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A Comparative Study of the Principles of Foreign Language-English Dialect Training for the Stage
This thesis presents the results of a study of printed material concerning the use of a foreign language-English dialect for the stage, gathering its information from printed sources, old and new, that are available to help the director of a dialect play.
Persuasion in the Speeches of Senator Barry Goldwater in his 1963 Nomination Campaign
The purpose of this study is to examine what Barry Goldwater did in his 1963 speeches before Republican audiences in order to project himself as the candidate for nomination, to consider the persuasive appeals he made and their rhetorical merit.
The Relationship between the Theoretical and the Actual Criteria for Determining Decision Debate
The purpose of this investigation was to determine if a relationship exists between the actual standard used by judges during a tournament and the theory taught in collegiate debate courses.
A Study of Certain Creative Dramatics Techniques as Applied in the Second Grade Classroom of the North Texas State University Laboratory School
"It is the purpose of this thesis to employ some of the basic methods currently in practice in the teaching of creative dramatics, in a second grade class of the North Texas State University Laboratory School in Denton, Texas, and to record the results."--2.
Mark Twain's Writings on Oral Interpretation
Mark Twain is universally recognized as an important author in American literature, and in addition to his success as an author, he was equally successful as an oral interpreter. His career as an interpreter and lecturer commenced at the age of twelve in Hannibal, Missouri, and in later years expanded to cover the globe. Twain lectured throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, India, South Africa, England, New Zealand, Scotland, and Canada. Throughout his writings, Mark Twain included statements pertaining to his delivery of these lectures and platform readings, and he also included comments on techniques for oral interpretation in general.
A Study of Tactile-kinesthetic Monitoring and Vocal Intensity
The purpose of this study is to compare persons with trained voices and persons with untrained voices in their abilities to utilize tactile-kinesthetic feed-back when attempting to control vocal intensity.
The Effect of a Phonetic Approach Speech Improvement Program on Sound Discrimination, Reading Achievement, and Developmental Articulation
The purpose of this study is to determine if a phonetic approach to speech improvement has a relationship to reading achievement, sound discrimination, and developmental articulation at the first-grade level.
A Production Book for an Experimental Staging of Nikolai Gogol's The Inspector General
The January 17 and 18, 1966, thesis production presented at North Texas State University was an experimental production of The Inspector General, as based on historical, philosophical, and analytical study of both the play and the author, Nikolai Gogol. A thesis production consists of a written analysis and evaluation of the play and its author and the actual production of the play. The thesis production enables the candidate to illustrate his mastery of theatre discipline. The written portion demonstrates his ability to develop the concepts necessary to the production of a play, and the presentation of the play offers the candidate the opportunity to show his creativity and aesthetic understanding of theatre.
Production Techniques of "The New Stagecraft" as Utilized by Eugene O'Neill
This thesis explains the concept and history of "new stagecraft" and investigates certain presentational plays of Eugene O'Neill, including those which are expressionistic and those which are a combination of expressionism, symbolism, and naturalism. In particular, the investigation will be so arranged as to view the technical problems which result from the suggestions O'Neill makes in his plays.
Sound Descrimination Ability as a Factor Related to Mental Maturity
Children whose mental age is below ten years lack the ability to utilize incoming information perfectly enough to make fine phonetic distinctions among sounds. This is an experimental study of the growth and interrelationship between sound discrimination ability and mental age.
The Treatment of Forensic Ethics in Argumentation and Debate Textbooks
The purpose of this study has been to survey textbooks for debate and argumentation courses in order to determine their treatment of forensic ethics. Both the extent to which modern debate and argumentation textbooks concern themselves with ethical considerations as well as the degree to which these texts correlate with recognized problems and authoritative views have been of concern.
Vsevolod Meyerhold: Toward Political Expression in the Theater
This thesis explores art and aristocracy in nineteenth century Russia as well as Meyerhold's "Theater Theatrical" during the Stalin era.
An Analysis and Production Book for a Staging of Samuel Spewack's Under the Sycamore Tree
It is the purpose of this study to (1) produce a play in an expressionistic style; (2) submit a thesis of analysis; and (3) present the thesis in such a way as to show that an expressionistic style can be applied to a play written for the professional stage in a creative, artistic manner.
