▼ This thesis examines the author's process of adapting the Grecco-Roman Orpheus myth into a theatrical production for a modern audience. Beginning with the establishment of the traditional Orphic narrative structures of Virgil and Ovid, the author moves on to elaborate on his own process of creating a deviating narrative form those traditions. Advisors/Committee Members: Fisher, William.

▼ This thesis explores Samuel Beckett's Happy Days through feminist theater theory. This thesis explores absurdism as a genre,Samuel Beckett, Happy Days and gender, and expolres a 2012 performance of the text through primarily radical and materalist feminist theories. Advisors/Committee Members: Condee, William F.

▼ This thesis explores the relationship between the audience and performer in modern theater. The first part of this thesis is a scholarly paper on audience participation in modern theater, with an emphasis on musical theater and rock opera. The second part of this paper is a description and review of the practical portion of this thesis, a audience participation driven rock opera titled "Identity Unknown." Advisors/Committee Members: Condee, William.

▼ Let Me Be Veiled is a one woman show that explores gender inequality in Iran and the United States. This paper examines the degree to which the Qur'an establishes the gender inegalitarian practices present in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The second part focuses on the creative process of writing, directing, and acting in Let Me Be Veiled. Advisors/Committee Members: Condee, William.

▼ In a culture in which, according to the American Library Association, a children’s book about the true story of two male penguins raising a chick is the most controversial children’s book for five years in a row (ALA), in which elected officials compare the “dangers of the homosexual lifestyle” to the health risks associated with second-hand smoke (qtd. in Keyes), and some private universities in the US are threatening their students with expulsion because of their homosexual behavior (“H.U. Queer Press”), it should come as little surprise that a young, moderately intelligent man with homosexual desires growing up in America today would have difficulty understanding his personal gender and sexual identity. I found an excellent platform for exploring the conundrums I faced on my way out of the closet in Joe Calarco's adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, entitled Shakespeare’s Ramp;J. The adaptation centers on four Catholic schoolboys as they perform Shakespeare's play. The main source of tension in the play arises from the parallels that emerge between the forbidden love of Romeo and Juliet and the romance that develops between the two male students who play the iconic characters. I approached this entire project as if it were an experiment. Likewise, the writing of the accompanying essay was structured after the scientific method. “The Question” introduces my project. “The Research” consists of both the research into the work of gender theorists such as Judith Butler, Eve Sedgwick, and Kate Bornstien I did in preparation for writing this thesis, as well as my own personal experiences growing up in the closet, and how these experiences have informed my understandings of gender and sexuality. “The First Experiment” details my first hypothesis about staging a production of Romeo & Juliet staring four men, and the ultimate conclusion that in order to fully explore the performative qualities of gender, I would have to cast four women to play the four schoolboys created by Calarco. “The Second Experiment” explores my successes, failures, and discoveries while using Michael Chekhov’s psycho-physical acting technique and Anne Bogart’s Viewpoint work to help the actresses portray men onstage. “The Third Experiment” is an account of the major revisions I made to Calarco’s adaptation, the inclusion of several dramatic conventions I employed to enhance the actress’s performances (such as the urinals and dildos that give the paper its title) and the ultimate audience reception of production. Finally “The Conclusion” describes the conclusions I reached as a result of spending a year using the theatre to experiment with issues of gender and sexual identity. I did not want this production, or the essay that came from it to be a platform to simply decry and warn against the evils of homophobia, nor did I want to tell a standard gay Bildungsroman in which the closeted main character finally finds the strength to leave the closet after a romantic encounter with another queer boy. Though there is merit in such projects, I wanted to use this project as an opportunity to better understand the complex relationship between masculinity and homosexuality in this country. I wanted to see what would happen when male homosexuality interacts with normative western ideas and narratives regarding masculinity in order to better understand homosexuality and masculinity, both of which have been influential in my life. Advisors/Committee Members: Condee, William.

▼ I took advantage of the opportunities afforded to me by my senior thesis and returned to children’s theater for the first time since starting college. I hoped that by creating a children’s theater piece I could start my lofty life goal of changing the world. My college theater experience prior to my production was exclusively in the costume shop. Though I understood that costume pieces I made became crucial elements of shows and therefore could help to create moving theatrical experiences for a person, I rarely saw this direct effect. By producing and directing a children’s show, Thumbelina: The Story of a Brave Little Girl, I involved myself in all aspects of the production, allowing me to comprehend the effect that each element of a production exerted upon another. To better inform the production Thumbelina, I researched the history of children’s theater from its formation in 1903 to current children’s theater productions. I also researched theories on the production and benefits of children’s theater. Though I had worked in children’s theater for many years, I had never studied the form from an academic standpoint. By combining academic research with a theatrical performance I united scholarly and creative approaches to theater in a cohesive form. Furthermore, as I worked on these elements in unison, I discovered overarching themes between the academic approach to theater and the production aspect. I found that my goal of changing the world and influencing young people consistently was one shared by both theater artists producing shows and also the scholars examining children’s theater. By combining both the scholarly and the creative in my thesis on children’s theater, I made connections that were otherwise unattainable. Not only did I confirm my theory on children’s theater’s goal of changing the world, I also found the goal of first and foremost entertaining children encompassed both approaches as well. By producing, directing, designing, and costuming a touring children’s theater production of Thumbelina: The Story of a Brave Little Girl in conjunction with researching the topic, I not only started my goal of helping to change the world, I also justified how my simple additions of costuming elements could truly help to change a child’s life. Advisors/Committee Members: Condee, William.