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The Two Frank Thrings. A study of two lives in the context of the performing arts in twentieth-century Australia. This dual biography of F.W.Thring (1882-1936), stage and cinema entrepreneur, and his actor son Frank (1926-94), will explore two remarkable lives in relation to their performance culture and society. It will provide the first scholarly biography of both men, and through them will illuminate the history of Australian cinema and musical theatre, investigate issues of distinctively n ....The Two Frank Thrings. A study of two lives in the context of the performing arts in twentieth-century Australia. This dual biography of F.W.Thring (1882-1936), stage and cinema entrepreneur, and his actor son Frank (1926-94), will explore two remarkable lives in relation to their performance culture and society. It will provide the first scholarly biography of both men, and through them will illuminate the history of Australian cinema and musical theatre, investigate issues of distinctively national iconography and voice, and examine the complex interactions between industrial/economic forces and artistic vision. Its principal outcome will be a book that should add significantly to our knowledge of the performing arts in twentieth-century Australia, and to continuing debates in the arts.Read moreRead less
The Staging and Framing of Comic Performance in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries. The aim of this project is to investigate the aesthetics of comic performance through an examination of low comic performance in nineteenth century American and English popular theatre and in the slapstick films of the early twentieth century. Uniquely combining the complementary specialisms in theatre and film this study will pioneer a highly original approach to achieve new ways of considering theatri ....The Staging and Framing of Comic Performance in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries. The aim of this project is to investigate the aesthetics of comic performance through an examination of low comic performance in nineteenth century American and English popular theatre and in the slapstick films of the early twentieth century. Uniquely combining the complementary specialisms in theatre and film this study will pioneer a highly original approach to achieve new ways of considering theatrical and cinematic comedy both historically and theoretically.Read moreRead less
Vocal Quality, Projection and Perception. This project will quantify the vocal features of projection and loudness in experienced operatic soloists and actors and will examine how these features relate to emotional expression and how each of these qualities are perceived by the performers and by others. We will determine which respiratory and laryngeal techniques are associated with the ability to communicate emotional connection and to produce certain sound qualities, in particular associated ....Vocal Quality, Projection and Perception. This project will quantify the vocal features of projection and loudness in experienced operatic soloists and actors and will examine how these features relate to emotional expression and how each of these qualities are perceived by the performers and by others. We will determine which respiratory and laryngeal techniques are associated with the ability to communicate emotional connection and to produce certain sound qualities, in particular associated with the performer's ability to project a powerful voice unamplified within a large theatre, as well as over an orchestra.Read moreRead less
From British Imperialist to Honorary Aussie to International Meeting-Place: How Shakespeare has been spoken and staged in Australia 1910-2003. Aims: To discover how changing ideas of Australia's relationship to Britain and the world relate to performances of Shakespeare for Australian audiences.
Significance: For the last 100 years Shakespeare has been the most performed playwright in Australia, but theatre companies today are more likely to draw on Asian physical theatre than British speech tr ....From British Imperialist to Honorary Aussie to International Meeting-Place: How Shakespeare has been spoken and staged in Australia 1910-2003. Aims: To discover how changing ideas of Australia's relationship to Britain and the world relate to performances of Shakespeare for Australian audiences.
Significance: For the last 100 years Shakespeare has been the most performed playwright in Australia, but theatre companies today are more likely to draw on Asian physical theatre than British speech training. How Shakespeare's plays have been staged and spoken here reflects changing ideas about national character and identity, in terms of independence, sophistication, and sense of cultural geography.
