Browsing by Subject "Directing"
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Item A better direction(2019-05-09) Méndez Aguirre, Khristián E.; Carlson, Andrew (Andrew Ian); Dawson, KathrynThis thesis interrogates the figure of the autocratic director by tracing the patterns by which they become autocratic, and contextualizing each pattern in order to establish the notion that directors always exist in relationships to their context. Directors, I argue, are always co-laboring, co-training and co-creating with the rest of their companies. The research draws from historical documents, contemporary feminist theory, and theatre studies literature, in order to analyze case studies from productions directed at the University of Texas at AustinItem A director's survival guide or how to listen to your gut(2021-05-07) Skidis, Anna Melinda; Sanchez, K. J.In this thesis, I am going to examine how and why I feel my gut instincts are my primary tool as a director. I will be drawing from experiences with multiple plays I have directed, paying special attention to Spring Awakening by Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, A Fistful of Trespassing by Minghao Tu, La Ruta by Isaac Gómez, and an original piece, Lloronx, which were performed during my three years here at the University of Texas at Austin. In doing so, I will talk about my craft as a director, playmaker, and teacher, and how my intuition serves me and my craft.Item Between mountains and butterflies : searching for mythology in theatre making(2010-05) Brown, Marie Sevier; Douglas, Lucien; Dietz, Steven; Dorn, Franchelle; Kanoff, ScottAn in depth reflection of the development of my approach to directing theatre as seen through the production processes of co-creating and directing The Psyche Project, directing Our Town by Thornton Wilder, and the journey of becoming a wife and a mother.Item Cagers(2013-12) Quiroz, Simon; Shea, Andrew Brendan; Lewis, Richard M., M.F.A.This report summarizes the script development, pre-production, production, and post- production stages of making the short film Cagers. The short was produced as my graduate thesis film in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at The University of Texas at Austin in partial fulfillment of my Master of Fine Arts degree in Film Production.Item Crashing into walls with my face : a director's process(2020-05-08) Shoemaker, Jessica Marie; Sanchez, K. J.; Engelman, LizNear the end of my first year of graduate school, I stood up too quickly and promptly fell face-first into a wall. This thesis will explore how that experience serves as an elegant metaphor for my creative process: including the hazards, merits, and occasional grace of such an approach. The area of inquiry in which I am most interested is my methodology for capitalizing on the collisions of creative process without exacting undue harm to myself and others. By what metrics am I to judge the success or failure of my landing? Are there more effective ways to run headlong into obstacles? What kind and amount of preparation is useful for such an endeavor and what have I learned about myself in the crashing process? Through this thesis, I hope to further my understanding of how I develop and hone this skill of flying at, meeting, and befriending obstacles.Item Directing The difficulty of crossing a field : a symbolic and corporeal approach(2010-05) Leonard, Luke Landric; Douglas, Lucien; Dietz, Steven; Kanoff, Scott; Sawyer, Margo; Smith, MichaelThis thesis examines an approach to directing Mac Wellman and David Lang’s opera, The Difficulty of Crossing a Field; in addition, the paper reflects on my artistic development as a Master of Fine Arts in Directing student in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. As a director I seek a balance between form and content. Similar to Installation Art, I consider the relationship between space/architecture (the stage/theatre) and sculpture, i.e., anything that can be used to create shape: performers, props, scenery, wardrobe, makeup, light, sound, music, language, etc. As a deviser, not a dictator, the success of my work depends greatly on interdisciplinary collaboration and strategies that promote understanding and appreciation among both artists and audiences. My aim is to create structures for formal elements that when arranged uniquely and sophisticatedly have the ability to provoke emotion, thought, and memory in vivid and compelling ways. This paper explores selected stages of directing The Difficulty of Crossing a Field, the strategies that I employed, and concludes with an artistic statement.Item Hole in the wall(2020-09-15) Stanley, Lane; Sanchez, K. J.Out of the millions of things any human could do, why make art? This answer surely varies artist to artist. To answer this question for myself, I must first define how I wish to move through this world as a human. In this thesis, I will explore artmaking as a behavioral practice achieving my set personal goals of forging connection with others, expanding the mind, and ethically participating in and challenging society. I will identify compassion, vulnerability, and community as the pillars of this practice, and determine how these values influence craft. To track these ideas, I will analyze my directing of MotherWitch by Travis Tate; my writing and directing of the feature film Addict Named Hal; and my writing of two plays about people experiencing homelessness, The Tiny Banger and rain falls special on me.Item I used to be an asshole. I got better.