ORCID

5504950

Keywords

Acting, Internet, Brain, Smartphone, Hagen

Abstract

This thesis examines the potential link between an actor’s cell phone use and their work in the rehearsal process. Using Paula Thomson and S. Victoria Jaque’s Creativity and the Performing Artist and Nichola Carr’s The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing To Our Brains, I analyze the neural networks of the brain that are engaged in acting and their functions to develop a greater understanding of their association to behaviors and emotional responses that may impact the actor in the rehearsal/performance space. Furthermore, I investigate the emergence of smartphone use within the cultural zeitgeist and its effect on the actor’s behaviors to postulate how this technology may influence the actor at work. In order to examine smartphone use as it relates to my own experience, I keep a journal over the course of a three-week period during Pegasus Playlab and a six-week rehearsal/performance period of Macbeth at Orlando Shakes. I document moments of impact, my ability to connect with actors on stage, my ability to focus, and my overall mood throughout the day. During my time with Playlab, I turn off my phone during the beginning of the rehearsal period and don’t turn it back on until the day’s responsibilities are over. I will run the same experiment during my time at Orlando Shakes with Macbeth, this time running a bi-weekly schedule of “Phone on/Phone off” work periods. At the end of six weeks, I will reflect on what differences were present (if any) between weeks with and without a smartphone in the room, how they were similar or different to my previous experience at Playlab, and whether a change in smartphone behavior is worth incorporating into my process.

Completion Date

2025

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Niess, Christopher

Degree

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

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Theatre

Identifier

DP0029363

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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