Department of Theatre Arts

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A director's approach to Jamie Pachino's Waving goodbye.
(2006-12-11T16:26:36Z) Inouye, Daniel Paul.; Castleberry, Marion.; Theatre Arts.; Baylor University. Dept. of Theatre Arts.
This thesis provides an in-depth analysis of Jamie Pachino's play, Waving Goodbye, followed by a detailed description of Daniel Inouye's directorial approach to the work in Baylor University’s production which ran from February 7 to February 12, 2006. Chapter one will provide background information on Waving Goodbye, and Pachino's life as a playwright. Chapter two will provide a concise analysis of the play specifically looking at its type and style and dramatic structure. Chapter three will cover the design and production choices made within the collaborative artistic process. Chapter four will follow the production process from the play's initial acceptance for the season through to its final performance. Chapter five will conclude with a critical self-evaluation and director reflection on the process.
A director's approach to Schoolhouse Rock Live!
(2007-01-09T21:42:03Z) Sutton, Meredith Virginia; Toten Beard, Deanna M., 1969-; Theatre Arts.; Baylor University. Dept. of Theatre Arts.
This thesis concerns the Baylor University Theatre production of Schoolhouse Rock Live!, as directed by Meredith Sutton. Chapter One provides the history of the creation of the Schoolhouse Rock franchise, the development of Schoolhouse Rock Live!, and a critical and historical review of musicals. Chapter Two analyzes the script as well as educational theories that support its success as a learning tool. Chapter Three encompasses the elements of design in the production, while Chapter Four discusses pre-production decisions, auditions, rehearsals, and the revival of the production. Chapter Five concludes with a critical evaluation of the production.
Tackling difficult dialogues: a director's approach to Rebecca Gilman's "Spinning Into Butter".
(2008-04-15T17:46:06Z) Smith, Whitney L.; Toten Beard, Deanna M., 1969-; Theatre Arts.; Baylor University. Dept. of Theatre Arts.
Tackling difficult dialogues, playwright Rebecca Gilman bravely explores big questions. Gilman is a worthy candidate for literary and performance study because her work documents the most compelling issues facing our country. In Spinning Into Butter, Gilman studies the dynamics of racism, attacking the issue in an unexpected way. In her play political correctness is a mask for a deeper form of racism--objectification and aestheticization. Spinning Into Butter continues to engage audiences in racially charged discussions that are rare in theatres today. While admitting open dialogues are difficult, Gilman urges the audience to at least participate. An academic approach to play analysis and direction allows for a thorough investigation of the characters, ideas and images in Gilman's play. This thesis provides biographical information on the playwright, a textual analysis of Spinning Into Butter, and a detailed narration of the directorial process, from pre-production work to final product.
Directing Arthur Miller's All my sons.
(2008-06-09T15:33:58Z) Northrup, Graham J.; Roark, Carolyn Dianne, 1973-; Theatre Arts.; Baylor University. Dept. of Theatre Arts.
This thesis is a record of the Fall 2007 production of Arthur Miller’s play, All My Sons, as directed by Graham Northrup. Chapter One seeks to contextualize the play by presenting a brief professional biography of Miller and the circumstances that attended its writing. Chapter Two contains a production analysis of the script, which seeks to determine the nature of its structure, themes, characters, and setting. Chapter Three details the design concept and the process of implementing the scenic, lighting, costume, and sound elements for the show. Chapter Four is a record and a reflection on the rehearsal process, from auditions through dress rehearsals. Chapter Five presents a critique of the performances, as well as a reflection on the entire production process.
A director's approach to Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull".
(2010-10-08T16:20:35Z) Johnson, Rebecca Susan.; Jortner, David, 1971-; Theatre Arts.; Baylor University. Dept. of Theatre Arts.
