The Fluidity of Collaboration: Directing Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice by Keltie Redfern Forsyth B.A., The University of Alberta, 2008 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF FINE ARTS in The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (Theatre) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2016 ©Keltie Redfern Forsyth, 2016 Abstract The Fluidity of Collaboration: Directing Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice explores the development of my directorial practice as I directed Eurydice in the UBC Department of Theatre and Film 2015-2016 season January 21 – February 6, 2016 at the Frederick Wood Theatre. The first sections of this document consists of the original script analysis I submitted as the basis for the production. This analysis traces my thinking about the play from first impressions and dominant images, through character and structural breakdown, the given circumstances of production and my intended approach to the text. The second section describes the process of producing the play, from the initial design concept meetings, the design refinement, budgeting and finalization process, casting, rehearsals and production. The bulk of this thesis, the second section focuses on how collaboration with designers, actors, coaches, stage management and technicians changed my thinking about the play. I also discuss the challenges that we faced through the design and rehearsal process, and how I attempted to overcome these challenges. The third section is a self evaluation, written after the run of Eurydice. In the evaluation, I compare my original intentions to the reality of the production, note the elements of the production I thought were generally successful, and examine the less successful aspects of the play. Specifically, I note the way that collaboration with the team of theatre artists that brought Eurydice to the stage changed my initial vision for the play. This collaborative effort brought many exciting and innovative ideas to the show, but it also diluted some of the thematic content I wanted to forward. Thus the overall question of this thesis is an exploration of the impact of collaboration on theatre creation. ii Preface This dissertation is an original, unpublished and independent work by the author, Keltie Redfern Forsyth. This document comprises the written portion of a project that includes the preparation, analysis, rehearsal and performance of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice directed by Keltie Forsyth and presented as a part of the UBC Department of Theatre and Film’s 2015 – 2016 season. iii Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ......................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. vi Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. vii Dedication ................................................................................................................................ viii Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter One: Play Analysis ...................................................................................................... 2 Part 1: Initial Response to the Play ................................................................................................... 2 Part 2: Type or Genre of Play ............................................................................................................ 4 Part 3: Style .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Part 4: Space ........................................................................................................................................ 5 Part 5: Audience.................................................................................................................................. 5 Part 6: Given Circumstances of Production .................................................................................... 6 Part 7: Time Period ............................................................................................................................. 7 Part 8: Emphatic Element .................................................................................................................. 7 Part 9: Theme or Idea ......................................................................................................................... 8 Part 10: Action of the Play ................................................................................................................... 11 Part 11: Dramatic Metaphor ............................................................................................................... 13 Part 12: Mood ........................................................................................................................................ 14 Part 13: Characters ............................................................................................................................... 16 Part 14: Structural Elements ............................................................................................................... 21 Part 15: Directorial Approach ............................................................................................................. 22 Part 16: Design Words ......................................................................................................................... 25 Part 17: Audience Orientation ............................................................................................................ 25 Part 18: The World of the Play ........................................................................................................... 26 Part 19: Special Problems .................................................................................................................... 27 iv Chapter Two: The Process ....................................................................................................... 28 Part 20: Initial Design Meetings ......................................................................................................... 28 Part 21: Set Design................................................................................................................................ 30 Part 22: Costume Design ..................................................................................................................... 34 Part 23: Sound Design ......................................................................................................................... 35 Part 24: Casting – Outside and Inside Actors .................................................................................. 38 Part 25: Meeting with Helen Eastman ............................................................................................... 40 Part 26: Rehearsals – Active Analysis ............................................................................................... 41 Part 27: Rehearsals – Blocking ............................................................................................................ 45 Part 28: Rehearsals – Not… But… ..................................................................................................... 46 Part 29: Rehearsals – Working Through ........................................................................................... 47 Part 30: Challenges – The Chorus ...................................................................................................... 49 Part 31: Challenges – Stilts .................................................................................................................. 52 Part 32: Lighting Design and Projection ........................................................................................... 55 Part 33: Getting onto the Stage to Opening ...................................................................................... 57 Chapter Three: Reflections ...................................................................................................... 59 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 61 Appendix A: Director’s Notes from the Production Program .......................................... 63 Appendix B – Performance Analysis: Eurydice ................................................................... 65 v List of Figures Figure 1: Orpheus Arrives in the Underworld ........................................................................ 2 Figure 2: Eurydice meets the Nasty Interesting Man ........................................................... 10 Figure 3: The Father Gives Eurydice a Letter ........................................................................ 14 Figure 4: The Stones Point Orpheus to the Path out of the Underworld ........................... 19 Figure 5: Orpheus Travels to the Underworld