Date of Award
8-2026
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.F.A.
Degree Program
Film and Theatre
Department
Film and Theatre
Major Professor
Diane Baas
Second Advisor
Kevin Griffith
Third Advisor
Henry Francis Griffin
Abstract
This thesis analyzes the scenic rationale of Baby Love, highlighting its poetic stage language and metaphoric choices. Referencing Artaud, it investigates how scenery challenges conventional theatre and demonstrates the feasibility of Afro-futurist aesthetics within the Theatre of Cruelty. The approach prioritizes sensory communication, following Artaud’s emphasis on stage techniques.
Referring to the influence of Artaud’s intense artistic milieu, which contributed to the crystallization of the concept of Cruelty, and identifying methodologies used in developing my design metaphor.
Tracing the emergence of the Afrocentric movement in America reveals that the literary roots of Afro-futurism were established in cyberculture a bit earlier than expected. As creative writing on the subject became a trend, futurologists, set designers, and streamliners easily embraced the concept.
The conceptual foundation I adopt is built on selected critical and practical sources and follows an analytical narrative structure.
Recommended Citation
ABDULLA, NIHAL HASSAN, "On the Paces of Artaud: An Attempt to Examine an Afro-futurism Template Through the Lens of Theatre of Cruelty" (2026). LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 3408.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/3408
Included in
African American Studies Commons, African Languages and Societies Commons, Art and Design Commons, Fiction Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.