Author ORCID Identifier:

https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3927-2918

Date of Graduation

7-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts in Theatre (MFA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Theatre

Advisor/Mentor

Herzberg, Amy

Committee Member

Reed, David

Second Committee Member

Walch, John

Keywords

Acting; Identity; Theatre

Abstract

This paper will cover my approach as an actor and a creator in two separate productions during my time at the University of Arkansas. The first is a solo theatre piece that I devised under the tutelage of Michael Landman. This work, Half Brother, is a piece of theatre that takes an abstract approach to exploring the familial and psychological ripples that can occur in the life of a queer person when a parental unit takes on a political and religious identity that is oppositional to the LGBTQ community. It exposes the effect this transformation has on the child, their self-perception, and their relationships with other family members. The story centers the queer perspective and identity, with the protagonist, Bear, serving as our guide into this world. The piece is written in a verse-like style and was performed at the Global Campus Black Box Theatre in Spring of 2024. The second work examined in this paper is Heroes of the Fourth Turning by Will Arbery, in which I inhabited the role of Justin. This production took place in the Global Campus Black Box Theatre in the Fall of 2024 and was directed by Claire Wewers, a member of the M.F.A. cohort’s directing track. Heroes of the Fourth Turning is a play that is centered around a conservative Catholic college and five pillars of its community. Justin is a 38-year old ex-marine who is now working at his alma mater. Although Bear and Justin occupy separate realities and hold diametrically opposed values, my performance of both unites them within the same skin and bones, one heart, and a singular host. Over the following I will detail the work that was undergone in order to adequately perform the living of the realities of these dramatis personae.

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