This thesis examines the production process of the 2010 Baylor University Theatre production of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull from the perspective of the director. This production highlighted the themes of art, love, and longing for fulfillment within the play. The study is broken into five chapters providing an overview of the production process. Chapter one provides a biographical overview of Chekhov's life, a brief production history of The Seagull, and a literary review of critical material about the play. Chapter two contains a detailed analysis of The Seagull, examining the given circumstances, structure, themes, and characters of the play. Chapter three follows the conceptual and design process of the production. Chapter four details the rehearsal process of The Seagull, focusing on the director's work with actors. Finally, chapter five provides a critical reflection of the final production and an analytical discussion of the director's work throughout the process.
Building layers of communities : a director's approach to Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth.
(2011-05-12T15:39:09Z) Hibbs, Shelby-Allison.; Toten Beard, Deanna M., 1969-; Theatre Arts.; Baylor University. Dept. of Theatre Arts.
Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth offers a cross section of myths and significant pieces of human history in the context of New Jersey in the 1940s. Wilder uses a "play within a play" approach to present the Antrobus family as they endure monumental natural and man-made disasters. This thesis provides an example of a director's process with this challenging play through an ensemble-oriented and improvisational rehearsal process. This study provides a selective biography of the playwright, containing elements of Wilder's history associated with the themes and relationships in The Skin of Our Teeth as well as a full analysis of the play. The remaining parts of this thesis include the production's conceptual inspiration, a narrative of the rehearsal process, and a reflection of the completed production at Baylor University Theatre including production photos.
A director’s approach to Jeffrey Hatcher’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
(2012-08-08) Wallace, Josiah Stanley.; Jortner, David, 1971-; Theatre Arts.; Baylor University. Dept. of Theatre Arts.
American playwright Jeffrey Hatcher continues his practice of adapting well known works of literature for the stage with his 2008 play, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This thesis considers the play within Hatcher’s cannon and for its particular contribution to the divergent mythologies that exist around Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde tale. A brief examination of the life and work of Hatcher and the production history for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is included in the document along with an analysis of the script. Building upon this information and analysis is an in-depth description of the artistic and practical process of staging the play as a part of the Baylor University Theatre’s 2011 mainstage season.
A director’s approach to Rinne Groff’s The Ruby sunrise.
(2012-08-08) Reed, David Andrew.; Castleberry, Marion.; Theatre Arts.; Baylor University. Dept. of Theatre Arts.
Rinne Groff’s The Ruby Sunrise tells the story of a poor, self-educated girl who creates the first electric television set in 1927. Her accomplishment goes unnoticed, but twenty-five years later her daughter stops at nothing to bring her mother’s story to life during TV’s Golden Age. Groff’s play examines the mechanics of storytelling, of the ways in which truth can be compromised and histories revised. This thesis provides a textual analysis of The Ruby Sunrise, followed by a detailed description of David Reed’s directorial approach to the work. Chapter One gives a brief biography of the playwright, examines her dramatic cannon, and traces the play’s production history while Chapter Two offers a theoretical and analytical approach to the production. Chapter Three and Chapter Four outline the practical journey of the collaborative process, and Chapter Five concludes with the director’s critical evaluation of the production.
A director's approach to Garson Kanin's Born Yesterday.
(2013-09-16) Hampton, Jessi M.; Toten Beard, Deanna M., 1969-; Theatre Arts.; Baylor University. Dept. of Theatre Arts.
Garson Kanin’s 1945 play, Born Yesterday, depicts the transformation of a former chorus girl from an ignorant young “lady” into an educated and cultured “woman”. A Director’s Approach to Garson Kanin’s Born Yesterday explores the analytical and production aspects of producing the play on Baylor University’s mainstage. Chapter One explores the author, his works, and a critical assessment of previous Born Yesterday productions. Chapter Two gives analytical insight used to create a unified concept while Chapters Three and Four relay the practical application of the analysis and investigate collaboration with designers and actors. Finally, Chapter Five concludes with a discussion of strengths and weaknesses of the final production.
A director's approach to Euripides' Hecuba.
(2013-09-16) Peck, Christopher F.; Toten Beard, Deanna M., 1969-; Theatre Arts.; Baylor University. Dept. of Theatre Arts.
