The definitive book of instruction for the processes and procedures governing the publication of the written thesis portion of the MA Thesis/Creative Project for Theatre
Early in the semester BEFORE you complete your thesis, you should contact your advisor to discuss whether you’re planning on applying for a PhD program after you receive your MA. If so, we advise that you do a research-based thesis in order to utilize it as an artifact when applying for PhD programs. If not, then you will (like the majority of our students) have a research component in your thesis, but your thesis will most probably be tied to a creative project (e.g., directing a play, designing a set, dramaturg for a production, et al.) If you plan on a creative project/thesis, then you need to email the chair of the
Theatre Department to request a committee to be assigned prior to the proposal deadline (see deadlines below). Your email should include a brief summary of your thesis plans (not a complete proposal), and your advisor should be cc’d in this correspondence. Once a chair and committee member are assigned, you’ll quickly move forward with your proposal in order to meet the deadline.

The MA Thesis/Creative Project for Theatre will be divided into four (4) sections. Please note that the sections may change for special types of creative projects (e.g., playwriting). These sections are:
Section I: Proposal
Section II: Preparation (e.g., Research)
Section III: Process (e.g., Rehearsal/Performance)
Section IV: Product (Conclusion)
This section should contain the following:
1. Formal Request of Option
Students may formally request the option of fulfilling the creative project portion of their thesis no later than one month before their final semester of study. It is recommended that students submit their proposal during the first month of their second-to-last semester. It is permissible for the student to execute the creative project off-campus with some other producing organization other than Regent University. In such a case, the student is responsible for any expenses involved in recording the performance, assembling artifacts, arranging qualified peers to review the work and/or getting their committee members to view a performance.
2. Introductory Statements
This portion of the document should include information such as the title of the production, artistic function the student will serve, the inclusive performance dates if applicable as well as the location of the performances, the name of the producing organization, the name of the director, and a proposed table of contents detailing major parts, sections and/or chapters of the thesis document. This proposal is to be submitted no later than one month prior to the student’s final semester.
Space is provided at the bottom of the proposal form for the chair and the other committee members to sign off on (and date) acceptance of the proposal.
The MA Thesis Proposal Form may be found on the “Student Forms” page linked to the
Department of Theatre Arts home page.
3.
Committee Member Designation
MA Thesis Committees will consist of three (3) members (research based thesis for those heading toward PhD programs), two (2) members for portfolio/creative projects (the majority of MA student thesis work). The student will be afforded the opportunity to have input into the selection of their committee chair and members via a written email request to the chair
(cc the advisor), but the student is not guaranteed their first choice. The student’s input will be taken into consideration but, ultimately, the department will assign committee members in accordance with balancing workload considerations with expertise. Non-departmental committee members (Regent University and non-Regent University faculty) must be

approved by both the Head of the MA Theatre Program and the Department of Theatre Arts
Chair. Committee members from departments other than the Regent University Department of Theatre Arts should be sought only if a specific area of expertise is required for the committee to properly function. Once the student has acquired a committee the department’s
Administrative Assistant will fill out the MA Thesis/Creative Project Committee
Formulation Form, acquire each member’s signature, make a copy for the student, and place the original in the student’s department file.
4. Formal Acceptance
Once the student’s committee has examined the thesis proposal and approved it, the student should make a copy of the signed proposal for his/her personal files and submit the original to the department’s Administrative Assistant to be filed in the student’s department file. It is strongly recommended that the student review a number of previously published theses
(available in the Regent University Library) so as to examine a range of tables of contents.
These examples should serve to inform the student as he or she considers how best to structure the thesis proposal.
5.
Registration
The following steps must be met before registration can take place:

The student has a duly formulated MA Thesis committee;

All committee members have signed the student’s MFA “ Formulation of Committee ” form;

The student has a copy of the aforementioned form for their personal files and the original has been placed in the student’s departmental file;
 The student has filled out the “
Thesis Proposal
” form and submitted it to the chair of his or her MA Thesis committee (Deadlines may be found in the appendix.);

When the committee chair and student have arrived at a consensus as to the scope of the document, the proposal will then be disseminated to the other committee members for commentary, requested adjustments, and final approval;

Once the committee has unanimously approved the proposal, all members of the committee must sign the Thesis Proposal form ;

The student is responsible for making a copy for their records and submitting the signed original to the department’s Administrative Assistant to be filed in the student’s departmental file.

