University of Mississippi eGrove Honors College (Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors Theses Honors College) 2018 Writing IX: Combining Theatre Arts and Public Policy through the Process of Playwriting John Brahan University of Mississippi. Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis Part of the Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons Recommended Citation Brahan, John, "Writing IX: Combining Theatre Arts and Public Policy through the Process of Playwriting" (2018). Honors Theses. 453. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/453 This Undergraduate Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College (Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College) at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WRITING IX: COMBINING THEATRE ARTS AND PUBLIC POLICY THROUGH THE PROCESS OF PLAYWRITING by John Brahan A thesis submitted to the faculty of The University of Mississippi in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Oxford May 2018 Approved by ____________________ Advisor: Professor Michael Barnett ____________________ Reader: Professor Joe Turner Cantú ___________________ Reader: Dr. Melissa Bass i © 2018 John Brahan ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT JOHN BRAHAN: Writing IX: Combining Theatre Arts and Public Policy through the Process of Playwriting (under the direction of Michael Barnett) This thesis explores the process of writing a play and compares sexual misconduct policies at universities in the Southeastern Conference. It exhibits the process through examining writing exercises to develop character and plot, showing expanded understanding of dramatic literature through reading additional plays, outlining the growth of the narrative through table readings, additional feedback, and displaying audience feedback garnered through an optional survey filled out by patrons at the end of their theatre experience. Throughout the narrative of the thesis, I explore how I developed each of Aristotle’s Six Elements of Tragedy: character, plot, idea, language, music, and spectacle. The thesis is the resulting full length play, IX, produced by Ghostlight Repertory Theatre during the Fall semester of 2017, in addition to comparative policy analysis of sexual misconduct policies in the SEC, a crucial component of the research necessary for the development of the play, found in the idea portion of the narrative. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Character…………………………………………………………………………………………..9 Plot……………………………………………………………………………………………….21 Idea……………………………………………………………………………………………….31 The Origin of Title IX…………………………………………………………………….33 The Evolution of Title IX…………………………………………………………………36 Backlash Against the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter………………………………………41 Sexual Misconduct Policies on SEC Campuses………………………………………….45 Policy Suggestions……………………………………………………………………….57 Title IX in Oleanna, Really Really, and Actually………………………………………..59 Idea Continued…………………………………………………………………………..76 Language…………………………………………………………………………………………78 Music……………………………………………………………………………………………..86 Spectacle………………………………………………………………………………………....98 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………...115 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Character Biographies …………………………………………………....122 Appendix 2: Draft One of She Asked for It…………………………..............................154 Appendix 3: Notes from First Table Read………………………………………….......193 Appendix 4: Scenes and Monologues that Didn’t Make the Cut…… ………………...196 Appendix 5: Draft Four of She Asked for It……………………………….……….…...218 Appendix 6:Feedback Forms from Second Table Read …………………………….....284 Appendix 7: Final Draft of IX………………………………………………….…….....293 Appendix 8: Audience Feedback………………………………………………..…...…388 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………….………428 iv Introduction During my freshman year, I did not enjoy the Ole Miss party scene. In high school, I took a personal pledge to not drink until I turned twenty-one years old. My refrain from alcohol became a part of my identity. In order to fit in with the ubiquitous, binge-drinking culture, I found a way to be a part of the group in a role which I could fulfill while maintaining my sobriety. I became the 24/7 designated driver. At parties I could hear friends whisper to each other, “Just ask John. He’s always sober.” From taking late night alcohol runs during pledgeship to hauling inebriated freshmen from point A to point B in loads exceeding the maximum limit of my Honda Accord, I saw behaviors, overhead conversations, and witnessed disgusting interactions that ultimately led to the creation of this thesis. On a Friday night, during the spring of my freshman year, I decided to watch a movie to take a break from “going out.” Around 10:30, I got a call from my friend Abby (all names have been changed for the sake of confidentiality). She frantically slurred, “I can’t find Rebekah anywhere. Please, please come help me. At ATO.” I