Keywords

Acting A Christmas Carol The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge Mark Brown Orlando Shakespeare Theater

Abstract

The focus of this thesis is my performance in the play The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge by Mark Brown. I will research and perform the role of The Ghost of Christmas Past, a role which also plays the parts of Fan and Belle from Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. I shall perform in The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge at the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, in Partnership with UCF in December 2008 as a part of their 2008-2009 Signature Series season. The main focus of this thesis is the exploration of how to create a performance of a classical character for a modern audience. I hope to maintain the integrity of Dickens's characters written in 1843, while performing in a contemporary script written by Mark Brown in 2004. My performance and research question is how to successfully communicate Brown's version of the story and still keep the spirit of the Dickensian characters as they were first written. I aim to discover and address the problems that may arise in combining the two versions of the characters. I will begin with my belief that contemporary humor and storytelling balanced with the essence of the classic characters that audiences may remember from the novel or other versions of this story will give the most effective, rich performance. Playwright Mark Brown strives for this balance in his script and my research for the role will focus on finding elements in my performance that satisfy both elements. My research will include deep examination of Fan, Belle, and the Ghost of Christmas Past, as they appear in both Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol and in The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge. I will look at different interpretations of the characters in the many stage and film versions of this story that have been created since the original to investigate how others have attempted to update or recreate the roles for their audiences. My research will also include an interview with the playwright for insight about his process of integrating old with new. My written thesis will include the findings of my research and preparation, a detailed rehearsal and performance journal, and extensive analysis of my discoveries, all of which will hopefully lead to a conclusive and useful approach for portraying contemporary characters derived from classical literature.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2009

Advisor

Boyd, Belinda

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Theatre

Degree Program

Theatre

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0002638

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002638

Language

English

Release Date

April 2014

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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