Steve Earnest

Coastal Carolina University, Theatre, Faculty Member

Followers

145

Following

Public Views

Steve Earnest is Professor of Theatre at Coastal Carolina University where he teaches Acting, Theatre History and Literature and Principles of Dramatic Analysis. He holds a Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Colorado and an M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Miami, FL. Publications include a book about the East German Theatre training system, dozens of articles and reviews in Theatre Journal, New Theatre Quarterly, Western European Stages, and The Journal of Beckett Studies, among others. In recent years he has been more involved in film and television, appearing in the feature films BLOODY HOMECOMING, ALL SHE WISHES, and 12 DOG DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS in addition to numerous industrials, commercials and numerous short films and other projects. A founding member of Atlantic Stage in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Steve has appeared in ART, the companies’ first production. Since that time he has appeared in ALMOST, MAINE, DINNER WITH FRIENDS, GOD OF CARNAGE, CHILDSPLAY and DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. Also a director, Steve has staged BOEING-BOEING and LEND ME A TENOR for Atlantic Stage.

less

Interests

Uploads

Papers by Steve Earnest

The Deadly Sins

Ecumenica, Apr 1, 2009

The Russian Theatre After Stalin (review)

Theatre Journal, 2001

Download

LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES. A dance-opera spectacle based on the story by Jean Cocteau. Adapted by Phillip Glass and Susan Marshall. Presented by the Arts Festival of Atlanta. Robert Ferst Center for the Performing Arts, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlant

The Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, Sep 1, 1998

Though the notion of a music theatre performance based on a film conjures images of elaborate set... more Though the notion of a music theatre performance based on a film conjures images of elaborate sets, costumes and sophisticated staging (a la Sunset Boulevard), Les Enfantes Terribles (Children of the Game) was a strikingly simple and straightforward production. The climax of Phillip Glass' operatic trilogy based on works by the French artist, poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau, Les Enfantes was strategically placed as the opening event for the 1997 Atlanta Arts Festival. The story of Les Enfantes centers around a pair of siblings, Paul and Lise, left alone by their mother's untimely death, who remain isolated in their room acting out fantasies which they term "playing the game." As their sense of separation from the outside world grows, the two eventually designate the room as their only reality-at times their "stage"-occasionally allowing their friend Gerard to serve as their private audience. The two become increasingly obsessed with the game and are gradually enslaved to their own inflexible reclusiveness. The story ends with Paul's tragic suicide, as neither is able to allow the other to escape the trap that they have created for themselves.

Download

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Theatre Journal, 2016

Download

Clash with the Vikings: Gerpla and the Struggle for National Identity in Iceland

Theatre symposium, 2013

S ince formally gaining its independence from Denmark in 1944, the island nation of Iceland has s... more S ince formally gaining its independence from Denmark in 1944, the island nation of Iceland has struggled with its Viking legacy. This history-a history rooted in barbarianism, primitive customs, and the worship of pagan gods-sharply contrasts with the nature of contemporary Iceland. Characterized by high ideals and intellectual mores, advanced artistic levels, and very sophisticated standards of living, contemporary Iceland generally rejects its barbaric past in favor of peace, Christianity, and high cultural standards. Prior to the financial collapse of 2008, which saw the failure of Iceland's three major banks, the standard of living in Iceland ranked among the highest in the world in terms of societal data such as quality of education, health care, social care, and other social systems. However, the economic crash in Iceland in 2008 has been classified as the largest suffered by any country relative to the size of its economy. 1 In 2010, the National Theatre of Iceland undertook a major project to address the question of national identity in Iceland, considering why and how the financial collapse happened, how Iceland would recover, and the country's relationship with its Viking heritage. Using Halldór Laxness's 1952 novel Gerpla as the framework for this question, the National Theatre sought to create a work viewing Iceland's history and mythology through a contemporary lens. This essay will analyze the National Theatre's production of Gerpla, which explored Iceland's nearly one-thousand-year history, by examining the rituals and background of Iceland's history from the perspective of postcollapse Iceland in 2010.

Download

Heiner Muller: Contexts and History: A Collection of Essays from the Sydney German Studies Symposium 1994, and: Drama Contemporary : Germany (review)

Theatre Journal, 1998

Two recent collections in the area of German theatre provide readers with expansive views of thei... more

Addicted to Bad Ideas: Peter Lorre’s 20th Century, and: Good Cop Bad Cop, and: Don John (review)

Theatre Journal, 2010

As the Spoleto Festival USA, held each May through early June in Charleston, South Carolina, ente... more As the Spoleto Festival USA, held each May through early June in Charleston, South Carolina, entered the twenty-first century, it seemed that several of the city’s downtown theatrical spaces would scarcely be able to support the growing technical requirements of the international productions that were invited. However, under the visionary artistic leadership of Nigel Redden, that began to change in 2005. The addition of the College of Charleston’s Emmett Robinson Theatre, along with the renovation in 2008 of Memminger Auditorium and upgrades to the historic Dock Street Theatre (planned to reopen in 2010) have significantly raised production capabilities in the ailing venues associated with the festival. Noticeable advancements in technical production, particularly in the areas of lighting, machinery for scenic automation, and especially in the use of multimedia, characterized the 2009 festival.