An Evaluation of the Acting Career of Katharine Cornell
This paper will point out the reasons for the great popular success of Katharine Cornell as an actress. This paper will examine the background of Miss Cornell to determine the influences that helped shape her career, and the theatre training that brought her to her first Broadway "hit." Special attention will be given to Miss Cornell's philosophy of acting as she expressed it in her autobiography and in interviews. Further, this paper will take each role played by Miss Cornell during her career and through the reviews of the dramatic critics determine the artistic merit of each role. Finally, the roles selected to be of artistic merit will again be subjected to the reviews of the drama critics to determine whether or not Miss Cornell achieved artistic excellence in her portrayal of them.
A Project in Design for William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
The purpose of this thesis is to design the sets and costumes for William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night or What You Will adapting to the sixteenth century Italian commedia dell' arte style.
Selective Reinforcement of Infant Vocalizations
Through observation of young children much has been learned regarding elementary word acquisition and ordering, sentence formulation, and expansion of verbal experience; but little research regarding what precedes "the word" has been done. The present study was concerned with that period in infancy prior to communicative speech production. The purpose of the present study was to answer the question: Can one selectively reinforce a particular babble?
David Belasco's Naturalistic Stagecraft and Stage Lighting
It is the purpose of this paper to make a general study of David Belasco's use of naturalism in the American theatre. More specifically, it is to determine Belasco's methods of achieving naturalism in his stage settings and lighting. From the study of his techniques and methods, and effort is made to establish his contributions to the naturalistic movement.
The Incidence of Speech Defects among Juveniles Exhibiting Antisocial Aggressive Behavior
The question of maladjustment of individuals with speech defects and its subsequent manifestation is the basic issue of this thesis. The study was conducted to answer the question: "What is the incidence of speech defects among juveniles exhibiting antisocial aggressive behavior?"
A Proposal for the Establishment of a Low-Power, Frequency Modulated, Educational Radio Station as Exemplified by Oklahoma Baptist University
The purpose of this study was to investigate the various aspects of low-power frequency modulation educational broadcasting and to formulate from the findings a guide for the establishment of stations on campuses as exemplified at Oklahoma Baptist University. It is hoped that this report will provide detailed information of interest and value to that university, its staff, its present and future scholars, and to other school and individuals interested in building an educational broadcast facility.
The Relationship of Language and Articulation Ability to Reading Ability
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between articulation ability and reading ability, between articulation ability and language development, and between language development and reading ability. This study examined children with minor difficulties and children with a history of more severe articulation problems separately in order to determine whether severity of articulation disability is related to reading ability.
A Rhetorical Study of President John F. Kennedy's Ceremonial Speaking
Rhetorical studies have been lacking in the area of John F. Kennedy's ceremonial speeches. Therefore, it was felt that a contribution could be made by analyzing samples of President Kennedy's speeches delivered on special occasions in order to describe what he used in such situations and where possible to attempt to explain why he used these devices. This study will be done in light of principles given by some classical and modern rhetoricians concerning the ceremonial speech. The specific criteria will be the rhetorical canons of invention, disposition, and style.
A Study of Max Reinhardt's Treatment of Ensemble Acting
It is the purpose of this thesis to show that Max Reinhardt made a definite contribution to the theatre through ensemble acting.
An Analysis of the Texas University Interscholastic League One-Act Play Directors as Drama Teachers
The purpose of this study is to determine (1) what training is recommended for high school teachers of drama, (2) what training the high school teachers of drama actually have, (3) what job situation is recommended for the high school teacher of drama, and (4) what job situation the high school teachers of drama in the State of Texas actually have. This study should determine if there is a significant relationship between what a high school drama teacher should be and what the high school drama teachers of Texas actually are.
Invention in the Congressional and Campaign Speaking of Joe Weldon Bailey
The purpose of this thesis is to examine what Joseph Weldon Bailey, a speaker of recognized ability, did in his congressional and campaign speeches to persuade people to his point of view.
An Analysis of Three Modes of Group Interpretation in the Speech Arts Curriculum
Four objectives guided the research and writing of this thesis. First, there was an attempt to identify and establish specific educational goals for a group interpretation production. Second, there was an effort to describe certain procedures for selecting, adapting, arranging, and presenting a piece of literature to an audience through a group interpretation performance. Third, this thesis attempted to relate the three modes of group interpretation—Choric Interpretation, Readers Theatre, and Chamber Theatre—as a single art form. Fourth, there has been an attempt to suggest specific evaluative criteria and evaluation sheets for group interpretation performances.
