{"id":{"repo_id":"mo-state","oai_identifier":"oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-2095"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mo-state/oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-2095","repository":{"repo_id":"mo-state","name":"Missouri State University","base_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Coliseum","abstract":"Coliseum was written on the basis of a \"modest proposal\" I had on how to rid the Los Angeles area of gangs in the late 1980's. This \"modest proposal\" then evolved into a one-act play I wrote in Dr. Jones' Playwriting class at Missouri State University. Two of the central characters from that play made it into the novella version of Coliseum. Miguel became the scared protagonist and Loco became his relentless antagonist, constantly challenging Miguel at every turn. This version of Coliseum chronicles the evolution of Miguel from an unsure gang member into a mentally unstable, full-fledged killer. During this evolution, Miguel begins having conversations with a phantom voice in his head who constantly urges him to \"cowboy up.\" It must be understood that the voice is a central character in this story, with its own thoughts, actions, and set of moral codes, and not just an alter-ego that solely belongs to Miguel. The voice also has a history of its own, which is subtly revealed throughout the story, most notably at the end.","abstract_html":"Coliseum was written on the basis of a "modest proposal" I had on how to rid the Los Angeles area of gangs in the late 1980's. This "modest proposal" then evolved into a one-act play I wrote in Dr. Jones' Playwriting class at Missouri State University. Two of the central characters from that play made it into the novella version of Coliseum. Miguel became the scared protagonist and Loco became his relentless antagonist, constantly challenging Miguel at every turn. This version of Coliseum chronicles the evolution of Miguel from an unsure gang member into a mentally unstable, full-fledged killer. During this evolution, Miguel begins having conversations with a phantom voice in his head who constantly urges him to "cowboy up." It must be understood that the voice is a central character in this story, with its own thoughts, actions, and set of moral codes, and not just an alter-ego that solely belongs to Miguel. The voice also has a history of its own, which is subtly revealed throughout the story, most notably at the end.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Dixon, Stephen Gray"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in English","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Wayne Blackmon"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2007,"date_issued":"2007-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2007-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:16:06Z","subjects":["fiction","Hispanic","gangs","Los Angeles","violence","English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":["© Stephen Gray Dixon"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1094","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Wayne Blackmon"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Dixon, Stephen Gray"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in English"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["fiction","Hispanic","gangs","Los Angeles","violence","English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© Stephen Gray Dixon"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1094"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Coliseum was written on the basis of a \"modest proposal\" I had on how to rid the Los Angeles area of gangs in the late 1980's. This \"modest proposal\" then evolved into a one-act play I wrote in Dr. Jones' Playwriting class at Missouri State University. Two of the central characters from that play made it into the novella version of Coliseum. Miguel became the scared protagonist and Loco became his relentless antagonist, constantly challenging Miguel at every turn. This version of Coliseum chronicles the evolution of Miguel from an unsure gang member into a mentally unstable, full-fledged killer. During this evolution, Miguel begins having conversations with a phantom voice in his head who constantly urges him to \"cowboy up.\" It must be understood that the voice is a central character in this story, with its own thoughts, actions, and set of moral codes, and not just an alter-ego that solely belongs to Miguel. The voice also has a history of its own, which is subtly revealed throughout the story, most notably at the end."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Coliseum"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Wayne Blackmon"],"dc:creator":["Dixon, Stephen Gray"],"dc:description.abstract":["Coliseum was written on the basis of a \"modest proposal\" I had on how to rid the Los Angeles area of gangs in the late 1980's. This \"modest proposal\" then evolved into a one-act play I wrote in Dr. Jones' Playwriting class at Missouri State University. Two of the central characters from that play made it into the novella version of Coliseum. Miguel became the scared protagonist and Loco became his relentless antagonist, constantly challenging Miguel at every turn. This version of Coliseum chronicles the evolution of Miguel from an unsure gang member into a mentally unstable, full-fledged killer. During this evolution, Miguel begins having conversations with a phantom voice in his head who constantly urges him to \"cowboy up.\" It must be understood that the voice is a central character in this story, with its own thoughts, actions, and set of moral codes, and not just an alter-ego that solely belongs to Miguel. The voice also has a history of its own, which is subtly revealed throughout the story, most notably at the end."],"dc:identifier":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1094"],"dc:rights":["© Stephen Gray Dixon"],"dc:subject":["fiction","Hispanic","gangs","Los Angeles","violence","English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["Coliseum"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in English"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:16:06Z"}