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A Director's Approach to Ionesco's Rhinoceros Chad Landon Kennedy

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A Director's Approach to Ionesco's Rhinoceros Chad Landon Kennedy ABSTRACT Unpacking the Individual: A Director’s Approach to Ionesco’s Rhinoceros Chad Landon Kennedy, M.F.A. Chairperson: Stan Denman, Ph.D. In 1959, French-Romanian playwright Eugene Ionesco debuted his play, Rhinoceros, and the theatergoing world was captivated by the curious image of people turning into pachyderms. This fable about herd mentality and being comfortable in one’s own skin is continually timely, as humans and rhinos often pit people against the pack. While critics have pointed to historic inspirations for the script for years, the play is more effective as an individual exploration of what it means to be human. Like much of Ionesco’s work, it reveals a strong concern for individualism and upholding human dignity. This thesis examines the production process that brought Rhinoceros to the Baylor University stage in December 2019 for a weeklong run. It explores the playwright’s life and work, as well as historical productions of the play, before turning attention to the directorial analysis of the script. Directing concepts and production designs are then outlined to trace the development of the play from rehearsals through performances to highlight lessons learned throughout the collaborative process. Unpacking the Individual: A Director's Approach to Ionesco's Rhinoceros by Chad Landon Kennedy, B.A., B.S., M.A. A Thesis Approved by the Department of Theatre Arts DeAnna Toten Beard, Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts Approved by the Thesis Committee Stan Denman, Ph.D., Chairperson David Jortner, Ph.D. DeAnna Toten Beard, Ph.D. Steven Pounders, M.F.A. Theresa Kennedy, Ph.D. Sha Towers, M.L.I.S. Accepted by the Graduate School May 2020 J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2020 by Chad Landon Kennedy All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................. 1 The Playwright and the Play ........................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Ionesco’s Early Years ................................................................................................. 1 Ionesco, The Playwright ............................................................................................. 8 Theatre of the Absurd ............................................................................................... 11 Ionesco’s Genres ....................................................................................................... 16 Advocating for the Individual ................................................................................... 19 Rhinoceros Roots and Inspiration ............................................................................. 24 Rhinoceros on the World Stage ................................................................................ 25 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 32 CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................. 33 Analyzing the Play ........................................................................................................ 33 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 33 Ionesco’s Explanation ............................................................................................... 34 Graphing the Script ................................................................................................... 37 Another Day, Another Rhinoceros ........................................................................... 42 Rhinoceros Transformations ..................................................................................... 44 The People in the Street ............................................................................................ 47 Office Protocol .......................................................................................................... 51 Rhinos in the House, or A Rhino’s Natural Habitat ................................................. 58 A Family of Rhinos is Called a Crash ...................................................................... 62 The Last Man Standing ............................................................................................. 68 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 74 CHAPTER THREE .......................................................................................................... 75 The Design Process ....................................................................................................... 75 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 75 A Note on the Production Calendar .......................................................................... 75 Directing Concept ..................................................................................................... 76 A Note on Collaborative Procedure .......................................................................... 80 iv Time and Place .......................................................................................................... 81 Scenic Design............................................................................................................ 82 Lighting Design ........................................................................................................ 94 Sound Design .......................................................................................................... 101 Costume Design ...................................................................................................... 103 Properties ................................................................................................................ 107 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 109 CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................... 111 The Rehearsal Process ................................................................................................ 111 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 111 Auditions ................................................................................................................. 112 First Rehearsal and Read-Through ......................................................................... 117 Blocking Rehearsals ................................................................................................ 119 Truthful Acting, Not Absurd ................................................................................... 123 A Note on Memorization ........................................................................................ 125 The Designer Run ................................................................................................... 127 Inviting Guests Early .............................................................................................. 131 Vocal Development and Listening .......................................................................... 136 Rhino School ........................................................................................................... 141 Play Time ................................................................................................................ 144 Cue-to-Cue and Transitions .................................................................................... 146 Growing the Show Over Break ............................................................................... 148 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 149 CHAPTER FIVE ............................................................................................................ 151 Production Assessment ............................................................................................... 151 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 151 How the Scenes Played ........................................................................................... 151 Actor-Director Collaboration .................................................................................. 159 Designer-Director Collaboration ............................................................................ 162 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 163 APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................
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