Presented by Professor Branislav Jakovljevic My dissertation, "Auto-Play: The Automation of Performance Action, Writing, and Control," discusses a series of artists who, throughout the past century, have attempted to automate theatrical processes. Offering a model of “automaticity” encompassing the traditions of both automatism and automation, I argue that theorists have long juxtaposed automaticity with theatricality. However, these qualities can indeed be integrated. Abstract action has been mechanized, dances have been computationally scored, and backstage control has been automated. I explore the neoliberal politics of automaticity, consider images of femininity and blackness attached to the automatic, and conclude that the conjunction of automaticity and theatricality is dominant within contemporary stage practice and society. Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy in TAPS
and PhD Minor in Feminist, Gender
& Sexuality Studies
The contentious political climate of the 1960s and 1970s gave birth to an abundance of social protest theatre collectives (SPT) dedicated to illustrating the needs of marginalized communities in the United States and Latin America. "Social Protest After the 'Movement': Aesthetics, Genre, and Survival After 1980" examines how institutionalization, digital media interventions, and ways in which their work has been narrated and archived affect the creative outputs of Latin American social protest theatre companies: El teatro campesino (the Farmworkers Theatre), Teatro Yuyachkani, Hijas de la violencia (daughters of violence), and Latesis. I argue that academic and capital-based institutionalization alters the subversive efficacy of both the (SPT) genre and tactics of social protest theatre. I propose new ways of theorizing social protest theatre to enable a fuller understanding of the intersection between politics and performance. Presented by Professor Harry J. Elam, Jr. Carl Weber Prize for Integration of Creative Practice and Scholarly Research

Doctor of Philosophy Jessi’s dissertation “Acts of Commitment: Prefigurative Politics on the Agitprop Stage” uses archival materials — production ephemera, performer memoirs, and police reports — to reconstruct the history of Germany’s amateur agitprop theater movement during the final years of the Weimar Republic (1926-1933). As a transient space that enticed participants to perform political commitments in the face of increasingly fascist state forces, the agitprop stage enabled working-class players and spectators to rehearse new political identities, modes of communication, and strategies of resistance.

Presented by Professor Matthew W. Smith Charles R. Lyons Memorial Prize for Outstanding Dissertation

Doctor of Philosophy Áine's dissertation, “Critiquing Counter-Terror: The Impact of Security Policy on American, British, and French Publics Post 9/11” examines counter-terrorism policy developed in the United States, United Kingdom, and France in the years since 9/11. She conducts close readings of sections of counter-terrorism legislations — namely, the U.S. Patriot Act, the French SILT Law (2017), and UK CONTEST — that have increased authorities’ powers, broadened definitions of terrorism activity, and legitimized mass-surveillance practices. Overall, she argues many measures implemented in the name of national security are in conflict with democratic values and principles including the right to privacy, freedom of speech, and freedom of movement. Presented by Professor Jisha Menon

Mo Asebiomo
Austin Critchlow
Alli Cruz
Lizzie Frankel
Gracie Goheen
Mylan Gray
Phoebe Kimm Sydney Maly
Lorin Phillips
Timothy Sherlock
Dylan Sherman
Allen Wehner
Gabe Wieder

Presented by Professor Diana Looser and Lecturer Aleta Hayes Department of Theater & Performance Studies Award for Excellence in Scholarship Department of Theater & Performance Studies Award for Contribution to Dance Department of Theater & Performance Studies Award for Work Addressing Social Issues

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
and Theater and Performance Studies
with a Concentration in Acting
Presented by Artist-in-Residence Amy Freed

Bachelor of Arts with Honors
in Theater and Performance Studies
with a Concentration in Theater-Making
and a Minor in Translation Studies
Presented by Production Manager Jane Casamajor Louis Sudler Prize for Excellence in the Creative Arts

Bachelor of Arts in Theater
and Performance Studies with a
Concentration in Theater-Making Presented by Lecturer Tony Shayne

Bachelor of Arts in Theater and
Performance Studies with a
Concentration in Acting and
a Minor in Spanish
Presented by Professor Harry J. Elam, Jr. Robert M. Golden Medal in Performance

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and
Theater and Performance Studies with
a Concentration in Theater-Making Presented by Director of Marketing
& Special Events Stefanie Okuda Alexander Stewart Prize for Contribution to Production

Bachelor of Arts in Theater
and Performance Studies with
a Concentration in Acting and
a Minor in Music Presented by Artist-in-Residence Amy Freed Department of Theater & Performance Studies
Award for Contribution to Acting

Bachelor of Arts in English
and Theater and Performance Studies
with a Concentration in Acting
Presented by Artist-in-Residence Amy Freed

Bachelor of Arts in Theater and
Performance Studies with a
Concentration in Acting
Presented by Professor Aileen Robinson

Bachelor of Arts in American Studies
and Theater and Performance Studies
with a Concentration in Acting and a
Minor in Music
Presented by Lecturer Anton Pankevich

Bachelor of Arts in Theater
and Performance Studies with
a Concentration in Acting Presented by Professor Young Jean Lee Department of Theater & Performance Studies
Award for Contribution to Acting