This thesis explores a production of Euripides’ Hecuba as it was directed by Christopher Peck. Chapter One articulates a unique Euripidean dramatic structure to demonstrate the contemporary viability of Euripides’ play. Chapter Two utilizes this dramatic structure as the basis for an aggressive analysis of themes inherent in the production. Chapter Three is devoted to the conceptualization of this particular production and the relationship between the director and the designers in pursuit of this concept. Chapter Four catalogs the rehearsal process and how the director and actors worked together to realize the dramatic needs of the production. Finally Chapter Five is a postmortem of the production emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses of the final product of Baylor University’s Hecuba.
A director's approach to Sam Shepard's True West.
(2015-07-14) Yoho, Rob E., 1987-; Jortner, David, 1971-
Sam Shepard’s True West is a black comedy that tells the story of Austin and Lee, two brothers leading vastly different lives who meet unexpectedly at their mother’s home in suburban Los Angeles, and through a series of increasingly surreal events, attempt to assume the identity of the other. This thesis surveys and critiques the research and practical phases of Baylor University’s May, 2015 mainstage production of this play. Chapter One examines the life and works of Sam Shepard with special attention given to True West’s critical legacy and major productions. Chapter Two analyzes Shepard’s play and applies relevant critical theory to his text. Chapters Three and Four chronicle the application of this analysis and theory to directing the play and collaborating with actors and designers. Finally, Chapter Five assesses the production’s strengths and weaknesses.
Opening the door : a director’s approach to Ingmar Bergman’s Nora.
(2016-03-31) Murphy, Cason Warinner.; Castleberry, Marion.
In 1981, Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman radically adapted Henrik Ibsen’s classic stageplay A Doll’s House in order to create his own theatrical work, Nora. Through cutting much of Ibsen’s text and many of his characters, Bergman focused his adaptation on the figure of Nora Helmer, a naïve 19th-century wife and mother desperately trying to avoid the consequences of her past actions. This thesis examines the process undertaken in bringing Bergman’s play to its November 2015 performance run at Baylor University, with explorations of playwright and playscript histories, of directorial analysis and production concepts, and the creative collaborations established between director, designers, and actors.
A director's approach to Ken Ludwig's Moon over Buffalo.
(2016-07-05) Hoenshell, Nick R., 1986-; Toten Beard, Deanna M., 1969-
Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo is a comedy that presents its audience with a unique theatrical experience. While attempting to follow the dramatic structure of certain classical comedies, the thematic plot of Ludwig’s play is largely interrupted by farce. This thesis examines the directorial process of approaching and producing Moon Over Buffalo, with a consideration to the playwright, production history, critical response, conceptual approach, and the process of working with designers and actors to bring the play to a performance run at Baylor University. This thesis also provides a special exploration into the nature and historical development of the genre as a legitimate theatrical art form.
Understanding the dragon's theatre : an Anglophone historiography of Vietnamese theatre.
(2016-08-03) Grote, John Dean, 1987-; Jortner, David, 1971-
Anglophone scholarship on Vietnamese theatre has a complex history; its authors range from British and American explorers to current day Asian theatre scholars. The evolution of English-language scholarship on Vietnamese theatre is directly tied to the historical events experienced by these authors. The purpose of this thesis is to detail this scholarship and examine the historiographical developments used in analysis of the theatre. Much like other areas, the Anglophone historiography on Vietnamese theatre shifts with the research interests of the authors and their approaches to writing. This study, which discusses the evolution of these writings, demonstrates how knowledge on Vietnamese theatre is produced and disseminated to the English-speaking world.
A director's approach to Dancing at Lughnasa.
(2017-03-21) Breeden, Heidi, 1983-; Castleberry, Marion.
This thesis details the production process for Baylor Theatre’s mainstage production of Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel, directed by Heidi Breeden, in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts in Directing. Dancing at Lughnasa is a somewhat autobiographical memory play, featuring strong roles for women and requiring advanced acting skills. This thesis first investigates the life and works of Brian Friel, then offers a director’s analysis of the text, documents the director’s process for the production, and finally offers a reflection on the strengths and opportunities for improvement for the director’s future work.
