This action research project was developed in order to increase student literacy, particularly in the area of reading, for students who were considered at-risk. The targeted student population was 2nd grade students who were served within a primary cross-categorical special education program. The classroom was housed in an elementary (K-2) school,…

In an effort to help directors and actors select and describe effective stage movement, this study developed an approach to human movement, based on selected facts and principles from several related disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, and mechanical physics. The theories of expressive movement discussed and the method recommended for the…

Primary sources, such as public documents and personal statements, as well as periodical accounts and books, form the basis for this historical and analytical study of the National Endowment for the Arts Theatre Program. In the first chapter, the condition of professional theatre during the mid-1960s is discussed. The organization and structure of…

The first three chapters of this study on stage movement trace the emerging influence upon men of the theatre of "commedia," the Orient, and various psychologically-based therapies. The focus then shifts to what is currently being employed to train actors in this country. Using primary sources, eight schools (the Julliard School, the…

This report describes a program for enhancing critical thinking skills within the high school English and theatre classrooms. The targeted population consists of high school students in two multicultural middle-class suburbs of Chicago. The lack of critical thinking in the classroom was documented through data garnered from teacher observations,…

Developed to shed light on theater librarianship in Great Britain, this study defines theater libraries, illustrates the kind of work carried out in theater libraries and collections, reviews functional problem areas, and advocates better organization, financing, and staffing for these unique institutions. The study covers public, academic,…

This study examines educational theatre as a program and the implications that the program has on the accompanying facility. The study used the Delphi technique to arrive at physical standards indicated by the program definition, which was used in the consideration of the physical requisites for each of three staging types--proscenium, thrust, and…

This study examines T.S. Eliot's intentions for the staging of his plays, as revealed in the texts themselves and in related documents. His plays reflect his basically naturalistic conception of the stage environment and the acting; two of the plays, "Sweeney Agonistes," which was unfinished, and "The Family Reunion," demonstrate his inability to…

This paper sets forth step-by-step procedures which novice sign-language theatre directors can use as a guide for their first sign-language theatre experiences. Since the procedures were developed during the production of a play for a mixed adult and child audience, it is assumed that the general guidelines set forth are applicable to a production…

This study is the last in a series of explorations, conducted during the period from 1969 through 1972, into the applicability of group training to theatre at the University of Utah. The experimental group, which consisted of the 1971 and 1972 University of Utah Shakespeare Players, were compared to two control groups. Two personality measures…

Improvisation, or creative dramatics, has come to be regarded as a learning tool in English instruction. This study provides a comparative history of informal drama as it developed in England and the United States from 1910 to 1975. Pivotal writers on improvisation were identified, compared, and contrasted, analyzing their goals and practices.…

This study is a quantitative descriptive survey of the character and scope of Maine high school curricular and cocurricular theatre education. A two-part questionnaire was mailed to the principal and the teacher most directly concerned with programs in theatre of all Maine public and private high schools in the fall of 1972. Sixty-one percent of…

Five actors were videotaped and audiotaped during 12 performances, in order to identify variables and to observe actors' behaviors and attitudes in positive, negative, and "unclaqued" audience response conditions. Audience response was effected by actors trained in nonverbal cues and placed in the audience as "claquers," to…

This dissertation examines the American Negro Theatre (ANT) which for nine years (1940-49) provided a cultural experience for Harlem. The ANT, founded by Abram Hill and Frederick O'Neal, sought to provide a place for black theatricians to perfect their craft, a place to train aspiring artists, and a place to entertain the Harlem residents. The ANT…

This investigation examines the historical influences on the New Theatre in terms of a figural tradition and suggests that the New English may also be analyzed in terms of a figural tradition. In part 1, a new theory of the "historical figura" is proposed. The first chapter describes the origins of the "human figura" in…