THE PATH TO CREATION: SHE, AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment ofthe Requirements for the Degree Master ofFine Arts in the Graduate School ofThe Ohio State University By Allyson Laura Rosen, B.S. ••••• The Ohio State University 2002 Master ofFine Art's Examination Committee: Approved by Jeanine Thompson, Associate Professor, Adviser Dr. Joy Reilly, Associate Professor C'?c c~"~i;~~ ~ Bruce Hermann, Assistant Professor ~- Department ofTheatre ABSTRACT The following is the documentation of my process as an actor-creator in the creation of my thesis project, she. This process has been a journey of discoveries: as a result of my personal, artistic, and academic connections to folklore and modem experimental theatre, I discovered that I wanted to create an experimental theatre piece that engages the audience beyond a voyeuristic level, using mythology and folklore to explore universal connections that human beings have to one another. Chapter One is an overview of the research for the project. Chapter Two discusses the creation of the script for she, and also includes a final draft of the script. In Chapter Three, I describe the production circumstances for the project. Chapter Four is a record of the rehearsal process, and the scored script is also included. In Chapter Five, I discuss discoveries made during the performance of she, and provide an evaluation of the entire process. ii Dedicated to my family and friends. Sometimes its hard to tell the difference between the two. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank my adviser and mentor, Jeanine Thompson, for her unceasing support ofthis project. Her enthusiasm and pro-active attitude infused this process with a sense ofdiscovery. I thank Robert Post for the generous contribution ofhis time and creative energy. His feedback was not only objective, but also inspiring. I am grateful to my "partner in crime," Kathleen Gonzales, for offering her shoulder to cry on and her imagination when I most needed it. I want to thank my production team, Mark Bernhardt, Brea Fitzgerald, Tatjana Longerot, and Katie Whitlock for making this project as personal to them as it was for me. I also wish to thank Dr. Joy Reilly and Bruce Hermann for their insightful comments on this thesis and on my performance. Finally, I wish to thank The Ohio State University Department ofTheatre for its continuing support ofthe creation ofnew works, and for providing an opportunity for young theatre artists to incubate new definitions oftheatre. IV VITA April 20, 1977 Bom - Baltimore, Maryland 1991 - 1995 Theatre Major, Baltimore School for the Arts (BSFA) 1999 Bachelor ofScience, Towson University (TV) 1999-present.. Graduate Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University, (OSU) 2001 Instructor, Acting and Movement, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (BLFAC) White Hall, Michigan PERFORMANCES Semi-Professional Theatre Tunnel ofLove Alice Howmet Playhouse, MI Mixed Nutz Ensemble Axis Theatre, MD Community Theatre Don Juan in Chicago Elvira Fells Point Comer Theatre, MD Between the Lines Frankie Fells Point Comer Theatre, MD The Miracle Worker Helen Keller Harbour Theatre, MD v Educational Theatre St. Joan ofthe Stockyards Snyder OSU, Lesley Ferris she She, et. at. OSU, MFA Thesis Role Uncommon Clay Camille Claudel OSU, Jeanine Thompson The London Cuckolds Eugenia OSU, Maureen Ryan OrPheus Descending Eva OSU, Sue Ott Rowlands King Lear Fool OSU, Sue Ott Rowlands Mississippi Stories Mama OSU, Gloria Baxter Marriage Dunyashka OSU, Anatoly Morozov Red Noses Monselet, et.al. TU, Stan Brown OueenMab Ensemble TU, Juanita Rockwell The Flood Daughter TU, Ralph Blasting Pilcrim Souls Hannah TU, Tom Pullem Reflections One Person Show TU, Conservatory Final Project subUrbia Sooze TU, Peggy Penniman Etta Jenks Sheri TU, Juanita Rockwell A Midsummer Night's Dream Hermia BSFA, Donald Hicken The Table Laura BSFA, T'MUNA Theatre Recordings Pilgrim Souls Soundtrack Hannah TU, Tom Pullem FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Theatre VI TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Dedication iii Acknowledgments iv Vita v Introduction 1 Chapters 1. Research 4 1.1 Sources ofInspiration 4 1.1.1 The Masks ofEternity 4 1.1.2 Experimental Theatre 6 1.2 Pre-Production 10 1.2.1 The Independent Track 11 1.2.2 Research Methods 11 1.2.3 Movement Training 11 1.2.4 New Works Lab 12 1.2.5 9th Annual Myth and Theatre Festival- New Orleans 13 1.2.6 Independent Study 15 1.2.7 Actor Training 17 1.3 Major Sources ofResearch 17 1.3.1 Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Adaptations 18 1.3.2 The Archetypes 22 1.3.3 Rites ofPassage 26 2. The Writing Process 30 2.1 From Concept to Concrete 30 VB 2.1.1 If the Slipper Fits•••....................................................................... 