Theatre Electronic Theses and Dissertations (UMKC)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Theatre. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Kansas City. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item Jessie Bonstelle: A Biography(University of Missouri -- Kansas City, 1988) Triplett, Lori L.; Londré, Felicia Hardison, 1941-This thesis is a study of an oft-forgotten trailblazer in the theatre, Jessie Bonstelle, nee Laura Justine Bonesteele-Stuart. Through this paper I hope to bring her back into prominence among theatre historians as she richly deserves. Her widely varied accomplishments included: 1) a career as a successful stock actress, manager, director, and producer, 2) the implementation of the first municipal theatre in the United States, 3) the formation of the first civic theatre in the United States, 4) leadership in community concerns, 5) a legacy of ideas, not always fulfilled in her lifetime, but imbedded in the minds of the next generation of actors, directors, writers, designers, and even audiences. The basic organization of this thesis is chronological. Chapter One deals with her childhood and her early work as an actress/director/producer. This was a formative time for Jessie Bonstelle and the knowledge that was gathered would be used later in life. Chapter Two shows how she began to move into national fame. Jessie Bonstelle was a successful producer, working with some of the greats, such as William A. Brady and the Shuberts, with her production of Little Women in 1912. Also that year she started one of the first community oriented theatres in the United States, The Northampton Municipal Theatre. With the outbreak of World War I, Jessie Bonstelle became interested in community affairs; she was active in The Stage Women's Executive Committee and The Suffragists Organization as well as others. The final Chapter deals with the culmination of all her years of work in drama, when she opened the Bonstelle Playhouse. Later The Playhouse would become America's first Civic Theatre, located in Detroit. During this period the legacy she created would become apparent. My study resulted n my discovery of a woman who surpassed peers and overcame problems. Jessie Bonstelle blazed many trails, cared greatly for people, and never forgot her own mortality. Her mortality is what drove her to promote the starting actor/actress over herself, knowing that as an actress she would die and be forgotten. Her love for her theatre created her own golden rule: theatre first, Jessie second.Item The Deputy(2021) BurroughsScanlon, Jeph; Londré, Felicia Hardison, 1941-The Deputy is a play written by Rolf Hochhuth. Hochhuth was a German editor-turned-playwright who grew up as a Nazi youth. Something that we must understand is that to the Nazi youth of the 1930s and ‘40s, their own activities were viewed by them much the way we view our Boy and Girl Scout activities. They were looking out from the inside of a system that the rest of the world was looking in at and despising. As an adult in the 1950s Hochhuth began to question what had happened in the Third Reich and why. After extensive research he came to the personal conclusion that if there had been any one individual who could have stood up and brought the attention of the world to the rescue of all the people to whom Hitler had brought so much death and destruction it would have been the Pope: Pope Pius XII. Hochhuth then asked himself why Pius chose the course of action—and inaction—that he did. The ultimate result of this research was The Deputy, Hochhuth’s first and longest play, published and first produced in 1963. A live theatrical production of the entire original script as written would be seven to eight hours in length. Although it has been produced dozens of times, there is no record of the entire play ever having been staged. Hochhuth wrote The Deputy in German. There are both English and American translations. The 1964 New York Broadway production is an adaptation by Jerome Rothenberg of the American translation by Richard and Clara Winston (Simon publicity pack S – 486, 3). In the fall of 1994, The Missouri Repertory Theatre, at the direction of George Keathley, staged a production of its own adaptation from the same American translation. The differences between these two adaptations are many. This is the focus of my thesis. I do not wish to argue or reargue the points of the play or those of its critics, but rather to simply look at which adaptation of the American translation is more theatrically vital and feasible to present to a modern American audience.Item The Unicorn Theatre: A Brief History 1974-2020(2020) Haynes-Hohne, Sarah Jean; Londré, Felicia Hardison, 1941-The Unicorn Theatre was originally founded under the name Theatre Workshop in 1974. It was a theatre company formed by three UMKC graduates, Jim Cairns, Rohn Dennis, and Liz Gordon who wanted to create an Off-Off-Broadway theatre in Kansas City. Their work focused on experimentation and using theatre as a political statement for social change. For years, the theatre operated as a community of people who wore many hats and performed many functions. In some ways, this still remains true. However, the theatre made a significant shift in its goals and future when they joined Actors’ Equity Association in 1984 shortly after Cynthia Levin was named Producing Artistic Director. The company has operated out of four different locations over the past 45+ years, but it has been in its current location at 3828 Main Street, Kansas City, MO since 1986. Many expansions and financial campaigns have contributed to the success of the theatre, which now houses two stages, The Levin Stage and The Jerome Stage. The Unicorn Theatre now operates under the vision of producing “Bold New Plays” and thrives on a mission that revolves around inclusion and diversity.Item In Old Kentucky: A Study of American Melodrama(2020) Hagar, Dakotta L.; Londré, Felicia Hardison, 1941-This project, a graduate research thesis, means to unearth Charles T. Dazey’s most famous work, In Old Kentucky. This thesis examines the facets of In Old Kentucky which made it a perennial favorite across the entirety of the United States for more than thirty years from 1892, well into the twentieth century. This thesis shines a light on the life and work of Charles T. Dazey, discusses melodrama as it existed before In Old Kentucky, and evaluates In Old Kentucky as dramatic literature. Through an examination of In Old Kentucky and its history one can understand the theatrical trends, audience preferences, and cultural ideals of the time period.Item Expanding Theatre: Directing Approaches from Contemporary Chilean Women Directors(2020) Joseph, Mary Allison; Londré, Felicia Hardison, 1941-This thesis examines the careers, theatrical ideologies, and directing methodologies of three contemporary Chilean women stage directors: Andrea Giadach, Alexandra von Hummel, and Ignacia González. Respective chapters provide an overview of each director’s career that includes mention of formative moments. Each chapter also includes a synthesis of the director’s thinking as distilled from personal interviews and theoretical works, followed by a methodological case study that allows for analysis of specific directing methods, thus illuminating the director’s beliefs in action. In each chapter, the author asserts that the director’s innovative thinking and creative practices constitute expansions of the theatrical artform. Finally, the author traces similarities across the directing approaches of the three directors, which suggest guiding ideas for expanding the theatrical artform. Chapter one explores the directing career of Andrea Giadach, with highlights including her acting experiences in La lluvia de verano (2005) and Mateluna (2012) and her directing projects Mi mundo patria (2008) and Penélope ya no espera (2014). Her beliefs about political theatre are illuminated through a directing case study of her 2019 production of El Círculo. Chapter two delves into the directing career of Alexandra von Hummel, with highlights including her co-direction of La tercera obra (2005), her direction of Persiguiendo a Nora Helmer (2012), and her classroom direction of Angels in America (2006). As Von Hummel often co directs within her theatre company Teatro La María, co-directing methods are explored in an abbreviated case study of El hotel (2016). Her beliefs about theatre are illuminated through a directing case study of her 2018 production of Franco. Chapter three examines the directing career of Ignacia González, with highlights including her directing projects La fábrica de vidrio (2015), Telepatía, la nostalgia del cuerpo (2016), and Ella y los cerdos (2019), in addition to her experiences as a participant in and creator of research-based theatre companies and her teaching assistantship with Manuela Infante. Her thinking about theatre is illuminated through a directing case study of her Punto ciego (2018).