Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, East Asian Languages and Literatures

This study examines adaptations of Chinese culture in medieval Japanese No theatre through analyzing a group of No plays featuring Chinese motifs, also referred to as “Chinese plays,” written between the late fourteenth and the early sixteenth centuries. It investigates how changing relations with China, reception history of Chinese motifs, as well as evolving aesthetic and cultural norms on the part of playwrights and audiences of No, shaped the making of these plays. I propose what I refer to as a Filter Model, based on my reading of treatises of No and supported by contemporary theory of intercultural theatre, to analyze the (re)interpretations and (re)construction of various images of China within specific historical and cultural contexts. I argue that this group of plays was not about representing China, but rather about manipulating the perceived images of China and catering to the cultural practices, aesthetic preferences, and sociopolitical attitudes of various audience groups in medieval Japan. It is through the different images of China constructed in these plays that the playwrights amplify certain aspects of No, such as auspiciousness, cultural identity, depictions of human emotion, and dance performances. Chapter One lays out the theoretical and historical framework for the study. I critically review current scholarship on issues of Other and Self, and on conceptions of Intercultural Theatre. I then trace the dynamics of cultural exchanges between China and Japan that had influenced the reception of Chinese motifs in No theatre. Chapter Two centers on the underlying variables in the composition of “Chinese plays.” I first assess the influential role of audience and patron of No. I then introduce my Filter Model, which illustrates the complex interplay of sociopolitical milieux, basic sources, perspectives and dramaturgies of the playwrights, in the making of “Chinese plays.” Chapters Three to Seven examine ten “Chinese plays” that, taken together, displ (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Shelley Quinn (Advisor) Subjects: Literature, Asian

MA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

This project examines the evolution of Anne Frank's image among the American public throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and analyzes how this public perception was influenced by the theatrical interpretation of the diarist's story. Examining the theatrical interpretation of the story from its creation through the modern day reveals that the intentional manufacturing of Anne Frank's characterization specific to American audiences of the 1955 production significantly affected public understanding of the historical story and continues to complicate the public's relationship with the play's heroine. This evolving relationship has been highlighted particularly through analysis of the original script's creation, public reactions to the various incarnations of the script over time, comparisons between the major script adaptations, and case studies that demonstrate twenty-first century attitudes toward the play. By illustrating the influence of the 1955 dramatization of "The Diary of Anne Frank" on the American public's perception of the historical story, this research draws attention to the areas in which historicity was sacrificed for the sake of marketing the production and ultimately highlights the importance of the theatrical interpretation in shaping Anne Frank's iconic role in American culture.

Committee: Richard Steigmann-Gall PhD (Advisor); Shane Strate PhD (Committee Member); Mary Ann Heiss PhD (Committee Member); Eric van Baars PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; History; Holocaust Studies; Modern History; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater History

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2007, Theatre

Throughout the United States, thousands of festivals, like St. Patrick's Day in New York City or the Greek Festival and Oktoberfest in Columbus, annually celebrate the ethnic heritages, values, and identities of the communities that stage them. Combining elements of ethnic pride, nostalgia, sentimentality, cultural memory, religous values, political positions, economic motive, and the spirit of celebration, these festivals are well-organized performances that promote a community's special identity and heritage. At the same time, these festivals usually reach out to the larger community in an attempt to place the ethnic community within the American fabric. These festivals have a complex history tied to the “melting pot” history of America. Since the twentieth century many communities and ethnic groups have struggled to hold onto or reclaim a past that gradually slips away. Ethnic heritage festivals are one prevalent way to maintain this receding past. And yet such festivals can serve radically different aims, socially and politically. In this dissertation I will investigate how these festivals are presented and why they are significant for both participants and spectators. I wish to determine what such festivals do and mean. I will examine five Dutch American festivals, three of which are among the oldest ethnic heritage festivals in the United States. My approach to this topic is interdisciplinary. Drawing upon research methods in several disciplines – theatre history, performance studies, theatre semiotics, ethnography and anthropology, folklore, and American history – I will describe and analyze how the social, political, and ethical values of the communities get expressed (performed, acted out, represented, costumed and displayed) in these various festivals. Instead of relying upon the familiar ideas of “the Midwest,” “rural America,” “conservative America,” etc. that are often used in political commentary today, I want to show just how complex and often contrad (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Thomas Postlewait (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Theatre