Once all of the above has occurred, the student must submit an Individual Study Form to the Theatre Administrative Assistant properly completed and signed by the student’s
MA Thesis Committee chair. This form clears the department’s Administrative Assistant to register the student for THE 599 Thesis/Creative Project (3 crs.) in the student’s final semester, and the student is free to begin writing their thesis. Depending upon the individual needs, the student may register for THE 599 in the fall, spring or summer semester. If the student is not able to complete their Oral Defense by deadlines set by the department, the student will receive an IP as a grade for THE 599. This grade will remain in effect until the student completes the Oral Defense process during the following semester. In such instances, receiving an IP does NOT impact negatively on the student’s GPA.

6.
Off Campus Proposals: Many distance MA students will request performing an artistic function in a production off campus (e.g. an educational theatre project, a community theatre project or some other professional opportunity) in partial fulfillment of the thesis requirement. This option is available no sooner than the semester before the student’s final semester of study. This option requires the student to submit the following information to the student’s MA Thesis Committee chair in the form of a formal written request:

A brief history of the theatre and description of the producing organization.

Written justification establishing that the project will demonstrate a good understanding of research methods and the ability to apply those methods to a theatre related project.

The student will provide a contact in the proposed organization to serve as an official sponsoring agent prepared to write an evaluation of the student’s process and product.

If the project is produced at some distance, the student is obligated to assume the financial burden of creating a videotape and/or getting their committee members to the production including (but not limited to) travel, per diem, housing, and tickets. If contractual obligations do not allow the creative work to be taped, artifacts such as published reviews or peer reviews must be included.
This section should contain the following:
1.
An “Introduction.” The Introduction will present the “problem.”
In this instance, the problem is the artistic role you will serve in relation to a theatre project. The student should clearly articulate the perceived specific challenges of the assigned artistic role (the thesis statement), and articulate plans and strategies for overcoming the various obstacles the artistic role presents.
2. Chapter 1: Historical Research
In this chapter the student should present historical research relevant to the creative process.
This will be slightly different for every actor. The purpose of this chapter is to encourage examination of the historical, aesthetic, and biographical contexts which inform the play. It is imperative the student carefully focus any research and writing on those topics most applicable to the performing of the role. While preliminary research will undoubtedly dip into multiple areas, only the most relevant portions will be included in the written thesis .
Initial topics may include, but are not limited to:

Historical overview of the play or project.
This may include tracing the historical profile of the play, examining published reviews on noteworthy productions and/or renderings of the assigned role. Commentary should focus on key points or insights the student’s

research has generated and how the student plans to utilize this information in your process.

Research on the genre of the play/project.
Commentary speaking to genre should focus on how it will impact upon the student’s process and the playing of the role. Any lengthy explication on genre in general should be avoided.

Interviews with artists whose work is related in some way to the project (i.e., writers, actors, designers, directors, etc.) Commentary should focus on relevance to the student’s specific process and how these interviews ultimately informed the student’s performance of the role.

Scholarly analysis and critical commentary.
Essays and critical commentary on the play as literature where applicable, and theatrical realizations of it, can be very useful in preparing to undertake a role or artistic function. Be sure any commentary included has direct relevance to the student’s specific task. The student should clearly articulate how this commentary/interpretation may inform their specific choices, they should journal about the effectiveness during the process and they should reflect on the relevance in their conclusion.

