The Fairy Star; or Boucicault's Revenge is based on an incident which occurred in the relationship between actress Agnes Kelly Robertson and her common-law spouse, the actor and dramatist Dion Boucicault. The action of the play takes place late in the afternoon of September 3, 1875, in the parlor of Robertson's home, Langham Place. The dramatic conflict revolves around their meeting for the first time after a two-year separation, during which time Boucicault had forced Robertson to virtually retire from the stage and remain at home with their six children. When Robertson learns that Boucicault desperately needs her to star in his latest theatrical production, she sets out to win back her place as the star of both his life and his plays.

A comprehensive investigation examines the decline and changes that have affected Dallas regional theatre development from the dream of Margo Jones in the 1940s to the proliferation of emerging theatres in 1993. Changing economic conditions, lack of audience support, and shortages of performance space have contributed to an exodus of Dallas actors and artists. Reviewed are measures to reverse this trend, including funding changes, awareness campaigns, improved inter-theatre cooperation, and guidelines for audience development. The study's conclusion notes that theatres do, indeed, have a natural life cycle, but with renewed emphasis on audience development and self-sufficiency, theatres in Dallas can endure and contribute to an enlarged sense of civic pride.

This thesis is a play for children. The story and the characters were derived from traditional Norwegian fairy tales. The central character is Billikin Whiskers, a billy-goat, who is captured by three trolls--Sparky, Garr and Pragg. The play is set on a mountain in Norway. The central idea of the play is the issue of intelligence--represented by Billikin Whiskers--versus physical strength--symbolized by the trolls.

The epochal musical Hair is based predominantly on the actions and reactions to the cultural and societal occurrences of the Sixties. So, what can be done to help in the understanding of this historic musical? The answer: to produce an annotated text of the musical that will offer support to director and cast. The study consists of four chapters; the first, an introduction to the study; the second, a historical review (1960-1970); the third, the annotations which seeks to identify and explain all unfamiliar or unusual words, cultural obscurities, or personalities that might confuse, or otherwise mislead a full and comprehensive understanding of the author's original concept; and fourth, the worldwide performances of Hair and revivals after the original Broadway production.

This study analyzed the personalities and actions of Regina, Birdie, Alexandra, and Lavinia from Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes and Another Part of the Forest. The analysis was focused on the relationship between the life and personality of Lillian Hellman and each of the characters. The method of character analysis that was used was that described by David Grote in Script Analysis, but the effect of cultural history on the characters and on Lillian Hellman was examined as well. It was discovered that Lillian Hellman had infused the characters with many aspects her own personality. In the case of Regina and Lavinia, Hellman also used the characterizations to sort out her mixed feelings toward her parents.

The Ballad of Sam Bass is an original. play based on the life of Sam Bass the outlaw. Cowboys camped on the Chisholm trail are entertained by a stranger who sings a song about Sam Bass. Bass was a good-hearted individual who was seduced by his vices, drinking and gambling, and fell into the life of an outlaw. He was successful in eluding the law until he was betrayed by one of his own men, Jim Murphy. In the course of his song, the stranger reveals himself to be Frank Jackson, the only surviving member of Bass's gang. Jackson had talked Bass out of killing Murphy when Bass became suspicious. Creating the song serves as a catharsis for Jackson's guilt.

Raven's Song is an original musical dramatizing the conflict between paganism and Christianity. The play revolves around a woman who has become disillusioned by her people and her gods. The only gods she has ever known were blood-thirsty, appeased only by the blood and entrails of human sacrifice. Therefore, Raven resists all religion. Through providential circumstances, she is married into a Christian family and is overwhelmed by their love, and the kindness of their God. In search for truth, Raven begins to question her disbelief. All men search for truth in their own way, and all, at one time, will question the existence and nature of God. The play does not presume to answer these questions, but allows each participant to decide for himself, as Raven must decide for herself.

The purpose of this play is to dramatize the fable of a city mouse and her cousin in the country, and the differences in their lifestyles. Through visits to each other's respective homes, the mice discover that there is more to life than what their own environment has to offer.

The Sisterhood of Dark Sanctuary is an original play about two sisters who are struggling to find their own identities away from their mother. The sisters have developed a functioning relationship wherein they alternate between the dominant partner and the passive partner, often assuming the roles of a mother and a child. This relationship has become so secure and stable for the sisters that they cannot develop healthy adult identities apart from each other.

The continued publication of articles concerning drama and theatre in scholarly periodicals has resulted in the "loss" of much research due to the lack of retrieval tools. This work is designed to partially fill this lack by cassifying the articles found in fourteen current periodicals using Trussler's taxonomy. This bibliography could also be updated on a regular basis. The issues that are presently not available through the North Texas State University Libraries could be ordered, classified and appended to this work. In short, this thesis is a start toward the opening of the source material held by the campus libraries. But it is only a start. There is still a treasure trove yet to be developed.