The Impact of the Acting of David Garrick and Sir Laurence Olivier : A Comparative Analysis
Two men of genius who came from nowhere to break the rules were David Garrick in 1741 and Sir Laurence Olivier in 1937. These two men will be the major subjects of this thesis. Both Garrick and Olivier introduced new styles of acting to the theatre in Shakespearian plays.
Margo Jones's Visions for Theatre
The purpose of this study is to make an account of the theatrical plans and activities of Margo Jones other than the productions in her theatre in Dallas and her experiences as a producer and director on Broadway.
The President and American Public Opinion : Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Crisis of 1940-41
This thesis presents Franklin Delano Roosevelt's use of persuasive means and influence of American public opinion during the pre-World War II crisis years 1940-41.
A Survey of the Physical Facilities of the Public School Speech and Hearing Programs in the State of Texas
The purposes of this survey were (1) to determine the nature of the case load of speech clinicians in Texas public school speech and hearing therapy programs, (2) to determine the type and condition of facilities in which the therapy described in item one above is being conducted, (3) to ascertain what the speech and hearing clinicians of the state believed to be essential for the effective practice of therapy, and (4) to find out what the clinicians believed to be special problems in their present facilities.
The Writing and Producing of Pecos Bill and the Indians, an Original Musical Comedy for Educational Theatre
The writing and producing of this musical comedy was a creative production thesis. The playwright also served as director and designer. The organization of the thesis is basically the organization of the project.
Maxwell Anderson : Preparation, Methods, and Views in Musical Comedy
Even before he became a playwright, Maxwell Anderson developed a belief in the right of the individual to determine his own fate, and a hatred for anything that hampered that right. He never faltered in that belief. Thus, most of his plays have themes concerned with the evils of the abuse of governmental power and the social injustice that is the result of such abuse. It is the purpose of this thesis to study those beliefs as they were developed throughout severl preceding plays and as they were finally expressed in both Anderson's musicals, Knickerbocker Holiday (1938) and Lost in the Stars (1949).
Relationships between Dogmatism and Ego-Involvement
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the relationships between personality-centered and issue-centered approaches to a study of attitudes. The relationships will be sought through examination of the essential characteristics of the ideas behind each approach and by exposing the same population to both of the data-gathering methods employed by these researchers, i.e., Rokeach's Dogmatism Scale, and Sherif, et al.'s Method of Ordered Alternatives.
History of the St. Charles Theatre of New Orleans under the Management of David Bidwell, 1880-1888
The objective of this investigation is to compile a chronological history of the St. Charles Theatre of New Orleans from 1880 to 1888, the last successful years of the theatre when it was under the management of David Bidwell. In order to clarify the role of the St. Charles Theatre as it reflected theatre art in New Orleans during the latter quarter of the nineteenth century, special attention will be given to the physical improvements of the theatre, the kind of entertainment provided, the personalities who appeared, and the critical comments of the local newspapers.
Predictability of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities on Visual-Motor Tasks
The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not individual scores derived by the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities can be used as predictors of performance on visual motor tasks of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and the Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception for a child who has learning problems.
An Analysis and Comparison of Infant's Speech with their Mother's Speech
The present study is an investigation of certain aspects of the relationship which exists between the development of language of a child and the speech of his mother. An attempt was made to investigate the evolving speech pattern of the child as he is influenced by the speech patterns of his mother. Can one determine the age at which infants begin to develop speech similar to the speech patterns (intonation, phonemic content, distinctive feature content, place and manner of articulation) of their mother's speech?
An Analysis of Invention in Selected Speeches by Sam Rayburn
This thesis will give primary attention to an analysis of invention in selected congressional, campaign, and ceremonial speeches of Sam Rayburn. Such an analysis should reveal the most common modes of persuasion used by the man.
Comparison of Certain Test Results of Indivduals Demonstrating a Type I Bekesy Pattern in the Presence of a Sensori-neural Hearing Impairment
The purpose of this study is to determine if significant audio-metric characteristics exist in individuals having cochlear lesions who trace a Bekesy pattern characteristic of individuals with normal hearing or conductive losses.
