Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Theatre

Theatrical design is difficult to exhibit as Art. During the course of the twentieth-century, prominent theatre designers have sought ways to share their revolutionary ideas and remarkable work with an outside audience. In this dissertation, I examine the boundaries, struggles and methodologies found within contemporary design exhibition at the Prague Quadrennial. More specifically, I explore a philosophical shift taking place between the 2007 and 2011 Prague Quadrennials, as the event's artistic leadership repositions the scenographic underpinnings toward a more inclusive theory of performance design. This resultant shift occurs due to several trends throughout the Prague Quadrennial's history including: decentralization, the inclusion of performance and the contextualization of scenographic artifacts. I examine the significant impact of this philosophical shift on the event's curatorial visions, audience interactions and connections with the city of Prague.

Committee: Michael Ellison PhD (Advisor); Ashutosh Sohoni PhD (Committee Member); Jonathan Chambers PhD (Committee Member); Steve Boone MFA (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2012, Theatre

All Things Shining is an experimental, intermedial, dramatic which I wrote, directed, and produced at The Ohio State University in spring quarter of 2012. The play's experimental nature is derived from its incorporation a number of theatrical styles that interest me as a theatre artist. In bringing together these different approaches, I wanted to create a unique theatre experience. The intermedial nature of the play is defined by its use of media as storytelling elements. The term “intermedial” is used liberally to describe a convergence of media that creates a co-relationship between media, and the mutual influence between the media leads to a redefinition of the media that are affecting each other. Intermediality in the context of my work is a method for incorporating media in a way that makes them essential elements of telling the story of the play. As the primary designer, I utilized video projections, lighting effects, and sound design elements to create an environment on stage, which fully engages the actors and the audience. I refer to this effect as the immersive atmosphere of the play. The production was staged in the Experimental Movement and Media Arts (EMMA) Lab located in the Motion Capture Suite at The Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD). This document records the creation and production process of the project. The concept for this project focused on a lone spaceman, Matt Simon, facing his own mortality in the dramatic present of the play. The present narrative is intercut with pivotal and interrelated events from his past, illustrated through flashbacks that led him to the present. The present timeline is set aboard Matt's disabled spacecraft, Proteus, in the orbit of the planet Mars. It is the not too distant future, the year 2051, and Matt is heading up the manned mission to Mars. This play is a tragic, spiritual portrayal of hope in the face of inevitability. It was important that specific science fiction conventions and the (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jimmy Bohr (Advisor); Janet Parrott (Committee Member); Maureen Ryan (Committee Member) Subjects: Theater