Date of Award
12-2020
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Name
Creative Studies, M.S.
Department
Center for Studies in Creativity
Advisor
J. Michael Fox
Abstract
This project focuses on the practical application and conceptual acceptance of deliberate creative adaptation within the purview of the performing arts and arts education. More specifically, it centers this conversation around stagings of the iconic musical West Side Story, as my role as a choreographer and arts educator is used to further explore, examine, and emphasize these topics through the documentation of my production planning process, choreographic creation, and ultimate execution of performance material for a local high school production of the show. As such, this project builds with greater specificity off of my previous investigations of “adaptation” as an ideological concept and physical practice within a comparative arts - creativity context. An accumulation of anecdotal evidence, performance product, literary review, colleague critique, and personal reflection are presented. Elements of chief importance could best be framed as the relationship between innovation and novelty in conjunction with artistic repertoire and identity; the struggle for balance and boundaries between innovation and tradition when working with iconic performance pieces; innovatively addressing classical demands through alternate means; and finding opportunities for unique and novel interpretations without compromising artistic integrity. Additionally, all this is overlaid with the perspectives and potential opportunities of greater accessibility and engagement in arts education.
Recommended Citation
Bateson-Brown, Rebecca G., "Taking Student Artists and Audiences to the West Side: Exploring the value of creative adaptation in an arts context through a case study of “West Side Story”" (2020). Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects. 317.
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/creativeprojects/317
Performance Product Sample 1 (same as link1 in-text p.34)
Bateson-Brown_Sample2_WSS-BAVPA-2016-America.mp4 (99510 kB)
Performance Product Sample 2 (same as link2 in-text p.35)
Bateson-Brown_Sample3_WSS-BAVPA-2016-Cool.mp4 (50426 kB)
Performance Product Sample 3 (same as link3 in-text p.36)
Included in
Art Practice Commons, Dance Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Other Theatre and Performance Studies Commons, Performance Studies Commons
