MFA Thesis/Creative Project Requirements and Due Dates
Preparatory Work
Due: June 1
This section requires you to file all of the appropriate paperwork for your thesis by June 1. These
forms include: Thesis Proposal Form, Committee Formulation Form and the Individual Study
Form (required for registration).
Thesis Introduction, and Chapters One, Two, and Three
Due: the first official day of rehearsal for your assigned role
Introduction
The Introduction will present the “problem.” In this instance, the problem is the thesis role in
which you have been cast. You should articulate what you believe the specific challenges of the
role to be (your thesis statement), and your plans and strategies for overcoming the
aforementioned challenges the role presents.
Chapter 1: Historical Research
In this chapter you 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 you to examine
the historical, aesthetic, and biographical contexts which inform the play. It is imperative you
carefully focus your research and writing on those topics most applicable to the performing of
your role. While you will conduct preliminary research into multiple areas, only the most
relevant portions will be included in the written thesis. Initial topics may include, but are not
limited to:
1. Historical overview of the play or role. This may include tracing the historical profile of
the play, examining published reviews on noteworthy productions and/or renderings of
your assigned role. Commentary should focus on key points or insights your research
has uncovered and how you plan to utilize this information in your process.
2. Research on the genre of the play. Commentary speaking to genre should focus on
how it will impact upon your process and the playing of your role. Any lengthy
explication on genre in general should be avoided.
3. 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 your
specific process. What did these interviews teach you about performing the role?
4. Scholarly analysis and critical commentary. Essays and critical commentary on the play
as literature, and theatrical realizations of it, can be very useful in preparing to
undertake a role. Be sure any commentary you include has direct relevance to your
specific production. You should make clear how this commentary/interpretation has led
to your specific interpretation of the role.
5. Viewings of media presentations or adaptations. This type of research can be a double
edged sword. It can introduce you to a variety of interpretations of the play and your
role. It can also apply subtle influences that can subconsciously steer your 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 you don’t want
to go with a role. Written summaries of productions are to be avoided. Speak
specifically as to how your observations have influenced your approach to the role.
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 the actual performing of the role. This research should be framed in the context of
what the actor believes to be relevant to their individual development of the role.
The page limit for Chapter 1 is 10-12 double-spaced pages.
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:
1) Playwright’s controlling idea/counter idea (Story, Ch. 6, 114-128)
2) Concise summary of the play’s structural progression
 Exposition (Story, Ch. 15)
 Inciting incident (Story, Ch. 8)
 Progressive complications (Story, Ch. 9)
 Significant crisis moments (Story, Ch. 13)
 Climax (Story, Ch. 13)
 Subsequent falling action and/or resolution (Story, Ch. 13)
3) 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 double-spaced pages.
Chapter 3: 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:
1) Character background. Develop a full biography and back-story for your character.
2) Scene score. You should score your 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 your character appears, you must break the text into relevant beats and
determine the literal action, essential action (objective) and “as if.” Additionally, you
must determine possible tactics for achieving each beat’s objective as well as potential
obstacles that might prohibit the objective.
3) Vocal and physical challenges. Assess what you perceive to be 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 you
intend to employ to address each challenge.
4) 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 your character 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:
 How do the words the character uses reveal character? (e.g., abstract/concrete;
formal/informal; jargon/slang?)
 How do sentence length, type and rhythm reveal character?
 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?
 Are rhetorical devices used? (e.g., antithesis, parenthesis, onomatopoeia,
alliteration, metaphor; consult the Barton and Van Tassel texts from THE 740 Acting
Shakespeare).
After you complete the full character analysis above you should include only the following
points in your written thesis:
1) Edited character biography and back-story. Suggested length is 2 pages.
2) Spine phrase for your character (super objective). Suggested length is less than 1 page.
3) Six sample beats. From your full scene score, you should choose six representative
beats to include in the thesis. You will track the progression of your objective work for
these six beats throughout your journal. As such, it is recommended you 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 you’ve specified the “bookends” of the beat,
you will include all facets of the analysis: literal action, essential action (objective), “as
if”, a minimum of 3 hypothetical tactics (actions), likely obstacles, and list any Key
Facts or Key Phrases inclusive to that beat. From that list you will select a minimum of
one Key Fact and one Key Phrase and document free associative writing for each. If
the length of said free associative exploration is relatively brief (a paragraph or two)
you may include it within your analysis of that beat in Chapter 3. If it is of some length
(a page or longer) you may drop it into an appendix set aside for such writing and
direct the reader to its location. Suggested length is approximately 3 pages.