Bud Coleman and Judith A. Sebesta in Women in American Musicals: Essays on Composers…. (2008) and Michelle Parke in Queer in the Choir: Essays on Gender and Sexuality in Glee (2014), all contend that “Musical theatre is arguably the most popular form of theatre in the United States” (Coleman and Sebesta, 6). Since the Nigerian tour of the Broadway musical Fela! in 2011, the form has generated a renewed excitement in that country's theatre culture, which was on the verge of extinction. A central contributor to this interest in musical theatre in Nigeria is producer Bolanle Austen-Peters (a.k.a., BAP). Inspired by Fela!, Austen-Peters has produced five Broadway-style musical theatre performances in the last decade, staged in Nigeria and abroad. In this study, I analyze three key works from Austen-Peters's still-in-process career while also providing documentation for this new art form to ensure its preservation and inspire prospects of future research. By using Ruth Little's, Cathy Turner's, and Synne Behrndt's definitions of dramaturgy, I critically evaluate and attend to how contemporary musical theatre in Nigeria functions. In addition, employing Marvin Carlson's concept of theatrical interculturalism, I endeavor to understand how traditional Nigerian performance elements are making their way into this reimagined art form. Following the introduction which lays out the topic and methodologies, chapter two is a critical exploration of Austen-Peters's first musical script, Saro, The Musical (2013). Specifically, I explore how she is modifying and modernizing traditional Nigerian performance practices to create a musical theatre production unique to Nigeria. My focus in chapter three is an analysis of a video recording of Austen-Peters's second work, Wakaa, The Musical (2015), which debuted in Nigeria before transferring to London in 2016 for a limited run. Building on the work done in chapter two, in this chapter I investigate how this performance combines el (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michael Ellison PhD (Advisor); Timothy Pogacar PhD (Other); Jonathan Chambers PhD (Committee Member); Heidi Nees PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Literature; African Studies; Music; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies

Bachelor of Music, Capital University, 2022, Music

Theatre is an art form with the capacity to enact real change in our communities. Because of the wide array of topics theatre explores, it can help us to hold up a mirror to real life, critique and comment on proceedings within it, hold space for human emotion and therefore catharsis, and get viewers invested in a good story. This begs a responsibility for theatrical professionals to tie in aspects of community outreach to create a more enriching show, and harness the true power of this art form. In this project, I will be producing and directing Indecent, as well as creating opportunities for community outreach through talkbacks, service projects, and campus engagement opportunities. I will be creating a directorial concept, choosing actors, designing a rehearsal plan, finding costumes, set design elements, lighting, sound, and anything else needed to produce the show, all while organizing the opportunities for community engagement, complementary to the show's themes of LGBTQ+ rights and the history of Yiddish theatre. I have received permission also to conduct interviews and surveys of audience members directly after the show as well as check-ins to measure how the themes resonated with them, and later, how they have noticed them appear in their lives since, or any changes they have made. In the final paper in the execution semester, I will then explore these effects through the findings of this production and outreach components to demonstrate that theatre has the ability, and therefore responsibility to benefit others.

Committee: Joshua Borths (Advisor); Jens Hemmingsen (Advisor); Chad Payton (Advisor) Subjects: Art Criticism; Art Education; Art History; Arts Management; Behavioral Psychology; Communication; Curricula; Curriculum Development; Dance; Demographics; Design; East European Studies; Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Psychology; Educational Sociology; Educational Theory; Ethics; European History; European Studies; Fine Arts; Folklore; Foreign Language; Gender; Gender Studies; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; History; Holocaust Studies; Industrial Arts Education; Intellectual Property; Judaic Studies; Marketing; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Modern History; Modern Literature; Music; Music Education; Performing Arts; Personal Relationships; Social Research; Social Work; Teacher Education; Teaching; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies; Theology; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Theatre

