Abstract

Actors often use their life experiences to evoke emotions and give a compelling performance. Connecting with personal experiences for a role, however, can manifest traumatic experiences. Trauma in the acting process can trigger difficult memories and emotions, which affects the actor's well-being. In graduate school, I discovered that trauma was a detriment to my artistic freedom in the acting process. Without the appropriate tools to address trauma, it affected my well-being and caused me to burnout. Furthermore, trauma was ignored by those involved in the creative process and there was an expectation to mask emotions for the sake of the process. In this thesis, I will examine my acting process for The Mountaintop and the practical techniques that I used for the role of Camae. This thesis will share my story, define trauma (from a character, personal, and familial perspective), examine how the implementation of practical techniques empowered me in the acting process, and envision my post graduate endeavors as an artist. I argue that acting and voice techniques can play an important role in addressing trauma and empower an actor in their creative process.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2023

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Edmonson, Chloe

Degree

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

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

School of Performing Arts

Degree Program

Theatre; Acting Track

Identifier

CFE0009696; DP0027803

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0027803

Language

English

Release Date

August 2023

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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