Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC Theses Theses and Dissertations 9-1-2020 DIVING INTO ONE’S PAINFUL PAST AND DARKEST INTERNAL FEARS: THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS OF THE THREAD THAT SNAPPED Austin Brian Harrison Southern Illinois University Carbondale, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses Recommended Citation Harrison, Austin Brian, "DIVING INTO ONE’S PAINFUL PAST AND DARKEST INTERNAL FEARS: THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS OF THE THREAD THAT SNAPPED" (2020). Theses. 2732. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/2732 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]. DIVING INTO ONE’S PAINFUL PAST AND DARKEST INTERNAL FEARS: THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS OF THE THREAD THAT SNAPPED by Austin Harrison M.A., Louisiana Tech University, 2017 B.S., Louisiana Tech University, 2015 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Fine Arts Degree Department of Theatre in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale May 2020 Copyright by Austin Harrison, 2020 All Rights Reserved THESIS APPROVAL DIVING INTO ONE’S PAINFUL PAST AND DARKEST INTERNAL FEARS: THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS OF THE THREAD THAT SNAPPED by Austin Harrison A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts in the field of Theatre Approved by: Dr. Jacob Juntunen, Chair Mark Varns Segun Ojewuyi Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale April 10, 2020 AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Austin Harrison, for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre, presented on April 10, 2020, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: DIVING INTO ONE’S PAINFUL PAST AND DARKEST INTERNAL FEARS: THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS OF THE THREAD THAT SNAPPED MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Jacob Juntunen This thesis details the development of my full-length play The Thread That Snapped from its early conception in 2019 to full production at Southern Illinois University Department of Theatre’s Christian H. Moe Theatre’s space in March 2020. In writing The Thread That Snapped, I was inspired by traumatic chapters within my life that shaped me as a human. This play, therefore, examines the unpredictable ways in which an individual is driven to insanity and the delicate thread that separates sanity and insanity. From this play comes a study into the human condition and how society and relationships shape who we become n life. Chapter One includes a statement of the project, the origin, and development of the script, initial structure and plot considerations for the script, research that impacted the creation of the script, character development, and tools for self-evaluation. Chapter Two covers the pre- writing process, feedback from my writing partner, notes from my advisor, Jacob Juntunen, and the director, Susan Patrick Benson, about the script’s development and an overall description of the play’s progression through drafts. Chapter Three describes the design meetings held in preparation for the production of The Thread That Snapped. Chapter Four details the audition and casting process as well as rehearsals for the piece. Chapter Five evaluates The Thread That Snapped’s production, describes ideas for future productions of the piece as well as possible revisions. Chapter Six concludes the thesis by tracking my progression in the playwriting i program over the past three years. It includes my writing growth in terms of structure and developing my artistic voice. It also discusses my professional development over the time in the program, as well as the evolution of my teaching practice. I have also included in the thesis the production script of The Thread That Snapped. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to my advisor, Dr. Jacob Juntunen, who took a chance on a poet and gave me the opportunity to bring my stories to life. For teaching me about “penguins” and “staying on an island”, I thank you. Lastly, thank you for giving me the tool of structure for my writing. Thank you to my personal mentor and academic spirit guide, Dr. Anne Fletcher, for always being the most dedicated and passionate professor I have ever had. You are what academia needs. Thank you to my playwriting peers, Teresa McKinley and Dustin Hageland, for being my critics. To Jennifer Caudell and Rion Towery for reading every page I ever sent them at 2-o- clock in the morning. Thank you to all the undergraduates I have worked with over the past three years. Thank you to my thesis director, Susan Patrick Benson, for bringing my script to life and challenging my own views of what my play could mean and be. To Gregory Aldrich, Kelley Jordan, David Dudley, Daniel Bennett, Kalie Scanlan and Angela Duggins, and all my friends now and forever at SIU. To Jefferson Gray, I wish you could have been here with me. To the entire cast and crew of The Thread That Snapped, and to its audience. Thank you for breathing life into my play! iii DEDICATION The script, production, and documentation are dedicated to those who are scared, angry, and feel alone. There is love; there is help, there is warmth… merely reach out your hand. There is Life Along There is darkness... There is light. Men and women. There's food. Tables and chairs In restaurants. Ears listening to the laughter From tables across the room, ...to that of wine trickling from a bottle …and the clinking of glasses being set and toasted at tables. Food becomes when tears fall Sharp …and pierces Behind the molars. Senses rouse. The food becomes spicier... ...saltier... …sour… not sweet... not savory… …but bitter. There is life. Hope and disease. People at tables Staring down red faced With eyes like puff pastry. Those overcome with grief. Hit with memories Of all they’ve done and those they've lost. Lovers long departed only to remain in painful scars; Friends they’ve hurt and lost. The feeling of weightlessness sets in As life stops completely And interrogation begins. That's the disease. Time goes on. Days. … months. There's work. Traffic. The sound of birds calling in trees. Slowly things drift back together And attempts are made to bring back what is normalcy … for life to begin yet again. Fishermen leave their ports to cast their lines... Officers hitting the streets reporting for duty. iv Those who believe That somehow life will go on … choosing to focus and hold onto What is most considered important. In life There is darkness That blankets the eyes And beats the heart till black and level. But beyond the veil There is light And people And noise. Places and flowers And hands to hold. Those that reach out To offer warmth... ...compassion... ...forgiveness... ...and love. Slowly life Like rain clouds … moves along. - A.B. Harrison v PREFACE During the month of May 2020, the United States was hit by the COVID-19 or Coronavirus pandemic which put the nation at an almost standstill. The SIU campus had just entered spring break and the production crew and cast had left to take a much-needed break. Once the COVID-19 virus was deemed a global pandemic, per the advice of national health and safety and government officials, the president of the SIU campus ordered that all events for the remainder of the spring semester be cancelled and for classes to move to online based platforms. Therefore, The Thread That Snapped did not receive a production as planned and ended while in the rehearsal process. I have kept the documentation and writing in the original tense when written. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iv PREFACE ...................................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTERS CHAPTER 1 – Origin and Development.............................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 – Pre-writing and Writing Process ...............................................................19 CHAPTER 3 – Design and Production Meetings .............................................................37 CHAPTER 4 – Auditions and Rehearsals .........................................................................45 CHAPTER 5 – Production ................................................................................................56 CHAPTER 6 – Conclusion ................................................................................................62 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................75 APPENDICES APPENDIX A – Production Script ....................................................................................76 APPENDIX B – Sheet Music ..........................................................................................204 VITA ..........................................................................................................................................221 vii CHAPTER 1 ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT This chapter details the project proposal