Outcomes: A PhD thesis and a major exhibition catalogue essay by the APAI candidate; research publications by the Chief InvestigatorsRead moreRead less
Nineteenth Century Precursors Of New Media Art. On Time and Performance in Early Experiments in Art and Science. The research outcomes will enhance the profile of new media arts and performance studies in Australia by providing a model for other research in emergent and cross-disciplinary artforms. This project addresses the relative absence of scholarship on the meaning and significance of time and performance in the history of media art. It will attempt to clarify and provide a model of analys ....Nineteenth Century Precursors Of New Media Art. On Time and Performance in Early Experiments in Art and Science. The research outcomes will enhance the profile of new media arts and performance studies in Australia by providing a model for other research in emergent and cross-disciplinary artforms. This project addresses the relative absence of scholarship on the meaning and significance of time and performance in the history of media art. It will attempt to clarify and provide a model of analysis for debates surrounding the nature of time based art. It will provide a basis for understanding both the temporal and performative nature of new media art and the place of media in live performance. Read moreRead less
Staging Sappho: investigating new methodologies in Classical Performance Reception. This project will make a significant contribution to Australia's profile as a research innovator in Arts and Humanities. It is the first research project of its kind to integrate theories of Classical reception and textual transmission with performance theory and practice. As such, it will further the knowledge base of the discipline of Classical Reception Studies by introducing a new methodology to the field, an ....Staging Sappho: investigating new methodologies in Classical Performance Reception. This project will make a significant contribution to Australia's profile as a research innovator in Arts and Humanities. It is the first research project of its kind to integrate theories of Classical reception and textual transmission with performance theory and practice. As such, it will further the knowledge base of the discipline of Classical Reception Studies by introducing a new methodology to the field, and will also benefit the community in terms of cultural engagement.Read moreRead less
Accessing the cultural conversation: investigating participation and non-participation of young people as audiences of live theatrical performances in Australia. In order to promote the healthy development of young Australians, where health in middle and late childhood is crucial (National Research Priority 2) a thriving arts sector is essential. For young people to see themselves as real participants in civic engagement with their society not as a marginalised group but as a legitimate sub-grou ....Accessing the cultural conversation: investigating participation and non-participation of young people as audiences of live theatrical performances in Australia. In order to promote the healthy development of young Australians, where health in middle and late childhood is crucial (National Research Priority 2) a thriving arts sector is essential. For young people to see themselves as real participants in civic engagement with their society not as a marginalised group but as a legitimate sub-group of society, they need access to active participation in the cultural conversation, including live theatrical performance. For this, the arts community, policy makers and arts educators need to better understand young people's engagement with the major providers of theatre, and what factors inhibit or exclude them.Read moreRead less
Where culture and politics intersect: Trends in German Theatre since reunification. This project aims to investigate the complex relationship between politics and culture through a study of developments in German theatre since 1989. The profound changes brought about by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of East and West Germany call for new investigations of theatre, history, aesthetics and representation in a culture in which the theatre, historically, has been central to nation ....Where culture and politics intersect: Trends in German Theatre since reunification. This project aims to investigate the complex relationship between politics and culture through a study of developments in German theatre since 1989. The profound changes brought about by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of East and West Germany call for new investigations of theatre, history, aesthetics and representation in a culture in which the theatre, historically, has been central to national cultural development. The project will focus on play texts, playwrights, repertoire and performance to make a groundbreaking contribution to theatre and cultural studies by offering new insights into this unique period in German theatre history.Read moreRead less
Circus Aerialists: Bodies, Gender and National Identity. This research will produce the first critical study of circus aerial performance 1860 to 1990. It asks what the impact of this performance is on social beliefs about bodies. How has gender and national identity been presented in aerial acts? The research promotes the legendary Australian performers who have been among our most famous cultural exports, and yet remain neglected in Australia. Were circus athletes predecessors of sports athlet ....Circus Aerialists: Bodies, Gender and National Identity. This research will produce the first critical study of circus aerial performance 1860 to 1990. It asks what the impact of this performance is on social beliefs about bodies. How has gender and national identity been presented in aerial acts? The research promotes the legendary Australian performers who have been among our most famous cultural exports, and yet remain neglected in Australia. Were circus athletes predecessors of sports athletes? Increasing numbers of professional aerialists work in circus' multimillion dollar arts industry, which makes this specialised study, archive and book overdue. It is new knowledge that expands Australia's research base.Read moreRead less
Theatres Online: Achieving Theoretical and Practical Solutions to Problems of Theatre Space via Virtual Reality Computational Modeling. This project merges theoretical and practical approaches to theatre production to make the complex phenomenon of theatre space more accessible to both researchers and industry professionals. It achieves this by providing a virtual reality model of selected theatres, so that users might better comprehend a venue's spatial dynamics. This dimensionally-accurate rep ....Theatres Online: Achieving Theoretical and Practical Solutions to Problems of Theatre Space via Virtual Reality Computational Modeling. This project merges theoretical and practical approaches to theatre production to make the complex phenomenon of theatre space more accessible to both researchers and industry professionals. It achieves this by providing a virtual reality model of selected theatres, so that users might better comprehend a venue's spatial dynamics. This dimensionally-accurate representation permits a full understanding of a theatre space (and its potential for performance) even from remote locations, thus potentially making the production of theatre more cost effective. There is no other such project in the theatre world or in computer modelling research.Read moreRead less