https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/62721 Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:26:21 GMT 2026-06-19T00:26:21Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/64457 Title: Dramaturgy between science and politics : development in Western Europe from Brecht to the present day Abstract: This dissertation focuses on the relationship between scientific ideas and politics in certain examples of twentieth-century Western European theatre. The twentieth century was a period of important changes in the arts, touching multiple disciplines such as: architecture, music, painting, and including theatre. The changes that occurred during the century, are to be explained due to a radical change in the conception of the arts thanks to Modernism. science and its ideas have acquired greater importance within the theatrical sphere, allowing theatre to establish new ties with them while strengthening the old ones within the political dimension, which has always been an object of investigation in theatre. Through the plays of playwrights such as Jean Paul Sartre, Alfonso Sastre, José Saramago, and Michael Frayn, this dissertation tries to demonstrate how the relationship between scientific ideas and politics contributed to understand the condition of twentieth-century man, including his role and responsibilities towards society. Description: M.A.THEATRE STUD. Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/64457 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/64455 Title: Building bodies for performance : investigating training processes in theatre and bodybuilding Abstract: This dissertation surveys the relationship between theatre performance and bodybuilding through an examination of the similarities and differences in their training approaches. The subject of this study addresses training experiences leading to stage performance where the concept of mind and body features throughout the discussion. The research starts with a close examination of psychophysicality and priming as important features in both actor and bodybuilding training. By doing so, the discussion sets the course for an analysis of the liminal areas between a discipline belonging to the performing arts and another pertaining to sports. The aim of the study is to interrogate overlaps and contrasts between the two disciplines. Accordingly, this study investigates the psychophysical qualities present in Konstantin Stanislavsky’s training approach known as the ‘system’ in comparison with the more or less similar experiences undergone by bodybuilding athletes. For the latter, this study presents Arnold Schwarzenegger as Stanislavsky’s counterpart in the investigation for the importance of mind–body unison within a performative context. In this view, by bringing closer Stanislavsky and Schwarzenegger via their respective methods of training, the dissertation seeks to create a link between the two thus underlining the importance of having art and sport informing each other in both theoretical and practical contexts. This hypothesis is supported by references to various instances in actor and bodybuilding training. Description: M.A.THEATRE&PERFORMANCE Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/64455 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/64454 Title: Twenty-first-century actor training : personal development within industrial and digital landscapes Abstract: This dissertation rethinks the phenomenon of actor training from a twenty-first-century perspective. It investigates three critical strands of contemporary actor training, mainly ‘personal development’, ‘industry-relevance’, and ‘digital pedagogies’. The Introduction sets the scene through a brief exposition of twentieth-century actor training and the conservatoire model, which is the primary training model discussed in this dissertation. The first three chapters contextualise and problematise the three stands respectively (typically in the first two sections of each chapter) and each chapter will refer to a case study or case studies (in the last section) in order to shed light on the matters at hand from a practical point of view. To gain relevance, this dissertation interweaves the impact of COVID-19 in its discussion while also recognising the socioeconomic and poltical nature of contemporary actor training. In the light of increasing mental health awareness, the Conclusion then brings these three strands in dialogue together to suggest that personal development is detectable in industrial and digital actor training landscapes although it is more of a secondary effect. Description: M.A.THEATRE&PERFORMANCE Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/64454 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/64399 Title: From street to stage : hip hop, theatricality and legitimization Abstract: This dissertation focuses on the culture of Hip Hop as it moves from its origins on the streets into the theatre as well as corporate institutions such as mass media, Hollywood and film. It focuses on whether or not the culture of Hip Hop and all of its artistic elements and styles will survive the transition from its popular roots to a systemized institutional level. Specifically, it outlines how external forces from different organizations and institutions affect the overall aesthetic and the socio-political commentary that Hip Hop is known for. This question raises the issue of authenticity, a controversial debate among members of Hip Hop culture. The work looks at Hip Hop from a theatrical lens, contrasting the phenomenon when it is performed as a theatrical event in comparison to when it is placed within a theatrical event. It examines the effects of spectacular consumption, how the medium changes the culture overall, and what individuals and cultures alien to Hip Hop will ultimately end up perceiving what Hip Hop is. Description: M.A.THEATRE&PERFORMANCE Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/64399 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z