31 2.1.2 Voice? You Mean I Need a Voice? : 31 2.1.3 Fork in the Path 33 2.1.4 Dreams Really Do Come True 34 2.1.5 New Works Lab 35 2.2 Journal Entries 37 2.3 Director's Concept Statement 48 2.4 Completed Script 53 3. Production Circumstances 98 3.1 Thesis Committee 98 3.1.1 Final Thesis Committee 99 3.2 Production Time-Line 99 3.3 Production Team 100 3.3.1 Brea Fitzgerald, Stage Manager 100 3.3.2 Tatjana Longerot, Costume and Set Designer 100 3.3.3 Mark Bernhardt, Lighting Designer 101 3.3.4 Katie Whitlock, Sound Designer 102 3.4 Production Meetings 102 3.5 The Theatre: Mount Hall Studio Theatre 105 4. The Process 107 4.1 Challenges and Discoveries 107 4.1.1 Why Did I Write So Many Lines for Myself? 107 4.1.2 Robert Post: The Eye of a God 109 4.1.3 Blocking versus Staging 110 4.1.4 Trading Hats 112 4.2 Rehearsal Log 113 4.3 Acting Methodology 127 4.4 Key to Scoring Terms and Abbreviations 131 4.4.1 A Brief Overview ofMira Rostova's Twelve Doings 132 4.4.2 Script Notation Abbreviations 133 4.5 Scored Script 134 5. Evaluation and Conclusion 187 5.1 Performance 187 5.1.1 The Audience 187 5.1.2 The On-going Process 191 5.2 Post-Production 193 5.2.1 Post-Production Talk-Back: ActinglDirecting Area 193 Vlll 5.2.2 Post-Production Meeting: Production Team 194 5.3 The Future ofshe and Me 196 5.4 Happily Ever 197 Bibliography 199 Appendices A. Preliminary Estimated Budget for she 204 B. Production Expense Report 206 C. Production Photos 207 IX INTRODUCTION Once upon a time, I created and performed in an original solo play about a girl who became a woman, about a daughter who became a mother without turning into her own mother while appreciating her mother's wisdom and mistakes, and did it all by living the life ofa fairy tale heroine. The piece was called she. This was also the name ofthe main character. She is a combination ofGretel, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, the Fairy Godmother, the witch in the woods, the Evil Stepmother, Me, My Mother, My Grandmother, and ultimately, the Goddess. she is an exploration ofthe sometimes magical, sometimes torturous relationships that women have with their mothers, and the journey girls make in order to become women. I created she as a result ofmy own journey as an artist and a woman, but with the intention ofcreating something that was both personal and universal. I wanted to merge my story with the stories that children have been told for centuries, and have become as much a part ofthe collective unconscious as the ancient myths. I also wanted to re­ examine the tales that had helped to shape the dreams oflittle girls around the world, and had in some cases given them a slightly skewed sense ofreality. Despite the feminist revolution that has exploded in the late twentieth century, millions oflittle girls world wide are told nightly that someday their prince will come, and that he will be the solution 1 to all their problems, and that they will live happily ever after. But what ifthe real lessons ofthese ancient tales have been hidden under promises ofprinces and happy endings? The heroines offairy tales in their original forms were resourceful young women who, through learning from their mistakes and through their innate cleverness, overcame obstacles without the help ofcharming princes, although a fairy godmother's help was always a valuable commodity. The handsome prince was a reward for the heroine's endeavors, not a solution to her problems. It was my intention to create a connection between the fantasy world offairy tales and the real world ofgrowing up. In fairy tales, young girls get lost in the woods and encounter seductive wolves. In the real world, young girls get their first periods, develop breasts, and are suddenly objects ofboys' attention. In fairy tales, young women are trapped in towers by possessive witches. In the real world, young women commit their waking hours to graduate school partially to get away from their domineering mothers. In fairy tales, middle aged women gaze into magic mirrors, searching for remnants oftheir youth. In the real world, middle aged women gaze in mirrors and contemplate liposuction. In fairy tales, old women are shoved into ovens by little children. In the real world, old women struggle to connect with the children oftheir estranged daughters. In she, She struggles to separate her identity from that ofher mother. After revisiting stories from her own life, as well as from her mother's life, and by taking on the role ofdifferent storytellers with a variety ofperspectives on the old fairy tales, She learns that she will always be connected to her mother and, that by recognizing that connection, she takes ownership ofher own life.