(2016-05) Novacek, Natalie Louise; Lynn, Kirk; Isackes, RichardBefore UT, I didn’t feel like a story-maker. I was a director. Or maybe a story-interpreter. I had a desire to have authorship that extended beyond the production or the process, but I had no idea how to make that happen. Through my work on new plays with generous playwrights and close collaborations with designers, I began to see my ideas take solid form on the pages of the script and on the stage. That level of physical input and meaningful change felt both rewarding and important. It is now something I strive for in all my projects and something I value in artists with whom I choose to work. In this thesis, I will reflect on my directorial history, how that history led me to a place of authorship, and where my work stands today in my evolution from story-interpreter to story-maker.Item In this place : the creation of a short film(2010-05) Bench, Amy Lynn; Howard, Donald Wayne; Stekler, Paul; Scheisari, Nancy; Ramirez-Berg, CharlesThis report summarizes the process of writing, developing, directing and completing the short film In This Place. This film was produced as my graduate thesis film in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin in partial fulfillment of my Master of Fine Arts in Film Production degree.Item Lofty : a culminating cinematic experiment(2013-05) Smith, Patrick William, active 2013; Raval, P. J. (Paul James)The following report is an in depth, step-by-step analysis of the processes and experiments undertaken during the creation of the thesis film, "Lofty," written, directed, photographed, scored, and edited by Patrick William Smith. From inception to mastering the finished film, this report serves to highlight the filmmaker's rationale behind attempts at various experimental methods of pre-production, production, and post-production on the film.Item Make no assumptions : an invitation to the theatre(2014-05) Wilson, Steven M.; Rasmussen, SarahAn in-depth look at my how my desire to make no assumptions with regards to creating art led me to invitation as a guiding principle when directing for the theatre. This thesis will cite examples from three productions I’ve directed as a Master of Fine Arts candidate in the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin.Item Megan and Dan(2014-05) Efstation, Nathaniel Thomas; Shea, Andrew Brendan; Lewis, Richard; McCreery, Cindy; Ramirez Berg, CharelsThis report summarizes the script development, pre-production, production, and post-production stages of making the short film Megan and Dan.Item Rescue you : ghost chasing and filmmaking(2010-12) Hall, Kimberly Elaine; Stekler, Paul Jeffrey; Schiesari, Nancy; Garrison, Andy; Gopalan, LalithaThis report will summarize the process of writing, developing, directing and finishing the high-definition short film, Rescue You, This film was produced as my graduate thesis film in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin in partial fulfillment of my Master of Fine Arts in Film Production degree.Item Returning to Ananda(2013-12) Bernhardt, Deja; McCreery, CindyFrom the sprouting of the idea for the series to the final stages of post-production for Returning to Ananda, a one-hour, made for cable-television pilot, directed by Déjà Cresencia Bernhardt; this report details the pre-production to post-production phases of its development. Included in this report are the final screenplay and various other production notes.Item Revealing authentic intention as a director(2018-05-03) Schmidt, Graham Thomas; Sanchez, K. J.In this thesis, I describe a model for theater directing inspired by an intimate moment in my life. I use the term “authentic” to describe this model, since its features spring from the core of my being, and align with prevailing definitions of authenticity: “true to one's own personality, spirit, or character.” I then use this model to analyze the ways authenticity manifested through three directing projects I pursued as an MFA candidate, and factors hindering expression of my authentic directorial voice.Item Theatre of ordeal(2022-05-06) Steele, Michael William; Lynn, Kirk; Sanchez, KJ; Bassiakou Shaw, AlexandraIn this thesis, I define the Theatre of Ordeal and detail approaches, methods, and tools I have utilized in the creation of theatrical works belonging to it. Theatre of Ordeal