4) Summary of the vocal and physical challenges. From your assessment of the vocal and
physical challenges of the role you should include a summary of the major
considerations including your proposed plan to address them. Suggested length is 2
pages.
5) Examples of additional forms of character analysis. After you have considered a range
of supplemental forms of character analysis (Hagen, Meisner, System of Fours, language
analysis, etc.), choose three to five (3-5) of the most relevant to be included in the
thesis. You should state the technique principle, your expectation for its usefulness and
how you will apply it. For example, if you are playing the role of Kate in Dancing at
Lughnasa, and you intend to use a specific Hagen exercise, you might offer the
following:
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 twominute 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 you are examining the functionality of language, and you have been cast as Rosalind in
As You Like It, you might describe your examination 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.
You should include a total of 3-5 examples similar to the ones stated above. (You will
also need to reflect back on these and their ultimate relevance to your work in the
journal.) Suggested length is 2 pages.
The page limit for Chapter 3 is 10-12 double-spaced pages.
Chapter Four: Journal
Due: one week after the final performance of the assigned role
For this chapter you should 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 your personal reflections and all private
preparations you have done to further enhance and develop the performance of your role. The
journal should track your work from the first rehearsal through the final performance.
In addition to the documentation of rehearsal activities, discoveries and challenges, you might
also consider the following questions:
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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?
How well have you implemented your vocal and physical regimens? What alterations
have you made to better suit the vocal and physical demands of the role?
How relevant has your character biography proven?
In the journal you must also reflect on the outcomes and relevance of the supplemental forms
of character analysis you included in chapter 3. Have you employed other forms of character
preparation work you didn’t originally anticipate? If so, reflect on these as well.
Additionally, the journal is the appropriate section of your thesis to discuss how the director’s
concept and rehearsal notes have necessitated adjustments to your preparation and
performance. As you 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 your
creative process.
Finally, your journal must track the evolution of the six representative beats you included in
chapter 3. You should consider how rehearsals have impacted these six beats (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 six beats occurs, you should document the change in your journal. The final
edited journal should clearly represent how these six beats evolved over the course of the
rehearsal process. You should also address how effectively you played them 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 your work evolved
from the first rehearsal through the final performance.
The page limit for Chapter 4 is 10-15 single-spaced pages.
Chapter Five: Conclusion
Due: four weeks after the final performance of the assigned role
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
actor and artist.
2) Specific challenges and/or breakthroughs you experienced in terms of preparation and
the portrayal of your character.
3) Personal reaction to published and non-published criticism of your work.
4) Advice to other actors who might one day perform the same role. (What would you
encourage them to repeat, avoid, or change based on your experiences?)
5) Adjustments you would consider should you play the role again.
Be sure you address the challenges you articulated in your Introduction. Finally, you may wish
to address how the journey impacted upon you as an actor of faith.
The page limit for Chapter 5 is 3-5 double-spaced pages (not including the Appendix).
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.
Appendix
The following items are to 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 costumes and personal props used in performance including copies
of costume renderings and make-up plots (if available and/or applicable).
3) Appendix C - copy of the production Playbill and sample promotional materials (flyers,
advertising mailers, newspapers ads, etc.).
4) Appendix D-examples of Meisner-related free associative writing, such as: Key Facts and
Phrases, fantasy work for emotional preparation, and Side (analogous) Story as
appropriate. Be sure to inform your university approved reader that such writing, by
definition, is free of capitalization and punctuation.
5) 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 your chair and included in the final publication.
The page limit for Chapter 5 is 3-5 double-spaced pages (not including the Appendix).
Important Final Note: failure to meet the deadlines stipulated above, as well as any additional
deadlines articulated by your thesis chairperson, will result in a 5 point penalty for each week
that portion of the document remains late. If multiple portions of the document are late,
there will be a penalty assessed for each portion that is late. Failure to complete the
submission process of the written document with 80 points or more may result in a grade of
No-Pass. HIT YOUR DEADLINES!
Revised 3-13-13 mhk; 4-12-13 smh