While the past decade has seen a rapid increase in media visibility for transgender celebrities, it has not necessarily led to greater inclusion of transgender people within the United States' major performing arts institutions. The resulting increased awareness among the general public has reinforced the prevailing cultural narrative that the transgender community is a newly emerging population. The theatre has contributed to this perception, framing trans narratives as novel and “trending,” which perpetuates what ethnographer Andre Calvacante calls the ideology of transgender impossibility. This dissertation challenges the theatre industry's ideology of transgender impossibility by tracing the artistic and political origins of contemporary transgender performance and by illuminating the ways in which such an ideology obscures the history and distinct aesthetics of trans artists. Using interviews and what LGBTQ theatre historian Sean F. Edgecomb terms lateral historiography, this project locates transgender performance and aesthetic practices within communities practicing queer solo performance, the theatrical jazz aesthetic, and spoken word poetry. Building upon these varied queer legacies, transgender performers have developed a particular set of aesthetic practices and dramaturgical strategies based in embodied experience, queer time/transtemporality, disidentification, and community-building. The exploration of trans aesthetics here examines performance strategies which trouble the actor-spectator relationship through the lenses of Rebecca Schneider's explicit body performance, Jack Halberstam's transgender gaze, and accountable audience participation. The project closes with an illustration of how the ideology of transgender impossibility—as a function of the cis white gaze—operates within theatrical spaces, perpetuating a cycle of marginalization and delegitimization of trans aesthetics, histories, voices, and experiences.

Committee: Beth Kattelman (Advisor); Nadine George-Graves (Committee Member); Guisela Latorre (Committee Member) Subjects: Fine Arts; Gender Studies; Glbt Studies; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater History; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Theatre

Early nineteenth-century mixed-Black Americans were made complicit in the propaganda of both pro-slavery and abolitionist messaging, at times upheld as model minorities for their contributions to the Southern slave-owning plantation economy, while other times depicted in heart-breaking abolitionist narratives about the evils of slavery, and the often-deadly identity crises these “tragic” people were subjected to. The reality of mixed-Black existence was far less dramatic than the lives of the characters in texts such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), or Dion Boucicaut's The Octoroon (1859); what was revealed to contemporary white audiences was a desire to sympathize with the Other who occupied the closest proximity to whiteness. Thus, the trope of the “tragic mulatto/a” became a vehicle for propagandizing the moral “goodness” of white society and its positive, Christian, “civilizing” influence on the Black and/or indigenous Other. This Practice-as-Research dissertation examines the manner in which miscegenation between Black and white Americans has been feared, fetishized, and resurrected in popular historical narratives over the past two centuries. Living between races, conceived out of wedlock and often as a result of sexual assault, the “tragic mulatta” is often depicted as a pitiable creature, beautiful, yet doomed by her sundry origins. Unable to claim full membership in neither racial group, she lacked both the honored status offered to white wives and mothers in traditional society, and any form of social protection against sexual exploitation. This project contains four chapters which detail the people, places, and creative work that informed my Practice-as-Research play, Blood, Earth, Water.

Committee: Jennifer Schlueter Dr. (Committee Chair); Beth Kattelman Dr. (Committee Member); Nadine George-Graves Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; American History; American Literature; Black History; Black Studies; Gender Studies; History; Museum Studies; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2016, Theatre

This thesis argues that the reality of vaudeville in its heyday was very different from the sorts of performances the label is associated with today. This is done in part by examining the career of Kitty Doner, the leading male impersonator of her generation. The 1962 movie, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, is reexamined, highlighting its misinterpretation of vaudeville and the supposed reasons for its demise. Finally, a queer genealogy is structured to assert a new label of queer women performance, the Large Butch Crooners. This thesis, using queer and feminist theories and methodologies works to reimagine American vaudeville in the twenty-first-century, as well as looking for new ways to center women performers in its larger histories.

Committee: Katelyn Wood Dr. (Advisor); Elizabeth Reitz-Mullenix Dr. (Committee Co-Chair); Paul Jackson Dr. (Committee Member); Kathleen Johnson Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender Studies; Performing Arts; Theater History; Theater Studies

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

Throughout the United States toward the end of the twentieth century, popular theatre proliferated on the nation's stages and in other entertainment venues: concert halls, comedy clubs, Broadway stages, and more. One of the notable offerings was (and still remains) Blue Man Group, a vaudevillesque performance troupe that plays music, performs scenes, and creates a sense of community amongst the attendees. Though now enjoying enormous mainstream success, Blue Man Group was once a fringe, avant-garde theatre, creating politically charged performances on the streets of New York City for free to those in close proximity. This study examines Blue Man Group's history, from its beginnings through 2001, by looking at how it transitioned from its avant-garde roots into a popular theatre appearing on national television and in front of thousands of spectators each night. Following Mike Sell's assertion that the thorny term "avant-garde" art is "premised on the notion that the modern world--its institutions, its social relations, its art, its cuisines, its economies--is terminally out of joint" (2011, 7), this study seeks to demonstrate that Blue Man Group's first public performances, in the experimental theatre spaces and on the streets of New York City, emerged from a frustration with American culture. I argue that after opening a long-running production in New York, the organization took steps away from its avant-garde roots through questionable business practices and widespread expansion. In turn, I consider the group's recording and releasing an album, which in effect turned its live event into an unchanging experience. I contend that by 2001, Blue Man Group had turned its back on its avant-garde outlook, as is evidenced by its opening of a production in Las Vegas and its appearing in nationally televised commercials for a computer company. In so doing, Blue Man Group eschewed its avant-garde roots while expanding its brand, thereby becoming part of American popular c (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jonathan Chambers Ph.D. (Advisor); Lesa Lockford Ph.D. (Committee Member); Marcus Sherrell M.F.A. (Committee Member); Andrew M. Schocket Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Theater; Theater History