The purpose of this play is to dramatize the charismatic powers of an evangelist, Brother R.T. Bumpass, over his family and his followers. Faced with a challenge from his daughter, Martie, Brother Bumpass manages through a questionable miracle to prove to her that his way offers the only hope and salvation for her life.

This thesis records data on the development of The Park Boulevard Players, Plano, Texas, as an innovative school district theatre arts program. Data is organized to illustrate program growth based on educational and performance needs of involved students and community citizens. It proves that high school students are capable of producing summer entertainment worthy of community viewing. Being original in form and content, this thesis should serve as a resourceful guide for similar programs. The thesis contains five chapters arranged in chronological order. After Chapter I, Introduction, three chapters span three separate company seasons: June, 1978; June, 1979; June, 1981. The final chapter summarizes the program and presents evaluations and conclusions.

This thesis describes the directing of Joe Orton's What the Butler Saw for the 1976 North Texas State University Summer Repertory Theatre Company. Chapter I examines the problem of play choice and provides an analysis of the play selected. Chapter II describes the production situation at North Texas, the preparation of the playscript, the casting and staffing decisions, the technical direction, the rehearsal process, and the front of house activities. Chapter III is the production book itself, it includes the playscript, the blocking, and the light and sound cues. Chapter IV summarizes the project and offers recommendations as a guide to future graduate directors.

The problem with which this study is concerned is that of critically analyzing and producing the musical comedy The Apple Tree. The study attempts to adapt some of the major unifying elements of this production and, in addition, unite the show through the use of color. The study also attempts to update the production through an extension of symbolism based on the style of Peter Max; to produce a major musical comedy in a stylized and symbolic style, and to show how a stylized and symbolic method of production can be used to achieve simplicity and unity within the confines of a limited budget.

The purpose of this project was to create an original production scheme which will prove acceptable to the American audience. The production of Don Pasquale adhered to the following guidelines: (1) the production was adapted in terms of the American audience for which it was being performed, it was sung in English and all allusions to the opera's European origin were either omitted or altered to conform to the American stylization, (2) the adaptation of the opera centered around an American historical perspective, a point in American history with which the audience could nostalgically identify.

This thesis is an evaluation of the acting career of Tallulah Bankhead with some analysis of the roles she played.

Even before he became a playwright, Maxwell Anderson developed a belief in the right of the individual to determine his own fate, and a hatred for anything that hampered that right. He never faltered in that belief. Thus, most of his plays have themes concerned with the evils of the abuse of governmental power and the social injustice that is the result of such abuse. It is the purpose of this thesis to study those beliefs as they were developed throughout severl preceding plays and as they were finally expressed in both Anderson's musicals, Knickerbocker Holiday (1938) and Lost in the Stars (1949).

The purpose of this study is to determine (1) what training is recommended for high school teachers of drama, (2) what training the high school teachers of drama actually have, (3) what job situation is recommended for the high school teacher of drama, and (4) what job situation the high school teachers of drama in the State of Texas actually have. This study should determine if there is a significant relationship between what a high school drama teacher should be and what the high school drama teachers of Texas actually are.

It is the purpose of this paper to make a general study of David Belasco's use of naturalism in the American theatre. More specifically, it is to determine Belasco's methods of achieving naturalism in his stage settings and lighting. From the study of his techniques and methods, and effort is made to establish his contributions to the naturalistic movement.

It is the purpose of this thesis to show that Max Reinhardt made a definite contribution to the theatre through ensemble acting.

This paper will point out the reasons for the great popular success of Katharine Cornell as an actress. This paper will examine the background of Miss Cornell to determine the influences that helped shape her career, and the theatre training that brought her to her first Broadway "hit." Special attention will be given to Miss Cornell's philosophy of acting as she expressed it in her autobiography and in interviews. Further, this paper will take each role played by Miss Cornell during her career and through the reviews of the dramatic critics determine the artistic merit of each role. Finally, the roles selected to be of artistic merit will again be subjected to the reviews of the drama critics to determine whether or not Miss Cornell achieved artistic excellence in her portrayal of them.

The purpose of this thesis is to design the sets and costumes for William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night or What You Will adapting to the sixteenth century Italian commedia dell' arte style.

This thesis explains the concept and history of "new stagecraft" and investigates certain presentational plays of Eugene O'Neill, including those which are expressionistic and those which are a combination of expressionism, symbolism, and naturalism. In particular, the investigation will be so arranged as to view the technical problems which result from the suggestions O'Neill makes in his plays.

This thesis presents the results of a study of printed material concerning the use of a foreign language-English dialect for the stage, gathering its information from printed sources, old and new, that are available to help the director of a dialect play.