is a carefully constructed performance situation which must be negotiated by the viewer. Instead of meaning delivered through content, the patron derives meaning firsthand through a series of decisions (mental, physical, or spiritual). In support, I examine several projects I worked on during my time as a graduate student at UT Austin. These include two devised pieces (And Away We Stared and Home Edition) and three plays I directed (Lear by Young Jean Lee, OCD by Hee-Won Kim, and Love and Information by Caryl Churchill).Item To be moved(2022-05-04) Hart, Andrea L.; Habeck, Michelle M.; Sanchez, KJ; Bassett Shaw, AlexandraIn this thesis I will examine how I use movement in theatre with the goal of moving the audience emotionally. I will point to the ways I scaffold and build a process that draws from many other practices of physical theatre and remixes them into my unique approach. I will describe how I use ensemble and physical theatre techniques to stage work that generates deep engagement, builds community, and allows for catharsis for both performer and audience. Through looking at my work on several projects at UT, I will show how interacting physically with the actors, audience, and design elements creates connection and expounds on textual and subtextual themes. I will explore physicality on stage from multiple angles. With Ownerless Beasts the audience enacted the physicality as a way of deepening their personal connection and relevance to the text. In Wyeth Airlines and Meek, the actors’ physicality on stage and their interaction with moving design elements conveyed interstitial story elements and character interiority. Murky as Hell uses explicit, extreme physicality including fight and dance choreography to appeal to the audience on an instinctual level and to elicit crowd responses typical to sporting events. With each of these projects, I will describe the function of movement in the piece and seek to assess the effectiveness of that movement as a technique toward emotional responses in the audience. This assessment will allow me to discover areas for revision and improvement in future iterations of these pieces or new work I create. Ultimately, I intend to use this exploration of my craft to codify my rehearsal and staging practices and formalize my approach for future work in the field.Item Towards a culturally responsive directing practice(2016-05) Carroll, Tamara Lee; Alrutz, Megan; Schroeder-Arce, RoxanneCulturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) is an approach to classroom teaching that draws on students’ unique strengths, and seeks to improve the effectiveness of instruction for minority students by teaching through students’ individual culture. CRP also concerns itself with curriculum that offers accurate, comprehensive, and diverse representations of people of all ethnic backgrounds. This thesis explores the process of applying the principles of CRP to the context of rehearsing and producing professional theatre. The professional theatre suffers from a lack of diversity, and many theatre artists are without a standardized approach to directing and producing theatre with thoughtful racial and ethnic representation in mind. Building on the scholarship and research surrounding CRP, as well as current discourses concerning diversity and representation in the field of theatre, this document explores the application of CRP principles, specifically caring-in-action and valuing diverse curriculum, to the process of directing the Latino play Tomás and the Library Lady by José Cruz González. This study invites theatre artists to consider the importance of diverse, authentic representation both onstage and off, and offers some possible frameworks for culturally responsive directing.Item Transfer : unlearning the director's role in playmaking(2012-05) Manning, Courtney Sale; Dietz, Steven; Lynn, Kirk; Zeder, SuzanIn this thesis I will examine my own directing praxis and transfer, the instant where ideas become action. I will define transfer as an initial trajectory toward a lasting event and examine how that practice has influenced four productions while at UT: The Fictional Life of Historical Oddities, september play, 360 (round dance) and Emergency Prom.Item The Walk : holding space in the face of crisis, failure, and fear(2015-05) Hutchinson, Jessica Rae; Rasmussen, Sarah; Carlson, Andrew; Dietz, Steven; Engelman, ElizabethThis thesis is about fear, failure, and faith. The tools I have developed during my graduate study have enabled me first to tolerate and then to welcome the energy of these forces into my artistic process. By examining and establishing Structure, creating and empowering Ensembles, and insisting upon an Inquiry-driven process, I can encounter fear and failure as I seek out the unpredictable, unrepeatable transcendence of the living play. By cultivating and inviting uncertainty, I hold space for the emergence of grace.