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2015, Leadership and Change

This study addresses the research question “How Do I Inspire Personal and Social Change Through My Theater Practice?” I implement the theory and practice of H.E.A.T., a fusion theater system, combining use of theater arts as healing practice, educational asset, activist tool, and an art form. I research different ways that theater can affect change, focusing specifically on the use of history in performance. I dramatically interpret a period of history where performance and poetry contributed to change. I utilize qualitative methods including performance ethnography, auto ethnography, arts-based research, and historical research. I describe the fieldwork in conflict zones in the Middle East, which led to the scripting of a full-length play, and the presentation of the play, which included discussion groups and audience participation through post-show events. The dissertation is a bricolage, combining scholarly chapters, performative writing, and scripted theater. The work explores ways of employing theater as a change agent by using history as an inspiration. In the city of Cordoba, Spain, in the 10th and 11th century Muslims and Jews lived in a state of relative peace. Looking at medieval Cordoba I explore the Judeo-Arabic poetry of the time, asking: Can what happened in Cordoba be a model for performance and peacebuilding? Based on historical research, the Judeo-Arabic poetry of ancient Al-Andalusia, and the theory of performative peacebuilding, the dramatically scripted section of the dissertation will take place in two realms: Present-day conflict zones in the Middle East; and medieval Cordoba where two ancient characters convey a story of coexistence through poetic expression. In three decades of working as a theater artist, I have come to believe that my work must be dedicated to facilitating change. The sacred and ancient art of theater needs to be meaningful to 21st-century life so that we can use it to awaken, heal, educate and repair the world. This disser (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Carolyn Kenny Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Holloway Ph.D. (Committee Member); D. Soyini Madison Ph.D. (Committee Member); Dara Culhane Ph.D. (Committee Member); Magdelena Kazubowski-Houston Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Aesthetics; Islamic Studies; Judaic Studies; Medieval History; Medieval Literature; Middle Eastern History; Middle Eastern Literature; Middle Eastern Studies; Performing Arts; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Theater; Theater Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Theatre

Though bracketed by centuries of greater social restrictions, the long eighteenth century stands as a moment in time when women enjoyed a considerable measure of agency and social acceptance during pregnancy. In part, this social acceptance rose along with birth rates: the average woman living in the eighteenth century gave birth to between four and eight children in her lifetime. As women spent more of their adult lives pregnant, and as childbearing came to be considered less in the light of ritual and more in the light of natural phenomenon, social acceptance of pregnant women and their bodies increased. In this same century, an important shift was occurring in the professional British theatre. The eighteenth century saw a rise in the respectability of acting as a profession generally, and of the celebrity stage actress in particular. Respectability does not mean passivity, however—theatre historian Robert Hume describes the history of commercial theatre in eighteenth century London as a “vivid story of ongoing competition, sometimes fierce, even destructive competition.” Theatrical managers deployed their most popular performers and entertainments strategically, altering the company's repertory to take advantage of popular trends, illness or scandal in their competition, or to capitalize on rivalries. When celebrity actresses became pregnant, actresses and managers faced both challenges and opportunities. My dissertation seeks to recover seven eighteenth-century celebrity actresses' professional experiences while pregnant. I examine the repertoires and reputations of Susanna Mountfort Verbruggen (1666-1703); Anne Oldfield (1683-1730); Susannah Cibber (1714-1766); Hannah Pritchard (1711-1768); George Anne Bellamy (c.1727-1788); Sarah Siddons (1755-1831); and Dorothy Jordan (1761-1816). Using archival material and more recent scholarship, it investigates how the pregnant body influenced public perception of these women, the onstage roles they performed, a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lesley Ferris PhD (Advisor); Schlueter Jennifer PhD (Committee Member); Constantinidis Stratos PhD (Committee Member); Brewer David PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Theater; Theater History