Viewings of media presentations or adaptations.
This type of research can be a double edged sword. Regarding performing a role, it can introduce the student to a variety of interpretations of the play and approaches to the role. It can also apply subtle influences that can subconsciously steer the student’s process in a direction that militates against an organic realization of the role. Tread carefully. That said, seeing another interpretation can be useful in determining where not to go when fulfilling your artistic function.
Written summaries of productions are to be avoided. The student should speak specifically to observations that influenced his or her approach to their function in the production.
It is neither necessary nor advised that the student write on all five (5) of the aforementioned points. Rather, it is strongly advised that the student consider limiting commentary from 3-4 of the most relevant areas above to their specific production, role, and process. Be selective. Speak to relevance.
Students should guard against “padding” their document with superfluous information tangential to their artistic function. This research should be framed in the context of what the student believes to be relevant to their artistic function.
The page limit for Chapter 1 is 10-12 pages.
3. Chapter 2: Textual Analysis
In this chapter you should examine the play from an objective perspective. This is not character analysis; this is an objective, textual analysis of the full play. Your analysis should address the following elements, and resources should be limited to the texts listed below:
 Playwright’s controlling idea/counter idea ( Story , Ch. 6, 114-128)
 Concise summary of the play’s structural progression
1.
Exposition ( Story , Ch. 15)
2.
Inciting incident (Story, Ch. 8)

3.
Progressive complications (Story, Ch. 9)
4.
Significant crisis moments (Story, Ch. 13)
5.
Climax (Story, Ch. 13)
6.
Subsequent falling action and/or resolution (Story, Ch. 13)

Concise statement on the spine phrase of each major character making note of the primary obstacles for that character ( Meisner Approach, Tackling the Text )
The page limit for Chapter 2 is 5-6 pages.
4. Chapter 3 - Analyze your task based upon your artistic function. Students should apply tools gained from their classes in conjunction with analysis required by their function.
The page limit for Chapter 3 is 10-12 pages.
Example:
4. Chapter 3 - Actors: Character Analysis
For this chapter it is expected that you will conduct a thorough character analysis of your role, drawing from relevant techniques covered throughout the MFA curriculum. While only portions of that work will be included in the written thesis, it is expected that you do all of the following:

Character background.
Develop a full biography and back-story for the character.

Scene score.
Score the entire role utilizing the approach taught in THE 728 Scene Study from
The Practical Handbook for the Actor . This means for every scene in which the character(s) appears, break the text into relevant beats and determine the literal action, essential action
(objective) and “as if.” Additionally, determine possible tactics for achieving each beat’s objective as well as potential obstacles that might prohibit the objective.

Vocal and physical challenges . The student should assess the most significant vocal and physical challenges of the role. Develop a specific, technique-driven plan drawing from the voice and movement curriculum of the MFA program to address these challenges (Lugering,
Laban, Linklater, etc.). Be specific in the regimen/methods employed to address each challenge.

Additional forms of character analysis. Consider other relevant forms of character analysis/preparation covered in the MFA curriculum that you anticipate will be useful in performing the role. Examples include: Hagen’s exercises, Meisner’s Key Facts and Phrases,
Benedetti’s System of Fours, etc. From
THE 713 Textual Analysis, you should also consider how the character(s) uses language and what this reveals about the character (consult
Analysis for Actors, Directors and Designers, Ch. 8). Language considerations are of particular importance in Shakespeare and other texts with heightened language. Questions to ask regarding the functionality of language include:
1.
How do the words the character uses reveal character? (e.g., abstract/concrete; formal/informal; jargon/slang?)
2.
How do sentence length, type and rhythm reveal character?
3.
Is the dialogue realistic, naturalistic, literary prose, blank verse, and/or rhymed verse and what does that reveal about the character or world of the play?
4.
Are rhetorical devices used? (e.g., antithesis, parenthesis, onomatopoeia, alliteration, metaphor; consult the Barton and Van Tassel texts from THE 740 Acting Shakespeare).

5. After completing the full character analysis above include only the following points in your written thesis:

Edited character biography and back-story . S uggested length is 2 pages.

Spine phrase for your character (super objective). S uggested length is less than 1 page.

Six sample beats . From the full scene score, select six (6) representative beats to include in the thesis. The student should track the progression of the objective work for these six beats throughout his or her journal. As such, it is recommended the student choose beats expected to present the more unique challenges of the role. Be sure to clarify where each beat begins and ends. (Ex. “My first sample beat begins on page 17 with Kate’s line “Well, that’s what I call a busy man.” and concludes on page 18 with Kate’s line “I wouldn’t miss that for all the world.” In Shakespeare you might use line notations such as “Act IV, Scene II, lines 397-
453.”). After the “bookends” of the beat have been specified, include all facets of the analysis: literal action, essential action (objective), “as if”, possible tactics and likely obstacles. S uggested length is approximately 3 pages.

