Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC Theses Theses and Dissertations 5-1-2016 The opH eless Hope or The oP et's Passion in The Farmer's Pragmatic World: Directing Eugene O'Neill's Beyond the Horizon Nicholas Radcliffe Southern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses Recommended Citation Radcliffe, Nicholas, "The opeH less Hope or The oeP t's Passion in The aF rmer's Pragmatic World: Directing Eugene O'Neill's Beyond the Horizon" (2016). Theses. Paper 1922. This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at OpenSIUC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE HOPELESS HOPE OR THE POET’S PASSION IN THE FARMER’S PRAGMATIC WORLD: DIRECTING EUGENE O’NEILL’S BEYOND THE HORIZON By Nicholas B. Radcliffe B.A., National-Louis University, 2001 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Fine Arts in Theater Department of Theater In the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale May 2016 THESIS APPROVAL THE HOPELESS HOPE OR THE POET’S PASSION IN THE FARMER’S PRAGMATIC WORLD: DIRECTING EUGENE O’NEILL’S BEYOND THE HORIZON By Nicholas B. Radcliffe A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Fine Arts In the field of Theater Approved by: Olusegun Ojewuyi, Chair Anne Fletcher Jacob Juntunen Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale March 29, 2016 AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF NICHOLAS B. RADCLIFFE, for the Master of Fine Arts degree in THEATER, presented on December 14, 2015, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: THE HOPELESS HOPE OR THE POET’S PASSION IN THE FARMER’S PRAGMATIC WORLD: DIRECTING EUGENE O’NEILL’S BEYOND THE HORIZON MAJOR PROFESSOR: Olusegun Ojewuyi The Hopeless Hope… documents the process of directing Beyond the Horizon, presented December 11-13, 2015 in the McLeod Theater at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The document specifically details the development of the director’s vision for the production, from the initial readings and research through rehearsal, performance and post-production evaluations. The document is organized chronologically, beginning in Chapter 1 with a discussion of the director’s research and how that research influenced the analysis of the play, progressing to the development of the vision and concept. Chapter 2 details the production process from design and casting, through rehearsal and into performance. Chapter 3 is a personal evaluation of the overall process and production, including the discovery of opportunities for future growth and experimentation in the art of directing. Chapter 4 examines collaboration as a tool for the director, specifically exploring the commonalities between successful and failed collaborations, aiming to arrive at possible strategies for preventing breakdowns in collaborative partnerships. i PREFACE The initial process for this thesis production of Beyond the Horizon began with a return to a script with which I have been intimately familiar since junior year of my undergraduate studies. I attempted to read the play anew, dismissing previous notions and interpretations as much as possible. Following these initial readings and study of the text, I began to research both play and playwright. This research included critical essays, interviews, biographical materials and collections of letters written by the playwright. The purpose of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of Eugene O’Neill (influences, background, personal aesthetic preference/perspective, etc.) and to become familiar with the criticism written by other artists and scholars. I hoped this research would unlock themes, action, and aspects of character contained in the play I may have missed on my own. In hindsight, I can say that this research and analysis was effective with regard to its intended purpose. My own personal response to the discoveries I made would have both positive and negative impacts on the process and the resultant production. The first chapter of this document details this literary work – research, analysis and its application to the development of my vision and concept for the production. Chapter Two details the production process, from design meetings and rehearsals up to opening night. Chapter Three contains my own personal evaluation of the process, the production, and my own lessons and projections for my future work as a director. The fourth chapter is a study of the collaborative process. In it I discuss the commonalities among both successful and failed collaborations in the theatre and search for possible strategies to prevent breakdowns in the process. The research for this chapter included the reexamining of several books written specifically on directing, design and/or collaboration, as well as interviews with directors and artistic directors of LORT Theatres, and designers and directors (past and present) at SIU. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... i PREFACE ........................................................................................................................ ii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ iv LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... v CHAPTERS CHAPTER 1 – Research and Analysis ................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 2 – Production Process .................................................................... 63 CHAPTER 3 – Evaluation ................................................................................... 95 CHAPTER 4 – Collaboration as a Tool for the Director .................................... 115 Works Cited and Consulted ......................................................................................... 135 APPENDICES Appendix A: Physical Technique ...................................................................... 140 Appendix B: Punctuation Technique ................................................................. 144 Appendix C: Callback Materials ........................................................................ 146 Appendix D: Correspondence .......................................................................... 162 Appendix E: Production Photographs .............................................................. 163 Appendix F: Permission of Image Use ............................................................ 187 VITA ......................................................................................................................... 189 iii LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE Table 2.1 ....................................................................................................................... 63 Table Appendix B.1 ..................................................................................................... 145 iv LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE Figure 1.1 ...................................................................................................................... 55 Figure 4.1 .................................................................................................................... 119 Figure 4.2 .................................................................................................................... 121 Figure 4.3 .................................................................................................................... 123 Figure 4.4 .................................................................................................................... 132 Figure 4.5 .................................................................................................................... 134 Figure E.1 .................................................................................................................... 164 Figure E.2 .................................................................................................................... 164 Figure E.3 .................................................................................................................... 165 Figure E.4 .................................................................................................................... 165 Figure E.5 .................................................................................................................... 166 Figure E.6 .................................................................................................................... 166 Figure E.7 .................................................................................................................... 167 Figure E.8 .................................................................................................................... 167 Figure E.9 .................................................................................................................... 168 Figure E.10 .................................................................................................................. 168 Figure E.11 .................................................................................................................. 169 Figure E.12 .................................................................................................................