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2014, Theatre

Since women first took to the professional stage, actresses have been objects of admiration and condemnation as well as desire and suspicion. Historically marginalized figures, actresses challenged notions of acceptable female behavior by, among other (more scandalous) things, earning their own income, cultivating celebrity, and being sexually autonomous. Performance entailed an economic transaction of money for services provided, inviting the double meanings of "entertainer" and "working" woman. Branding the actress a whore not only signaled her (perceived) sexual availability, but also that she was an unruly woman who lived beyond the pale. The history of the actress in the West is also complicated by the tradition of the all-male stage, which long prevented women from participating in their own dramatic representations and devalued their claim to artistry once they did. Theatrical representations of actresses necessarily engage with cultural perceptions of actresses, which, historically, have been paradoxical at best. In this dissertation I identify a sub-genre of drama that I call actress-plays, and using this bibliography of over 100 titles I chronicle and analyze the actress as a character type in the English-speaking theatre, arguing that dramatizations of the professional actress not only reflect (and fuel) a cultural fascination with actresses but also enact a counter-narrative to conventional constructions of femininity. Using the advent of the actress in the Restoration as a historical touchstone, this study weaves together theatre and women's history, literary criticism, and cultural studies to analyze the ways in which staging the actress highlights and interrogates the complex and layered nature of gendered prejudice that has historically marginalized actresses and thwarted female progress. This dissertation features detailed examinations of key actress-plays from different eras, including but not limited to J. Palgrave Simpson's World and Stage (18 (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lesley Ferris (Advisor) Subjects: Gender Studies; Literature; Theater; Theater History; Womens Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Theatre

The myth of Antigone has been established as a preeminent one in political and philosophical debate. One incarnation of the myth is of particular interest here. Jean Anouilh's Antigone opened in Paris, 1944. A political and then philosophical debate immediately arose in response to the show. Anouilh's Antigone remains a well-known play, yet few people know about its controversial history or the significance of its translation into English immediately after the war. It is this history and adaptation of Anouilh's contested Antigone that defines my inquiry. I intend to reopen interpretive discourse about this play by exploring its origins, its journey, and the archival limitations and motivations controlling its legacy and reception to this day. By creating a space in which multiple readings of this play can exist, I consider adaptation studies and archival theory and practice in the form of theatre history, with a view to dismantle some of the misconceptions this play has experienced for over sixty years. This is an investigation into the survival of Anouilh's Antigone since its premiere in 1944. I begin with a brief overview of the original performance of Jean Anouilh's Antigone and the significant political controversy it caused. The second chapter centers on the changing reception of Anouilh's Antigone beginning with the liberation of Paris to its premiere on the Broadway stage the following year. Additionally, I examine the changes made to Anouilh's script by Lewis Galantiere and the ramifications of such alterations. In the third chapter, and final part of my examination of Jean Anouilh's play, I approach Antigone through the lenses of archival theory, performance studies, and adaptation theory.

Committee: Cynthia Baron PhD (Advisor); Jonathan Chambers PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Art Education

Stage actors have long been an integral element of the cultural community in the United States. From vaudeville to the Broadway stage, actors have carved a niche for themselves in the theatrical landscape of the United States. Yet, little has specifically been written on the functionality of the primary theatrical actors' association and union, Actors' Equity Association. This dissertation examines the formation of the theatrical industry and the simultaneous development of Actors' Equity Association as an institution within that industry. In doing so, the work makes connections between development of the industry and the role of Actors' Equity Association on the field's development. This interpretive historical inquiry sets the stage for the contemporary understanding of theatrical actors. The research is focused on unionism, the evolution of labor in the United States, the development of the theatrical industry, and the reactive and proactive behavior of Actors' Equity Association. This case study investigates the development of a creative sector union and its role within an industry through three lenses: resource dependence, institutional isomorphism, and collective action. Each of the theories offers a different perspective for understanding Actors' Equity Association and the theatrical industry in which it operates. It is argued the development of the theatrical industry is significantly linked to the collective action behavior of Actors' Equity Association. Concurrently, resource dependence has helped shape Actors' Equity as well as the larger theatrical field. Additionally, resource dependence and collective action have caused isomorphic change within the theatrical industry.

