A Director's Process on Life Is a Dream Jeremiah Dean Albers University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
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University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 8-2018 The aF ult in Our Stars: A Director's Process on Life is a Dream Jeremiah Dean Albers University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Other Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation Albers, Jeremiah Dean, "The aF ult in Our Stars: A Director's Process on Life is a Dream" (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 2930. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2930 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. The Fault in Our Stars A Director’s Process on “Life is a Dream” A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Theatre by Jeremiah Albers Old Dominion University Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, 2008 August 2018 University of Arkansas This thesis is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. _______________________________ Michael Landman, M.F.A. Thesis Chair ________________________________ ________________________________ Amy Herzberg, M.F.A. Shawn Irish, M.F.A. Committee Member Committee Member Abstract The following is a journal and reflection on my process as adaptor and director of the play Life is a Dream by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. It is equal parts self-evaluation and creative travelogue. The chapters include an Introduction, and The Production Process, and related appendices. Acknowledgements The production of Life is a Dream would not have been possible without the creative contributions of the talented cast and production team, or the support of the University of Arkansas Theatre faculty and staff. For their contribution, I am eternally grateful. I want to extend a very special thank you to Michael Landman, whose thoughtful mentorship was a valuable tool to the success of the production, and to my development as an artist. Dedication To my parents, who let me keep doing this despite their better judgment, I will be forever grateful. To my collaborators, both onstage and off, it would not have been possible without you. Table of Contents I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 The Production .................................................................................................................. 1 The Script and Story ......................................................................................................... 1 Goals and Vision ............................................................................................................... 3 II. The Production Process .............................................................................................................. 5 Play Selection ..................................................................................................................... 5 Adaptation ......................................................................................................................... 8 Preparation ...................................................................................................................... 12 Auditions and Casting .................................................................................................... 18 The Design Process ......................................................................................................... 22 The Rehearsal Process .................................................................................................... 36 Tech Rehearsals .............................................................................................................. 49 Performances ................................................................................................................... 53 Evaluation ........................................................................................................................ 54 Works Cited .................................................................................................................................. 57 Works Consulted ........................................................................................................................... 59 Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 62 Appendix A - The Script................................................................................................. 62 Appendix B - Research and Analysis .......................................................................... 147 Appendix C: Directorial Ideas and Methods.............................................................. 165 Appendix D: Design Meeting Preparation ................................................................. 167 Appendix E: List of Events .......................................................................................... 179 Appendix F: Cast List ................................................................................................... 188 Appendix G: Rehearsal Schedule ................................................................................ 189 Appendix H: Production Photos .................................................................................. 191 I. Introduction The Production Life is a Dream by Pedro Calderón de la Barca was produced in a new adaptation by Jeremiah Albers by the University of Arkansas Department of Theatre as part of their season in University Theatre. The production opened on February 16, 2018 and ran for eight performances, through February 25, 2018. Rehearsals began on January 8, with the cast returning a week early from Christmas break to rehearse eight hours a day for six days. During that week, we focused on training the cast in sword fighting and staging the dance. When classes began on January 16, we typically rehearsed six days a week, for four and a half hours daily. The cast included five graduate students and eleven undergraduate students. The creative team consisted of a faculty choreographer, a graduate fight choreographer, three graduate designers, and two faculty designers. A faculty member served as stage manager, and he was assisted by two undergraduate students. The Script and Story Life is a Dream was written in 1633 by Pedro Calderón de la Barca. It received its first performance sometime in 1634 or 1635 in Madrid. Since that time, it has remained a classic of the Spanish language stage, but has only received a handful of English language productions and adaptations in the last century. Life is a Dream is a philosophical allegory that explores the conflict between fate and free will through the story of Segismundo, a Polish prince who has lived since infancy as a prisoner in a tower. He was imprisoned by his father, Basilio, in an attempt to prevent Segismundo from fulfilling his horoscope to become a corrupt, tyrannical king who would foster civil war in the kingdom. Eaten up with guilt over what he’s done, Basilio concocts a plan to give Segismundo a sleeping potion, then place him on the throne and reveal to 1 him his true identity. If he acts against the stars’ prediction, Basilio will abdicate to him. However, if he proves the horoscope right, they will put him back to sleep, return him to prison, and tell him his experience in the palace was all a dream. Segismundo, upon hearing the truth, is understandably upset and acts out violently, fulfilling the stars' prediction. He is returned to his tower, and he is driven into an existential crisis when he cannot reconcile his memory with the lie he was told, that everything was a dream. His confusion is only alleviated when the citizens set him free from prison to conquer the throne by force. This is further complicated by the arrival of Rosaura, a Muscovite woman who has come to murder Segismundo’s rival for the throne, Duke Astolfo, for taking her virginity and abandoning her in their home country, to pursue power in Poland. Her shifting genders in the play from boy to woman at first confuse Segismundo and exacerbate his frustration. Her final appearance before him as an androgyne, both male and female, helps Segismundo finally make sense of what’s real and what’s only a dream. In the end, Segismundo and Rosaura join forces and conquer the kingdom. Segismundo decides to forgive his father, thus overcoming his fate and proving the horoscope wrong. He is then free to take his rightful place as king. There are myriad different English language versions of the play, and each takes its own approach to, and liberties with, the text. In trying to settle on a version of the script to use in the production, I read ten different translations, but did not find any of them satisfactory. I was not able to find a translation that wasn't either slavishly faithful to the poetry, or direct and completely devoid of poetry. I knew that adapting the play would be challenging, but I felt certain how I thought this world should sound, and what voices the characters should have. I also knew I wanted to make structural changes to the play. Having directed a long three act play last year (Angels in America: Perestroika), I was interested in exploring reimagining this play in two 2 acts. Although Angels was enormously successful, it also