Perpetuating dialogue through science and art : a director's approach to Shelagh Stephenson's An experiment with an air pump.
(2017-03-27) Nicholas, Laura Spencer, 1986-; Jortner, David, 1971-
In her play, An Experiment With An Air Pump, British playwright Shelagh Stephenson questions the nature of progress through the vehicles of science and art. Within the framework of an unapologetically theatrical presentation, the play depicts two historical time periods and two sets of characters. The created counterpoint challenges science and gender-related archetypes and exposes social prejudices without prescribing “correct” outcomes. This thesis documents and examines, from a director’s perspective, the process of production of An Experiment With An Air Pump staged at Baylor University in November 2016. Discussions of the playwright, dramaturgical analysis, and directorial conceptualization were incorporated by the director as she collaborated with designers and actors in the creation of a compelling piece of theatre.
American national identity, the “other,” and the Little Theatre Movement.
(2017-04-03) Denman, Merritt, 1991-; Beard, DeAnna M. Toten (DeAnna Michelle), 1969-
The Little Theatre Movement began in the early twentieth century as an effort to create theatre which was inventive, well-made, and uniquely American at a time when American theatre had yet to be established. While the movement was beneficial to the trajectory of American theatre, its attempt at forging national identity led little theatre practitioners to define themselves using exclusivist ideology. They came to define Americans as an “in” group of upper-middle class white people versus an “out” group composed of everyone else. Using original research this project will explore the rhetoric and practices of the Little Theatre Movement with relation to “outsiders” by examining two genres which were popular in little theatres across America: Orientalist and Folk plays. This analysis will demonstrate that the movement, while beneficial in establishing the American Theatre, was guilty of reinforcing exclusivist notions in the process.
A director’s approach to the new Gershwin musical Crazy for You.
(2018-03-08) Brown, Aaron Matthew, 1987-; Jortner, David, 1971-
In 1992, The “new” Gershwin musical Crazy for You premiered on Broadway to rave reviews. The musical production, adapted from the 1930 Gershwin musical Girl Crazy, featured a new book by Ken Ludwig, choreography by Susan Stroman, and a score compiled from the music catalog of George and Ira Gershwin. The tap-dancing comedy adapts and invokes the conventions of classic musical theatre. This thesis documents the production process and the directorial approach to Crazy for You performed at Baylor University in the fall of 2017.
A director's approach to Helen Edmundson's Anna Karenina.
(2018-04-09) Horowitz, Joshua R., 1991-; Toten Beard, Deanna M., 1969-
Helen Edmundson’s adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is an engaging yet complicated script that presents a challenge to directors and designers alike. The play breaks down the eight hundred-page novel into an evening’s entertainment and forces the two main characters to encounter one another and together relive their stories. This thesis is a documentation of the director’s process in approaching, conceptualizing, analyzing, and staging Edmondson’s script at Baylor University in February of 2018. This thesis explores the difficulties in adapting a literary classic like Anna Karenina for the stage and relates specific adaptation choices to the theatrical style of the play.
Buried underground : The Subway's contribution to American theatre.
(2019-07-24) Papas, Casey Michael, 1992-; Jortner, David, 1971-
The Subway (written 1923, performed 1929) is Elmer Rice’s lesser-known American expressionist work. The play’s lowered status amongst his dramatic work stems from its problematic production history, coupled with critical comparison to Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal (1928). Rice speaks little on the play, giving the entirety of its production history a mere three paragraphs in his autobiography, Minority Report (1963). Despite this, Rice believed the play to be a greater example of American expressionism than The Adding Machine. Further, the comparisons to Machinal are not coincidental but in fact indicate an influence on Treadwell’s play. In examining The Subway’s text, production history, and critical reception, this thesis strives to present a thorough appraisal of its theatrical relevance, rectify the obscurity surrounding the work, and consider evidence of the play’s direct influence on Treadwell’s text.