness of theatre's utility and application to a wider range of students. By recognizing the need to educate the (")whole person("), institutions of Higher Education can give students the best possible preparation for a full and meaningful adult life through theatre practices uniquely designed for the purpose of inner life exploration and awareness.Key Implications: new areas of application for Applied Theatre Studies; collaborative opportunities for college theatre departments and student services, expansion of campus wide-visibility and understanding of theatre arts, feasibility for attending to student inner life needs and student community building through theatre.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006128, ucf:51161
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006128
interACTionZ: Engaging LGBTQ+ Youth Using Theatre For Social Change
Title
interACTionZ: Engaging LGBTQ+ Youth Using Theatre For Social Change.
Creator
Jackson, Jonathan, Weaver, Earl, StClaire, Sybil, Scott, Hubert, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Theatre for social change is a term used to describe a wide range of theatre-based techniques and methods. Through implementation of performance techniques, participants are encouraged to creatively explore and communicate various ideas with the specific intention of eliciting a societal or political shift within a given community. Through this thesis, I will explore the impact of applying theatre for social change in a youth-centered environment. I will discuss my journey as creator,...
Show moreTheatre for social change is a term used to describe a wide range of theatre-based techniques and methods. Through implementation of performance techniques, participants are encouraged to creatively explore and communicate various ideas with the specific intention of eliciting a societal or political shift within a given community. Through this thesis, I will explore the impact of applying theatre for social change in a youth-centered environment. I will discuss my journey as creator, facilitator, and project director of interACTionZ, a queer youth theatre program in Orlando, FL formed through a partnership between Theatre UCF at the University of Central Florida and the Zebra Coalition(&)#174;. I will give specific focus throughout this project to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) youth and straight advocates for the LGBTQ+ community.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0005007, ucf:49989
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005007
August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean A Dramaturgical Case Study
Title
August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean A Dramaturgical Case Study.
Creator
Barringhaus, Rebecca, Listengarten, Julia, StClaire, Sybil, Seay, Donald, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
In 2004, August Wilson completed Gem of the Ocean, the first play in his Pittsburgh Cycle. Seven years later, the University of Central Florida's production of Gem of the Ocean went against what most consider traditional staging. With a Russian born director and a mostly white production team, playing to a predominately white audience, what are the challenges of accurately transforming the text to the stage, while still providing a truthful telling of a story? The following is a case study...
Show moreIn 2004, August Wilson completed Gem of the Ocean, the first play in his Pittsburgh Cycle. Seven years later, the University of Central Florida's production of Gem of the Ocean went against what most consider traditional staging. With a Russian born director and a mostly white production team, playing to a predominately white audience, what are the challenges of accurately transforming the text to the stage, while still providing a truthful telling of a story? The following is a case study based on the idea of (")active dramaturgy(") or, more specifically, cultivating an atmosphere within the production that relies on critical thinking and original analytical thought to create an environment where creativity drives the work of the production. This approach is discussed by dramaturg Lenora Inez Brown in her book The Art of Active Dramaturgy. As the first play within the Pittsburgh Cycle, Gem of the Ocean represents the life of African Americans during the first decade of the twentieth century; nine more plays, respectively, represent each of the following decades. Wilson's work closely followed the prescription adapted by African American W.E.B. Du Bois who called for theatre (")by us, for us, near us, and about us(") (Herrington 132). The fact that I am a white American troubles the state of the accepted norms for a Wilson theatre production. My ability to perform as a dramaturg is based on my capacity to inform and educate through whatever means necessary, not the color of my skin. Brown posits that an active dramaturg is one that (")seeks ways to articulate heady ideas into active language--that is, language that a performer can easily use to shape an acting choice or a designer, a design choice(") (xii). None of this is based on skin color, race, or religion; therefore, it was my objective as the dramaturg to stress the importance of the shared story within the play that could relate to anyone of any background. Throughout the course of this production, my major challenge as a dramaturg was to maintain the accuracy of African American representation, while working with the non-traditional, multiracial production team, on the race specific work of August Wilson. In this thesis, I explore the application of active dramaturgy on the production process. ?
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004651, ucf:49911
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004651