Committee: Margaret Wyszomirski (Advisor) Subjects: Theater

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2010, Theatre

In this thesis I examine how the audience may perceive time and their relationship to it in the performance of history. In history plays there is the potential for the audience to perceive the past and the present simultaneously. Within that perception audience members are then potentially motivated toward action within the performance. I analyze artistic techniques such as dual roles, narrators, setting and staging practices that Native Hawaiian playwright Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl uses in January 1893 (1993) and Ola Na Iwi (1994). I approach my discussion of these artistic techniques with Marvin Carlson‘s concept of ghosting, Helen Gilbert and Joanne Tompkins‘ post-colonial theories about storytellers and space, and Freddie Rokem‘s work on creative energy and the performance of history.

Committee: Andrew Gibb PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Elizabeth Reitz-Mullenix PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Ann Elizabeth Armstrong PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Fine Arts; History; Literature; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Native Americans; Native Studies; Theater

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2004, Mass Communication

The purpose of this video documentary project is to introduce the theatres of Lato,Thorikos, and Makynia to the general public while providing scholarly comment on the importance of their role and contribution to the development of Greek drama in terms of staging and performing in smaller theatres. Seeing the Seeing Places marks a new direction in the history of Greek theatre by focusing on the sense of intimacy created in small theatres and performing spaces between the actors and the audience. It also gives rise to new dramaturgical considerations regarding the way ancient Greek tragedies were originally structured and performed in small spaces.

Committee: Howard Blanning (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2006, Theatre and Film

Throughout the twentieth century, historians have sought a variety of new ways to engage history, many through the use of performance techniques. New methodologies aided by technology have allowed historians to gain new insights into the past and share those insights with the public. In this study I examine how four methodologies have influenced each other in attempt to achieve this goal: two living history museums: Colonial Williamsburg and Plimoth Plantation; one outdoor historical drama, Trumpet in the Land; three examples of experimental archaeology: the Pamunkey Project, Buckskinners, and the Washburn-Norlands Center; and two PBS productions about living in the past: Frontier House and Colonial House. These categories have two things in common. First they are all attempting to examine some aspect or event from the past, second they all use performance techniques to do this. My argument for this study lies in a two-fold examination. First, in discussing the constructs of each of these methodologies, I argue that it is apparent that the first three categories have been highly influential in the development of the fourth. Second, the misuse of performance techniques has proven ultimately problematic for the PBS productions in their declared efforts to take a step back in time. With the exception of the outdoor historical dramas, which I use as an obvious example of performance and history coming together, those involved with the other categories tend to distance themselves from being associated with other theatrical endeavors believing that such an association diminishes their efforts. These attitudes tend to be based in antitheatrical sentiments which prove to be counter productive to their goals of better engaging past.

Committee: James Forse (Advisor) Subjects: Theater

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2013, Theatre and Film

For decades, theatre history textbooks and other influential studies on theatre history have positioned Ubu Roi, Alfred Jarry's 1896 avant-garde “classic,” as the beginning or originator of the historical avant-garde and precursor to the playwrights considered as part of Martin Esslin's “Theatre of the Absurd.” Much of this reputation is built on inaccurate accounts of the premiere production, put down by those involved or in attendance, who had particular aims in reporting the event in the ways they did. Those accounts would end up being put to use as the base on which various scholars would establish the premiere of Ubu Roi as the ignition of the historical avant-garde. This dissertation is a poststructuralist historiographical study in which I analyze the various statements made, first by participants and witnesses to the premiere production, and then by scholars and critics who take those accounts as factual, that place Ubu Roi on a path to legitimization and inclusion in the Western canon. In my research, I examine initial accounts of the premiere production, early post mortem accounts of Jarry's life, the proliferation of the character Ubu in early twentieth century French society, French and English critical and biographical studies of Jarry and Ubu Roi, anthologies and edited collections of Ubu Roi, and reviews and other related materials of several key French revivals and over fifteen English-language revivals of the play. I mark the emergence of three specific strategies that grew out of tactics Jarry employed at the premiere. I demonstrate how the conflation of Jarry with his character Ubu, made possible by his extraordinary performance of self at the premiere, the notion of the production's innate ability to produce scandal, and the idea of Jarry's implementation of a “revolutionary” dramaturgy, are all used to make Ubu Roi the example par excellence of avant-garde drama. I unite these three strategies under the title “U-Effect” to describe the subjec (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jonathan Chambers Ph.D. (Advisor); Kara Joyner Ph.D. (Committee Member); Lesa Lockford Ph.D. (Committee Member); Scott Magelssen Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies