Curriculum Vitae

Sarah McCarroll, MFA, Ph.D

EDUCATION:

Ph.D., Theatre History, Theory and Literature, December 2011 Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

Disseration: An Empire of Collars and Corsets: Mapping the Body on the Victorian Stage
- As the iconic bodies of their time, Victorian stage performers became the molds of form for their entire society. My dissertation examines the ways in which clothing and movement allowed these performers to both reify normative expectations of how the body behaved, and to challenge the norm by providing templates for subversive bodies. I assert that the structure of Victorian clothing, as seen in stage costume, and the visuality of British society worked together to inform audiences about how their bodies were constructed. I closely read both text and performance photographs of Ibsen’s social dramas, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and The Admirable Crichton, and Wilde’s comedies, among others. In addition to providing a means whereby the vanished physical dimension of a performance may be explored, my work carries important implications for contemporary methods of teaching period styles.
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Amy Cook (chair), Dr. Ronald Wainscott (co-chair), Dr. Giles Knox, Professor Linda Pisano

Areas of Specialization: Late Nineteenth Century British Theatre and Drama, Costume History, Period Movement and Dance, the Historical Body
Other Areas of Interest: Irish Theatre and Drama, Musical Theatre, Postcolonialism
Comprehensive Examinations in Theatre History, Theory, and Literature: Classical and Medieval, Renaissance to Late-18th Century, Late-18th Century to World War I, World War I to Present
Minor: Art History; Languages: Italian, Latin

Master of Fine Arts, Costume Design and Technology, May 2004 University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL

Thesis production/project: cutter-draper for The Rivals; organized the loads of student workers; conducted fittings of both pulled and built garments; developed patterns for built garments; cut principles’ garments
Secondary area of emphasis: Theatre History

Bachelor of Arts, Theatre, May 1997 University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

Associate of Fine Arts, Theatre, 1995 Young Harris College, Young Harris, GA

Summa Cum Laude

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Georgia Southern University – Assistant Professor of Theatre and Costume Shop Manager 2011-present

Teach a 3/3 load, including courses in Theatre History, Script Analysis, and Costume Design
Member of the Irish Studies faculty
Design or supervise the design of the Theatre Program’s 4-production main stage season
Manage the Costume Shop including: the maintenance of equipment and stock; scheduling and conducting costume fittings; construct/alter, or supervise student workers in the construction/alteration of, all costumes for the Theatre Program’s season

Utah Shakespeare Festival – Dramaturg Summer 2014

Dramaturg for the world premiere of a new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility by J.R. Sullivan and Joe Handreddy (dir. Joe Handreddy)
Dramaturg for Into the Woods (dir. Jeremy Mann)

Utah Shakespeare Festival – First Hand/Junior Draper (2005-2008, 2011-present), Wardrobe Crew Chief (2004-2008, 2013-present), Stitcher (2003-2004)

Part of a shop team of around 60 people which produced costumes for 7 productions in a summer repertory season.
Managed 3-stitcher teams under the direction of a draper.
Fit both mock-ups and stock garments.
Cut garments from both commercial and theatrical patterns.
Constructed period garments utilizing both historical and modern techniques.
Assigned responsibilities and supervised dressing crews of 3-8 members.
Dressed principles, including AEA actors.
Summer 2006 – coordinated a full plot of understudy costumes for the 6-production mainstage season.

Indiana University/Brown County Playhouse – Cutter/Stitcher, 2009

Cut, constructed, and altered costumes for a 4-production summer repertory season.
Supervised undergraduate workers.

Young Harris College – Costume Shop Manager, 2000-2001, 2005-2007

Designed and coordinated costumes for a 4-production season, utilizing stock and rental sources, as well as construction of new costumes.
Supervised and instructed student workers with varying skill levels.
Stocked and maintained shop resources and equipment.

Lees-McRae Summer Theatre (Boone, NC) – Costume Shop Manager, Summer 2003

Designed a 3-production summer repertory season.
Fit and altered stock costumes.
Managed a 4-stitcher shop.

Norcostco/Atlanta Costume – Costumer and Administrative Manager, 1997-2000

Trained and supervised full-time and seasonal personal to provide costumes for both over-the-counter, single rental customers and theatrical clients renting full productions.
Managed the costume rental department’s shipping schedule, production assignments, and billing paperwork.
Responsible for pulling, altering, and accessorizing productions for academic and professional customers throughout the Southeast.

RESEARCH AND CREATIVE SCHOLARSHIP:

PUBLICATIONS:

“The Historical Body Map: Cultural Pressures on Embodied Cognition,” in Languages, Bodies and Ecologies: Theatre, Performance and Cognition, eds. Rhonda Blair and Amy Cook. In editorial review; forthcoming from Methuen.

“The “Boy” Who Wouldn’t Grow Up: Peter Pan and the Dangers of Eternal Youth,” Theatre Symposium, volume 23, 2015. At press.

CONFERENCE PAPERS, AND PRESENTATIONS:

“Performing the Absent Body: Voyeurism and the Playboy Riots,” American Conference for Irish Studies, Southern Regional Chapter, Rome, GA 2015. Refereed.

“Mr. and Mrs. Macbeth’s Victorian Marriage,” Popular Culture Association in the South/American Culture Association in the South, Savannah, GA 2013. Refereed.

“The Historical Body Map: Cultural Pressures on Embodied Cognition,” The American Society for Theatre Research, Dallas, TX, 2013. Refereed.

Paper presented as a member of the ASTR Working Group in Cognitive Science and Theatre. Focused on an application of the historical body map to Shaun Gallagher’s concept of the body schema.

“Dance? But It’s Shakespeare!: Period Dance for Actors,” Southeastern Theatre Conference, Louisville, KY, 2013. Refereed.

Workshop focused on dances suitable for use in Shakespeare’s plays. Participants (college actors) learned one ceremonial court dance, and two country dances during the workshop, as well as engaging in discussion of performance style and the historical use of dance on the Renaissance stage.

“The Past is Prologue: Practicing Theory and History,” Panel Organizer. Southeastern Theatre Conference, Louisville, KY, 2013. Refereed.

Roundtable conversation focused on the ways in which the histories important to theatre practitioners: theatre history, fashion history, the history of design and décor, as well as political and cultural history, are taught, and ways in which to perform the teaching of these histories so that their presence in the college and university curriculum is foregrounded for students.

“Political Acts and Acting: Elizabeth Robins’ Ibsen and the Actress,” Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, Washington, DC, 2012. Refereed.

Paper presentation focused on the multiple ways in which Elizabeth Robins’ English-language premiers of Ibsen’s plays represented political acts. The onstage acting of Ibsen’s heroines has long been recognized as a feminist act, but Robins’ step from actress to producer constitutes a political act of equal importance.

“Period Plays, Modern Bodies: Embodying Times Gone By,” Southeastern Theatre Conference, Chattanooga, TN, 2012. Refereed.

Workshop introducing participants (college and professional actors) to the means of transforming onstage carriage and movement in period plays.

“Irving and Terry at the Lyceum: West End Shakespeare,” Mid-America Theatre Conference, Minneapolis, MN, 2011. Refereed.

Paper analyzing Henry Irving and Ellen Terry’s 1888 production of Macbeth. A close reading of the production’s scenic and costume design, the approach to developing character taken by the stars, and the way these elements came together in embodied performance illustrates the ways in which this ostensibly historically-accurate production in fact reiterated the normative cultural and physical mores of the Victorian age.

“The Ghosts of Absent Bodies.” Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference. New York, NY, 2009. Emerging Scholars Debut Panel; refereed.

Paper examining the ways in which clothing construction and socio-cultural norms create the accepted standards and potentialities of movement in a period, paying special attention to David Garrick’s performance of Hamlet, and Sarah Siddon’s Ophelia.

“From Blade to Blood Safely.” Assistant Presenter. United States Institute for Theatre Technology. Long Beach, CA, 2004. Refereed.

Workshop introducing participants to techniques for making blood appear onstage, including the use of blood packs; special attention was paid to the use of two-part blood in sword, knife, and whip combat.

COLLEGE-LEVEL INSTRUCTION:

Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 2011 – present

Theatre History I: Origins to 1700

This upper-division course surveys the development of theatre history and dramatic literature from the ritual origins of theatre to 1700; although the history of Western theatre is emphasized, attention is paid to the theatrical development of Chinese, Japanese, and Indian theatre. The course examines the production methods, physical structures, and important dramatists, actors, designers, and other contributors to theatre’s development within the political and social contexts of the periods under discussion.

Theatre History II: 1700 to Contemporary

This upper-division course surveys the development of theatre history and dramatic literature from the beginning of the 18th century to the present day; although the history of Western theatre is emphasized, attention is paid to the theatrical development of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and African theatre. The course examines the production methods, physical structures, and important dramatists, actors, designers, and other contributors to theatre’s development within the political and social contexts of the periods under discussion.

Costume Design

This upper-division course provides an intensive introduction to the principles and practice of costume design. Student projects focus on translating character into the visual language of clothing, and on expressing that translation through research, costume renderings, and in-class presentations.

Irish Theatre

This upper-division course relies on student-driven discussion to examine the drama of Ireland from the Literary Revival of the early 20th century to the present day. Students are also asked to read and apply critical texts in the form of both popular reviews and scholarly articles.

Stage Makeup

This course introduces students to the principles and techniques of makeup design and application for the stage, including the application of old age, blood and gore, historical, animal, and fantasy makeups.

Introduction to Production Concepts

This introductory course provides foundational skills in script analysis and critical thinking through the thorough analysis of a major work of American Realism. Later projects guide students through the collaborative experience as they take on roles on the production team and develop concepts for hypothetical productions of Shakespearean and non-realistic texts.

Theatre Appreciation

This course introduces students to the elements of theatre and to the collaborative partners who create theatre. Its aim is to encourage students from outside the discipline to become discerning and consistent audience members, and to prepare incoming majors and minors for the program course sequence.

Indiana University Department of Theatre and Drama 2007-2011

Associate Instructor – T370: Theatre History I

This lecture course introduces students to the history of theatre and dramatic literature from its ritual origins to 1700. While focused on Western theatre history, attention is paid to the developing theatres of Asia.

Associate Instructor – T101: Script Analysis

This small lecture and discussion class introduces theatre majors to the basic tools of script analysis for the theatre. The class is designed with an emphasis on text in production, not merely on the page.

Associate Instructor – T100: Introduction to Theatre (team-taught)

This large lecture class (75 student cap) is designed to introduce theatre majors, minors, and non-majors alike to the foundations of the theatre and provide all students with a common vocabulary for their courses going forward.

Young Harris College Spring 2007

Lecturer – LS125: Costume History

This seminar introduces students to the history of dress from the Classical period to the early twentieth century. I place emphasis on the socio-historical context for changes in clothing and fashion. Further, I highlight art history in this class with the use of primary source materials; students therefore learn not only terminology, but the style of any period.

University of Alabama 2001-2004

Associate Instructor – TH230: Fundamentals of Stage Makeup

This studio class (18 student cap) is designed to introduce students to the basic principles of stage makeup, and to provide hands-on experience designing and applying corrective, character, and old age makeup. Students complete projects focused on the use of highlight and shadow, crepe hair, liquid latex, and stage blood, among others.

Teaching Assistant – TH 114: Introduction to Theatre

This course is designed to introduce majors and non-majors alike to the basic principles of theatre through the study of plays and production techniques. Small break-out sections use discussion to emphasize the terms and ideas introduced in a large lecture setting.

COSTUME DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY:____________________________________________

COSTUME DESIGN: Academic (selected)

The Mountaintop Georgia Southern University, dir. Nicholas Newell April 2014

The Government Inspector Georgia Southern University, dir. Nicholas Newell November 2014

The Glass Menagerie Juniata College (Juniata, PA), dir. Neal Utterback October 2014

Hamlet Georgia Southern University, dir. Lisa Abbott April 2014

The Importance of Being Earnest Juniata College (Juniata, PA), dir. Neal Utterback March 2014

Flyin’ West Georgia Southern University, dir. Mical Whitaker November 2013

On The Razzle Georgia Southern University, dir. James Harbour April 2013

*KC-ACTF Region IV Faculty Design Nomination

The 1940s Radio Hour Georgia Southern University, dir. Lisa Abbott November 2012

*KC-ACTF Region IV Faculty Design Nomination

The Triangle Factory Fire Project Georgia Southern University, dir. James Harbour October 2012

Joe Turner’s Come and Gone Georgia Southern University, dir. Mical Whitaker April 2012

Fuentovejuna Georgia Southern University, dir. Lisa Abbott March 2012

*KC-ACTF Region IV Faculty Design Nomination

The Taming of the Shrew Georgia Southern University, dir. James Harbour November 2011

Big Love Georgia Southern University, dir. Lisa Abbott November 2011

What Use Are Flowers Georgia Southern University, dir. Mical Whitaker September 2011

The Music Man Young Harris College, dir. Greg Thompson February 2007

The Shape of Things Young Harris College, dir. Roberta Rankin April 2006

Guys and Dolls Young Harris College, dir. Greg Thompson February 2006

How I Learned to Drive Young Harris College, dir. Roberta Rankin April 2005

Chicago Young Harris College, dir. Greg Thompson February 2005

Ragtime, assistant designer University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, dir. Edmond Williams April 2004

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, dir. Edmond Williams March 2003

The Liar University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, dir. Andre LaSalle October 2002

COSTUME DESIGN: Professional (selected)

The Importance of Being Earnest Averitt Center for the Arts (Statesboro, GA), dir. Mical Whitaker February 2015

The Rothschilds Lees-McRae Summer Theatre (Boone, NC), dir. Janet Speer June 2003

It’s a Grand Night for Singing Lees-McRae Summer Theatre (Boone, NC), dir. Janet Speer July 2003

The Sound of Music Lees-McRae Summer Theatre (Boone, NC), dir. Janet Speer July 2003

COSTUME TECHNOLOGY: Professional (Selected)

Wardrobe Supervisor, Adams Theatre Utah Shakespeare Festival 2014

Henry IV.1, Measure for Measure, The Comedy of Errors

Draper, Twelve Angry Men Utah Shakespeare Festival 2013

Designer: David Kay Mickelsen

Wardrobe Supervisor, Adams Theatre Utah Shakespeare Festival 2013

King John, The Tempest, Love’s Labour’s Lost

Junior Draper, Les Miserables Utah Shakespeare Festival 2012

Designer: Kevin Alberts

First Hand, The Music Man Utah Shakespeare Festival 2011

Designer: Kim Cook

Cutter, Present Laughter Brown County Playhouse (Nashville, IN) 2009

Designer: Linda Pisano

First Hand, Cyrano de Bergerac Utah Shakespeare Festival 2008

Designer: David Kay Mickelsen

First Hand, King Lear Utah Shakespeare Festival 2007

Designer: David Kay Mickelsen

First Hand, Antony and Cleopatra Utah Shakespeare Festival 2006

Designer: David Kay Mickelsen

Wardrobe, A Christmas Carol Milwaukee Repertory Theatre 2005

First Hand, Dr. Faustus Utah Shakespeare Festival 2005

Designer: Linda Pisano

STUDENT PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS

Yancey, Allie (2015). Costume Designer – Metamorphoses (faculty mentor)