Haley Selmon

Due: Jan 9, 2014

SIP proposals
!!
(Full Disclosure: I still am very unsure of what I want to do, so I apologize in advance for these
disparate suggestions!)
!!

1) Is one pre-judged based on accent and usage of speech? How does vocal quality and dialect
lead to the creation of a character in a theatrical sense? In order to answer these, I would
begin by looking into the preconceived stereotypes behind different dialects. I would then
test those questions by performing the same piece of text, with the same dramatic intent, in
different dialects to different small audiences and gauge their response to the character(s). I
could then see if pre-determined changes in dialect can be used to elicit certain assumptions

and sympathies from an audience.

2) There is a very blatant hierarchy in the theatrical world, that I would like to see dismantled.
The basis and fundamentals of training in Classical theatre, Film and Musical Theatre are
very much the same, and yet it is incredibly difficult to travel from one medium to the other,
depending on your training background! I would like to somehow look into the beginnings of
a universal training method that would be viewed positively in all professional genres. Or at
the very least, look into the differentiations between each school of thought and find the

similarities and the oppositions.

3) Im very interested in the idea of adaptation between artistic formats. Why are there so many
musicals based on films (Ghost, Sister Act, Lion King)? Or pre-existing plays (Tale of Two
Cities, My Fair Lady)? Or even novels (Little Women, Bridges of Madison County, Lestat)?
There are filmed versions of Musicals, but there are stage adaptations of films. For some
reason there are no examples (that I can find) of musicals being truly adapted into any other
genre. Meaning, the original idea and themes being converted to another art form, inevitably
taking away the use of music and dance, and breaking it down into just textual story. I would
do theoretical research into why that is the case, and if (and how) it may change in the

!
!

future.