Summary of the vocal and physical challenges. From the assessment of the vocal and physical challenges of the role, the student should include a summary of the major considerations including your proposed plan to address them. Suggested length is 2 pages.

Examples of additional forms of character analysis.
After considering a range of supplemental forms of character analysis (Hagen, Meisner, language analysis, etc.), choose three to five (3-5) of the most relevant to be included in the thesis. State the technique principle, your expectation for its usefulness and how it will be applied. For example, if playing the role of Kate in Dancing at Lughnasa, and the intention is to use a specific Hagen exercise, following might suffice:
As an actor I find Hagen’s “Basic Destination Exercise” to be one of the most useful exercises to assist me in preparing for entrances into scenes. As I consider Kate’s return home from the market at the top of Act Two, I intend to conduct a two-minute basic destination/object exercise where I return home to my apartment carrying groceries. Before I complete the exercise, I will answer all of the “six steps” questions found in A Challenge for the Actor on page 134.

If the functionality of language is being examined, and the student has been hypothetically cast as Rosalind in As You Like It, the student might examine the use of language as follows:
Rosalind speaks more than any other of Shakespeare’s heroines, and is equally facile using prose and blank verse. Since my thesis role is part of the Shakespearean canon, it is imperative that I find much of my character discovery through the actual use of the heightened language.
To this end, I will explore Wesley Van Tassel’s “Basic Skill Set for Working with Heightened
Language” - using the facets of scansion, phrasing, and caesura; looking for opportunities to support the thought through the verse line and sentence; letting the words be the expression of my thoughts – speaking when thinking; understanding the speech structure and rhythm, playing

the antithetical words, phrases and thoughts; searching for poetic devices – alliteration, assonance, metaphor, and onomatopoeia; using analysis to define all unfamiliar words and thought patterns; and embracing the imagery.

The student should include a total of 3-5 examples similar to the ones stated above. (The student should be sure to reflect back on these examples and speak to their ultimate relevance to the process in the student’s journal.) Suggested length is 2 pages.
This section should contain the following:
1.
Chapter 4: Journal
For this chapter include a detailed journal/diary addressing major work done at each stage of the rehearsal process. It is expected that this journal will document personal reflections regarding character development and artistic choices for each rehearsal. This should address activities performed within formal rehearsals as well as personal reflections and all private preparations undertaken to further enhance and develop the performance of the role. The journal should track this process from the first rehearsal through the final performance.
In addition to the documentation of rehearsal activities, discoveries and challenges, consider the following questions:

How relevant has the historical research from chapter 1 proven in the practical development of your character?

What new insights have emerged in the rehearsal process that have altered or affirmed your textual analysis?

Are vocal and physical regimens involved? What alterations have you made to better suit the vocal and physical demands of your function?

How relevant has your analysis proven?
Additionally, the journal is the appropriate section of the thesis to discuss how the director’s concept (where applicable) and rehearsal notes have necessitated adjustments to preparation and performance. As the student may not have known much about the director’s concept prior to the first rehearsal, addressing this in the journal is imperative to painting an overarching picture of the creative process.
The journal should also address specific vocal and physical work (where applicable) as it evolves during the process. This could include an explanation of the character’s vocal and physical presence and how these are modified or altered at different points throughout the play. Unique or special vocal or physical requirements such as dialects, playing a musical instrument, choreographed sequences (fights, dancing, precisely timed blocking, etc.), working with particular props or costume pieces, or any other type of differentiated performance task should each be addressed separately and with detailed explanations of the processes involved.