The Incidence of Hearing Loss and of Nonorganic Hearing Problems in Juvenile Delinquents
The purpose of this investigation was (1) to perform hearing screening tests on 100 youths who are classified as delinquent; (2) to evaluate more completely the hearing of those who fail the hearing screening tests in order to determine the nature and severity of the losses; and (3) to determine whether or not any significant number of the youths tested demonstrate nonorganic components in their reported audiometric thresholds.
The "Public Image" of George Wallace in the the 1968 Presidential Election
The intention of this study is to examine the public image of George Wallace in the 1968 presidential campaign from its earliest inception to its general acceptance and at the same time, to determine if this image contributed to his defeat at the polls. The study will seek to be an interpretative rather than exhaustive historical research summary and will attempt to view Wallace's image from as an objective posture as possible.
An Analysis and Evaluation of the Acting Career of Tallulah Bankhead
This thesis is an evaluation of the acting career of Tallulah Bankhead with some analysis of the roles she played.
The Contributions of Gordon McLendon to the Broadcast Profession
The purpose of this study is to describe Gordon McLendon's contributions to the broadcast profession and to explain why he is regarded as a leader of that profession. There has been no effort to provide a unified statement of the contributions made by him to the broadcast profession. To provide a complete picture of McLendon's contributions to the broadcast profession, an account is needed of his various innovations and activities.
An Audiometric Comparison of the Results of Total Stapedectomy and Partial Stapedectomy Techniques of Stapes Surgery for Otoselerosis
The purpose of this study is to compare the audiometric results of two variations of the stapedectomy procedure: the partial stapedectomy as performed by Hough, and the total stapedectomy as performed by Schuknecht and House.
A Comparison of Results of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities and Certain Other Tests Used in Evaluating Children with Learning Disabilities
The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, including its subtests and total test scores, can be used reliably as predictors of achievement on other tests used in the diagnosis of language disorders in children.
Cutting and Adapting Prose and Poetry for Oral Interpretation
The purpose of this study is to devise a method of developing competency in the cutting and adaptation of prose and poetry for oral interpretation. This method is a pervasive element of the thesis and consists of (1) general principles derived from theories expressed by both interpretation and literary authorities and from observations made in the classroom, (2) suggested guidelines for cutting specific forms of literature, and (3) illustration of these directives by application to selected prose and poetry.
The Utility of the Spanish Translation of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test with Young Spanish-American Bilingual Children
This study was designed to investigate the usefulness of the administration of a Spanish translation of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Form A, in the language assessment of bilingual children.
Don Pasquale: A Project in Theatrical Design
The purpose of this project was to create an original production scheme which will prove acceptable to the American audience. The production of Don Pasquale adhered to the following guidelines: (1) the production was adapted in terms of the American audience for which it was being performed, it was sung in English and all allusions to the opera's European origin were either omitted or altered to conform to the American stylization, (2) the adaptation of the opera centered around an American historical perspective, a point in American history with which the audience could nostalgically identify.
A Descriptive Study of the Response of Selected Groups Toward Controversial Symbols and Slogans
The purpose of this study is twofold (1) to describe the functions performed by symbols and slogans in communicating ideas, and (2) to quantify the responses of selected groups to contemporary controversial slogans and symbols.
Steele MacKay: Inventor-Innovator
The problem of this thesis is to discover the extent to which Steele MacKaye has contributed to modern American theatre through his inventions and technical innovations.
An Analysis and Production Book for a Staging of Jerry Bock's and Sheldon Harnick's The Apple Tree
The problem with which this study is concerned is that of critically analyzing and producing the musical comedy The Apple Tree. The study attempts to adapt some of the major unifying elements of this production and, in addition, unite the show through the use of color. The study also attempts to update the production through an extension of symbolism based on the style of Peter Max; to produce a major musical comedy in a stylized and symbolic style, and to show how a stylized and symbolic method of production can be used to achieve simplicity and unity within the confines of a limited budget.
A History of the Speech and Drama Department at North Texas State University as it Relates to General Trends in Speech Education, 1890-1971
"The purpose of this study is to record an accurate account of this development at North Texas State University and to correlate it to general trends in speech education in the United States. The hypothesis for such a study is that historical comparisons may be beneficial to scholars as indicative of those methods that have met with the greatest success."--2.
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