pressed pause on whatever I was watching and immediately rushed from Ridge South (now Burns Hall) across campus to find my friend. When she got in my car, tears streamed down her face as she explained the situation. One of the Alpha Tau Omegas who lived in the fraternity house kept bringing Abby and Rebekah into his room. He would offer them drinks and while they chatted he would casually lock the door behind him. Abby would notice him locking the door, and they would quickly leave. When they needed another drink, they would find the same brother, and like clockwork, he would supply their drinks, ask them questions, and with attempted subtlety lock the door. Amongst the hustle and bustle of the party, Rebekah and Abby separated. After a few minutes passed, Abby began looking for Rebekah. She did not see her anywhere at the party. She became worried and went to 1 the room of their “friend.” To her chagrin, the door had been locked. Abby began panicking and trying to get in touch with Rebekah who did not answer her texts or calls. As we sat in my car, Abby called her repeatedly until she finally answered. With the phone on speaker, Rebekah incoherently mumbled, “At Kappa Sig.” By the periodic silence on the line and her inability to form sentences, I knew that Rebekah was wasted. After she hung up, we drove to the Kappa Sigma house, and Abby ran inside to find Rebekah. Roughly thirty minutes passed, and Abby came back without Rebekah. She began calling her incessantly again. When she answered, Rebekah said she was on the Square. I pulled off campus, sped down Jackson Avenue, and finally picked Rebekah up outside of the Levee. I saw her standing on the sidewalk with a glazed look on her face and her dress disheveled. Nobody stood beside her. She was alone. Like an alien on a foreign planet, she had no idea where she was or how she got there. She stared at us with dead eyes surrounded by the moving crowds of drunken college students only concerned about their next drink or their next hookup. The next day, Rebekah called me, and her biggest concern was finding the earring that she thought she might have lost in my car. She had no recollection of what she experienced, who she was with, or how she even got from the Alpha Tau Omega house, to the Kappa Sigma house, and then to the Levee. As long as she found the earring, everything was cool. At that point in time, I had no idea how to handle the situation. Abby’s description of the fraternity man’s abrasive, predatory behavior alarmed Abby and me, but Rebekah did not remember even interacting with the guy. Back then, I chalked up the situation as another reason why I should not drink alcohol. I did not realize the cultural problems that college students faced due to their views on sex, alcohol, and respect for one another. 2 As a freshman, I was oblivious to Title IX and what the policy did for our campus. I certainly did not know that the policy dealt with sexual assaults. At the end of my sophomore year, once I became Vice President of the Associated Student Body, Vice President of Standards for the Interfraternity Council (IFC), and an Orientation Leader, I started to learn about the ramifications and expectations of Title IX. During my time on IFC, I went to a lecture on consent. The speaker spoke of the autonomy universities have over defining terms and delegating Title IX procedures. After this lecture, I began to think about the effects of Title IX on our campus and how differences in sexual misconduct policies could drastically affect the Title IX experience for students across America. A year later, I came face to face with Title IX when my fraternity, Sigma Chi, went under a Title IX investigation for our behavior at our annual philanthropy event, Derby Days. During my sophomore year, I served as the Derby Days Chairman alongside Austin Powell, my roommate and fellow Sigma Chi. We successfully raised money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute and organized a blood drive that gave the most blood in the state to Mississippi Blood Services, but I did not realize the misogyny and degradation were inherently supported and promoted through the entire concept of Derby Days, a competition where sorority women dance for money. When Davis Barron asked women at the competition whether they preferred link, patty, or Sigma Chi sausage, the sexual harassment which women received at the hands of my fraternity in the name of philanthropy proved to be an immense cultural problem as well as a violation of Title IX. During the event, I was performing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but by association, I became a respondent to a Title IX violation. The policy which I wanted to research for my thesis became clearer as my experiences changed. While a thesis on Title IX would be great for my policy education, I still faced the challenge of two majors: Public Policy Leadership and Theatre Arts. 3 I knew that I wanted to combine both of my areas of study for my thesis, however, I had no idea how.