Although the student should write after each rehearsal, it is expected the student’s entries will ultimately be edited so as to reflect the most pertinent information relevant to production before submitting this chapter to committee for approval.
Finally, the student’s journal must track the evolution of their analysis in chapter three. This should be limited to six items (e.g., six acting beats). Consider how rehearsals impacted upon these items (i.e. Did you decide the objective for a given beat needed to change? What tactics have proven the most effective? What new obstacles have emerged?) Each time a new discovery or alteration to the analysis of these items occurs, any adjustments should be documented in the journal. The final edited journal should clearly represent how these six items evolved over the course of the rehearsal process. Be sure to address how effectively these items were executed in performance.
It is expected that students will write freely in the journal. However, only the most salient points from the most relevant entries should be included in the final thesis document.
The goal is to edit the journal to provide a concise yet comprehensive view of how the student’s work evolved from the first rehearsal through the final performance. General observations (e.g., “I felt good today.”) are irrelevant if they do not offer a specific example of progress or artistic blockage.
The page limit for Chapter 4 is 15-20 pages (single or double-spaced).
Chapter 5: Conclusion
This chapter is a personal “critique” of your performance work. Here you should reflect upon the major facets of your performance journey. Considerations may include:
1) Insights or discoveries you made during this process relevant to your development as an artist.
2) Specific challenges and/or breakthroughs you experienced in terms of preparation and the execution of your task.
3) Personal reaction to published and non-published criticism of your work.
4) Advice to other artists who might one day perform the same artistic function. (What might be encouraged to repeat, avoid, or change based on the student’s experiences?)
5) Adjustments the student would consider should the artistic function be undertaken in the future.
Appendix
The following items should be included in the Appendix and listed alphabetically (e.g. Appendix
A, Appendix B, Appendix C, etc.).
1) Appendix A - detailed schedule of all rehearsals and performances.
2) Appendix B - list of clothing/equipment required to serve your artistic function.
3) Appendix C - copy of the production Playbill and sample promotional materials (flyers, advertising mailers, newspapers ads, etc.).

4) Appendix D - copies of any published reviews and/or critiques including local newspaper reviews and responses from outside theatre organizations such as KCACTF, etc.
Appendix documents should be reviewed by the committee chair and included in the final publication.
The page limit for Chapter 5 is 3-5 pages (not including the Appendix).
1. The student should submit the completed thesis electronically to his/her Thesis Committee Chair.
The document should include a formal title page, an abstract of 150 words or less, dedication, acknowledgments, table of contents, any appendices or lists of any tables or figures, followed by a complete reference section or bibliography, using style approved by the MLA manual.
2. The student and his/her Committee Chair will then engage, as required, in making adjustments to the document in preparation for disseminating it to the remainder of the student’s Thesis Committee.
Once the Chair believes the document ready for committee input, the thesis will be disseminated to the remainder of the committee for additional feedback.
3. Upon submission of the document to the student’s thesis committee, the student should request a time and date be set for the Oral Defense of their Thesis and Creative Project. The date set for the student’s Oral Defense should be sometime after the student’s committee has had ample opportunity to offer feedback yet prior to the School’s published deadline. This date should be determined by the Committee Chair in consultation with the student’s Thesis Committee.
4. The student is responsible for supplying each member of his/her Committee with an electronic copy of a final draft of the thesis for Committee approval, minus appendices, no later than 5 working
days prior to the date of the student’s scheduled Oral Defense. These electronic copies are intended to serve as drafts for the student’s committee to comment on, edit and reference at the
Oral Defense if deemed necessary. Note: the Committee may ask the student to make additional
adjustments to the document based upon the Oral Defense.
5. Upon successfully passing the Oral Defense of his/her Thesis, the student should request his/her
Committee Chair submit the signed Thesis/Portfolio Final Defense Form to the Dean’s Office.
Traditionally, the administrative assistant for the Theatre Department guides students through the remainder of this process.
6. The student is then responsible for submitting his/her completed Thesis (with any final adjustments required by his/her committee) to a University approved proofreader.
7. Obtain the names of University approved proofreaders from the Theatre Administrative
Assistant.

Follow link below for instructions regarding the submission of your thesis to the Regent
University Library. If you have additional questions, please contact Stephanie Cartwright stepcar@regent.edu
(757) 352-4020 http://libguides.regent.edu/submitting