Publication Date

4-29-2018

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Romriell, Matthew

Degree Name

B.A. (Bachelor of Arts)

Legacy Department

School of Theatre and Dance

Abstract

Double Duty: An Improv Experience was an ISPAR Grant supported project that aimed to create a new performance medium in which improve jazz musicians and improv actors collaborate in one cohesive form. The rehearsals began for this project in August, and the company meets once a week for a two-hour rehearsal. The director and faculty advisor also meet once a week for a check-in, as well as a progress report twice a semester with the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing arts. This project was born out of the need for collaboration between the schools of the CVPA, as well as out of the need for a class that provides experience in improv comedy acting. Currently, there aren’t any classes offered in the School of Theatre and Dance for this specific art form, which is one of the most popular and lucrative ways for actors to make a living. This Capstone project helped me to create an actual improve class in which students were able to get necessary training in an area that was previously unavailable. By collaborating with the jazz musicians, we opened new channels for networking and also skill building. The communication and teamwork skills that both the actors and the musicians have to utilize are vital to the success of a scene or skit. It has been truly remarkable to see this group of artists working together to create such fun and exciting performances. The culmination of this project will be three performances in December. Currently, there is advertisement going out across campus as well as in local new sources. These performances will be the ultimate trial of our efforts to see if we were successful in the creation of this art form. After the performances in December, we are also hoping to apply to the Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day and perform/present our efforts there. In addition to this, I will be completing an academic paper that outlines all of the rehearsal process, as well as what it was like to be a director and producer for the first time, which will be submitted to the Honors Program for evaluation of my Capstone, as well as to the Dean of CVPA for evaluation of the ISPAR Grant.

Extent

55 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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